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2011 Chevy Equinox Problems

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Comments

  • equinox8751equinox8751 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased my new 4 cyl 2011 Equinox LT in June which now has 2975 Kms or 1848 miles on it. At about 800 Kms I began hearing this diesel engine noise at start up. This noise is load enough that it turns heads. I took it to the dealer but they said they could not get it to occur. I have been reading this forum hoping someone would report a fix. Now it is happening every day at start up so I have made another appointment so I can leave it overnight. Hopefully they will be hear it this time. The service manager said he had one other making this noise and they replaced the "cam phase actuators". but that was short time ago. I gave him GM Bulletin PIP4716a but he said this was for some kind of belt replacement and could not see this causing the noise. I am not bashing I just want my Equinox fixed!!!
  • onefunkaronefunkar Member Posts: 113
    is it something that was changed for 2011 or have 2010s done this also.??? havnt heard of 2010s with this problem and wonder if they changed something.
  • auntiep22auntiep22 Member Posts: 29
    Received a phone call today from GM Repurchasing Department but wasn't home. Phoned back but they have gone for the day.
    The Equinox I have now is really nice to drive. It's nothing like the original one that I had - not even close.
    Have you talked to GM Customer Service yet? If not, please talk to them. I'm sure that someone will be willing to help in your situation. I talked with the Service Mgr yesterday and he stated that there is a lot of paperwork to be done on both sides (GM's and the dealer's) so, I guess that's why the lady called today.
    Have you heard anything from GM yet? Keep on their backs! The squeaky wheel gets the grease!! I think that your dealer is useless and I wouldn't talk with them about anything as they were not upfront with you in the first place.
    Keep me informed as too what's going on with your Nox. Thank God I had some good people backing me otherwise I'd be in your shoes!
    Good Luck!
  • problems730problems730 Member Posts: 2
    i have had mine a month and one day and it is going in the shop for the second time. i had the loud noise and they said it was debris in the cam phaser solinoids and cleaned it out. i am taking it now bc it keeps dying on me when i go in reverse, the engine light has now come one and i called onstar and the ran a diagnostics and it said it was the engine control module not working properly!! we will see if it fixes it this time. I am really upset at this point, I only have 1840 miles on it.
  • silverbackmikesilverbackmike Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2011
    We bought our 2011 4 cyl Chevy Equinox in March brand new from the factory as the dealer didn't have the exact specs we were looking for. Within two weeks we experience engine shutdown while driving. Electric power stil worked, but we had to pull over to the side of the road and restart the engine. After this occurred 4 or 5 times we took it in to the dealer. They could not replicate the problem so they reset the computer and gave us back the vehicle. Two weeks later same problems. We took it back in, this time they kept the vehicle and again could not replicate the problem - so they told us there might be an air bubble in the oil from the manufacturer. They flushed the oil and gave us the vehicle back. Yesterday, the same issue occurred. We have less than 2000 miles on the vehicle - and now are faced with taking it in a third time. It is a blatant safety issue as I cannot afford to have the car stall out when my wife and 5 kids are in the vehicle only to have it t-boned by a semi (sorry for the dramatics). The service department swears there are no bulletins, yet the NHTSA site has multiple bulletins. What is my recourse? When is it considered a lemon? Am I stuck with a $30 K + vehicle that works just fine as long as you aren't driving it? Not being negative as we intentionally decided to buy a domestic vehicle - but my allegiance to Chevy won't last long if it means I am putting the lives of my wife and kids in jeopardy. Let alone the idea that you make the significant financial investment in a vehicle that falters right out of the gate. How much confidence am I supposed to have in that investment going forward?
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    Hi Silverback mike,
    We are in the same boat. See my previous messages. Our car keeps dying, as well. It's been in the shop 3 times. I don't want to drive it with my kids because now it is shaking and I am scared the engine will shutdown again. We have a file open with Gm, you could try doing that. So far, they haven't done anything but we are on the 3rd person who is attempting to resolve the situation. We started a file with the attorney general, who also seems to not be interested. They suggested filing a complaint against the dealer with the DMV ,who knowingly sold us a car that was broken before we bought it. What state are you in? In Florida, after the 3rd time for the same problem, you can start the lemon law process. They have one more chance to fix it and have to respond to a letter w/in 10 days.Look up lemon laws in your state. We are thinking of just dumping the car at carmax, losing 1000 dollars, and getting something else.
    Good luck.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    auntiepie, no we haven't heard anything. We've moved up past the district supervisor at GM and are waiting to hear. The car is now shaking and heading back to the shop. I just want to dump it at this point..not comfortable driving it for fear it will die.
  • silverbackmikesilverbackmike Member Posts: 3
    wow sorry to hear someone else is going through the same thing. I am checking in to lemon laws for the state of Nebraska. Thing is we love the dealership, but no way should a $30K investment fail within days of driving it home - then repeatedly fail despite service. Worse yet, they swear there are no GM bulletins on the problem....REALLY? NHTSA bulletins are out there for the vehicle - but no GM bulletins? The manufacturer of the vehicle in question? Sad.
  • ivanadrivealotivanadrivealot Member Posts: 35
    I appreciate the replies so far to my question. Say, could a few more of you with the engine problems reply and also state whether you have the 4 cyl or 6 cyl engine?

