2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Complaints

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON ROUTE 66 IN EAST HAMPTON, CT WHEN THE CAR JUST STARTED HESITATING AND NOT DRIVING PROPERLY. I IMMEDIATELY HAD TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF SO AS NOT TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND CALLED ON-STAR. I TURNED THE CAR ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT FINALLY SEEMED DRIVE-ABLE. ON-STAR PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND SAID THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG AND TO PROCEED TO THE CLOSEST CHEVROLET DEALER IMMEDIATELY. IT WAS DETERMINED BY JACKSON CHEVROLET THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SOMETHING LIKE THAT CAN BREAK IN ONLY 4 YEARS OF OWNING THE CAR AND IT WAS A REAL SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN A VERY BAD RAIN STORM ON ROUTE 9 IN NEWINGTON CT GOING SOUTHBOUND (PLEASE CHECK THE WEATHER FOR THAT DAY AROUND 5:10PM). THIS IS A HIGHWAY WHERE CARS WERE TRAVELING PROBABLY BETWEEN 50 ? 60 MILES PER HOUR DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS JUST STOPPED WORKING. I WAS DRIVING BLIND DOWN A MAJOR HIGHWAY IN POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BARELY FIND THE BREAKDOWN LANE WHILE FALLING OFF THE ROAD PERIODICALLY AS I COULD NOT SEE WHERE THE ROADSIDE WAS. I SLOWLY WORKED MY WAY ON TO THE EXIT 29 RAMP SO I COULD SIT UNTIL HELP ARRIVED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MOTOR. OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR MONTHS, THE HEATING MECHANISM THAT CONTROLLED THE DIRECTION OF THE HEATER, AND THROTTLE BODY WERE REPLACED. THE FIRST INCIDENT WITH THE HEATING WAS DISCOVERED DURING A COLD WINTER MORNING AS THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE DEFROSTER WAS NOT PROVIDING ANY HEAT TO CLEAR THE WINDOW. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING TO WORK AS WELL.

WHEN I WAS OUT RUNNING ERRANDS ON 5/2/15 WITH MY (XXX) YEAR OLD, AS I WAS ARRIVING CLOSER TO MY DESTINATION MY CAR STARTED SHAKING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE STABILITRAK LIGHT CAME ONE AND I STARTED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR AND THE PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR HESITATED FOR A MIN OR SO THEN IT STARTED TO REV UP AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF. THEN WHEN I GOT TO WHERE I WAS GOING I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL THE STABILITRAK SHOULD GO OFF AND IT USUALLY ACTIVATES DUE TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN TRAFFIC AT A STOP AND TRYING TO PULL OFF THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER BEING IN THE STORE FOR AT LEAST 30MINS OR MORE WHEN I COME BACK OUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON BUT THE STABILITRAK LIGHT IS OFF. I AM NO MORE THAN 20 MINS AWAY FROM MY HOME BUT ON THE WAY BACK HOME IT TOOK AT LEAST 45 MINS BECAUSE THREE TIMES WHILE IN TRAFFIC WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO TURN GREEN THE CARD STARTED HAVING THE SOLDERED ACCELERATION PROBLEMS AGAIN. I AM JUST RELIEVED THAT THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME IN EACH OCCURRENCE WHICH WOULD BE A TOTAL OF 4 WAS VERY PATIENT. I DID DO A DIAGNOSTIC REPORT WITH ONSTAR AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE 3 CODES ON MY CAR NOW AND THE LOSS OF POWER CAN BE AN ISSUE FOR THESE CODE AND TO GET THE CAR TO THE DEALER WITHIN 7 DAYS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN LISTED ON THIS SITE MORE THAN ONCE. I AM NO LONGER UNDER THE WARRANTY FOR THIS VEHICLE AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IS A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. I AM NOT SURE WHY CHEVY/GM IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THIS ISSUE FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN ON THIS SITE AND EDMUNDS.COM, CAR COMPLAINTS.COM AND YOU TUBE THIS A VERY REAL AND SERIOUS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED SOON THAN LATER. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANYTHING DONE ABOUT THIS. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR NOW. *TRPARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHROME WRAPPING ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AND BOTH REAR DOOR HANDLES PEELED OFF CREATING VERY SHARP EDGES. WHEN TOUCHING THE HANDLE, THE SHARP EDGES FROM THE CHROME WRAPPING CAUSED LACERATIONS TO THE HANDS OF THE PASSENGERS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. BRAKE LIGHT ALARM CAME ON FOLLOWED BY STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM ALARM. FAILURE IN MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER ALLOWED BRAKE FLUID TO DRAIN FROM SYSTEM. CAR WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED AT A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP. I NEEDED TO HAVE BOTH THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BOOSTER REPLACED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A SMOOTH STOP AT A RED LIGHT AND AS THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP, THE RPM GAUGE NEEDLE FELL BELOW 1 AND THEN KEPT LOWERING AND THE ENGINE SHOOK AND JOSTLED AND THE CAR ENGINE DIED. ALL INTERIOR ELECTRONICS WERE STILL WORKING. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO PARK IN ORDER TO GET IT TO START UP AGAIN. IT DID THIS LATER WHILE REVERSING. AND NOW IT JUST SEEMS TO DO THIS ANYTIME I COME TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, STOP SIGN, ANYTIME REALLY. SOMETHING I FOUND PERPLEXING WAS THAT IF I PUT IT INTO PARK, IT IDLES SMOOTH. TAKE IT OUT OF PARK, IT IDLES ROUGH AGAIN AND WILL STALL. THE INFORMATION PANEL BETWEEN THE GAUGES SAYS TO SERVICE STABILI TRAK. LAST NIGHT, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND COOLANT EXPLODED FROM THE ENGINE. I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO DO WITH THIS CAR. I HAVE IT FINANCED AND IF IT ISN'T REPAIRABLE, ILL BE STUCK WITH NO CAR AND NO RIDE TO WORK, BUT STILL HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE A CAR PAYMENT. I'VE BEEN READING ALL OVER ON DIFFERENT CAR FORUMS AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH OTHER CHEVY EQUINOX OWNERS. FIRST IT STARTS IDLING ROUGH, THEN IT STARTS STALLING OUT, SOME PEOPLE HAVE EVEN HAD IT STALL OUT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, AND THEN ONE GUY EVEN HAD THE ENGINE CATCH ON FIRE. HE LUCKILY JUMPED OUT OF HIS VEHICLE JUST IN TIME TO AVOID HIS OWN DEATH. ALL OF THEM DESCRIBING THE SAME ISSUES MY EQUINOX IS HAVING. THE MILEAGE SEEMS TO BE IRRELEVANT AS FAR AS THIS GOES. SOME OF THEM HAD 30,000 MILES, SOME HAD LESS THAN 5,000 MILES. SOME HAD 100,000 MILES. SOME OF THEM TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED CAM SHAFT STUFF. THAT SOMETIMES FIXED THE ISSUE, SOMETIMES NOT. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE. LIKE SOMETHING WAS WRONG IN PRODUCTION. PLEASE HELP!!! I HAVE CHILDREN. WHAT SHOULD I DO? *TR

