2011 Chevrolet Equinox Owner's Manual - Page 243

Driving and Operating the way to save heat. Repeat this until help arrives but only when you feel really uncomfortable from the cold. Moving about to keep warm also helps. If it takes some time for help to arrive, now and then when you run the engine, push the accelerator pedal slightly so the engine runs faster than the idle speed. This keeps the battery charged to restart the vehicle and to signal for help with the headlamps. Do this as little as possible to save fuel. 9-21 { WARNING If the vehicle's tires spin at high speed, they can explode, and you or others could be injured. The vehicle can overheat, causing an engine compartment fire or other damage. Spin the wheels as little as possible and avoid going above 55 km/h (35 mph). For information about using tire chains on the vehicle, see Tire Chains on page 10‑62. possible. To prevent transmission wear, wait until the wheels stop spinning before shifting gears. Release the accelerator pedal while shifting, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal when the transmission is in gear. Slowly spinning the wheels in the forward and reverse directions causes a rocking motion that could free the vehicle. If that does not get the vehicle out after a few tries, it might need to be towed out. If the vehicle does need to be towed out, see Towing the Vehicle on page 10‑76. If the Vehicle is Stuck Slowly and cautiously spin the wheels to free the vehicle when stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. If stuck too severely for the traction system to free the vehicle, turn the traction system off and use the rocking method. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 9‑40. Rocking the Vehicle to Get it Out Turn the steering wheel left and right to clear the area around the front wheels. Turn off any traction system. Shift back and forth between R (Reverse) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as Vehicle Load Limits It is very important to know how much weight the vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants, cargo and all nonfactory‐installed options.