    Sorry, I just can't tell from some of the responses. I'm trying to see if the 6 cyl has been free of the issues reported about the 4 cyl.

    Boy, I have to tell you, I was pretty excited about the Nox, but I'm having 2nd, 3rd, and 4th thoughts. Either play Russian roulette with the 4 cyl, or pay even more for a 3.0 6 cyl that doesn't give that much more noticeable power, and has really poor gas mileage in the AWD version. Why don't they just put in a 3.5 or 3.6L 6 cyl? If gas mileage is going to suck, at least let's get some performance out of it.

    Not bashing GM (I have had many GM's), but I don't think they've quite figured out the Nox engine line just yet. The Buick Lacrosse engine article posted here pretty much summed that up. The Nox has a lot of other great things going for it, but I'm very concerned about rolling the dice on the engine for this kind of money. (GM, are you listening? I'm also very seriously considering the Ford Taurus now, and I'm not a Ford fan. Wake up!)

    Thanks, and please let me know if anyone has experienced or heard any issues with the 6 cyl engine.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    @roykulp, just curious why you think someone would "brandbash" for the fun of it? I had nothing aginst Chevy or GM going into this. I also don't think it's unrealistic to expect a car to work for the first 30 days of owning it w/o going to the shop 3 times. Good for you, having a car that you haven't had any problems with, and saved you money on fuel.I am genuinely happy your car is working well.
    Are you averaging 17 mpg? That's what our nox is averaging. I do know, our negative experiences are probably a very, very small percentage of what people are experiencing with the car. But, I don't think people are talking about the problems for fun. Yes, I'm pissed, and that's why I am posting about the problems. But, now that you opened my mind to talking about postive things, I will go to the Mazda6 forum and talk about how I love our other car. Thanks.
  • silverbackmikesilverbackmike Member Posts: 3
    totally agree....I am the most patient person in the world, I always give people the benefit of the doubt. However, for an investment as large as a vehicle I would expect a minimal appearance of concern for what appears to be a pretty significant safety issue from the manufacturer and distributor of that vehicle. So when I am on the third service for the same problem and all I get is the same old 3 card monty, then I think it is fair to be a little angry. I am not bashing Chevy as a whole. I am bashing THIS particular vehicle. Like I said I love Chevy - and our dealership is great hometown dealership - the product I purchased is worthless in it's current conditon - so I really don't see the need to describe how well the air conditioning works or how clear the stereo sound is if I can't operate the vehicle safely.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    GM's"resolution" was to tell us that they can't do anything and the car never had problems before we got it!! I know they are covering their @ss because we went through three other employees who confirmed they talked to the dealer and the car indeed was broken before we purchased it! We even have it on the service record that it had problems. But, we can't do much else except filing complaints with the BBB and DMB, which won't get us anywhere in the end or waiting for it to break again.
  • blaforceblaforce Member Posts: 1
    We purchased our Equinox in May we have had the stalling issue with the 4 cyl. since 1700 miles. The first dealer we took it to said their diagnostic computer was unable to diag. something that new. Finally got it to another dealer at 2500 miles they pulled the code for cam timing and was told Chevrolet engineering was working on a fix. Problem started to get worse , while driving almost got run over, took it back at 3500 miles and they reprogrammed the computer and threw a part in it and said if that doesn't fix it chevy engineering is working on it. They also said my oil needed to be changed and that dirty oil could cause it,BS! They told me I needed to have the oil changed or it could jeopardize my powertrain warranty The oil life monitor ready %70 oil life and the manual says to change oil according to the monitor. I had the rattle but have not noticed it in a while.Chevrolet better get their [non-permissible content removed] in gear or I am about to get a little cranky with their we are working on it crap . We bought a new vehicle because I didn't want to worry about my wife and kids with all the driving we do. Seem I can't even get a piece of mind for $30,000
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    The 2.4L LAF is a new motor introduced with the 2010 Equinox and Terrain to compete with the various Asian manufacturers for fuel efficiency.

