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2011 Chevy Equinox Problems

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Comments

  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    napnord,
    Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Can you please keep me updated on your situation. Feel free to email me directly! :)
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    jan21816,
    Have you had your dealer look into this? If not, I would recommend doing so. Maybe they can help make some sense of it or diagnosis it if there is a problem. Please keep me updated on your situation.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    car1969,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with your complete contact information, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer? I would like to look into this further for you. I look forward to hearing from you.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • neenyneeny Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same issue. I bought my equinox in February and i thought the downshift was just something I was doing wrong. I took my car in two weeks ago and they could not find anything wrong with it diagnostically .. They first blamed it on me having it in Eco mode... I took it back today , drove it with them , it jerks around second shift... They noticed it but then I get a call today telling me yet again nothing diagnostically is wrong and they need approval from ge to do anything else. The service mgr old me to come drive another that maybe they all drive like that!!! I mean i am not a moron!!! I am furious !
  • lizf2011lizf2011 Member Posts: 13
    I have had this all happen also. I let them know via email, keep the paper trail that there is 5 more visits and it will fall under the lemon law and I will bring it to them and drop it off with Atty in tow. GM needs to make this right and if that mean they exchange it for the V6 that doesn't seem to have these problems then that is what they should be doing. I was told that it is most likly just updates that need to be downloaded on the computer, I highly don't believe that. It has severe hessitation, shifts all over the place, the RPMs jump all over, terrible gas mileage (which evedently they falsly advertised it to be good), stahling, rough running and stinks when it starts, hard shifting, gets stuck in the middle of shifting like it is in neutral and while cruising thru town, it just kicks down and throws me forward. How can this even be legal to be stuck with a brand new car that does this? I am still paying on it and full coverage insurance and for what? GM was supposed to be in contact with me, Christina has not contacted me so here I sit, car was in the shop Saturday and they will get it to the shop again tomorrow. I want a replacement!!!!
  • missdaisy1944missdaisy1944 Member Posts: 14
    Be sure to file a complaint with the NHTSA. (NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION). Do it online or call them..
  • heide1heide1 Member Posts: 7
    I did just have my computer software"updated" since mine has not started 3 times....they said that would fix the problem....it would not start for me for work the other day again....it is going back in today.
  • heide1heide1 Member Posts: 7
    I took my vehicle in today and let them know that a lot of people are having the same trouble I am...except it seems like most are having trouble with it stalling/not running WHILE they are driving it. Mine just won't start at all with out being jumped. It has happened 4 times now. Any ways they are going to check this site out to see what they can figure out. Like I said before, I can't blame them they are trying....if GM can not figure out how to fix it how can they? I hope we all can get our problems fixed...resolved soon!
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    heide1,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Has the dealer involved Technical Assistance? If not, I would recommend asking them to do so. Can you please email me with your information, and a description of your experience? I look forward to your response.

    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    lizf2011,
    I apologize for not contacting you; did you email me? If so, and I didn't respond then I didn't receive it. I have responded on another post of yours. Please feel free to email me.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    neeny,
    I apologize for your frustrations. Can you please email me with your information and experience? I look forward to your response.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • car1969car1969 Member Posts: 4
    Christine,
    What is your email address?
  • heide1heide1 Member Posts: 7
    I just emailed you. I hope it was the correct address. I will let them know about contacting technical assistance. Thank you for your concern. Maybe this time it will be fixed. One of theses guys will come up with a solution soon I'm sure! I just don't want to be stuck on the side of the road in the dead of winter with my kids someday! I'm crossing my fingers.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Heide1,
    I'm sorry to hear that this concern has you so anxious. Have you worked with Customer Assistance already?

    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Thanks for getting back with me!

    With the 2011 Equinox, there does seem to be a connectivity issue that GM is working on a solution towards. Updates are posted to the following website: www.gm.com/Bluetooth

    If I learn of a resolution, I will be sure to get in touch with you as soon as I know more.

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • tnwormtnworm Member Posts: 8
    sounds like more people are having this transmission "kick" problem which my dealer says they never heard of!!

