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2010 Chevy Equinox Problems

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Comments

  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Wallyuwl,
    Yes, it is really more of a ticking noise then anything but yes that is what we are referring to. The ticking noise is normal to the Equinox. However, if you feel the noise isn't normal I would suggest taking it to the dealership to be diagnosed. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • roho1roho1 Member Posts: 318
    Well, I guess you say it is considered normal, to this old timer it certainly isn't a sound want to hear on a new engine. I suppose it is the price one pays in the quest for better gas mileage.

    Mariah, in reading a different forum one person made the comment that the new Equinox 4 cyl. engine is made in China. Can you confirm that?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Roho1,
    The 2.4L 4 cylinder engine is made in Springhill, Tennessee for the Equinox. So no they are not made in China. If you have any further questions please let me know. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service :)
  • roho1roho1 Member Posts: 318
    Thanks for the response. It's good to hear that I have an American built engine.

    The 2010 Nox I have was assembled in Canada. The other 2 vehicles I have owned from Canada were the best I have owned. So I'm hoping this one lives up to that history. So far so good after 2 months.(except for the darn clicking)
  • runoxrunox Member Posts: 156
    Just did my second oil change. The vehicle came with dino oil. I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic after 6000 mi's on the 1st oil change. At 12K I did my 2nd and noticed that the 5 Qts of syntehetic I started with had dwindled to 4 on discharge. There was no loss of of dino at the 1st change - 5 in 5 out.

    Does synthetic burn in consumption? My son's gal has a BMW that is dealer serviced with synthetic and it drops oil without visible leaks. He used Mobil 1 in his Tahoe and it too dropped in volume over time. My old Trailblazer which was always on a dino diet never dropped a single ounce between 3000 mi changes.

    I'm new to the synthetic world, my question is, does synthetic normally burn dropping engine volume over time?

    I always have a slight carbon coating on the inside of my tailpipe.
  • roho1roho1 Member Posts: 318
    So what is dino oil? I'm guessing some slang term to mean fossil oil?

    My Corvette that had synthetic didn't lose any oil I was aware of.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    A couple days ago I switched to M1 synthetic so your post interests me. Did you use the recommended 5W30, or a lighter grade?

    I know at times synthetic will have a little consumption in the first oil change. One quart in a newer engine seems like a lot, though. I put your post on another forum that deals with oil (guys are pretty smart with this stuff there) to see what they say. I'll report back.
  • gamehawkergamehawker Member Posts: 17
    Look at my #306 post. I had the same problem.
  • runoxrunox Member Posts: 156
    Mobil One 5W30 full synthetic. Thanks for listing elsewhere. I've read a couple of other posts indicating oil consumption. I wasn't aware they had removed the low oil indicator lamp. After reading that I'll be checking every 500 miles.

    I don't think I can let it go 10,000 miles with a change despite what Chevy says. Too little reward for such a big risk. I struggled to let it go to 6000 miles / 40% on the indicator. I also noticed that mpg decreases as the oil ages. At 50/50 city /highway I'll average about 26 mpg at the beginning of the oil change, but by the time 6000 miles rolls around I'm down to about 23 mpg per tank. Now that could be related to the loss of oil I sustained also.

    My advice to all, use that dip stick regardless of the age of the vehicle.
  • runoxrunox Member Posts: 156
    edited June 2010
    "Had" or "Have" - Did you find a way to resolve it?

    I'm tempted to reverse, dump the Mobil 1 and go back to dino oil if these engines like consuming the synthetics.

    roho1 - yes - dino = dinosaur oil = fossil oil
  • dmazzonedmazzone Member Posts: 20
    Sorry it took so long to reply, but I do have good news. It was the chain tensioner. They replaced it and about 3 days later it kicked in and for the last two months it has been working great, no noise!!! I love my car again! FYI, there was a Technical Service Bulletin out for this to be a problem with some vehicles.
  • fltchieffltchief Member Posts: 2
    Engine misfires the first 10 sec's on cold engine start when in gear only. Exam: Start engine, apply brake, put in gear (fwd or reverse) rpm's at cold high idle-engine misfires for 10 sec's till the rpm's drop off to +/- 1000 rpm's. Does not occur when warm. When vehicle sit's for apx +/- 4 hr's it might misfire.
    Only one time it misfired when warm for 5 sec's sitting in traffic.
    As a licensed aircraft mechanic ( been their done that) I have to wait for a code to show or give the car up for day's to a dealer for trouble-shooting. If they know what they are doing maybe they will find something? I'll wait for it to break to show a code for now. The warranty is long and I am patient.
    Reported misfire to Chevy Dealer Service manager when I had the oil changed and he found no codes.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    It sounds like what I'm going to tell you might not be the problem. Then again ya never know...

