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Chevrolet Equinox Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • bobbibobbi Member Posts: 3
    Around my sun roof, the roof is lose! I can stick my hand in the front of the sun roof and my whole arm in the back, between the roof and the rug. The dealer put new VELCRO, but the heat melted the glue again! But no smell, or strut problem. The only other thing is the leather seat (front pssgr) whistles when you sit, like there is a whole.
  • ndmike88ndmike88 Member Posts: 155
    My daughter is driving a 2000 S-10 Blazer. While it was in the shop for a faulty gas sensor our salesman was kidding her and saying how she should trade in her Blazer and buy an Equinox. Today my TrailBlazer was getting the recall repaired and I went over and looked at the Equinox. They had maybe 5 of them. Prices were not too bad and it's really not a bad looking SUV. But after reading all these comments (mostly negitive) I think she can wait till next year. That will give GM time to work out the bugs.
  • cmeinelcmeinel Member Posts: 1
    Just picked up our new Equinox yesterday. Love the looks and drive but... while driving at 30-40MPH with the sunroof open the whole car has a bad vibration. Has anyone else had this problem?
  • kinley1kinley1 Member Posts: 2
    what size gas tank comes with the nox
  • noxwannabenoxwannabe Member Posts: 34
    Yes I've had the sunroof vibration. Pull the sunroof forward about 2 inches and the vibration will stop. It is not just a function of the sunroof though. Any time you put a window down be prepared to adjust it up and down or make other windows open. The windows suck the air out of the car or something and the lack of air pressure makes your ears hurt.

    However from talking with other owners of other cars and SUVs this is not a Nox problem, as many other brands/models have the same issue. Guess they figure most people drive with the air conditioner on.
  • schafer35schafer35 Member Posts: 3
    I picked up my Laser Blue Equinox ET on May 14. I have about 6,200 miles now, 3,500 came on a July trip to to Texas, Ohio and back to Florida. The Nox ran great. I average 18 mpg in the city (congested Pinellas County FL) I drive about 35 miles a day. On the highway, the best I got was 25 mpg...running about 72 mph. On our trip I ran from 68-80 mpg, ran at 90 on some stretches. My trip avg highway mileage was 23 when running at 68-75 and 21.5 when running over 75 mph.
    About 4 weeks into ownership, I could smell mold. I took it back and the dealer replaced the headliner, they said the liner was damp from the sun roof nor seating properly.
    I dont know if I am sensitive to it but I swear I can still smell mold if the car sits in the sun all day. I have checked everywhere but the spare tire well.
    I too have the wind chatter with the sunroof open. (sounds like a chopper overhead!)I found just cracking the drivers window a couple inches and it dissipates. I also found highway speeds affect the noise too. The faster I go, less chatter.
    So, outside of the mold problem (and I hope that is behind me) the Equinox has been great.
  • mitzijmitzij Member Posts: 613
    gas tank capacity: 17 gallons.
  • carmencarmen Member Posts: 12
    If you haven't check the spare tire well, please do. They still haven't been able to solve the problem and the Nox I had and have agreed to replace the Nox.
  • reedreed Member Posts: 11
    We are still trying to stop the gross dead animal smell in our Nox. It has been to the dealer 3 times, I am in contact with Chevy and we are trying to come to a solution. 2 weeks ago the dealer had the Nox for 5 days, they put a new filter where the fresh air comes into the vehicle plus did an engine wash (they did a deionization before). Both times there is a strong disinfectant smell that wears off and the bad odor comes back. Right now we are waiting for the smell to be really nasty before we take it back, although we are keeping them informed. Right now, if it can not be fixed, we want a different vehicle, such as a Silverado or Trail Blazer. One reason we bought the Nox was gas mileage but it's not that much better. And the saga continues..............
  • bradley2bradley2 Member Posts: 11
    The press-down clips on roof rack meant to secure roof rack slider from moving always pop back up after moderate freeway speeds. Anyone else noticing this or having this issue? I am still under warranty, so I plan to gripe about it. I am saving my trip for warranty work with a list - clips, struts (yes, mine creak), and smell (yes, it smells). I will also take advantage of the warranty alignment available to us before 7,500 miles, per manual. Anything else I should add besides the NHTSA sevice bulletins ? which I will print and take with me. Actually, my dealer does not mind (at least to my face) this kind of preparation. After all, GM pays them for warranty work.
  • itzeditzed Member Posts: 16
    I thought I had the roof rack problem too, until I discovered that they are not infinitely adjustable. They only really "lock", in a few places. If you look at the rails you can see these spots. The clips will go down in any position, but they will only lock in the few positions. If you have them down and they are not in one of the intended positions, you can still slide them a little, and eventually you will get them to one of the fixed positions where you will hear them "pop" into place.
  • itzeditzed Member Posts: 16
    Having read all these problem messages, I thought it might benefit someone if I (at least one person) were to let people know that I have had no problems at all so far. I have owned the Nox for 2 months, and have 2000 miles on it. I love it so far. No strut problems, no odors, no sunroof so no wind buffeting. I really don't care about gas mileage, but I think it's around 21 in mixed driving.
  • jrestjrest Member Posts: 26
    itzed-
    good to hear that there are at least some people not having problems. My special order equinox is coming in September 6.

