2005 Chevy Equinox Problems
This is the second time I've had problems with my MP3/CD Player in my 2005 Equinox. I got it replaced the first time while the vehicle was under warranty but now I am having the same problems where it will accept CDs but not play them. It will not play any of my CDs even my regular audio ones. It just says "Reading Disc" and then "Check Disc" and will not play.
Also, recently I have heard a very loud squealing noise while I am driving. It is relatively constant while driving whether I'm braking or accelerating. It only will stop while at a complete stop. Any help on what this could be?
If anyone could give me some advice I'd really appreciate it. The car is no longer under warranty. I don't have a lot of money to replace CD players. Thanks for any help!
Also, recently I have heard a very loud squealing noise while I am driving. It is relatively constant while driving whether I'm braking or accelerating. It only will stop while at a complete stop. Any help on what this could be?
If anyone could give me some advice I'd really appreciate it. The car is no longer under warranty. I don't have a lot of money to replace CD players. Thanks for any help!
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Comments
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I apologize you are experiencing a concern on your vehicle. You may want to check with your dealership on the warranty you may have with the stereo that was originally replaced. I am not sure how long it has been but, you may be still under warranty and be able to get it fixed. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
Again, I apologize that you are experiencing a concern with your CD player. Have you had anyone look at the CD player recently to check the concern?
Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
That's 6 units if you include the original.
Good Luck!
What I can do is have an agent look into your concern further. However, the agent may require you to have the CD player diagnosed by the dealership. If you want me to proceed with this I will need you to email me your contact info, VIN, current mileage, dealership and best time to contact you. You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
The radio was o.k. but the problem was every time the C.D.
Unit # 1 (The original) I couldn't insert a C.D.
Unit # 2 Same thing.
Unit # 3 The unit couldn't read the C.D.
Unit # 4 The C.D. got stucked inside the unit ( lost my C.D.)
Unit # 5 I couldn't insert a C.D.
Unit # 6 Was still working after 4 months but I traded the Equinox.
Good luck to the new owner.
P.S. We are not alone with the 2005's Radio/C.D. units.
What I did...got rid of the entire pile of scrap.
I used to call my truck "My Equinox" but suddenly I noticed I was calling it "My Equijunk".
Traded it for a 2010 HHR 2LT....The HHR is the real thing. No problems at all, a real dream car (it is a car). Comfortable, fun to drive, economical, 110% better than that Equinox (especially the 2005 model).
How long have you experienced the stereo concern? When you had the fuses checked, did the dealership check the radio to see if something else was wrong with it? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
Unfortunately, I am not a service technician and cannot tell you why the amplifier is causing the problem. I would ask the service technician that diagnosed the concern for you for the answer. Did they fix the concern? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
My radio was playing o.k. but the problem was the C.D.
Unit # 1 (The original) I couldn't insert a C.D.
Unit # 2 Same thing.
Unit # 3 The unit couldn't read the C.D.
Unit # 4 The C.D. got stucked inside the unit ( lost my C.D.)
Unit # 5 I couldn't insert a C.D.
Unit # 6 Was still working after 4 months but I traded the Equinox for a 2010 HHR.
The HHR 2LT and it"s a jewel and fun to drive.
P.S. you are not alone with the 2005's Radio/C.D. units problem.
recently noticed fuel economy dropped significantly (last 3 weeks or so), about the same time as I noticed a vibration (almost like a drag), feels like it's coming from the back end. Does this sound like a seized caliper/bad rotor?
what's the consensus on aftermarket/OEM parts?
What do you know about this transmission?
All my vehicles are always maintained religiously.
My Equinox had closely the same problem that yours has and it was all caused by the left rear wheel hub bearing that was but this didn't bother with the fuel economy.
For the decrease of fuel economy remember that in or cold Canada weather it is normal that the cold air has an effect on this.
I see you live somewhere between Toronto/London, I live near Ottawa and every time winter season arrives it has an effect on the fuel economy all my cars did the same since 1975.
This is probably not related to your vibration problem but on the cold air.
As I recall, your problem can't be cause by a bad caliper/rotor because the rear wheels of the 2005 Equinox had shoes/drums.
