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I have a 2010 Equinox that has many of the same issues and have posted here repeatedly about them. I have to say that my dealer has been truly professional and worked with me to get the repairs made and covered under the powertrain warranty. I had a new engine put in my car in 2013 at about 62k miles and since then everything has been good to go. I still (and always will) take my car to the dealer for an oil change at the 3k mark. The last two times in the service manager has told me he is watching my axle seal because it is wet, but not leaking. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
I am so discouraged. We started having problems with our 2010 Equinox almost immediately. In the first year we had problems with the car running rough, which we were repeatedly told was normal for the car, and many small mechanical failures: The rear passenger window motor, the back hatch motor, the seatbelt mechanism, and eventually (just after the warranty expired) the windshield wiper motor. The ipod display menu has been looked at numerous times, fixed once, and still does not work properly most of the time. We continued to bring it in as the car continued to run more and more roughly and were were told it was within normal specs for the car to burn up to a quart of oil every 2000 miles and that we should just keep adding oil to it as needed. I still don't understand why any car that needs that much more-than-normal oil doesn't have any kind of oil gauge or even a sensor light that will tell you it's needed before the check engine light comes on. The timing belt and fuel pump were replaced in 2011. The engine noise continued. After a lengthy and difficult oil consumption test, the engine was replaced in 2013. At the same time we were charged $660 for a new catalytic converter that they told us was not warranteed. We were hoping this would solve the problems once and for all.
Sadly, we were mistaken.
Since then It has been in for repair on the air conditioning, a new transfer case, a faulty rear back-up sensor, and finally last week the rear main seal blew out in the middle of the bitter-cold weather, stranding us by the side of the road. Even with all these problems and an engine that only has 15,000 miles on it, we were told that the rear main seal was our problem since the car has 103,000 miles on it.
Have I mentioned that we've had the dealer do all the scheduled maintenance?
I am astounded that there has not been a class-action suit against GM for this car. My husband comes from a long line of proud GM employees and we have never owned any other brand of car, but I am so frustrated I will probably never buy another one. And I don't feel that GM really wants my business, either. I am looking for a way to sell this car. It does have a lot of nearly-new major components.
Honestly, it sounds like this is the time to unload it. If you can't trust the vehicle, why continue driving it in fear of what will break next? I've rented several of these and found them comfortable cars. But I have read so many problems with them on various blogs that I don't think I'd risk buying one. I'd trade it on a new Honda CRV. The price isn't much different than the Equinox, and maybe even a tad lower, while the resale will probably be higher. The Honda will ride a bit stiffer and be a tad noisier on the highway, but you shouldn't have near the ownership maintenance and repair problems. You'll also likely find the CRV has more cargo room believe it or not. It just seems packaged and designed more efficiently. BTW, I believe the Equinox is built in Canada, while the CRV is mostly manufactured in Ohio, so there's nothing un-American about doing this swap. My aunt, who never bought a non D3 vehicle, just did this and all she does is rave about the CRV and wonder aloud why she didn't do this sooner in life. Save yourself the grief and aggravation.
Has anyone else experienced blowing the rear main seal in extreme cold weather on their 2010 Chevrolet Equinox? We've had this happen three times now. This last time was nine days to the time previous. We were told that the PCV system froze and over pressurized the engine which caused the rear main seal to blow. It's been five days now that my Equinox has been at the dealer. GM has now decided to try to find out why the PCV system is freezing up. We have also had the fuel pump and oil consumption issues with this Equinox. Our Equinox has 109,000 miles on it. The first major was at 49,000 and the repairs haven't stopped. Any insight on these issues would be greatly appreciated.
Yes, we have but only once and that was in December and that was the last straw after a long line of expensive and major breakages. We tried to work with GM and they wouldn't have much to do with us. Since then we have dumped that car and purchased a new non-GM car(note: first non-GM car in my family since at least the 1930s - not a decision made lightly).
i bought a 2010 eqx with 2 miles. had to have the engine rebuilt at 77000 miles. The engine goes in November of 2013 and had to put a new engine in and had to pay for it because the powertrain expired. i put a new engine in and the dealership said that this gives me a 100000 powertrain warranty and now 3 months later had a plate break in the transmission and have to replace it. what a piece of junk.
