Chevrolet Equinox

gee35coupe

when on the same lot you have the Trailblazer with that big ole I6 with like 245 hp. I think GM will lose in the long run.

joey2brix

The Liberty V6's got 235lb of torque, so it's second, not the Nox. Your comment of the 3.5L in '06 or '07 is the norm for GM, you have to wait 3 or 4 years before you get a better motor in a car.

norne

I really like the styling and ample legroom in the backseat. Why does GM continue to put in those cheap cheap hard interior plastics?? This is the kind of stuff that turns me off from purchasing a GM or ford.

tracyh

Bought a new Equinox LT fwd 3500 miles ago and
my mileage is really poor, best is 21 on hwy and
average is 19.6, most of my mileage is hwy. I am
going to arbitration with the BBB on this, so far
GM has told me there is nothing they will do, they said most people don't care about mileage. I
told them they are using false advertising saying
19 and 25, I warned the dealer at 350 miles, they
said they would do nothing to help or trade me into another vehicle as I just traded a 2003 GMC
that got 18 mpg and 20 on hwy. I only drive the speed limit, not over 70 and most mileage is hwy. 85%.
I will respond on this site to let you all know
what the outcome will be, I think I know the answer, they have lots of lawyers, so have at it
sucker GM customer. I have bought at least 25
new GM cars, trucks. If GM does not give a satifactory solution, it will be the last GM vehicle I will buy. I even sold Chevys for 3 yrs.
My sister inlaw just bought a non GM vehicle because of what happened to me. Come on GM what
happened to customer satisfaction.
I like the Nox, drives well, has good power, looks good. Yes lots of road noise on concrete
roads or rough roads, almost unbarable at times, this is because of
the 60 series 17" tires and struts sending the noise into the unibody.
and yes some wind noise from front side windows.

dan165

I don't think you will get much sympathy from the BBB. First, you only have 3500 miles on the the truck. It's took at least that long to get advertised mileage on my GP. Second, the mileage posted on the window is best case scenario. If you have lots of people in the truck, speed up quickly or run the a/c which is pretty likely in the summer, you aren't going to get 25 mpg, plain and simple.

My advice is to you is to be a little more realistic. If you are happy with your Equinox then enjoy it. If you want 30 mpg get a car.

npgmbr

So are you suggesting that GM should put that I6 in the Nox?

Because if they did that would mean that smaller, less expensive Nox would out-pace the larger heeavier, Trailblazer and that does not make good business sense.

It's bad enough the Nox has to compete against it's rivals and it's cousin the VUE, but are you suggesting that it should also compete against it's older brother?

infinia1

agreed! except be a lot more realistic!

joey2brix

Is a great example of GM using an underpowered engine in the Nox. With a 5sp auto, it has worse MPG's then the Vue. Why can an Impala get 32 MPG highway with the 3.4L and a 4sp. auto, but the Nox can't even come close? Power to weight ratios are more important then drag coefficents and frontal area as many of you will probably try to bring up.

turksteritis

I owned a 03 Vibe that was way under the claimed mpg rating. I live in Canada & the ratings were 47 mpg hiway/37 mpg in town. I am a travelling sales rep & even after 40000 hiway miles I could nat ever get better then 37 mpg! I recently bought a 04 AWD Saturn vue. My Mpg is rated at 33 mpg Canadian & my last trip got 31 mpg. This is about 26.5 mpg US. Pretty good for a 250 hp AWD SUV!!!!

dan165

The GM vans have the same 3.4L in them and they are rated at around 26 or 27 mpg. I think under ideal circumstances, the Equinox could hit those numbers also.

gee35coupe

It's a FWD for starters. My example was that GM built an entirely new engine for that class of vehicle. The I6 is DOHC no less. Why not build one for the NOX.

logic1

from the EPA, not from their own figures.

It is impossible to say GM or any company uses false advertising when they release EPA mileage estimates. In fact all the manufacturer is doing is reporting what the EPA says. All manufacturers qualify mileage ratings by saying the EPA provides estimates only and they are meant only for comparison purposes.