    I hope others are having better luck in getting the problem fixed. I have not heard back from the service manager who said he was going to get with "engineering"

    It better come soon as I said - it exacerbates my medical conditions when it kicks like this. I am trying to work with GM but I am not going to wait too much longer. I will pursue a remedy to this through all available channels
  • heide1heide1 Member Posts: 7
    I just got my vehicle back today. At first they called me and said they couldn't duplicate the problem....then I remembered what Christine from gm customer service said to tell them so I called them back and told them to involve technical assistance and they called back a little later and said they finally duplicated the non starting!! YaY!! They said the battery was a bad one. (My fiancee said that he told someone that the first time...not same guy.) It sounds a lot better even. I'm crossing my fingers that this was the fix. He said that there was one other one this month also. Soooo....maybe there was just a bad batch of batteries installed out there. I hope this works....and I hope everyone else gets their problem fixed also. Good luck. I hope I won't have to post again.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    Have you heard back from your service manager on your transmission since your last post?

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    How did your visit to the dealership go earlier this week?

    Best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • tnwormtnworm Member Posts: 8
    Sarah

    No I have not
  • sade1on1sade1on1 Member Posts: 4
    :lemon: I have been having problems out of my Equinox since I bought it in March 2011. It has been in for repairs numerous times and GM even sent down their Engineer and yet the problem is still not fixed. I have had a lawyer since May of 2011 and my case has been going on since then. First GM tried to give me a offer of 3500. I said no then they tried to offer me 4500 I declined that. Then they told my lawyer that their final offer was going to be 5500. I was like there is no offer when my Car is a Lemon. NY law has specific Guidelines. Lucky I have a very persistent lawyer. So finally GM made a replacement offer only to piss me off even more. They wanted me to pay a user fee of 14.67 percent of my manufactures price. I was like Have they lost there brains. The New York Lemon Law states that for every 1000 miles over 12000 then there is a 1 percent fee of the MSRP. My lawyer told them they needed to fix it and it has been a week and a half since then. I am so tired of dealing with GM and they think that they can just shove a poor amount of money at people and that will make them go away. I will never buy another GM vehicle if this is the future Customer service and Legal. I even filed a report with the BBB.
  • dhoff457dhoff457 Member Posts: 8
    Got my Equinox back from the dealership earlier this week.