    Direct fuel injection with continuously variable valve timing advances GM's engine technology and the variable valve timing mechanism is probably very sensitive to a consistent supply of clean oil for reliable operation.

    To maintain warranty some manufacturers require 3 month/3750 mile oil changes for these engines. I suspect GM's upgraded oil quality requirements for 2011 models reflects this.
  • luckypapi50luckypapi50 Member Posts: 1
    edited July 2011
    Hello silverbackmike,
    I could not belive my eyes when I read your message. Mike we bought a brand new 2011 Chevy Equinox, only had 25 miles on the Odometer ,in May this year and 50 days later, with only 1,077 miles driven, the vehicles engine started to shutt-off while driving. The first time this happened, we did not think anything of it. Well anyway , we re-started the car and went off on our merry way. The very next day while I'm at work my spouse calls me to inform me that car's engine shutt-off again while on her way to pickup my grandkids. The vehicles engine shut off without any sort of warning, she made an attempt to move over to the right lane , but could not, because of the heavy traffic, cars zooming by at 70 to 75 mph. , cars behind honking their horns, the car came to a halt, waited a few minutes and restarted without no problem. I instructed my spouse to get off the turnpike at the next exit and head on home on a secondary road. The car shutt-off four additional times before she got home. The next day, car goes into the shop for a checkout, stayed there for 16 days, was driven 96 miles and the techs could not find the problem. Eventhough they were not certain as to what was is causing the problem, they went ahead and replaced the intake and exhaust actuators and selenoids as per GM Techs advise, they also conducted fuel tests to determine whether or not the fuel I was using was causing the problem. Well anyway, here I am stuck with an unreliable vehicle. My spouse, for whom I bought the car , will not drive it. She feels unsafe. We invested our hard earned monies , placed our confidence and trust on a product that has failed to meet our expectations . I would have thought that GM would have already taken this bull by the horns and fixed this problem before placing anymore unsafe vehicles in the market. Why havent they gathered their top notch mechanical and electromechanical engineers and found the solution to this problem?. I have learned from the little research that I have done that there are many other Equinox Owners with this same problem and it's been happening for years, this is not a new issue. What is it going to take to solve this mystery? Mike, I can only blame myself for not doing my homework. Had I taken the time to research, check and seek advise from unbiased individuals not tied into this industry, I would have not invested my money on this car. Dont get me wrong, the vehicle has it's pros, The engineers that worked on the body styling did a great job, that goes double for the interior which is very well crafted, but what good is it if the car' s engine shutts off when you least expect it. Is there anyone out there that knows of any possible solutions to our problem, other than waiting for this issue to resurface two additional times? What about those consumers out there that are in the midst of buying a vehicle . Some needs to let them know of the 2011 Chevy Equinox problem . I have reported this problem to NHSTA.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    Hi Luckypapi,
    I am sorry you are going through this too. I feel responsible that I chose this car, too, but if you read reviews it got fantastic ones!! I never saw that the car was having these problems and never thought to find boards like this. Everyone seems shocked that our nox is having issues too because I think they are usually reliable. What are you going to do? I am scared to drive it with my two children. My husband is looking for another car but we will take a loss of at least 1000 and have only had it a month. The other option is waiting for it to die again so we can file lemon law papers. That's also a huge hassle, then you go through arbitration, and will still lose money on it. I didn't report it to the NHSTA but have reported it to GM,the BBB and the attorney general. That didn't seem to get us anywhere but at least it is on record.
    Good luck and I hope things work out for you, whatever you decide to do.
  • churchg1churchg1 Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same stalling issue. I bought a 2011 Equinox in April & after a couple thousand miles it would stall after I started it & stepped on the gas. That happened a few times & then it would stall completely & would have to re-start it. This doesn't happen all of the time it is very random. I never did get a "check engine light" coming on. So I took it back to the dealer & they kept for a day & checked it out & could never get it to happen to them. They told me it could be the type of gas I was using & should only use the top maunfactures like Shell, Chevron, 76. That alot of the other fuel suppliers like Costco, Fred Meyer, etc didn't have the additives like the major manufactures use. I drove it for awhile & it hasen't happened until yesterday it stalled out twice & this morning it did again.

