2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Complaints

DATE OF INCIDENT: 10/17/2020. CHECK BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE'S ALERT MESSAGE INDICATED THE CAR WAS IN 'BATTERY SAVING MODE'. NO PREVIOUS INDICATORS HAD APPEARED TO INFORM THAT THERE WAS A BATTERY ISSUE. A SHORT WHILE LATER, ALL POWER TO THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHILE DRIVER WAS ON A HIGHWAY. THE ALTERNATOR IN THE VEHICLE WENT OUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ENOUGH VEHICLES WITH THIS ALTERNATOR MODEL THAT ALL PARTS STORES IN DULUTH, MN AND SUPERIOR, WI WERE OUT OF PARTS. ADDITIONALLY, THE MANUFACTURER HAS ALSO BEEN OUT OF STOCK WITH THIS ALTERNATOR, INDICATING THAT THERE IS A FLAW WITH THIS PART. WITH SUCH LITTLE (AND INACCURATE) WARNING, THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SITUATION TO BE IN.

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. NO OTHER PASSENGERS BESIDES DRIVER OF VEHICLE WAS IN CAR. THE DRIVERS AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE THE PASSENGER SEAT HAD CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING AIRBAG.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT THE 70 MPH SPEED LIMIT, I ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN AND COULD NOT WITHOUT UTILIZING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. I ENDED UP TAKING MY CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO GET A NEW VACUUM PUMP AND PRESSURE SENSOR. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UP THE ISSUE AND SAW THAT THERE HAD BEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF THIS ISSUE. I HAD TO PAY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE MY VEHICLE BACK, BUT THIS TYPE OF ISSUE SHOULD NOT RELY ON A CONSUMER. MY VEHICLE IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND I'VE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT, AS I ALSO HAD MY WIFE AND 2 YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE.

1. ON 31JAN2018, I PURCHASED A NEW CHEVROLET EQUINOX PREMIER FROM SCENIC CHEVROLET IN WEST UNION, SOUTH CAROLINA. 2. IN MID-FEBRUARY 2018 ON A 5-6 HOUR TRIP, TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 95. MY WIFE AND I COULD NOT HEAR OURSELVES AND COULD NOT CONVERSE AS THE NOISE WAS OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD, A CONSTANT GROWL. WE BOTH DEVELOPED HEADACHES ABOUT 4 HOURS INTO THE TRIP. 3. THE EQUINOX WAS TAKEN TO VADEN CHEVROLET IN SAVANNAH, GA WITH THE COMPLAINT AND INFORMATION ABOVE. VADEN SERVICE PERSONNEL EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND 'FOUND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY'. 4. IN MARCH, 2018, I OBTAINED A DECIBEL(DB) METER, FOR SOUND MEASUREMENT. WITH THIS METER, I WAS ABLE TO MEASURE SOUND EXPOSURE LEVEL(SEL) . 5. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WHILE ON ANOTHER ROAD TRIP, AGAIN ON INTERSTATE 95, I WAS ABLE TO MEASURE THE NOISE LEVEL. IT FLUCTUATED BETWEEN 81 AND 85 DECIBELS, 'A' SCALE (DBA). NIOSH & OSHA WOULD RECOMMEND LIMITING THE 8 HOUR EXPOSURE TO LESS THAN 85 DBA. AND REQUIRE 6. WITH ANOTHER TRIP TO VADEN, THEY EXAMINED THE EQUINOX AGAIN USING A FREQUENCY METER. MY EQUINOX WAS DRIVEN IN COMPARISON TO ANOTHER ANALOGOUS EQUINOX. VADEN INFORME THEM D ME THEY BOTH SOUNDED THE SAME AND THE FREQUENCY WAS QUITE SIMILAR. I WAS UNABLE TO CONVINCE THAT FREQUENCY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH AMPLITUDE. I WAS TOLD THAT IS THE WAY GENERAL MOTORS ENGINEERS DESIGNED THE VEHICLE. 7. LATER IN MARCH 2018, I INSULATED THE VEHICLE DOORS, FRONT AND REAR FENDERS, AND BACK HATCH WITH SOUND PROOFING MATERIAL AT MY EXPENSE. THE DECIBEL RATING DECREASED TO 78-82 DECIBELS AT 60MPH ON THE INTERSTATE 95. MY WIFE AND I HAD TO SHOUT AT EACH OTHER TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION. 8. FROM THE STANDPOINT OF HEARING CONVERSATION, THIS VEHICLE IS QUITE DISMAL. VADEN CHEVROLET IN CONJUNCTION WITH GMC HAS MADE NO EFFORT TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. PLEASE SEE ATTACHMENT. THANK YOU. RESPECTFULLY, W.L.BOHACH LT.COLONEL USMC(RET)

WHILE IN MOTION, SEAT STARTED TO MOVE BACKWARDS. SIDE MIRRORS STARTED TO MOVE AS WELL MAKING DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. I COULDN'T REACH PEDALS AT ONE POINT AND COULDN'T SEE BLIND SPOT. I HAD TO RE ARRANGE THE SEAT AND SIDE MIRROR POSITION WHILE DRIVING SINCE I WAS DRIVING IN A HIGHWAY. THE SEAT SETTINGS DOESN'T WORK AS WELL.