    It seemed good for a couple of days but seems to be shifting more roughly the last day or two. Keeping a close eye on it.
  • lizf2011lizf2011 Member Posts: 13
    Well, never have heard from Christina. My car was in the shop on Tuesday, was there all day, asked that they also rotate the tires and air them up so they are all even and wash it before they bring it back. They drove it around and used up 1/8 tank of gas, could not get it to duplicate what it did for them on Saturday. Then they wanted to keep it for the entire holiday even though no one would be working on it. I said NO, I will bring it to you on Monday. They brought it back to me and had done nothing with the air pressure in the tires, the rotation or even washed it! I left work, it hard shifted twice in 10 minutes and down shifted so hard going 20 mph thru town. Not sure why they can't duplicate that. I got in it on Wednesday monring to go to work, ran the wipers over the mist on the windsheild, wipers don't even hit the glass, got out and looked, the wipers are peeling back on the rubber blade already, so now, I have to go buy new blades, replace the gas they used, wash the car and go air up my own tires. This is the wonderful service that I get. So, not only do I get poor service on those things but I don't get any service and pretty soon, this outter shell will just have rebuilt parts and new parts. This is rediculous. On top of that, I have to pay for every oil change and tire rotation. I got nothing and get nothing for all of these problems and still have to make the monthly paymt on a car that isn't even safe! When is this going to be taken care of? I refuse to constantly be driving a courtesy car, gassing that up, replacing all the gas that they use and then gassing up my daughters car. I cannot afford this anymore! I have a child with some special needs and she has appointments almost every evening and so I have to take her to them. I surely don't want to be driving a car that I am not used to in the snow and ice. GM, you need to contact me. I have submitted all my info to you but have not even gotten an email from the person that it was referred to. Wow, I am feeling really confident here. And I am paying you on the balance owed on this vehicle!
  • auntiep22auntiep22 Member Posts: 29
    Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been on for a while as the computer died. Will, are you all up for a big laugh?
    The dealer had a tech come out to "test drive" my Nox. I dropped it off the other day and the guy went to the gas station to fill it up and drove it for 27 miles and got a whopping 45.76mpg!! This was driving on a flat freeway at 65mph with no A/C. He drove a few more test drives at different speeds and got 39mpg and finally 26mpg. The car is only rated at 22 - 32mpg! Hhhuummmm...what a crock. The more I think about this the more I fume! Driving conditions vary from road conditions, hills, mountains, traffic, wind, rain, etc. You can't tell me that you can go out and drive 27 freakin' miles and get 45mpg when the car is only rated at best 32mpg. Go figure that one out. I calculated the total mileage since I've had the car and averaged out to 18mpg. That is a far cry from 22mpg GM.
    If I could afford to dump the car and get something else, I would but I'm pretty well stuck with this crappy car! As you can tell, I'm not a happy camper at all. This is my second Nox and I wish that I had never bought another Chevy!
  • tnwormtnworm Member Posts: 8
    I also get poor gas mileage. The best on the highway was filling up at one station, straight interstate and then filling up again and got a whopping 25mpg. Oh yeah we did pull off to get a hamburger and then back on I guess that is why my mileage went down. Maybe I should have the miracle driver teach me how to get drive better to get rated mileage!
  • lizf2011lizf2011 Member Posts: 13
    The never ending.
    We need to make sure that you have ALL the issues that this car has had:
    *Bad Battery (6 days after purchase)
    *Bad Wipers (all peeling back, just had to buy new ones this weekend) *Bad ECM (cam shaft/actuators)
    *Bad Transmission Plates
    *Computer does not illuminate and display codes
    *Hard Shift both Auto and Manual
    *Poor Gas Mileage
    *Stalling
    *Hesitation
    *RPMs all over the place
    *Sudden downshift that throws you forward
    These are all the issues that this has had and they want me to let them fix it and still drive a rebuilt car that after financing was almost $30,000? I finally have a case file with GM but SERIOUSLY? I am contacting an atty regarding Lemon Law. So there my $300/month vehicle sits, at the dealership after more miles for 3 days have been put on it and I am supposed to pay insurance on this car and make the paymts on this car and when they finally get it back to me all rebuilt I am supposed to be happy? I think maybe junking it and get me a new one with the V-6 is what they need to be doing. And GM, quit out-sourcing the parts! I bought Chevy for American made and evidently, that is not happening. Rebuilding the car is not going to make it right. And then the dealership telling me not to call GM until it has been fixed? I may be a woman but I am far from stupid, nice try Conklin Cars. I will be sure to email Scott Conklin on this issue also!
    I have to give Sarah and Christina a thank you for finally getting this a case file number and getting District Specialist calling me but I really don't see that rebuilding this car is the right thing. The right thing is to replace it. :lemon: :sick:
  • cindiola03cindiola03 Member Posts: 5
    Well, I got my car back finally, had it 4 days and back to the dealership. It stalled again and made a terrible squeaky hinge type noise. They had it two weeks and couldn't find anything wrong. I drove it 2 more weeks and smoke came pouring out from under my hood. Completely lost all the coolant. Towed again back to the dealer... what the hell is wrong with these cars? I don't want it any longer. I want GM to buy it back from me. What do I do to make this happen? There are hundreds of stories like this - so why aren't the cars totally recalled? Why are they being advertised so greatly on TV? Why did Consumer Reports rate this car with 5 stars? What the hell is going on?
  • missdaisy1944missdaisy1944 Member Posts: 14
    Over on another board I posted about my engine revving and jerking. The rpm's sticking on 4000 and the dealer could not get a code nor could he duplicate it. Well a gentlemen informed me of the identical problem on his 2011 equinox. They could not at first find anything but the mechanic decided to ride with him and it happened in the parking lot. This gentleman has given me the work order with the parts, codes and everything that his service department did. His car is running fine now. He had the work done oct 26th.
  • firstnoxfirstnox Member Posts: 12
    Lizf2011, I would be very interested in following and supporting your case. I am just in the beginning of mine and hoping to gain more support from this forum. Please post how we may unite forces and share the experience of taking a new car apart, "Fixing" it, and then have it fall apart week after week.