Hi dspen1973,
I'm sorry to hear that you have been having problems with your vehicle and that you are not satisfied. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance by taking a further look into your concerns. We can be reached via email at socialmedia@gm.com. We're looking forward to your reply.
Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care
yea make a better product. The best part of all is that now the transmission is not covered under warranty and the estimate went from 2300 to 3500 in 4 hours because the transmission is "special" I'm really tired of the run around with the vehicle and i wont buy another GM again.
Hi despen,
We understand your frustration. Again, we apologize for your dissatisfaction.
Kristen A.
GM Customer Care
you have no idea of the level of frustration i am having. like i said im tired of the run a round and i will not buy another. this car has been in and out of the shop the entire time ive own it. if you want to know everything feel free to contact me i will gladly let you know everything that had to be done.
I have a 2010 equinox Lt. It has issues and not sure why? A month ago I had to change the front tire because of a screw, and the menu was telling me it was the wrong tire that was flat. Now the engine light goes on and off (mostly on) which will not let the remote start work. The drivers side window will not go up and down at times, the rear doors will not open when unlocked from the inside. Also the car sometimes runs on for a few seconds after I turn it off.
Help! This has seriously all happened within a three week span. Worried it's going to cost me a lot!!!
mapark,
We're sorry to hear that you are experiencing these concerns. Please feel free to reach out to us if you would like for us to take a further look into your concern. We can be reached by email at socialmedia@gm.com. Please include your full contact information, VIN, current mileage and preferred dealership in the email. We look forward to hear from you soon!
Kristen A.
GM Customer Care
Just sent a note to socialmedia@gm.com as now in addition to the other recalls, and having had the waterpump, and then the engine replaced due to timing chain issues, now had to replace alternator last month and today have to get Power Steering Assembly fixed to the tune of $$$$$! At what point does a car become a lemon. It can't be just due to a single issue that occurs multiple times...shouldn't it qualify if no matter what goes wrong and is replaced, yet another issue crops up shortly thereafter??? This car is less than 5 years old!!!
engine yellow warning light comes on and go off.......put on computer to get error...says cam error
intake sensor.........Is this covered by powertrain(77k miles...purchased new)
Hi cjga,
I see that your check engine light is illuminating. We'd be glad to reach out to your dealership on your behalf. If you'd like our assistance, please send us a private message with your full contact information and VIN.
Andraya
GM Customer Care
Back in march of 2013 at 62K miles I had the engine replaced under the powertrain warranty. I now have 83K miles on my 2010 Equinox. I know that others have had the engine replaced and was wondering how their vehicles are doing. I was told that the engine put in my car was a 2013 fresh off of the factory floor engine. I've done all required maitnence and oil changes at the dealer and don't rely on the oil monitor, I get it changed at the 3,000 - 4,000 mile mark. Dad always told me a regular oil change is the cheapest car insurance you can buy.....
That being said, have any owners who had the engines replaced had any additional problems? I'm getting close to the 5 yr mark and while I like the car and cannot say enough good about my dealer service department I'm a bit skiddish none the less.
I had the fuel pump go at about 33k miles. I'm at 47k now, thus out of warranty. The engine is groaning a bit when going up hills and the check engine light is on. The dealers here in Hawaii have a back log of about a week, so I couldn't get an appointment until October 1st. The error codes for me are:
P0011, P0016 and P0017
I found: #PIP4716C which said "This may be an issue with the cam phasers not parking properly. Once the noise is verified as the phasers, they must be replaced. If the cam phasers are replaced, remove the CMP actuator solenoids to inspect for debris. If debris is found, clean and inspect for torn or loose screens and replace solenoid if necessary." after checking a belts allignment.
More so, I also found #PIP4469G which seems to point to the "if you're experiencing issues" recall on the timing chain. It talks about " Intermittent DTC P0011 P0014 P0016 P0017 Or Hesitation / Stall " I'm definitely having hesitation at lower speeds. Maybe this "The technician should inspect each CMP solenoid valve and cam phaser actuator for debris. If debris is found on the solenoid valve screens inspect for torn screens then clean or replace as necessary.