    And I don't know why people [non-permissible content removed] and moan about gas mileage...it's a friggin SUV!!! SUV's are notorious gas guzzlers. If you don't like the gas mileage, buy an AVEO.
  • itzeditzed Member Posts: 16
    I'm very fortunate that my company pays for my gas form my primary vehicle. But I think gas mileage is way overrated. The difference between 20-25 MPG for most people is only a couple hundred dollars a year even at $2.00 per gallon. Compared to the purchase price and repairs and insurance and all the other stuff that goes with car ownership, that's not much.
  • bradley2bradley2 Member Posts: 11
    to itzed
    thanks for the tip, I appreciate it
    bradley2
  • franke767franke767 Member Posts: 2
    I have to say mine is 6 weeks old and not a single problem. It runs great its smooth and plenty peppy. I have the AWD LT model and for the price, you cant beat it.
  • jensenjensen Member Posts: 1
    Lots of problems with my Equinox Lt AWD. Anybody else have as many rattles as i do? They are driving me nuts and quite unexpected in a brand new vehicle. My front suspension also makes popping and rattling noises, Gm is aware of this, but no fix yet. My transmission sometimes shifts very abruptly, but not frequently enough to validate it on a dealer test drive. My roof rack levers also always pop up no matter where i try to locate them, and the latest problem it has to go back in for is that i went to go check the oil and when i pulled out the dipstick i smelled a strong odour of gasoline in the oil. So there must be an internal engine problem on my NOX. So far not very impressed, may try to get GM to buy it back and shop elsewhere. Had high hopes for this one as it was supposed to be from the new and improved GM. Seems like not much has improved though.
  • carmencarmen Member Posts: 12
    Chevrolet has replaced my Equinox, they handled my problem quickly once the ball started rolling. I am very impressed with their customer service and all around handling of my problem.
  • roberts2roberts2 Member Posts: 1
    Wow, we must have the sister to your seat. Ours whistles too when the passenger leans forward. It's become sort of a joke in our car with new passengers. Also have the drooping headliner around the roof. No smells or strut problem either.

    Cheers
  • jrestjrest Member Posts: 26
    I picked up my special order Nox on Saturday and so far I really like it. My dad, who has only ever bought Chevy's, likes the NOX except for one problem....the chinese engine. He think I'll get burned again because I had a 1990 Geo Metro which after 3 years, we had to get a new engine in that.

    I got my NOX with 11 miles on it and now have driven it on the highway as well as in stop and go traffic and so far I have no complaints. Having taken note of people's comments on here, I immediately applied scotchgard to the seats, carpets, etc. I did buy some expensive seat covers but unfortunately didn't work because of the power controls for the seat. Anyone have any success in finding nice seat covers? Right now, I'm using towels. I'm mainly needing them for the 2 front seats since they'll get most useage.

    I have no problem with the sunroof,(no leaks, and it rained today...go figure) although neither I nor the salesman couldn't figure out how to get it to tilt until my friend showed me. The manual's instructions on this topic was poorly written.

    Now, along with the new car smell, I do detect an odor but my father says it's just the engine parts breaking in and that it's normal. I can't place what it the mysterious odor smells like but it definitely does not smell like a dead animal, mold or mildew as early posters mentioned but it is a "unique" smell.