    I am going to alert my attorney general (Connecticut) and see what support we have. It is not a dealer issue - it is a Detroit issue. Good luck!
  • firstnoxfirstnox Member Posts: 12
    I took my NEW Equinox to the dealer upon receiving the recall notice - 11195B - Product Emission - Reprogram Engine Control. Evidently, with 4,000 miles on the car, the damage had been done. The recall reached me too late. The car has been at the dealer becuase the timing chain and gears were damaged (destroyed) and the cam shaft has been damaged. While repairing, the dealer also found other "Recall related issues". They are not sure when the repair will be completed.
    I am concerned for several reasons: First, the car is only 4 months old, second, will these repairs compromise the engines performance and reliability, and third, why am I the consumer notifying the Chevy Customer Service center of the problem? Is this not the responsibility of the dealer?
    I am not happy - are there others with this issue? What are you doing about it?
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    Consumers Reports still recommends this vehicle. So much for their credibilty. Reminds me of Moody's rating the mortgages from a few years ago.
  • tnwormtnworm Member Posts: 8
    edited December 2011
    There seem to be a number of repetitive issues that GM is fully aware of including mileage, transmission and others.

    GM still continues to advertise 32 mpg knowing full well that many don't come anywhere close.

    I am looking into lemon laws and am only waiting for the required number of appointments before I file.

    If there is a lawyer listening out there maybe its time to take GM on on a broader basis such as false advertising
  • dhoff457dhoff457 Member Posts: 8
    Agreed - these are serious, dangerous issues that may come back to haunt GM; I just hope it's not at the expense of someone being seriously injured or killed.

    GM now has it's hands full with the Volt and may need to buy them back. Equinox next?
  • roykulproykulp Member Posts: 52
    WOW..Serious, Dangerous, Injured , Killed and the Haunting drama is really beginning to turn this gm owners forum into a dog & pony side show.

    I have three business associates that own the Newer Equinox 2010 - 2011 and 2012 SUV and none of them have had any scary, serious, dangerous or haunting issues with this gm suv...However; if I had the issues some of you are screaming about on line; I would not be handling the matter on line looking for other suv owners for support...The car would GET REPLACED by GM per lemon law or traded ASAP!
  • kelsan1kelsan1 Member Posts: 34
    Amen
  • rocketentrocketent Member Posts: 60
    I'm recommending it too, highly. Mine is going into it's third year with no problems.
    There are three others in my neighborhood and I'm always asking the other owners if they've had any problems and so far none.
    When I see someone with a Nox in a parking lot, I also inquire and so far I haven't met one single Nox owner that had a bad thing to say about their vehicle.
    That's not to say I would minimize real problems people are having, but to make wholesale negative statements that the car in general just sucks isn't at all fair or true.
  • gigi37gigi37 Member Posts: 1
    My daughter has a 2011 Equinox and has had it in the shop five times for a similar problem. They have changed the timing chain once and want to do it again, as they cannot figure out what is wrong with it. I have a 2011 Equinox five months old, 3000 miles. When you start it will let out a clunking sound. I was told at the dealers that the oil needed to be changed every 3000 miles so the timing chain could be oiled properly. We have both gotten rid of our Equinoxs due to this continued problem for our daughter and an impending one for us. Good luck in your endeavors. We liked the other features about the car, but this definitely was a problem that no one wanted or could solve.
  • firstnoxfirstnox Member Posts: 12
    Thank you all for replying and please spread the word of this issue if you see it. We picked up the car from the dealer DFriday afternoon. They said it is good to go. Well, my wife started in Saturday mornoing and the "clunking" noise is worse thatn it was last week - so, back to the dealer. While they have been helpful, I think GM/Chevy needs to step to the plate.

    Specifically, I had to have the Cam Shaft Actuators replaced. While doing the repair, theysnapped a bolt and had to tap the socket to installa new one. So, if you hear of more Cam Shaft Actuators being replaced, please post here. We need evidence!
  • churchgchurchg Member Posts: 2
    I agree, I had an issue early on. The dealer took care of it & have not had an issue since. I have some other friends & they love their Equinox. When you make & sell as many as Chevy has their are bound to be a few issues like any product.
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    The problem many are having with this process is that GM is not willing to acknowledge that this problem is so widespread at this point. And right now, you just have to bide your time until you ARE eligible to file under lemon law. Wait until they do enough repair attempts.

    Other's, who haven't quite reached that stage, will try to trade, to avoid the impending drama and hassle. But when they try to trade, they would lose $6,000 on their current vehicle, and then have to pay for the replacement vehicle. If I went and traded my Nox today, I would lose a total of $10,000. ...on a vehicle that IS eligible for lemon law.