    The Nox's have a funny way of warming up the catalytic converter. For the first half minute (maybe a little less) after being started up cold it will sound like it is misfiring. When you drive it will hesitate and sort of shudder back and forth. When the catalytic converter is warmed up, everything is fine. I thought there was supposed to be a calibration updated for this, but as of now my dealer can't find that there has been one.

    But if you noticed it misfiring in traffic while warm once this probably isn't your issue.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    Lots of people confuse the 2.4L Malibu engine with the 2.4L Equinox engine. The Malibu engine is the one made in China and is not direct injection like the Equinox 4 cyl. Many of the Equinox transmissions are made in South Korea. I know GM wanted to move these operations to the states, but am not sure if it happened yet.
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    I got several responses regarding your oil consumption issue. A few people did say that sometimes engines will consume a bit of oil when switching to synthetic, but it usually (not always) subsides with a few oil changes. I'd keep an eye on the dipstick to look for noticable consumption again. I'll also keep an eye on my level after putting in the M1 and report back if there is any consumption.

    I'd change every 6k with a full synthetic. A used oil analysis of the 3.6L DI Traverse engine showed Castrol Edge after 2400 mile OCI had the wear typically associated with running that oil 5000 miles. So the DI engines seem pretty hard on oil.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    You're welcome and you are correct. The vehicle is assembled in Canada but the engine is built in America. If you do feel that the clicking is too loud I would have your dealer look at it. But, it is normal to have a small clicking sound with that engine. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • runoxrunox Member Posts: 156
    Thanks Wally
  • jimmysmithjimmysmith Member Posts: 2
    My wife's 2010 Equinox AWD LTZ is a good car, but the automatic seat adjuster moves the seat as soon as the key fob is pressed, before the door is opened or the driver is in the seat. She is short and moves the seat full forward and all the way up to drive. This makes it tough for her to enter the car. Our Tahoe, 2004 and her 2008 Cadillac CTS, the seat positioning for driving was not activated until the key was inserted into the ignition.
    Is there a fix for this? We have the seat programmed to move back to allow easy exit and it works great, just like the other cars, but cannot find the cure for keeping the seat back until the key is in the ignition.
    Is this possible and if so how?
  • back2frontback2front Member Posts: 42
    Mine started doing this today, when I stop at a light it misses and bucks like it is going to die. I watched the tach and the rpms were going up and down, didn't matter if the AC was on or not or in ECO mode.
  • starfleetstarfleet Member Posts: 18
    Could you re-post this in the "Problem section" so it will be viewed by more people......I am looking for the answer for this myself. thanks.
  • bjones6bjones6 Member Posts: 28
    My 4-cyl, 2.4L 2010 Nox hesitated a bit for the first two minutes when started cold. Enough that I considered it a safety issue (C'mon baby, MOVE, semi truck is bearing down on us!). So I took it to the dealer, and the dealer carried out some kind of software procedure designed to address the hesitation issue. I have not had the problem since that time. Totally gone. That' my experience. :)
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    Do you know what the update was for the hesitation issue (if it was ECM or TCM, and module and the cal. number)? If not, could you find out from your dealer exactly what they updated (and what the calibration number is, and what module was updated)?
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    No problem.
  • jimmysmithjimmysmith Member Posts: 2
    Pardon my confusion, but I do not know how to get to the problem section.
    Hate to be dumb, but I thought I had posted this to the Equinox section then today when I looked at it, it posted to the antenna section that I had gone to after I thought I had posted the thing about the seat!
    So sorry, but I'll try something different and if you get an answer, let me know please.
    Jimmy
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Your message has been moved to here. :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • stevemwistevemwi Member Posts: 1
    Is anyone as frustrated as I about getting bounced from issue to issue when you present an OBVIOUS problem to the dealership. My engine (2010 4 cylinder) sounds like it is a diesel. When it warms up there is a knock/diesel that no one seems to explain. I am aware of at least one other owner who has the same problem. We both have around 20K miles on the vehicle. The problem has been there for some time. On the other person's vehicle her dealership replaced the lifters because that was the problem. That did NOT take care of the issue. On my vehicle they did an "engine soak" that should have taken care of the problem according to the dealership. Again no results. They keep saying GM is working on the problem....but when will the issue be solved. What will the long term effects of the issue be? At this point if they are as confident in the vehicle as they say they are...I am going to request a lifetime bumper to bumper warranty to insure that this issue and the resulting effects if any show up after the warranty/extended warranty period are taken care of. GM needs to get their act together and solve the problem instead of passing the buck from the dealership to the engineers to the district manager....how about taking one of the vehicles back so they can experience the issue and solve it?
  • skipper16skipper16 Member Posts: 1
    At 20,000k my 2010 4 cyl equinox developed a engine knock(ping) Dealer did an engine flush as the engine had carboned up. Lasted for approx. 1000 k .... back to the dealer. Tried using "top tier" gas as indicated in the owners manual. Seems to have helped so far. Tried using mid grade gas ( hit and miss) GM does not know what is causing the problem. I am interested if anyone else is having the same or similar problems.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Stevemwi,
    I apologize that you are having concerns with your vehicle. Can you please email me with more information about your situation so I can look at it further? Can you please include your VIN, current mileage and service request number if you have one? You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Skipper16,
    Has the dealership talked with technical support at GM to help diagnose the problem? Can you email me your service request number or VIN number? You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • dmazzonedmazzone Member Posts: 20
    Off and onI have the same problem with my 2010 4 cy. When the car is warmed up I will get a knocking/diesel noise when I have the foot on the gas, especially at take off. You don't hear it when you coast, obviously. But, I did try premium fuel and it did seem to work about 80% better. My GM service manager gave me a list of gas stations to only buy my gas at and I know that Mobil and Shell are on the list, among others that I can't remember. My GM service manager also said that 4 cy will do this and the better gas should be used to help with it. But, I have to say it only happens when the car has been driven and extremely warmed up, never when it is just starting to drive.
  • tom2477tom2477 Member Posts: 3
    Skipper,