A THREE OCCASIONS I HAVE SAT A STOP LIGHT WITH THE CAR IDLING, WITH A ROUGH SOUNDING IDLE, THE CAR SOUNDING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. ON THE THIRD OCCASION, IT ACTUALLY DID STALL WITH ME NEEDING TO RESTART (WHICH LUCKILY IT DID) AS TRAFFIC WAS BEARING DOWN FROM BEHIND ON AN EARLY MORNING COMMUTE. I TOOK THE CAR TO GET SERVICED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO DAYS, WITH THE MECHANIC TELLING ME THAT CAR WAS DANGEROUSLY LOW ON OIL. I WAS SHOCKED AND SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS, AS I AM DILIGENT ABOUT GETTING MY OIL CHANGED ON TIME. THE OIL WAS CHANGED ONLY 3 MONTHS PRIOR AND THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS 3 QUARTS LOW ON OIL!! AFTER HEARING THIS, I'VE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE FOR PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR YEAR MODEL EQUINOXES. SCARY AS I FELT HELPLESS SITTING STALLED IN HEAVY MORNING TRAFFIC. LUCKY I WASN'T HIT! *TR

WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING, THE BACK HATCH WILL SUDDENLY UNHOOK. IT DOES NOT OPEN FULLY BUT UNLATCHES ENOUGH TO TELL THE CAR THAT IT IS OPEN. THIS ALSO HAPPENS WHILE I AM DRIVING, CAUSING ME TO PULL OVER TO SHUT IT AGAIN. THE BUTTON TO OPEN THE HATCH IS NOW NON-FUNCTIONAL (CAN'T OPEN THE HATCH AT ALL) BUT THE HATCH IS STILL POPPING! I AM AFRAID THAT THE WHOLE WILL OPEN WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND CAUSE A CRASH. *TR

THE CONSOLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS REMAIN ON AFTER THE KEY IS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION! THIS HAS HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES! *TR

DISCOVERED VEHICLE USING AROUND 2 QUARTS OF OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. IT WAS 200 MILES SHORT OF NEXT OIL CHANGE. ADDED THE OIL, DROVE APPROX. 500 MILES AND IT WAS 1/2 QT. SHORT. GM SAYS NORMAL TO USE 1 QUART IN BETWEEN. THIS IS CRAZY. WE HAVE BEGAN THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST WITH PHOTOS DOCUMENTING. WHEN WE HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT A DEALER THE OIL WAS WAY OVERFILLED. *TR