    Has anybody had any success getting the issue resolved?
  • ladder34meladder34me Member Posts: 1
    We purchased our Chevrolet Equinox on June 6th. On July 7th the vehicle with 1643 miles, started stalling out while driving and then the check engine light came on. Onstar did diagnostics and said to get it to the dealership. Was there for 3 days and they diagnosed P0011, P0014, Cam Solenoid. They installed both intake and exhaust cam shaft soleniod and program PCM claim code 11620, cleared codes and retested. All this was performed under warranty. On July 19th vehicle started doing same thing, but no check engine light came on The vehicle had 2537 miles. Took back to dealership and they found no problems, but changed the oil. On July 24th Vehicle stalls out in traffic multiple times, almost causing accidents. Wife and 2 young children in car. Check engine light on again. Towed to dealership today, July 25th with 2777 miles on it. I have contacted GM about this problem and have been working with a District Rep about the problems and have been given an case number for this. My dealership has been very cooperative and I have also contacted the OWNER of the dealership about the problems and he has assured me he will do all he can. By the way he happens to be my neighbor.
    I am very frustrated like most of you and am glad to see I am not the only one dealing with this. I will post results as soon as I receive them.
  • kwazy08kwazy08 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2011
    My nox has been in the shop 3 times for this same issue, I have now had my car back for just about 30 days. So far the issue has been resolved. They have replaced a sensor and 2 valves of some kind (sorry all I have a part #'s). However!!!! I was able to get 32 mpg before, now I can barely get 25 mpg on the highway. I think I had it easier with the car stalling out than I will over this mpg. The mpg is what sold me on this car. I will offer part #'s if they may help, just let me know. I hope GM resolves the issue, I do love the car, I just want it to be right.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    For those of you with vehicles that have been in the shop more than 3 times, are you going to pursue the lemon law?
  • islaguyislaguy Member Posts: 19
    lucky,
    I recently have had the same issues with a 2011 Terrain,mine started with stalls from park into gear and then from idle at a stop.I was in for the stalling from stop (4th repair,others racket at start up)I picked up the car and on my way home (40 miles) it just stopped(once highway,once city street).My question to you is and I am sure your first concern as mine was was to get to the side of the road FIRST and shut it off.I seemed to have all power including steering and brakes but just could not accelerate at all.I never really noticed if the rpm meter was reacting to my pushing on the peddle and had the air on and radio which all were still working.My first reaction when I got to the side of the road was to shut it down.Do you know for a fact that the engine was completly off?
  • islaguyislaguy Member Posts: 19
    I have done that.
  • kwazy08kwazy08 Member Posts: 2
    The Lemon law in my state is 4 times to the shop. I would rather the problem be fixed and I am really hoping that it is. If it has to go for the 4th time, then yes, I will start the process.
  • jm21jm21 Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 2011 Equinox in October 2010, in March 2011 I had this knocking problem, took it back to the dealer severals times was dismissed with a different excuse each time. Finally after 3 weeks GM decided to REPLACE my entire Engine.....so maybe you should suggest a new engine. I have not had any problems with the knock since then. But I have had several other problems with different things after that.
  • meinazmeinaz Member Posts: 2
    My '11 Equinox bought in January w/~4000 miles has been in the shop for 3 full days. I was backing out and put it into drive and it wouldn't move forward. The engine was on, but the gas wasn't doing anything. I turned it off and on a few times and got it working again and the check engine light went away. Later that day, the same thing happened. I was able to call OnStar who told me that the code was for a bad Transmission Control Module. I had it towed in Thursday just before close. I just learned today that it is taking so long for the repair because GM wouldn't release the part. I guess it's very expensive, so they were taking their sweet time approving it. I'm pretty unhappy about how long it's been in along with the fact that it should not need repair this soon.
  • bigdon3bigdon3 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2011 nox problem started at about 1900 miles.Bought it new June 2nd I'am taking it in Thursday.It seams GM is staying quit about this.It acts like the oil pump is losing it's prime,or the oil filiter doesn't have a check to stop drain back. What about the new oil,mine's very thin.This motor will not make 100000 with this poor oiling system.
  • carproblems7carproblems7 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a new Equinox on July 5, 2011. On July 24, 2011, when I stepped on the gas to merge into traffic, the car wouldn't shift and hit the rev limiter. We tried putting it in manual and shifting that way, but no go. We pulled over, and while my husband talked to the dealer (two hours away), I pushed the Onstar button. Onstar said it showed a stuck valve and said to turn the car off and let it sit for 5 minutes. We were able to nurse the car back to the dealers. The dealer has been great. Really trying to help, so no complaints there. But, I haven't even made the first payment, the car has only 1130 miles on it. They haven't been able to figure out what is wrong and they are tearing down the transmission. I told them I'd just take my old car back, but they sold it on July 25. The dealer can't replace the car cause they don't have any new ones on the lot. I've contacted Chevy and started the process to see if they'll replace the car. I bought a new car so I wouldn't have to worry about breakdowns. The only thing that will make me happy is if they replace the car. I'm so wishing I'd just kept my Pontiac Vibe. So disappointed, cause I was loving this car.
  • sharricsharric Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone tell me how to start a file with GM?