    I don't particularly care for the loud noise from the muffler, when standing outside...I thought it would be quieter but then again, I've never had an SUV before and it's not fair to compare the NOX to my old cavalier. Anyway, I'll report again after 500 miles or something bad happens, whichever comes first.
  • halo0halo0 Member Posts: 6
    I have a question for those of you with a smelly Equinox. Did it smell that way the day you drove it home, or did the smell develop over time? I'm wondering because we've test driven 2 Equinoxes and haven't noticed a smell yet. I'm just wondering if I go to buy one will I be able to notice the smell before I sign the paperwork if I am looking for it?
  • carmencarmen Member Posts: 12
    I notice the smell a couple days after I got it. Check out the spare tire well occassionally, I was getting water in it from somewhere and didn't know it, the water lying in it causing a mildew odor.
  • reedreed Member Posts: 11
    On Friday, after getting nowhere with the dealer in Endicott, NY that we bought the Nox from, we drove 100 miles to Bath, NY to the Simmons Rockwell dealership and we now have a new 2004 Monte Carlo SS with no money exchange. The sales mgr was on the phone for almost 3 hours, finding all info & getting all rebates etc for us so we walked out with this new vehicle. Yes, the SS is a 2004 and the Nox was a 2005, but the SS is a more expensive vehicle with all the bells & whistles that you can imagine. We told them all about the smell and the 3 times we had it back to the dealer with no solution. All I can say is they have a customer for life! We were going to have to go the route of "dissatisified customers" and go to the Better Business Bureau, and we didn't want any more aggrivation and my asthma was getting worse, the longer we drove it. The Chevy rep is going to send us free lube/oil changes for a year for all we put up with, so that is something.
    Our smell of a dead animal started almost immediately......we didn't notice it when we test drove it because the car has to be hot before the smell is evident. When we pulled it into the carport, under our great room of our house, we thought at first there was a dead animal in the yard. But, lo and behold, it was the Smellynox!!
    Anyhow, we are thrilled with the SS....we have 400 miles on it and we're getting between 28 & 29 miles per gallon, as well as one of the most comfortable rides imaginable!
    Good luck to all the Nox owners!!
  • halo0halo0 Member Posts: 6
    Does anyone know if they are using a redesigned strut in newly assembled Equinoxes? Any idea what assembly dates are safe?
  • jrestjrest Member Posts: 26
    Good question. I just got my equinox on the 3rd, and I know it was built in mid-august and although I've only driven 150 miles on it, I don't hear anything. There's is a unique smell...but it doesn't smell like a dead animal. It smells like fried rice. (And no, I haven't had any food in the car) nor has it rained.
  • jrestjrest Member Posts: 26
    discovered what the weird smell was. was the vinyl mat I put in the back, which I had just purchased from Walmart. It is now out of the car and the smell is gone.
  • itzeditzed Member Posts: 16
    Anyone know where the assembly date is located on these vehicles? I got mine in the beginning of July and I don't have any strut noises as of yet either. I've got about 2250 miles on it. No smells either - still smells like a new car.
  • yz250fyz250f Member Posts: 4
    We have had our nox for almost 4 months, we had the dead animal smell, and it has been in the shop 3 times now. The dealer said it was the ecm causing the catalytic converter to smell, they replaced the ecm, it still smelled. Also, the Nox has a severe hesitation/hiccup problem. We've been told that GM is working on a fix for the computer. Two days after hurricane Frances blew through we noticed that there was about 2 inches of water all in the car, no door or window was left open, nor was it in any water, the spare tire well is also full 6 or 7 inches deep. The dealer said we must have left it in standing water because it has sand in the water, and it is our fault because they can't find a leak and they won't fix it and want us to pay for any repairs. They are trying to blame us. Who can we talk to to get this $20,000 garbage can replaced? We are going back to the dealer tomorrow to let them know what we have found out and see what they will do. We will post again!
  • halo0halo0 Member Posts: 6
    Everyone who has the odor problem should check the engine coolant. I've read that is the source of the problem. The coolant turns to a murky brown or black color - I think the normal color is orange. I've read this on Equinox owners club forums on the web.
  • yz250fyz250f Member Posts: 4
    Could you tell me who to talk to? I called that dealership and they said there is no way that an equinox was exchanged at that dealer. I am getting nothing but the run around here in Tampa Florida, they want me to pick out a new vehicle, take a loss on our equinox and pay the difference for something else... I REFUSE!!!
  • snowmansnowman Member Posts: 540
    I am really sorry to hear what happened to your Nox.
    If you think you have a case, I recommend you to pay couple hundred $ and talk with a lawyer.
  • reedreed Member Posts: 11
    yz250f
    We actually traded the Nox for the Monte Carlo SS at Simmons-Rockwell, Bath, NY with no money exchange.......it had nothing to do with exchanging it. We told them the whole story, which they checked and then were able to make the deal that we ended up with. We were going to have to go with the Lemon Law with the dealership in Endicott NY if we didn't get the deal that we did from the Bath NY dealership. Simmons-Rockwell has the best deals in this 150 mile radius, as far as we can see, and we check all the time. They sell on volume and customer service, emphasis on customer service. They have our business forever!!
  • carmencarmen Member Posts: 12
    I called GM customer service and they got in touch with my local dealer's service manager and that got the ball rolling in my case.
  • yz250fyz250f Member Posts: 4
    That sounds great, I wish our dealer had enough loyalty to do that, they were going to give us less then we owed on the nox, then apply the balance to the new car...then we would have been upside down and worse off then we are now. As it is we owe $17,000 on the nox...they wanted to give us $12,000 on a trade.If anyone is thinking of buying from Ferman Chevrolet....DON'T DO IT!!!
    No customer loyalty AT ALL!!!!
  • reedreed Member Posts: 11
    We are in Apollo Beach FL during the winter months and Ferman Chevrolet's reputation is well known. A number of our FL friends have warned us about their bad reputation in dealing with problems. Once the car is sold, it's not their problem. We are not happy with the way Gault Chevrolet, Endicott NY handled our situation either and we will never buy another vehicle from them. It was a new vehicle and they could not fix the nasty smell but were not willing to give us a break on exchanging it, unless we went with the Lemon Law.
    But as I said before, Simmons-Rockwell, Bath NY went the extra mile and have a customer for life.
  • schafer35schafer35 Member Posts: 3
    Checking back in. The sunroof was adjusted and headliner replaced last month. There is a very subtle moldy or dead animal smell.
    Someone had posted when it started, with mine it was about 2 weeks into ownership.
    Besides that, I love the truck. I will print this forum and take it with me to the dealership (Autoway in Clearwater Fl).
    I really wish Norris had a Chevy dealership. Their Palm Harbor Buick/Pontiac GMC service dept is awesome. I have had 2 Buicks (89 LeSabre and still own a 95 Riv). Norris (formerly Stone Buick) treated us and our high mileage cars great.
  • duyduckduyduck Member Posts: 1
    I actually don't own an Equinox, but I have read in some places where it was the radiator fluid. I don't know if that helps anyone, just trying to make some people like their car a little more. :)
  • will4will4 Member Posts: 10
    I have had the same problem. First time water was in the spare tire and pad had mildewed, second time had the entire carpet replaced because it had mildewed. Just returned it yesterday because smell and water returned. Where is the damn water coming from? You are not art fault. The water is coming from the bottom somewhere. Funny sand is in the water. It has settled on the tire.
  • schafer35schafer35 Member Posts: 3
    I checked the coolant, sure enough it is turning brown. The smell is a burnt smell. The odor is similar to what I have detected all along. I have just under 7k in mileage. I am calling the dealership today.