1- Check your shift linkage.
2- Old fluid, time to change your fluid.
3- Low fluid level.
4- Over filled fluid level.
5- Your transmission might be shot.
There is no "dipstick" to check your transmission oil level but underneath the transmission there is a "plug" that you unscrew and insert your little finger in the hole to check the level.
If you can't touch the oil, the level is low, if it spills out = to much oil, if you can touch the oil with the tip of your finger the oil level is o.k.
My transmission seal on my Equinox had to be changed on warranty because my transmission was losing oil about 1 once a day (even more when hot).
Did you check if you see if you have red oil spots under your Equinox?
Anyone know what could be causing the issue? The mechanic is at a loss. Each time following the replacment of the thermostat the heat will work great, slowly it's starts getting worse. Often, when I slow or come to a start it start blowing cooler or cold air, but then heats up again when I start moving. If I turn the blower on more than the 2nd switch it will start blowing cooler air as well.
Of course the 1st two times that the thermostat was replaced GM covered it because it was under warranty. The 3rd time I fought with them to get it covered eventhough it was out of warranty because it's the same issue each time. THey're obviously not fixing the actual problem, just covering it up!~ I've always been a GM fan, but after this REFUSE to purchase another GM Vehicle, especially after being brushed under the rug!
Let me tell you what happened to me with my 2005 Equinox... and everything went on warranty even though they told me that the brake system is never on warranty because of the fact that it’s “wear and tear” usage.
My rotors were always warped causing a vibration in my steering when applying the brakes. They had to turn/shave the rotors at 4,400 K again at 9,000 K and then change both rotors at 14,800 K because they couldn't turn them anymore (to thin) and then again at 20,300 K again at 25,800 K and again had to change both rotors again at 32,000 k
Finally I traded the Equijunk for a 2010 HHR 2LT what a difference in every way.
P.S. Like “glodato” (post # 23) They had to change a “blown head gasket” at 30,000 K
Cost me 3,800.00 $ and the mechanic told me that blown head gaskets are very common on the 2005 Equinox.
You would think GM would do all necessary to stop this madness. What have they done, if anything, to stop this radio and blown head gasket and thermostat issue from happening in later models? They are still making the Equinox so now I wonder seeing how you have no faith in the 2005 model how did the 06', 07', etc model years do and was anything specific done to eliminate these problems that would have made me want to drive the thing through the Dealership window! So I guess what you all are saying is, "Run, don't WALK away from any 2005 Chevy Equinox, or as you say, "EquiJunk"? I thank you all for your candor.
In all my years of driving (36 yrs) and always a loyal GM customer (my 2005 Equinox being the 7th GM vehicle) the Equinox was the worse. It was really unbelievable to say that it was a Chevrolet.
I traded it for a 2010 HHR and this is a fun to drive, reliable, economic vehicle to drive...I adore it.
It's a good thing that I got rid of it or else I'd be ruined today.
P.S. All my cars where bought new and I'm a conservative driver and always follow the maintenance schedule religiously at a GM dealer.
Took the car back to a mechanic (NOT A Dealership) I'd much rather give my hard earned $$ to someone local. He hooked it up to something (sorry, I'm going to be a girl here) for 24 hours and found no leak in the head gasket!! The lines were flushed again and wouldn't you know it, we have heat, but the question is for how long? He said the lines did not appear to be blocked though? What's causing this problem, the mechanic is at a loss!! It seems to fix the problem for a few weeks but then we're back with no heat. Mechanics suggestion was to trade it in before 100K - currently 93K.
FYI- I did go round with GM and their 1800 customer service. Spoke to 3 district specialists and was told that it's out of warranty. We're at a loss, we were hoping to keep this car for another 5 years!!
If we do end up trading it, I can guarantee it will NOT be for another GM. So sad, we've always driven one but to get swept under the rug after having it in for the same problem 3 times under warranty, I'm done, I don't care what my husband says!
I love the size, cargo room, gas mileage is decent, but I can't get past the way that GM is screwing us. I wouldn't risk it if I were you, there have been too many problems documented with this vehicle for me to waste my money on!