    I have had 2 different fluid leaks so far. The first I took in on May 11, 2011, when the car was not parked in it's usual spot in the garage I noticed there was a puddle of black fluid. I took the car in and the dealership had it for about 3 days (they put me in a rental). I had to pick up the car before it was fixed while they waited on a back ordered part. The part came in about a week later and they had the car for another 3 days. They replaced a transfer case seal and filled transmission fluid and changed transfer case fluid. I also mentioned that the car was shifting hard. They drove the car and stated that it drove normally. I picked the car up on May 20, 2011.

    Not too long after I noticed that there was now red fluid on the garage floor. I put a fresh piece of cardboard down to make sure this was a new leak and sure enough, it was. I took the car in on July 6, 2011, and it was determined that it was transmission fluid that was leaking. I also complained of the "rattling" noise it make upon a cold start up (which has yet to be heard by the dealership). It is now July 27, 2011, just over 3 weeks since I dropped my car off and I still do not have it back. They were waiting on parts that were on back order. We were told they came in last Thursday and the car would probably be ready last Monday. I hadn't heard anything so I called the dealership today. Apparently, they are waiting on yet another back ordered part.

    I bought a brand new car because I was tired of having problems with the used cars I purchased. I just feel like this is unacceptable for a brand new car. While they are putting me in a rental car (a little Chevy Cruze) I am paying for my Equinox. My family is a Chevy family... my hubby sold Chevy's for over ten years before starting his own business several years ago. We have stayed loyal to Chevy as we have NEVER had these kinds of problems with the new cars we have purchased from them.