    SO, I AM pursuing further action at this point, many people are. I'm currently working on a buyback/replacement deal.

    The point of coming online to talk with others, is to try to work together in finding a solution that FIXES this problem, in the hopes that it may WORK for someone and solve their car problems.

    There is actually a very active forum, at Equinoxforum.net, that discusses which repairs have been tried, and subsequently all of them have failed, and the best way to approach everything. So, please mosey on over there if anyone here is able, take a look around. All of the information there has also been shared HERE. The only difference is that people check in over there on a daily basis. This forum is more of a place to post your grievance and move on, so other people see it. This other forum is for more of a discussion.

    I hope everyone is doing well and having good luck with their vehicles. I, however, am not.
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    Keep really close tabs on it. From the experiences of others that I've seen over at Equinoxforum.net (go join if you haven't already), once your vehicle starts stalling at high speeds, like highway speeds, then it's game over. It won't improve.

    Only when it's at a very low speed (like 10 mph), is there more of a glimmer of hope. But even then, it's only a small glimmer. All current known repairs have failed for me after any given amount of time. Mine is a lemon.
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    I have now had four different repair attempts. Two of them proved to fail after only a few days. HOWEVER, two other repair attempts appeared to have completely correct the issue for several thousand miles. The longest was 6,000 miles with no incident. Point being, keep a very close eye on it. From one owner to the other. I'm currently in the process of trying to get ride of mine.

    I'm a very active member over at the Equinoxforum.net, feel free to also join over there as well. We post over here occasionally as well, just to keep it updated.
  • tnwormtnworm Member Posts: 8
    Glad someone has a good Equinox. As others have said, the problem is GM is not acknowledging these problems and stalling. And you must be unaware of the legal process which takes at least a year to resolve

    So the "drama" you refer to is exactly what this forum is intended to bring about - a way to exchange information and build pressure on GM to FIX the problems

    Suggest if you do not like "drama" then you should start a forum of happy equinox owners and refer to it as "Fiction"
  • cindiola03cindiola03 Member Posts: 5
    I give up - traded my 2011 in for a 2012 V6. Lost a lot of money on this deal, but can't deal with an unreliable car when I have to drive 70 miles a day. I hope I have better luck. Again, the service guy, sales manager and dealership owner were awesome.. helped out as much as they could. Thank you Watsonville Chevrolet.
  • katph062000katph062000 Member Posts: 19
    edited December 2011
    My car is in the shop for the 6th time. This time they gave me a 2011 Equinox V6 rental and it drives so very nice.. No stalling, no tugging, no anything.. just perfect. Just got an email saying another bulletin came out and they ordered parts to finally fix mine.. have heard that before..I hope this time is a charm for sure. I got a phone call from the person at Tom Bannen Chevrolet asking about my recent visit.. and i called her back and left a voice mail and she never called me back.. What a joke... However, the last time i was in for the same issues, the service manager wrote me a check for one months car payment..how amazing is that? I have the best Service folks at Tom Bannen a girl could ask for. They have treated me so nice...I could not ask for more. However, My job is being looked at from taking so much time off recently to take my car to the shop...so I had to use vacation time to drop it off yesterday. Imagine they will have it for a full week..or more..................until then, sitting sweet in a nice rental....that drives like my car should dirve.
  • tonydeciantistonydeciantis Member Posts: 9
    After owning my 2011 Equinox for 4 months its still the same crap the fuel economy is not even close to the estimated fuel I should be getting per tank fill. I get 550-600 kms. The power is pathetic, no power at all. Switching from power to eco and there is no difference so whats that all about. Downshifting the guy at the dealer tells me thats normal. So I hoped that its true but driving for a month with this info from this guy, I know somethings wrong, like is there anyone that knows whats the cure for these problems. obviously not as I can see with all these posts. G.M. has to break down and take care of this problem but their not doing so. I read over these forums from time to time and I either see Christina or Sarah from gmcustsvc always posting email me your vin and sorry for the inconvenience but cant you see that theres a problem here. Im dealing with Lisa Marie at G.M. Canada who is very helpful but nothing seems to be happening. Like I purchased a new vehicle for no problems not to be at the dealership and hearing nothing but lies. Ive driven G.M. all my life and never had a problem but this one takes the cake. I did my recall and the only thing that it solved was the start up noise which the dealership where I purchased my vehicle said its normal. There should be something done about all of this...............uh maybe a protest where this lemon was
    made Oshawa Ontario Canada. My fuel economy is horrible and thats false advertising I want out of my vehicle because its not what I paid for.
  • sumr616sumr616 Member Posts: 90
    If you are having problems with your Equinox - rough idle, stalling, check engine lights, start-up noise...do NOT give up. There is not currently a fix that will correct these issues in ALL vehicles. The Recall 11195 work fixes the problems in some, but in many, MANY vehicles, the problem eventually comes BACK.