    Does anyone know what causes the coolant to turn brown in a new car??
  • halo0halo0 Member Posts: 6
    I have read a theory(supposedly by GM) that it is due to the interaction between the coolant and some substance they coat the inside of the hoses to prolong their life. Don't know how accurate this is.
  • toby4toby4 Member Posts: 2
    I really enjoy my new Laser blue Equinox AWD-LT and am very happy with it. I noticed on an earlier message that the Chevy dealers have 4 maintenance alerts for Equinox owners. Does anyone know what they are about? I have read this forum and are aware of a few minor glitches with the NOX. I too have the front end creek. I assume it is the strut problem. Have the dealers been good about replacing the part? Additionally, I can not get the roof rack locks to stay down. I have adjusted the rack to line up with the notched holes but they still pop up. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't have the smell or the leak. However, I am curious and want to know the solutions in case they pop up. Does anyone have the answers? I want to know the whole scope of the problems before I head to the dealer. This way I hope to to look like a knowledgeable consumer. Even with the minor issues I am very please with everything else. My mileage has varied from 16 to 26 and with normal driving around 19-20. Afterall, this is an SUV and one should not be unrealistic with their expectations. I live in the tough driving metro NYC area and realize optimal mileage may not happen that often. This is a great vehicle value for the money.
  • scanner2scanner2 Member Posts: 2
    hey i have had my nox for about a month, i also notice the rust you are referring to, i hope its not a problem down the road.
  • scanner2scanner2 Member Posts: 2
    does anyone have a problem with the cd changer? mine stops playing after a while and wont play untill its ready, sometimes it says check cd , but there is an nox club on the web were others have had this problem. i took it to the dealer, and they now say its ready, i have to see what they did. going to pick it up now.
  • rubyredrubyred Member Posts: 3
    ve had my Equinox for 6 weeks now and have put on 1500 miles. I anticipated getting the 19-25 mpg that the car is rated for but am only getting 16-17 mpg on most fill ups. My driving is mixed - 30% in town and 70% highway but it doesn't seem to matter. The dealership did an upgrade on the computer 2 weeks ago and felt confident that it would make a difference but it hasn't! I'm very frustrated and wondered if anyone else was having a similar problem?
  • rubyredrubyred Member Posts: 3
    I wondered what was meant by this part of your post - "I will also take advantage of the warranty alignment available to us before 7,500 miles, per manual." I just looked through the manual that came with my car and didn't see this mentioned. Is a free warranty alignment in the standard manual and maybe I just missed it? Thanks for replying.
  • stukstuk Member Posts: 2
    I've had my Equinox LT AWD since April. Has anyone felt the upper seat back didn't support your upper back and shoulders ? I find with my head against the headrest, my shoulders don't touch the seatback. On longer trips, I tend to get stiff in the shoulders and neck. I've tried adjusting the seat but it doesn't help.