    With the problems I am having and all that I have read on here I am more than a little scared to drive this car. My 9-year-old and my 6-year-old do competitive cheer and we drive approximately 1 hour there and back 3 days per week. I need a safe, dependable car that gets decent gas mileage to get us back and forth. This car is not turning out to be that car!

    We are very pleased with our dealership and they have always taken very good care of us, but I think they are just as frustrated as we are in this. It shouldn't take weeks to get a part in for a brand new car!
  • 11nox11nox Member Posts: 4
    I bought my 2011 Nox in April. After the first 3000 miles it started randomly making this horrible rattling sound at start up. It honestly sounds like a diseal truck when you crank it sometimes. Took it in the dealer who said the per GM it was a over pressurized fule pump so they added some part to it. Didnt help. Went back a few weeks later with the same problem. Every couple 100 miles or so the car shakes and rattles like a metal pan being beat against the wall. Dealer said that per GM I need to change the oil again (had just had it done) and have them inspect the cam aquwaiter (sorry no idea how to spell it). Did that and per Dealer no metal shavings or debris found in the oil or in the cam thing. Left car with Dealer to check everything out (a possible loose pulley anything that could rattle, etc) for a week and of course it did not make the noise while there. I even went so far as to record the noise on my smart phone but they could not figure it out. Now it is idling funny. I can feel a vibration and the RMPs are running above 1 when idling. This is not normal. The people at me dealership have been great, but my patience is gone on this matter. I am so disappointed in the car. I dont know what else to do. Any suggestions?????
  • 11nox11nox Member Posts: 4
    If you find out how to file a complaint let me know. Mine stays in the shop for the rattling noise at start up and they dont seemed to have a clue what is causing it. I am so frustrated!
  • kelsan1kelsan1 Member Posts: 34
    Does anyone know of a website that lists all of the TSB's that the GM dealers receive on these problems, if so, could you please post the URL address?

    Thanks. :shades:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The Edmunds Maintenance Guide lists summary TSBS. We get them from the NHTSA, where you can sometimes find full text of certain ones. Otherwise, you can search the net once you know the number for the full text or ask your dealer to print a copy out for you.
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    You can contact GM at :1-800-462-8782 and they will start a file. I think only one person on here has had luck by starting a case but maybe you will do better. They were useless to us, unfortunately. :( Now, after the engine issues, the car is back in the shop again with more problems. We are looking at other cars and taking a loss. Seems ridiculous for a 30-day-car but with all the driving I do with my two children, i just can't take the risk of it dying again. Good luck!!
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    The link wouldn't work, can you repost again?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Sorry, thought I had fixed that but I guess not. Try this: :blush:

    Edmunds Car Maintenance Guide
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    No problem, thanks. :)
  • mcgermmcgerm Member Posts: 21
    Still no resolution. They are workng on obtaining a list of parts and then scheduling a couple of days of surgery.

    How do you count 'lemon law' visits? If you has a couple of visits with no resolution or progress because they could not replicate it do they count? If you then had other visits where they replicated it but did not do anything do they count? Are the only visits that count the ones where they try to fix it.
  • 11nox11nox Member Posts: 4
    The Dealership told me that until GM tells them how to fix the problem there is nothing more they can do. In the meantime I am left with a new car that runs like crap! This problem has been going on since the 2010 model and evidently the engineers at GM cannot fidure it out. Seems to me in this economy they could higher someone to figure it out!
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    edited July 2011
    I have had the start-up noise, and intermittent check engine light with codes P0011 and P0014, two different problems, during two different times. Start-up noise began around 4000 miles, car was only 6 weeks old. It started as a rare occurrence, and progressed to happening every 2nd or 3rd start. During the first week of June, they replaced the cam phase actuators, and then I paid for an oil change to be done. The start-up noise did not happen again for 6 weeks.