The mileage Tracych reports appears to be about the same as the observed mileage I have seen on Edmunds and in the auto rags for such competitors as the Escape, Rav4 and the Santa Fe. My wife has only averaged around 19 in our V6 Escape.

joey2brix

and the car makers can tune an engine/transmission
shift points to maximize the results. It's not much of a yard stick, but at least it's something. GM had the 3.0/3.2L OHC V6 that was imported from England. Of course they closed that plant down to import the 3.4L from China. Izuzu has a nice 3.5L direct injection on the Axiom. Even the Caddy 3.6L could have been "de-tuned".
Even the new I5 in the Colorado pickup would have been the perfect engine, might have fit. Too bad, but there's no excuse for saying GM doesn't have a proper engine for the Nox. If Honda can make an afforable OHC V6 engine that GM can buy and put in a Vue that didn't raise the base price over last years V6 Vue, why can't GM build one also?

bporter1

Fuel economy numbers are just glorified estimates at best. Most people who drive any vehicle usually fall somewhere in the middle of the two numbers. Of course like what was mentioned in aprevious post, it also depends on how you drive, and how much weight the vehicle is carrying. One thing to mention about the EPA numbers, the hybrids are falling short of their touted fuel mileage. So don't blame GM on this one, but good luck with them anyway.

npgmbr

Ok I see what you're saying now.

npgmbr

I saw a story recently on the news talking about people complaining about the Toyata Prius and Honda Civic Hybrids not getting posted mileage estimates and the response from both automakers was exactly what you just stated.

So the question is, why does the gov't mandate such a thing or is it just an outdated law that should no longer be used?

gee35coupe

That was just there for overblown news purposes. There are sveral forums where you can read about hybrid owners that are happy as clams.

nancys1

I bought my Nox May 31, heard the grinding noise in the steering, took it in for service 2 weeks ago today..and the service department still has NO idea when they will get the redesigned strut.
I am losing patience..GM is paying for a rental car ( a FORD FOCUS..eekkkk)..I am so disappointed in the "no-service" department!!
Anyone have any suggestions?

dan165

2 weeks is a long time for sure. Given the shortage of Equinoxes, my guess is GM is stretched for parts also.

We have pretty much narrowed down our SUV purchase to an Equinox, a Trailblazer, a Pilot or an Explorer. I think the Honda is a bit pricey as we are trying to cut our lease payment. Equinox is on the cheaper end but my wife loves the looks and the drive. Any other cool SUVs coming in the near future?

mr_bots

I just read in a magazine where they had a comparison of the Equinox, Escape 3.0L, Vue 3.5L, and Santa Fe 3.5L. The Equinox won the comparison. In acceleration the Vue won (expected) with the Nox and Santa Fe pretty much on par with each other in 2nd place, and the Escape placed last in acceleration. You claim it gets bad gas mileage, you only get this because the Vue has a more powerful engine and gets the same numbers, but yet the Equinox has higher estimates then the other V6 "mini" utes. You say its underpowered, once again only when compared to the V6 Vue. Overall the powertrain in this vehicle is very competitive in terms of performance and economy.

dan165

It sure is a competitive power train. I think some people have trouble wrapping their heads around the concept of a traditional OHV engine being powerful, smooth and efficient.

Which magazine was the review in?

gee35coupe

The funny thing though was that the only other 3.5L DOHC engine cleaned that OHV engines 's clock. Same mileage but a much higher performance gain.

dan165

The Honda engine is nice, but the Equinox is a better package in my eye. I don't care about 0-60 in 7 seconds. We will lake a look at a Red Line VUE maybe. The local Saturn dealer doesn't have one in stock to test.

nancys1

Update..just picked up my Nox today after 17 days of waiting for the strut to be replaced.
It drives like a dream..no more creaking!

pjneg14

i just put a $500 deposit on the equinox LT awd - SE package-
reading all of the comments about the odor problems and struts-
Any help with possibly not getting the car from anyone?

nancys1

The nox is a wonderful car..just be aware they may have to replace the strut with a redesigned part.
The dealer told me mine was the only one so far that he had to replace.
I am very pleased with the Nox and have not had any other issues!

ron_m

Although I am over and beyond happy with my particular car, my wife will be needing a replacement for hers in the not too distant future. We are considering the purchase of another SUV for our family, and the Nox is certainly high on the list of potential choices at the moment.