WHILE DRIVING ON A COUNTY HIGHWAY, THE SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST LIGHT APPEARED. UPON BRAKING, BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HARD (LIKE PUSHING ON A BRICK) TO STOP. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE SEVERAL TIMES AND FINALLY GETTING STOPPED, I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. UPON ATTEMPTING TO RESTART, CAR FAILED TO START. TOWED FROM HOLSTEIN IOWA TO MILFORD, IOWA LATE ON A FRIDAY. NEXT MORNING, DEALER IN SPIRIT LAKE IOWA WAS CONTACTED. A 2ND TOW TO THE DEALER HAPPENED ON SATURDAY. DEALER BRIEFLY LOOKED AT IT AND STATED IT WAS A CAMSHAFT ACTUATOR OR SENSOR AND THEY WOULD GET TO IT AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE GAVE ME A RENTAL TO GET HOME (5 HRS SOUTH) HOWEVER, I AM STILL PAYING ON A UHAUL TRAILER RENTAL AS THE RENTAL VAN DID NOT HAVE TOWING CAPABILITIES. TOW 1 WAS $250 AND TOW 2 WAS $125. RENTAL IS $50 PER DAY. PARTS/LABOR IS EXPECTED TO BE A LITTLE OVER $2200 PLUS THE VAN RENTAL, PLUS THE UHAUL TRAILER EXTRA DAYS RENTAL, PLUS THE GAS TO GO BACK AND GET THE VEHICLE AND BRING IT HOME WITH THE UHAUL TRAILER. DEALER WAS ADVISED BY ME TO LOOK AT THE VACUUM PUMP ON TUE A.M. TUE P.M. DEALER CALLED BACK. VERIFIED VACUUM PUMP ISSUE AND STATED IT WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT IT DISINTEGRATED. IT WAS ALSO SITTING ON THE FRONT DUAL OVERHEAD EXHAUST AND THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE CAMSHAFT EXHAUST. BOTH OF THOSE BROKE AWAY AS WELL. NEED TO REPLACE THOSE AND THE TIMING CHAIN WITH AN OIL CHANGE TO ENSURE NO METAL REMAINS IN THE ENGINE. GM/CHEVY SHOULD BE FIXING THIS AT NO COST PLUS PAYING FOR THE TOWING CHARGES, EXTRA RENTALS, AND GAS. NOT HAVING BRAKES IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND PUTTING MY LIFE, MY FAMILY'S LIFE AND THE LIFE OF PEOPLE ON THE ROAD AROUND US IS NOT WHAT I CONSIDER A GOOD PRODUCT. PHOTOS FROM THE DEALER WILL BE ASKED FOR, ESPECIALLY THE VACUUM PUMP. I WILL PROMPTLY FORWARD BILLS AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVE.

10/2019 - WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, COMING INTO A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, I WENT TO SLOW DOWN. WHEN I PUSHED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, THEY WERE VERY HARD AND WAS UNABLE TO PUSH THEM DOWN. ENDED UP HAVING TO DRIVE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID COLLISION. VACCUM PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED A FAILURE IN MY BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM. IT WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. 9/2020 - DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WENT TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND I WAS UNABLE TO SLOW DOWN. AGAIN HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID COLLISION. THIS TIME WHEN THE VACUUM PUMP FAILED, IT BROKE A GEAR CAUSING METAL PIECES TO BE SUCKED IN THE ENGINE AND NOW MY ENGINE IS NEEDING REPLACED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR BASED ON THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. I FEEL THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HAPPEN TWICE IN LESS THAN A YEAR WHILE TRAVELING HIGH SPEEDS AND BEING UNABLE TO STOP. I HAVE 2 YOUNG CHILDREN THAT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE PUTTING IN THIS VEHICLE

WHEN IDLING OR AT A STOPPED LIGHT MY CAR JERKS WHEN I AM SITTING AT A RED LIGHT. IT HAS DONE THIS 4 OR 5 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S WRONG. I THINK THEY ARE WAITING UNTIL MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BEFORE THEY ADDRESS IT.

WINDSHIELD BECOMES FOGGY EASILY WHEN TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE CHANGES (TOO COLD) BECOMES DIFFICULT TO KEEP IT CLEAR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE CAR STARTED TO SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD AREA AND ALL I COULD SMELL WAS BURNED PLASTIC. PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT. NOT EVEN A MINUTE LATER THE CAR BURST INTO FLAMES.