    This is when my car started having an intermittent check engine light, the first two times it came on, it was code P0011 accompanied by rough idle and poor drive-ability. The third time it came on, it showed codes P0011 and P0014, and almost stalled while accelerating from a stop immediately after shifting from park to drive. It also made the start-up noise once, same intensity but half the duration (1 second long, used to be 3 seconds long). This time, they performed 3 oil changes, each followed by a test drive and a check for debris in the oil, with no debris being found - this was in accordance with bulletin PIP4716b. They also performed bulletin PI0496, which addresses cars with intermittent check engine lights with codes P0011 and P0014 and between the build dates of Feb 17 and June 6 of 2011. The work under this bulletin is to replace the cam solenoids (intake and exhaust), and perform a few particular software updates. I have no had my car back for 2 days, and so far, it's working okay, I'm cautiously optimistic. During this last service visit, the dealer did a total of 130 miles of test drives. It is important to note that this bulletin states that if the car has over 250 miles, then the solenoids MUST be replaced, in addition to the software updates. My dealer tried to not replace the solenoids, saying it wasn't needed, my car has 8000 miles on it. It's sad that I had to request him to follow the bulletin as it is written.

    The dealer I have been going to for service work so far has proven to be lazy and has lied to me on 3 different occasions. Needless to say, if I have to take my car back again, I'll be going to the dealer an hour away that I bought from. During my first visit for the check engine light, a tech told me they did a software update that should fix the problem. I had to take the car back in the next week because the light came back on, and they said they did a software update. I said, "is this different than the one that y'all did last week?" They told me that there had never been an update done, all they did was clear the code. During this last service visit, they had my car for a week but had not called me with an update. I called them and they told me that they had done 2 test drives so far, and an oil change and had plans for more work, but they couldn't verify the code that came up. I drove by a few hours later and checked the mileage on my car, it was the exact same as when I dropped it off. I ripped them a new one the next morning. A few days later, he had the nerve to lie to me again about test drives. If you have OnStar on your vehicle, even if it's the free trial, download the OnStar myLink app to your smartphone. You can use it to check mileage at any time, anywhere. My service manager apparently didn't know that this existed, but he sure does now.
  • auntiep22auntiep22 Member Posts: 29
    I'm sure glad to hear that someone else also experienced this problem. This just happened to me a few weeks ago. We were driving down the street and had stopped at a signal but it felt like we had been rear ended. We had absolutely no power to go. I finally got pulled over to the side of the road and did not shut it off and had no dash lights come on either. The rpms were running at idle when I pushed on the accelerator. I only had 1st and 2nd gears to drive home. Thank God we were not far from home! Once we got home, I shut it off and left it overnight. I was so upset. The next day, it ran fine - go figure?? The heater in the passenger seat came on too that day without pushing the control button. Who on earth would want a heated seat in 90+ degree weather! The dealer was called and the car has been repurchased by Chevy. Thank God for great, wonderful people - the owner of the dealership, the service manager and a Chevy engineer who stood behind me. They didn't know what to do with this car and I certainly didn't know and obviously Chevy doesn't know so it sits at the dealer still! I'm in the process of buying another Nox (a demo) that I've been driving and have had absolutely no problems at all with. The cars are like night and day - same 4 cyl engine. I still think that there are too many components from too many different companies that are made for these cars and nothing "talks" to the computers onboard! Lets get back to the basics and have a real car GM!!
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    Auntiep,