There are several things that I like about the Nox at first glance, but other aspects of the vehicle are sort of a turnoff to me. For example, the adjustable shelf for the cargo area. While I can see this feature being useful at certain times, such as tailgating at a college football game, the majority of the time I believe that it would just be a space invader for the cargo area. In fact, for an SUV of any size I found the cargo area as a whole to be too small for four people making a week-long beach outing together. Maybe I'm wrong about this--and would just have to test it out for myself. As far as the interior's layout, I like it a lot. But I am highly suspect of GM's material selection for *some* of the plastic components. This is something I am already used to though as a former TrailBlazer LTZ owner, and my Lexus IS300 has some cheap plastic interior components in it as well. Two examples are the plastic shroud that surrounds the steering column, and the rubberized mat on top of the shift lever cover plate. GM could have done better than that for such an overall nice SUV. At any rate, I can look over the cheap plastic materials that GM utilized in the interior, because the overall appearance of the interior is still acceptable. And to GM's credit, they did a nice job with many aspects of the Nox's interior.

Speaking in terms of the exterior, I can't find anything that really, really turns me off about it. Great job with the styling GM!

Next, we're going to test drive one. We didn't have time yesterday.

Ron M.

gee35coupe

"Speaking in terms of the exterior, I can't find anything that really, really turns me off about it."

Ain't that the truth. I saw a white one yesterday. Just beautiful.

ron_m

Funny that you should mention the white one you saw yesterday, because the one we looked at yesterday was also white. As you have already stated, they are absolutely beautiful!

I'm interested to see how we feel about the Nox after driving one. I may test drive one Monday after work if they still have any left at the dealership that I would prefer to deal with.

Ron M.

dan165

Only criticism was the dash which I find to be fine. I guess it could be better.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7325&sid=18- 1&n=157

anonymousposts

They also mentioned that the engine could be better.

gee35coupe

"So dang close" paragraph sums up my feelings. That's why I'm still subscribed to this forum.

jrest

Finally saw the 1st equinox on the road last friday in St.Louis area. It was an LS in the light brown color. Looked good. I'm still waiting for my custom-ordered, salsa red to arrive. ETA-mid august. I had read that the plant was closed down for 2 weeks for maintenance?!!? I don't know if the 8-10 weeks the dealer told me included that 2 week downtime or not. Anyhow, someone mentioned above that they put a deposit of $500. I too put down a $500 deposit and with all the negative reports (struts, creaking noises, etc.) and finding out about the malibu-maxx and magnum, I wonder if I made the wrong decision in getting the equinox. I mean, when I first read about this car 2 years ago while waiting for my cavalier to get repaired, I thought to myself, this is my next car...it will fit my string bass and keyboard rigs pretty well, as opposed to when I drive my cavalier.

vanman1

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/chevrolet/equinox/100370220/roadt- estarticle.html?articleId=102463&tid=edmunds.h..reviews.leftb- anner.1.*

dan165

Interesting that Edmunds usually doesn't like GM interiors but seems to like the one in the Equinox. I personally think it's just fine as well but I guess everyone has their opinion.

Great review that pretty much sums up my thoughts. We will almost certainly lease an Equinox at this point. Our current lease is done in a month.

john6019

Because of the strut issue, air leakage at the driver's door or window, horrid gas mileage (I haven't hit the 19mpg minimum yet), rear view obstruction when the back seats are up, and poor service; I have begun Lemon Law proceedings and have demanded full refund. I have purchased new cars since 1985 and this is by far the WORST vehicle!! I bought this 5/25/04 and have had nothing but problems since 800 miles.

anonymousposts

Your experience with your Equinox sounds like our experience with our 2000 Silverado.

jrest

John6019,
Could it be that you just happen to have bad luck with this car? You mentioned you've been buying cars for a long time...one out of the many you've probably bought is not too bad of odds. My father, who is 59 has had around 10-12 new cars, and 2 of them were nothing but problems from the start. It's just the luck of the draw.
I am curious as to how your story ends so please keep us informed.

dan165

You can't complain your truck is a lemon based on "rear view obstruction" which is part of the truck (did you not test it before you bought?) and 19 mpg. They won't even likely look at your case. The other 2 issues sound like initial quality glitches but hardly the basis for a lemon law proceeding unless you have tried multiple times to get them fixed and they are still not.

I'm not saying your Nox is not flawed, but the lemon law is not made for what you are complaining about.

logic1

the Vue 3.5. One would think the ballyhooed Honda engine would cream the Nox.

Lemon law proceedings are for repeated service complaint that cannot be fixed. It is hard to accept one could reach lemon law thresholds with only 800 miles.

Mileage is never a lemon law problem, unless there is an underlying defect in the engine. 19 mpgs with a 3.5k pound suv is no flaw. 19 mpgs is about what any driver would realize in a V6 cute-ute. Heck, I rarely get 19 mpgs in my Mazda Miata.