    I'm getting the same problem with my 2010 Equinox. We started noticing the knocking noise about 3 months after getting the car. We've had it into the service shop 3 times. The noise sounds the same; at first the dealer said it was an engine ping due to bad gas, they scoped the cylinders and they said I had deposit build up as if I had 100k miles when I only had 12k. They cleaned out the deposits recommended putting premium in the car (which we did) but the noise came right back. Again brought the car into the dealer and they worked took down all the calibration codes and opened a case with Chevy corporate but didn't do any fix on the car. So here I am weeks later; the noise is getting progressively worse and the service representative hasn't been much help. The rep is trying to track down the designer of the engine to see if the noise is normal and what damage it will do. I even offered to drive the car to Detroit to get it looked at and fixed. I like your idea of getting a lifetime warranty, I'm looking for a new engine.
  • didhedorightdidhedoright Member Posts: 15
    Had my Equinox since april, knocks like a diesel engine, dealer says it was normal because of the make of the engine...i have my doubts,,,,I have 3,975 km on it and it was knocking since the firsts clicks....hope I did not make a mistake by buying a Chevrolet.........almost went fot the Honda CRV....time will tell,
  • gasman2gasman2 Member Posts: 6
    I've got approx. 16000 K's on my 2010 Equinox 4 cyl. Just started making loud lifter noise when starting after sitting all night. Sounds as if there is no oil in the motor. Had oil changed at 15000 k's and it is full and clean. This has happened 2 days in a row now. I guess I'd better contact my dealer to set up an appt. Any similar problems or solutions, please advise......Thanks
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Tom2477,
    I apologize that you are experiencing a problem with your vehicle. Can you please email me your service request number so I can look at the notes in the case? You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • wallyuwlwallyuwl Member Posts: 166
    Try putting in some Shell V-Power 93 octane gas with your next fill up. A week or so ago I noticed the engine was making some unusual noises that it hadn't before (I have about 15k miles on the vehicle and am now running Mobil 1 full synthetic 5W30 oil).

    I needed to fill up, so decided to try the best gas I know of. Maybe it is just a placebo effect on my part, but so far it seems to really like it. There seems to be a smoother running engine, better gas mileage, and the knocking sound (normal for these engines due to the direct injection but still somewhat annoying at times) is diminished. Also no more weird noises like the ones I started hearing a week or so ago (hard to describe).

    Give it a try with some better gas.
  • runoxrunox Member Posts: 156
    Mariah, just wanted to thank you for watching over this forum and taking interest in the problems of the owners. You can also thank GM / Chevy for dedicating someone to participate. It's not something I expected to find here and I'm sure others are a bit surprised to find you here.

    The interest and effort is much appreciated.