I am a loyal GM customer since 1977 and "YES" I traded my 2005 Equinox after 5 years of owning it...I was fed up (not of GM, but of my Equijunk).
I traded it for a 2010 Chevrolet HHR 2 LT. I didn't like the body of the HHR until I test drove one and I got slowly in love with it.
What a marvelous machine, fun to drive, reliable, economic, spacious (as much as the Equinox), well equipped and after 9 months and 10,000 K TROUBLE FREE. (my Equinox was in the garage @ 800 miles with radiator hoses problems). Go figure!
The 2010 HHR has been my 8th GM vehicle that I own (bought everyone of them new) and by far...the best one.
Do what I did....don't throw the whole apple basket out because of 1 bad apple.
1994 Camero Z28, bought brand new in 1994
-Clutch went after 2 years, I realize it's a HP sports car, but still.
-Leaky water pump after 3 years.
-A/C quit after 4 years
-CD player quite working when I traded it in 1999
1997 Chevy Silverado purchased in 2001 USED
-The tranny went after 1.5 months, of course we had a 1 month warranty on it. so it had to be rebuilt.
-Fuel Pump went in 2002
-water pump went soon there after.
but had a heating system like no other
2001 Oldsmobile Aurora
Bought brand new by my parents and we purchased from them in 2006, soon there after we started having all kinds of problems with it. At the time it only had 35K on it because my dad always had a company car.
-sun roof doesn't open and if it does, it sounds like it's going to shatter
-Transmission hits hard every so often, diagnosed as a MAJOR electrical system problem that we refuse to pay to fix. Happens every few months and then stops when the car shuts off.
- A/C quit a year ago, we went the whole summer without it cause I'm not dumping any more money into the car.
-Service engine light soon light stays on has something to do with the electrical system.
2005 chevy equinox-Major heating system problem which GM refuses to fix.
-paint on dash rubbed off after a year
-stereo overheats and on occasion quits working (not often though)
-has a constant smell of running hot
Enough said, all of these vehicles when purchased were in excess of $20K and while I realize some of the issues are from normal wear an tear, most are major issues!
I'm done handing over $20-30K to GM for shotty products. My parents just purchased a new ford edge and I'm in love!!
The only vehicle we've ever purchased from GM was a S10 that was just a small truck we purchased for yard work, etc..a back up vehicle and it was a great little truck!
-
My first car was a used 1973 Dodge Swinger (will never buy another Dodge).
Then all the rest we're bought new...
1977 Chevelle Malibu Classic (very good, no problems)
1983 Blazer S-10 (very good but a bit lazy on take off)
1990 GMC Safari LS (very good, but slippery in winter)
1994 Blazer S-10 LT (Very good, no problems, one of my best)
1999 Venture ST (very good, no problems, loved it alot but demolished by a hurricane in florida)
2005 Equinox LT (worse pile of s*** ever owned)
2010 HHR 2LT (very good, no problems, best so far, economical, fun to drive, handy.
Ford isn't bad, lots of my friend own or drives Fords and they like it.
No offense my friend.
Long story short, I may PASS on the '05 Equinox AWD, but I have a lead on an 06, 07, and an 08. And if I do buy one, I'm gonna be sure to see if I can get an extended warranty with it to protect ourselves. Thanks for all your imputs!
I am also another "proud" owner of a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox with a blown head gasket requiring a new engine to fix the problem.
At the first signs of any problems with the vehicle, I took it to the dealer and after close to $400.00 later they diagnosed it as just some clogged fuel injectors and bad spark plugs.
I then picked it up from the dealership and on the way home (in 10 degree weather) it overheated on me.
I then had it towed to the dealership the next day. They called me back and told me that it was a blown head gasket and would need a new (or rebuilt engine) at he cost of $2800.00-$3800.00.
This caught me off guard since I had all of the prescribed (recommended) maintenace done on this vehicle. I the nproceeded to call GM/Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center where they rudely told me that they would not be able to asssit me with the cost of this matter.
After 2 weeks and 2 calls back to the customer service number they told me that the only assistance that they would able to offer me would be a GM Loyalty certificate in the amount of $1500.00 towards the purchase of my next GM Vehicle.
