Chevy Equinox airbags, seat belts, and SDM modules

What happens to your Equinox's module after a crash

The Chevrolet Equinox uses the SDM, GM's Sensing and Diagnostic Module, to run its supplemental restraint system. This compact crossover packs front airbags, side and curtain bags, and seat belt pretensioners, and the SDM is the unit that reads the impact sensors and fires them. The instant it commands a deployment, it writes that event into permanent memory.

That stored crash data is the reason the airbag light stays on after an accident. The Equinox's SDM sees its own deployment record, sets hard codes, and locks. A standard OBD2 scanner cannot erase it, because the data lives at the module level. The light burns through every key cycle until the module is reset.

We put your original Equinox SDM in our shop, clear the locked crash data and hard codes, and return it reading factory-ready. It keeps its original GM calibration and your VIN, so it plugs back into your crossover and works on the first key cycle. You reinstall the same module GM built for that Equinox.