    MY CAR included. I have made 4 trips to the service department with my car, and ALL FOUR repair attempts FAILED. Some of those times, it was just within a few days that the problems resurfaced, but in two of those cases, my car went several thousand miles, and a few months, until the problems came back.

    DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! I'm currently working with GM to get my vehicle replaced. Once you qualify for your states' lemon law, I suggest you do the same. Call GM and tell them that you know your vehicle qualifies under the state lemon law, but would like to work with them to see if they can resolve your situation without having to involve a lawyer. Again, document EVERYTHING. Be very upfront the entire way, with what you are expecting the outcome to be. If they aren't willing to do that, then you can speak with a lawyer.

    DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Your vehicle is NOT the only one experiencing these problems. There are MANY others!
  • vholdenvholden Member Posts: 3
    I sit here today completely disgusted with my 2011 Chevy Equinox. I purchased this vehicle in March 2011 and today, 9 months and 28,000 miles later, my car has been to the shop twice in three weeks. Since purchasing this vehicle I had a few very loud start up clanks, but nothing continued to cause me regular concern. Then, 3 weeks ago while pulling into a parking space, my car lurched forward while accelerating. I turned it off, went in the store, came out and as I tried to back out of my space it would stall and die. Check engine light came on. I tried restarting it and backing out again and as I would accelerate it would die. Once I hit about 1000rpms it would stall. So, I had it towed to Chevy dealership (ouch it was far away!). After a day of researching it the mechanic there suggested I was using the wrong oil. I get it changed from a reputable nationwide car care center (don't want to put down their name). Obviously I drive A LOT as I put over 3,000 miles on my car a month, so they were putting Valvoline Semi Synthetic in and I take it in religiously. My Chevy mechanic said that they were using the wrong oil..that the oil has to have a little emblem that says Dexos on the container and that using the wrong oil is what cause this problem. So he did a complete oil change using this Dexos oil and I picked up my car that day. That was 3 weeks ago. Yesterday I was driving down the freeway and encountered traffic. Each time I would accelerate a little it would lurch. It continued to get worse and my the time I stopped at a stop sign it stalled completely. This again? So, since I wasn't getting anywhere in it, I had it towed again to Chevy. Today mechanic says that the oil is still causing problems and that Chevy is not responsible and this isn't covered under the warranty. I asked him to be specific about what he thinks is wrong and he says that the oil was too thick (apparently dexos oil is thinner) and that this is creating a problem with the cam shaft actuator which causes a drop in pressure which causes the stalling. I know little about cars...so this is me relaying. So, he said its gonna cost $350 to open it up and check the actuator. Then he'll be able to tell if the actuator is faulty or if its damaged due to the oil. He said If it's due to the oil, then I have to pay for it and my warranty is voided. I called the company that changes my oil and they claim no liability. I think Chevy is just passing the buck and that this oil thing is not right, but I want to know if anyones heard this or has any idea about what I can do. I'm likely to be out a lot of money and just want this car off my hands now! It's still at the dealership. Any ideas, thoughts, or help? Thank you!
  • jonoxjonox Member Posts: 100
    Suggest you search "Dexos" on the Equinox forum. You'll find a lot of information. You may have a tricky situation if you've been using a non spec oil so you might want to carefully check your owner's manual.
  • mcgermmcgerm Member Posts: 21
    A Dexos oil change is $45 to $65 at national chains but you must do it. The oil is used as the motive force in the VVT system on an Equinox. The oil needs to be special to always work in the hydraulicly actuated phasing system. The LAF engines seem to be very picky about oil viscosity. If you do some research online various other makes (Mazdas, some Fords, etc) out there have similar VVT systems and similar tight oil spec's. You may be covered by the recall on the VVT system but if you used a non-spec oil you may be in a weak position with GM.
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