After being treated so horribly and by the lack of help offered by GM/ Chevrolet, I am now in the market for My first Import Vehicle.
I have previously owned nothing but Chevrolet vehicles but due to this situation I am nol onger loyat to Chevrolet since I feel they they were not loyal to me during this horrible situation (which was not due to anything on my part but due to shotty design on GM's part.
I would not recommend this model year vehicle to anyone (unless you want to become good friends with a mechanic and can afford to do so)!!!
I am a GM loyal customer since 1977 and traded my Equijunk for a brand new 2010 HHR 2LT last year. What a marvelous little truck, fun to drive, economical and realiable, not comparable with the Equinox.
My HHR has 12,000 miles and nothing wrong with it since I bought it.
My Equinox was towed at the dealer with only 800 miles on it because of "over heating" they had to change all my hoses because my coolant had turned to a brownish color, sludgee and stinky.
When I traded for the HHR GM gave me automatically, without asking anything a 1,000 $ rebate as a "Loyalty Rebate" because I was buying another GM vehicle.
I'd say the HHR is the best car/truck I've ever owned in all my years of drive that totals 7 GM vehicles...Cars/Trucks/S.U.V./Vans.
DON'T RELY ENTIRELY ON MECHANICS TO SERVICE YOUR CARS PROPERLY. **YOU** NEED TO BE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST CATASTOPHIC FAILURES LIKE THE ONE MENTIONED HERE.
It starts with the instrument gauges and knowing what's NORMAL for your vehicle so that you can detect abnormal trends when they start to occur.
For example, my Taurus is ALWAYS at mid-scale on the temperature gauge. My Impala is ALWAYS just below mid-scale on the temperature gauge. Over the last year or so, I noticed the temperature on the Impala routinely starting to creep over mid-scale. I knew this wasn't normal, but the car wasn't in any danger of overheating so I let it ride. But then I started noticing the coolant level in the plastic tank being chronically low (and needing refill). I knew I was losing coolant. Well, I kept filling it until I found the source of the leak (turned out to be a pinhole in the radiator side tank). But if I wasn't paying attention to the gauges and didn't know what was NORMAL for my vehicle, the coolant would've run down until the gauge spiked into the HOT range and that would've likely been it for my engine!
So at a minimum, watch the gauges and check your fluids periodically. And if your car doesn't HAVE a temperature scale and only has a light, you better make sure you know which light (or message) it is so you don't continue driving along while your coolant is draining away.
Same goes for oil. An engine without lubrication or cooling fluids is a dead engine.
The reason for a blown head gasket is not driving with a low oil level.
I do all my maintenance religiously and check all my levels every 2 weeks and when it happened my oil level was right on the level mark.
Could it be the 3.4 L engine? My previous vehicle was a 1999 Chevrolet Venture with a 3.4 L engine also and the head gasket blew on that one to @ 59,000 miles.
For the cost mine was 1,275.86 $
Maintenance history during my 5 year ownership was limited to:-
Oil and filter changes at approximately 10 month intervals.
Front strut plate replaced under warranty at 10,128 Miles.
Front brake rotors machined twice - last time at 19,700 miles at which time the engine was tuned and fuel system and carburetter flushed.
The coolant system was drained, flushed and refilled after 5 years as recommended by GM.
Lastly, the electric power steering failed to activate one time. The dealership technician checked fuses but found nothing wrong and the system self corrected when the vehicle was restarted. If you find yourself with this problem, turning off the ignition then restarting the engine may solve it.
Overall I had no complaints with my 2005 Equinox which for my relatively light usage after 24,000 miles had given good service. It averaged 17.44 mpg (13.49L/100k) overall but Winter fuel consumption was considerably higher.
I did test drive a 2010 Equinox but felt that GM's new engine technology, especially the 4 cylinder, might need more time in service to be proved reliable. So, in July 2010 when my extended warranty was about to expire I traded the Nox for a Mitsubishi Outlander ES. Production of the Outlander's 2.4L MIVEC engine began in 2005 and comes with a 10 year, 100,000 mile drive train warranty.
I apologize for your experience. Please keep us updated.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Coinsidence?