As Dan says, rear vision problems are function of design, and can never be lemon law issues. Neither is poor service.

Don't want to say you are making things up, but your post sure does not pass the sniff test.

nancys1

The strut problem is certainly fixable.
I have resolved the issue 100% when the redesigned part was replaced.
My nox drives like a dream and I could not be happier.

miked1

WE FIRST NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM AT 800 MILES. THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE RIGHT FRONT STRUT.WE GOT IT BACK AND AT ABOUT 3000 MILES STARTED HEARING THE SAME NOISE ON THE LEFT SIDE. AGAIN, THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE LEFT FRONT STRUT. HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL BE THE LAST OF THIS PROBLEM.LET US KNOW IF THIS HELPS.

jrest

Someone earlier on this post mentioned about having their NOX in for service regarding the struts and discovered there were other service bulletins for the nox. Whoever that was or if you know, can you list what the bulletins were about? or a website that would list these? Thanks.

johng1

As of 7/20/04, these are the latest TSB's available at: http://www.nhtsa.gov

Service Bulletin Number: 01898
NHTSA Item Number: 10006805
Summary Description:
HVAC CONTROL AND MODE DOOR CALIBRATION.

Service Bulletin Number: 01912
NHTSA Item Number: 10006817
Summary Description:
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P1125 OR P2138, OR BOTH.

Service Bulletin Number: 01994
NHTSA Item Number: 10006919
Summary Description:
SUNROOF OPERATION (VENT POSITION).

Service Bulletin Number: 02028
NHTSA Item Number: 10006956
Summary Description:
SERVICE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WILL NOT PROGRAM.

Service Bulletin Number: 02031
NHTSA Item Number: 10006906
Summary Description:
CD CHANGER WILL NOT EJECT OR PLAY CDS.

Service Bulletin Number: 02049
NHTSA Item Number: 10007735
Summary Description:
A MISFIRE WITH MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP/DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0300, LOW CYLINDER COMPRESSION AND POSSIBLY VALVE TRAIN NOISE.

Service Bulletin Number: 02059
NHTSA Item Number: 10007746
Summary Description:
EVAP SYSTEM LEAK AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P0442 OR DTC P0455

Service Bulletin Number: 02084
NHTSA Item Number: 10007780
Summary Description:
RUB OR SCRAPE NOISE FROM STEERING COLUMN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT.

Service Bulletin Number: 02114
NHTSA Item Number: 10007456
Summary Description:
NO CRANK WITH LOSS OF COMMUNICATION TO BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM), INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER (IPC), POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM), TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM), AND EBCM SETTINGS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) U1000, U1064, U1096, U2105, U2106 AND U2108.

Service Bulletin Number: 02121
NHTSA Item Number: 10007794
Summary Description:
CLARIFICATION OF ROOF RACK BOW POSITION.

Service Bulletin Number: 02122
NHTSA Item Number: 10007795
Summary Description:
REAR SEAT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

Service Bulletin Number: 02125
NHTSA Item Number: 10007798
Summary Description:
RADIO DISPLAYS CAL ON DISPLAY AFTER RADIO IS REPLACED BUT RADIO OPERATES CORRECTLY.

Service Bulletin Number: 02134
NHTSA Item Number: 10007810
Summary Description:
WIND NOISE FROM EITHER FRONT DOOR.

Service Bulletin Number: 030604
NHTSA Item Number: 10007385
Summary Description:
PREDELIVERY INSPECTION (PDI) INFORMATION FOR THE 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX.

nox112

I got my nox about a week ago. I noticed that the drive shaft is somewhat rusted. Is this normal or is it an isolated incident.

nancys1

I asked them to replace both struts but the service dept man said they only were replacing the one making the noise..sheesh, if they know it's a problem, why not take care of them at the same time?

dan165

Loves the interior and the engine. OHV engines are more responsive around town, no doubt.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/05equinox.htm

bigdaddycoats

from that review -

"wonderful V6 engine and transmission, a comfortable ride, and a unique sliding rear"

jrest

Thanks for all the info regarding the service bulletins. Geez, a long list. I have a bad feeling about getting my Nox in about 3 weeks.

dan165

I think in spite of it's age, the 3.4L with it's modifications is a very good V6. No it's not a techno dynamo, who cares.