Towing a 2018 Chevy Equinox

[Magic]

Just got a new 2018 Equinox and had the base plate and wiring set up for 4 wheel towing.
Hooked the car up and as per GM manual put it in neutral. As I shut it off, the dash says "shift to park" and a chime starts. We tried everything we could think of and finally towed to our next destination. It tows fine, but the chime was still dinging when we stopped and the battery won't like this after a while. Ideas Equinox owners ????????

[epj]

Battery disconnect switch.

[DeWat]

Did the manual mention anything about removing a fuse? The manual for our '14 Chevy Sonic talks about the "DLIS" fuse.

[Magic]

Thanks, we will consider a battery disconnect if needed. It's just that Chevy didn't even mention one.

[Magic]

No manual instructions for removing any fuses. We did have that on our 2011 HHR.

[Healeyman]

Originally Posted by Magic

but the chime was still dinging when we stopped

I tow a 2011 Equinox. Even when properly set up to tow, the chime "dings" until I pull fuse #37 (located in the passenger footwell).

Fuse #37 cuts off power to the accessories.

Tim

[Magic]

Thanks Healeyman. I'll check that out. I'm at a GM dealership now getting a safety recall done, but no one here has a clue.

[rvbiker45]

There should be a fuse in the Instrument Panel Fuse Block, (located on the passenger side of the center console inside a pop-out panel) that is called Amplifier. It controls the chime that you are hearing. Pull that and the chime will go away.

In the older models of the Equinox, Chevy made some towing mods, the procedure had you pull a fuse prior to towing. The '18 may not be in that group, check with Chevy and see if that procedure applies.

On the battery issue. Install a designated charge line with a fuse on the MH side and on the car side. Run the charge line to the curly cord through the plug-in on the MH and then to the plug-in on the car. This will keep the car battery charged up and ready to go when you get to your destination.

[Magic]

Thanks rvbiker. I tried to check with Chevy, but no one here seems to know.

[rvbiker45]

From a FMCA online post:

FMCA was notified November 1 that GM engineers have developed a revised flat towing procedure for 2010 through 2017 Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines. GM developed the new procedure to eliminate the wobble that sometimes occurs when flat towing these vehicles behind a motorhome.

GM officials said a service bulletin has been distributed to GM dealerships advising them of the revised towing procedure. The service bulletin says this about the wobble, or instability: “This condition may be caused by fuse 32 being removed from the instrument panel fuse block as outlined in the owners manual.”

In the revised procedure, it is no longer necessary to remove fuse 32. However, fuse 16 must be removed. Engineers determined that these changes should keep the vehicle’s electric power steering activated during flat towing. Another important aspect of the revised procedure: An auxiliary battery charger must be installed to prevent the battery in the Equinox/Terrain from losing its charge while the vehicle is being towed.

Please read closely the attached service bulletin, which details the complete revised flat towing procedure for 2010 to 2017 Equinox/Terrain.

As for the 2018 Equinox: GM officials say that because its electrical architecture is different, it is not necessary to pull any fuses. However, just as with 2010-2017 models, a charger will be necessary to keep the towed vehicle’s battery charged. The current owners manual for the 2018 Equinox will be revised to reflect the need for a charger, GM officials said.

The 2018 GMC Terrain is not flat towable.

In July, Larry Milhalko, GM’s crossover vehicle performance manager, told FMCA that the first step in developing a fix was to replicate the wobble during testing. He said this week that although testing encompassed a variety of conditions and scenarios, engineers were unable to replicate the wobble. Nevertheless, he said, “we’re pretty confident” that the revised towing procedure will solve the wobble problem. “We think we have a good solution.”

FMCA will continue to follow this issue. If Equinox/Terrain owners experience the wobble when using the revised flat towing procedure, contact John Johnston at jjohnston@fmca.com.

Equinox Terrain revised flat towing.docx

[rvbiker45]

https://community.fmca.com/applicati...nt.php?id=3964

This is the towing procedure and documentation for the Equinox up to 2017.

[MinnieSandy]

I have the same Equinox 2018. I have a wire from the rv that keeps the battery charged up.As far as chime goes it will turn off after about a half hour. The shift to park will stay on.

Here are the steps I do.

1- Idle the Equinox for 5 min. Turn off all accessories.
2- Turn Equinox off.
3- Foot OFF the brake: Press the START button for 7 to 10 seconds until dash lights up.
4- Foot ON the brake: Shift to neutral.
5- Foot OFF the brake: Press START button. Dash lights go out. A " SHIFT TO PARK" message and chimes are normal.
6- Invisisbrake - On. Or what ever you use for your braking system.
7- Take Key Fob Out

Hope this helps. What recall are you having done I haven't herd of one yet.

[awol50]

Originally Posted by MinnieSandy

I have the same Equinox 2018. I have a wire from the rv that keeps the battery charged up.As far as chime goes it will turn off after about a half hour. The shift to park will stay on.

Here are the steps I do.

1- Idle the Equinox for 5 min. Turn off all accessories.
2- Turn Equinox off.
3- Foot OFF the brake: Press the START button for 7 to 10 seconds until dash lights up.
4- Foot ON the brake: Shift to neutral.
5- Foot OFF the brake: Press START button. Dash lights go out. A " SHIFT TO PARK" message and chimes are normal.
6- Invisisbrake - On. Or what ever you use for your braking system.
7- Take Key Fob Out

Hope this helps. What recall are you having done I haven't herd of one yet.

I think I will keep my little 2003 Chevy Tracker 2wd 5 speed. Put in neutral, key in acc and go. But I did install a charge line from RV to toad. On multiple long haul days without using toad, it will run down engine battery. Used to just unhook negative off battery, but not now.
Remembering more than 2 things to do is a stretch for me.

[Magic]

Hi MinnieSandy,
I had the car in for a rear brake recall. Posted Aug 30th with GM. It seems some GMs have air in the lines and it causes the rear brakes to heat up. It's more involved than that, but I don't have the GM sheet in front of me.
As far as the chiming going on, you have it right. Our Service rep finally found it on another forum.