    When I mentioned this to my Chevy dealer, he said other Equinox owners have complained about this. He recommended one of those seat covers from the local auto stores. Unfortunately, everything I found was for the lower back.

    Anyone have any suggestions ?
  • michigan99michigan99 Member Posts: 45
    Here is what happened to me. I received my first Equinox on April 29. The vehicle had around 350 miles on, as it was transferred from another dealership (and I agreed with higher number of initial miles when I bought the car). I started noticing the problem on day one (that is, a strong odor similar to propane coming through the HVAC vents when the recirculation was off). Initially I thought this would be normal, but it got worse and I took the car to the dealership twice. On the second occasion, the dealership stated that they could smell the odor but were unable to solve the problem. Around May 26 they made the decision to replace the car. It took around 3 months for me to get the replacement vehicle (as it was ordered from the factory).

    On September 2 I finally received the replacement vehicle. There was not odor whatsoever. Unfortunately, one week later (when the vehicle had around 400 miles on) I started noticing the odor. initially it was very faint but still noticeable. It was exactly the same sharp propane-like odor. I discussed the issue with the dealership and we decided to give it some more time to see whether it would go away. The problem persisted and got worse. On Monday 09/27 I inspected the coolant fluid reservoir and the odor was unbelievable. The fluid smelled of rotten fish and was much darker than it used to be. By the way, I checked the odor of the coolant fluid when I received the vehicle and it was normal.

    On Tuesday 09/28 the dealership did a two-stage flush and fluid replacement. There was an apparent improvement, but on 09/30 the odor was back. I also noticed that, besides the bad odor, the reservoir also showed black particles floating on the fluid.

    As of today (10/01/2004) there is no solution. The dealership tells me that GM is aware of the problem and they are working on it, but no solution at this point.

    I really like my Equinox, but I am starting to regret the moment I decided to buy it.
  • michigan99michigan99 Member Posts: 45
    In my case, I can only praise Champion Chevrolet (Howell, MI) for the support I have been receiving. My first Equinox had a bad odor coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle was finally replaced (at no cost to me). Unfortunately, the replacement vehicle I received recently is showing the same problem. The dealership has been working with me, but my pacience is running thin at this point.
  • pa53pa53 Member Posts: 3
    Went to the dealer last week and he claims that the problem is the coolant sealant tablets that were put in at the factory are the problem, this was after the tec. called chevy because he never saw anything like that. Question is why would you have to put sealant in a brand new engine. keep you posted.
  • michigan99michigan99 Member Posts: 45
    Dear pa53,

    Have you heard more on this bad odor issue?

    My second Equinox (the first one GM replaced for the same reason) smells like a dead animal, even after two coolant changes.

    The odor is so disgusting that is giving me headaches!
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