    Rick
    Basking Ridge, NJ
    Nox '10
  • miniburbyminiburby Member Posts: 2
    Have same problem with my 4 cylinder Nox. 6 months old, 50,000 km, everytime I am at Tim Hortons picking up coffee and open the window, can really hear "dieseling" noise. Same noise every time I accelerate... Took it to the dealer, they changes AC compressor, played with engine timing, nothing worked. Their order is still open, I had switched to Synthetic oil, better gus, and still have this noise. I truly believe that this is engineering issue, and hope GM will take some steps to solve it.
    Another annoying noise comes from cheap plastic cover, closing the gap between rear cargo area and the rear seats. the two halves are rubbing and banging against each other on every bump on the highway.
    Gas economy...? I have tried hard to get close to 6.9 L/100km on the highway. Closest I came to driving in North Ontario 90km/hour, on the nice 22 degrees C day for 600 km with no almost no stops, accelerations or wind: 9.1 L/100 km.
    Not so much better then my "late" Suburban which average 12 L/ 100 km on the same stretch 6 years earlier. Dealership also said in the winter, when I complained, that this would improve with more mileage and summer whether.. but nothing had improved. May be "dieseling" and poorer then promised fuel economy are connected?
  • ragtop262ragtop262 Member Posts: 58
    edited July 2010
    I have about 22,000 miles on my 4cyl LT1 AWD. I've been using Mobil 1 with changes every 6000 miles. It doesn't burn a drop of oil between changes.

    The people who have reported the excessive oil consumption clearly have manufacturing defects with their engines. However, the manufacturer specifies a certain allowable level of oil consumption - so you're probably out of luck getting them to do anything about it unless you exceed that limit. And once you've run the engine out of oil, you may very well have voided your warantee anyway :cry:

    But honestly - the owner does have to take some responsibility for basic maintenance. Do you really run the car 8000 or 10,000 miles between oil changes and not even check the oil level?? That's just asking for trouble.
  • ragtop262ragtop262 Member Posts: 58
    Just curious if anyone else is having problems with leakage at the transmission input shaft. My 2010 LT1 4 cyl AWD started leaking at about 18,000 miles. The dealer replaced the leaking seal (an all day job apparently), but it started leaking again almost immediately. They're supposedly going to contact GM to see what they should do next.

    Anyone else with this issue?
  • ragtop262ragtop262 Member Posts: 58
    I've had the same issue - but only at highway speeds after about an hour or so of driving. Haven't noticed it lately, so it must have either corrected itself, (or I just got used to it).
  • amossbur1amossbur1 Member Posts: 6
    So I bought my Equinox brand new on Jn 29, 2010. I love it, except for a problem that happened. About 3 months after I bought it, it started to not like my iPhone 3G when hooked up via USB. It started displaying a message that said "Supported data not found. You can safely disconnect the device." After this message began to show when the iPhone was hooked up, the system just wouldn't acknowledge that it was even hooked up anymore. A little while after that, the message began to show up when the radio was on, even when nothing was hooked up!!!! This started happening intermittently and about every 5 minutes!! Aside from that, the lumbar support snapped on me while I was driving!!

    I have taken it in 3 times so far at 2 different dealerships, including the one I bought it from. The lumbar support was replaced, but they haven't been able to fix the electrical problem. Does this fall under the lemon law?

    Also, my gas milage had been averaging 22.3 mpg with my everyday driving. That doesn't seem so good compared to all the other reviews I've read. But the second time I took it in to be looked at, the mpg dropped to 18, and that is what I'm averaging now. I just feel that the entire CPU system is messed up and just doesn't work properly. Can anyone help?
  • amossbur1amossbur1 Member Posts: 6
    Ok, so I've been having a lot of trouble to Chevrolet customer service. I have stated the problem above that I am constantly having with my 2010 AWD LT1 Equinox. I had originally called customer service the first time the problem happened and they said that it was going to be handled by a "specialist" and they gave me his number to call him.

    I called and left a message with the specialist and never heard from him. I Called again and left another message, then called CS again, and I was told by them that the case had been closed by the specialist because he was unable to contact me. Needless to say I was confused and upset. They reopened the case and left a message with this specialist and I called again. 5 calls and messages later with no return calls, I called CS again, and the specialist had closed the case yet again.....This is when I began to get very outraged at this specialist. Yet another call to him, and no call back made me call CS again. And yet again....he had closed the case.