    How did you get GM to do something?! We have dealt with crooks at the dealership and useless GM reps. We have a lawyer very interested in taking the case right now but I don't know if it is worth the hassle and cost in the end if we won.
  • auntiep22auntiep22 Member Posts: 29
    I don't know the details but I do know that the Service Mgr phoned Chevy and Chevy didn't hesitate to buy the car back. I have had nothing but trouble with the car from about day one. It's been in the shop more than I have driven it! The owner and the service mgr didn't like me driving the vehicle due to the fact that it just quit on you at any given time and I didn't like driving it either. I don't know how anyone can get it across to Chevy that these vehicles are a death threat. I bought this car so I wouldn't have problems and all it gave me was problems. I value my life and so does the owner of the dealership and the service manager. I don't know how to convey this to Chevy but these guys did for me and I thank them most kindly!
  • equinox5079equinox5079 Member Posts: 18
    You are so fortunate. Apparently, our GM rep and our Chevy dealer didn't care if anything happened when our car died again with our kids in it. I just want this headache gone.
  • bigdon3bigdon3 Member Posts: 5
    Picked up my Equinox tonight they changed the oil at 2645 miles,the motor has a bad knock in the bottom end.They do not know for sure,but they think it is Main Bearings,or Crank problem not good.Aug.8th Iwill drop it off for a week for more testing.
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    Look up your states' Lemon Law. This is your legal protection as a consumer, and as long as you give them the time and opportunity, you will be able to file for lemon law once you qualify. There has been a few people (on a different forum) that have filed lemon laws and got a resolution from GM in a surprisingly short amount of time. I think they know that some of these engine problems don't have a clear solution (yet, at least). You can negotiate for a full refund or an even trade...theoretically, at least, I haven't been through the process myself.
  • jm21jm21 Member Posts: 2
    I had this same exact problem after owning the car for 4 months after my first oil change. After a month of "diagnosing the problem" they ended up replacing my entire engine. i also have had numerous problems after that and am in the works with GM and the dealer to get a replacement or a refund.

    it sucks, but just power through and be patient even though its hard.
  • auntiep22auntiep22 Member Posts: 29
    That was about the same mileage that my Nox had on it when they changed the oil. They stated that they found "debris" in the oil. I asked the service guy WHAT DEBRIS was FOUND in the oil and he really wouldn't say. I would say that it was metal shavings - what else could it be??? I just went the other day to get my stuff out of the car and they are still test driving it. I'm happy with the Nox that I have now and I don't worry about driving it. I am observing some awful noise when starting the engine - just like mine. It does it when the engine is cold not so much when the engine is hot. That worries me tho. I have gone through enough with my first Nox and I certainly don't need anymore trouble with this one! Good luck with your Nox.
  • bigdon3bigdon3 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the info.I had them keep the oil filiter for me,I'am checking for gas and metal .They told me the drain plug has a large magnet.Mine was quite for two days, then WOW crank rattle dry start,where did the oil go.They told me they sold over 40 of these and I got the only one with a bad motor.They want it back next week for more testing.The service guys have been great to work with.
  • blewis81blewis81 Member Posts: 3
    I just bought a brand new 2011 Equinox LT with 6 miles on it about a week ago for my wife, we have a 5 year old daughter and a 3 month baby girl....precious cargo! And after driving it for about 3 days and around 160 miles it stalled on us after backing up out of a parking spot....everything shut down. My wife was able to start it back up with no issues. The next day it stalled on us two more times, the first time my wife was pulling out of a gas station, then 5 minutes later driving around 15 mph in a parking lot it stalled out again.

    We took it back to our dealership the next day. We were told by one service tech that they had the same issue with three other new Equinoxes recently and it was close to becoming a recall issue. He stated it has something to do with the computer, which suppposedly needed to be reprogrammed through the GM satelite...they could not update it because it was late Friday afternoon, so they gave us a rental and said it could be done on Monday.

    Monday came and we were told conflicting statements....our service tech assigned to us told my wife the computer "reprogramming" did not correct it; and they could not duplicate the problem and they would need to keep driving it to "duplicate" the stalling so they could try to correct it....basically seemed like a runaround. I then called and spoke to the Manager and he had a different story, telling me our service tech was new and he gave me the wrong info....he felt the reprogramming of the computer might have fixed the problem and they wanted to keep it an extra day to drive it some more, to make sure the vehicle did not stall anymore.

    I then asked him about the other 3 Equionoxes that had the same issues and if they were successful in correcting those problems and if so was it the reprogramming of the computer; of course he said yes.

    We'll see what they say tomorrow, even if we get the Equionox back and it is supposedly fixed, we will still be skeptical because of all the conflicting feedback.

    I need to know if there is the possiblilty of the car stalling out when we are on the freeway with two babies in the back seat.

    Scary, scary, scary thought. I was not expecting this when we purcahsed the Equionox, it seemed to have great reviews. I never make posts on websites like this, however I feel it is important to get the word out if there is a safety issue and I encourage everyone else reading this who had similar problems to respond.
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