When debris is found on the solenoid valve screens, thoroughly inspect the cam phaser actuators for debris and clean/replace as necessary. If the DTC continues to reset after thorough inspection and cleaning of the cam phaser actuators, replace the affected camshaft actuator(s) depending upon the DTC(s) that set.
Note: When debris is found change the oil and filter before returning to service, in some instances it may be necessary to change the oil/filter multiple times. The filter can be inspected afterwards to ensure no additional debris is present."
What are the chances it's the timing chain and I can get it fixed under the extended warranty/recall? I pulled my oil filter and it was clean, no debris or anything.
The annoying thing is the dealer here says you have to get a $150 diagnostics which will not be "forgiven" even if you get work there. lame..
I still feel like I should have gotten some kind of extended warranty or gotten rid of this thing. However, I still like it and it's in great physical shape inside and out. The engine? well, that's a different story.
I was just thinking about the powertrain warranty, I wonder if this will be covered?
Thanks, Nick
All the best to you!
Dwayne
I bought a 2010 Equinox almost 3 years ago with 89K miles and was assured by the dealer I was getting a great deal on a car that would last my family awhile and was told that the way cars are built these days that they can run for a few hundred thousand miles on the same motor. Two days after I drove it of the lot it was sluggish and very loud. I made an appt with dealer (who was very helpful) and turned out it was the timing chain and other"notorious" issues and it would be replaced under the warranty. Picked up after work was complete & it ran perfectly fine for a few months and the issue started the exact same way again. Took to dealer who told me there are 2 catalic converters on this model that would need replacement (not covered under warranty). I asked about the sluggishness & how it's always needing additional oil between scheduled maintenance and was told this"could be" due to the issue stated above. I had those replaced and it still didn't fix the issue. The car continued to get louder over time. I was having to get oil changes every 2500 miles because it was always low and I was told not to add additional oil between PM's. I couldn't do that because it wouldn't have any oil at all. I was told to check the oil every 1,000 miles & it was always at least 1-1/2 to 2 quarts low. So after repeated calls and numbers service checks I got nowhere other than constantly being told these motors are notorious for the issue I'm having and to just run it and as long as the oil was good it should be fine. I was even told by a different service tech that the info I was given about not adding oil was wrong and that I should add additional oil if it's low when I check it every 1,000 and that oil changes at 2,100 wasn't necessary but not to ever exceed 5,000 (which wouldn't even be an issue with this car. If it's not changed every few thousand miles more things start to happen.
This past Friday I had another garage look at it to see if they had any suggestions because it's barely making hills just like day#2 of purchase. Aside from the 3 months that it ran great (after the rebuild), the sluggish freight train behavior has been this cars norm. The garage said there's metal shavings in the oil and has low oil pressure. Same thing dealer has found in the past but this time I wasn't told to keep adding oil and drive it. This time I was advised the engine needs replaced. I brought the car home (very slowly because it took everything the car had to pull us). The following morning got in to take my twins to school and the RPM gauge was out of control, spinning back, forth & of the charts. It was spitting, sputtering and shaking so badly we were terrified. I turned off the key and the car wouldn't stop trying to turn over, the gauges were still moving erratically, entire car kept shaking & rattling even after the key was off!!!! Was the scariest thing I've seen a car do.
Yesterday I had it towed to the dealer and while he was examining the car & how to get it turned around to get it on the truck, he asked me if I would try starting it. It did the same thing.
Today the evaluation is new motor needed. The service tech said GM isn't gonna care even if they know the engine isn't any good. They don't want bothered with older cars. Wow, I'm not happy with GM. I'm now looking at having to scape together some kind of down payment to get a new car and take a $11,000 loss on a car I purchased 2-1/2 years ago. I'm told the value of it the way it sits is less than what it costs to repair the vehicle. I'm not happy with GM and I'm thinking I need to look at other car makers for this next upcoming purchase because I cannot afford another hit like this is. Ugh! Why wouldn't GM stand by their engine? I don't understand. Is it really all only about GMs bottom dollar? Do they even care about the customer after they sign that dotted line?