    I believe that this customer service is horrible on the specialist's part. Is there anyone in here who has had similar issues like this? Or anyone that may be able to offer a helping hand? This is the first new car I have ever bought and I am having a very bad experience with it so far.
  • ragtop262ragtop262 Member Posts: 58
    If the problem with the USB continues to exist, it may be best to continue to bring it back to the same dealership unless they deny there is a problem or tell you there's nothing else they can do. If they can't figure it out and can't find any service bulletins, they will usually contact GM directly to get additional guidance on what to do.

    As for the "specialist" - did you try asking CS to assign your case to someone else?
  • amossbur1amossbur1 Member Posts: 6
    Ya, the first dealership that I took it to the first 2 times said that there was nothing else that they could do and to just monitor when it happens and let them know. They said that there were no bulletins out for this certain problem. This is when I took it to another dealership and they said that they couldn't figure out the problem either.

    And no, I haven't asked for a new specialist. LOL, that would be too easy! Haha. I'll ask next time if the guy still doesn't call me.

    Thanks for the input. I would love to hear what anyone else has to say as well!
  • smc4smc4 Member Posts: 3
    I posted this 'sticky' steering problem back on Jan. 2010 after discovering it on a trip north to Canada. It happened again last week during a long trip to Sandusky Ohio, and it has gotten worse! Based on my experience, I think this problem happens only on very flat highway in good condition, such as the Ohio Turnpike and 405 in Canada. As soon as I get into Michigan (horrible I75 condition) the problem is not noticeable anymore.

    Having worked for the auto industry for 20+ years and have driven many cars, I serously believe that there is a design or manufacturing defect that potentially can cause sudden loss of vehicle control. Any additional data points from other readers?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hello Ragtop262,
    I apologize that you are experiencing a problem with your vehicle. Can you please keep me posted on how the repairs go with your dealership? Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • booklady85booklady85 Member Posts: 6
    My 2010 Equinox LTZ purchased in May 2010 is a good car--I love it, except that the gauge that shows the outside temperature is really really slow! It sometimes takes 20 minutes to update. Does anyone else have that problem? Or is it just one of the quirks of the Equinox.
  • miniburbyminiburby Member Posts: 2
    Update:
    another 2 days at the dealership, thanks god for free rental... they changes the flywheel (!!?) and for the first 100km I almost did not hear any noise anymore.. then it came back again. Just to call the dealership again...
    Funny part is: right after picking up my Nox from the dealership, I have reset the gas efficiency meter and had nearly perfect 8.1 l/100 km for the first trip up on the highway. I was very happy, but too early to celebrate. When the noise re-appeared, I gone down back to 10.8l/100 on the 90% highway driving. Still feeling cheated. Nowhere close to 6.9l/100km promised in the book.
    So, by dear GM customer service: is there an answer to this mystery???
  • noisyequinoxnoisyequinox Member Posts: 1
    Believe me, I feel your grief. I have been having the same problems with the Customer Service Specialists. I have documented 2 pages since June 30, 2010 of
    trying to get ahold of them. Once you make your initial phone call, they sound
    very concerned but you never hear from them again. I have left message after message, talked to different specialists.
    My Equinox pings and knocks when you drive it. It is driving me crazy and the
    dealership doesn't know how to fix it. They say its a software problem and needs
    to go to "Engineering" so they can try and figure it out. When I did speak to the
    Customer Service Rep she said that there are others with the same problem but its
    not on every car. Why are they still selling this vehicle to unsuspecting buyers!?
  • lperry25lperry25 Member Posts: 1
    I am so frustrated with getting my Equinox fixed. I bought the car a year ago and have had nothing but problems with it. Everytime I take it in I get the same song and dance that nothing is wrong with it. After only having it a few weeks it stalls out on me at a stop light, then does it again a few weeks later. This happens at least a half dozen times, they tell they can't find anything wrong with it. I don't feel that a brand new car should ever stall out for no apparent reason, I find that it does it more when it is in ECO mode. Also I have noticed times that when I am sitting at a stop light it will act like it is going to stall out it starts to shake really bad and I have to give it gas to make it keep running which doesn't always work. I don't even drive it in ECO mode anymore because I am afraid of what will happen, and that is partly why I bought the car was for good gas mileage.

    Not only that but when I am sitting next to a building or other cars, somewhere that the car can echo off, it sounds like I am driving a 1984 piece of crap. The car is so loud and embarrassing for that matter. I am so frustrated with the lack of service that I get from my dealership, they act like nothing is wrong with the car when there are clearly problems with it. When I go there they act like I don't have an appointment and they have no idea why I am even there.

    Does anyone else have these problems so that I can let the dealership know what they heck they should be doing to fix the problems.
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