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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 2
Average Mileage:
79,200 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Chevrolet Equinox engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Comments (Page 10 of 19)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #197

Jul 052018

Equinox

  • 83,655 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle has been meticulously maintained. Engine started to stall while driving, then would not start. Warning lights did not appear until after the vehicle would not start. Said engine underpowered. Had it towed to mechanic, who found there was no oil in the engine, even though no lights came on and we checked the oil 3 days earlier. Had the car towed to the dealer. The dealer said the engine needed to be replaced, but repairs should be covered under a special coverage warranty issued by GM. GM denied coverage with no explanation sent to me. I called customer service to file an appeal, and was given a file number and told someone would contact me within 2 business days. Despite almost daily follow up calls by me for a month no one has called me back. Each time I am told it the case is being handled by a senior advisor and that the operator was not able to contact them and they would call me back. I asked for the case to be escalated to a supervisor, and after 4 times was told it had been, but when I called back to see why no one had called me back was told that the senior advisor was still assigned to the case. This is a very serious safety issue, with the engine stalling while still in motion, with no warning, and is caused by a known manufacturer's defect and should be part of a recall, not "special coverage".

- South Weymouth, MA, USA

problem #196

Jul 302018

Equinox

  • 60,000 miles
While driving and I come to a stop, , the engine will turn off by itself and I am not able to accelerate. I have to turn turn off the car and restart it in order for it to run again. There was no warning that the car had turned off. I had this problem about 7 months ago, and brought it to the dealership service center. They replaced both intake and exhaust cam solenoid and also the excess oil consumption recall on the car. The car was running fine until now, started to have the same issue again.

- Parker, TX, USA

problem #195

Jul 232018

Equinox

  • 113,000 miles
My timing chain was making noise. Since other models of the Equinox have a bulletin that covers that repair I drove it into the dealership. On the way there my engine exploded while driving up a hill at 40mph, cracking the engine block and exhaust manifold. Engine needs replacement. GM will not cover the repair. Issue was reported to GM. It is at the dealership for repair, working off an estimate. I will add the final invoice later.

- Franktown, CO, USA

problem #194

Jul 032018

Equinox

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The automatic transmission went out at less than 100000 miles

- Dearborn, MI, USA

problem #193

Jun 262018

Equinox

  • 88,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption... vehicle has 88,000 miles on it. Local dealership and GMC won't fix. They say bulletin for repairs is expired. We did not receive notice GMC would repair and we've had vehicle in for oil changes three times in the last twelve months.

- Wann, OK, USA

problem #192

May 252018

Equinox

  • 93,675 miles
Today I added my name to the class action lawsuit, case no. 3:17-cv-5337 that was filed on 9/14/17 in the northern district of California against GM regarding my 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. If you're affected, add your name as well as file a complaint with the federal trade commission. Feb2017, I purchased said auto with 69,684 miles in good condition. On my way to work while at a red light the SUV shut off without warning. Being unable to restart the SUV, it was towed on May 25, 2018 to my mechanic (cb island, 589 union ave, westbury, NY) to find that there were damaged valves, a broken timing chain, and a blown engine at 93,675 miles. This mileage is well under GM's special coverage adjustment mileage of 120K. The cause of the damage to the motor was lack of oil in the engine. Being diligent in getting oil changes, there was no indication that the oil was low in the car. GM refused to honor the warranty though they knew of the defect on these engines. There are many almost identical mechanical issues over multiple years for the Chevy Equinox. This is not just a few of us that have experienced this engine failure, but enough to have a class action initiated. Having a $16K loan remaining, I have no other choice but to repair the engine. The government (which was assisted GM out of bankruptcy) needs to hold GM accountable by forcing them to take action by recalling all affected models, and to reimburse those who have already made the repairs in addition to having GM inspect the repaired engines to ensure no future problems to pre-empt the fatalities that will eventually begin to add up.

- Uniondale, NY, USA

problem #191

Jan 012018

Equinox

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Rattles when starting the vehicle. Smells of gasoline from vehicle when running. This began in December 2017 and continues to this day

- Watertown, NY, USA

problem #190

Mar 052018

Equinox

  • 120,000 miles
Excessive oil consumption- my 2011 Equinox has excessive oil consumption (and it looks like majority of them do!) Chevy issued a statement about this but it is no longer fixable and, unfortunately, these vehicles are still on the road. I bought one that is now dead because of this issue. It started to shake as I got to a stop sign and when I went to the shop, the same day, it was completely out of oil. I keep regular oil changes on my vehicle and my dad owns a body shop so it was well taken care of. There was no reason for the oil to be gone except for a flaw in the vehicle. I'm extremely upset that this wasn't a full recall from Chevy, that was the right thing to do. Instead I'm out a vehicle because I can no longer submit paperwork to get the fix reimbursed and the dealership would need to rebuild or replace the entire motor to get it working again.

- Shelbyville, MI, USA

problem #189

Nov 212017

Equinox 4-cyl

  • 119,818 miles
The vehicle was parked and I went to start it and it wouldn't start, so I got it towed to the garage. They found a lot of noise coming from the engine so they checked the compression and found 0 psi on all cylinders. They found the valves bent and top of pistons smashed. Excessive engine oil consumption due to piston ring wear caused the engine to fail. The consumer stated the manufacturer would not provide a reimbursement for the vehicle's repair costs.

- Beaver Falls, PA, USA

problem #188

May 212018

Equinox

  • 94,722 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While idling at a stop, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was diagnosed that the camshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the part. The local dealer was not contacted for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was notified and provided service request number: 8-4214923931. The manufacturer referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was 94,722. The VIN was not available.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #187

May 112018

Equinox

  • 73,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car stalled out while stopped at a stop light. Was able to restart and drive home. Was scheduled for an oil change the next day, went to drive the car and made it three houses down before it stalled out while driving. Engine light came on and would not start back up. Had it towed to a repair shop and they said it jumped time, and the timing chain broke and made a mess of the engine. Engine needs to be replaced. Failed at 73K miles. Bought the car certified used at 36K two years ago and have had it serviced regularly. Don't have money for repairs and Chevy dealer won't fix....

- Greenwood, DE, USA

problem #186

May 072018

Equinox

  • 129,000 miles
The cam shaft position sensor is defective.the vehicle shuts down when idle is low.

- Mcrae-Helena, GA, USA

problem #185

Feb 012018

Equinox

  • 114,744 miles
I called in this complaint. Received a number odi11090436. On 2/01/2018 after dark I was on a 4-lane going 60-65 mph., my car's acceleration suddenly went down and the engine started chugging. I braked, drove to the side of the road and parked. No chugging while in park. Had to be towed to a Chevy dealership in cedar falls, ia. They had to replace the throttle body assembly. When asked how often this particular shop sees this specific break-down, the service manager said a couple times a month. It seems to me that if they are seeing this many, that other dealerships would be seeing this pattern repeated as well. My question is why hasn't this issue been flagged to General Motors? I was lucky that there was no one close behind me on the highway. It was a sudden event, the check engine light and a couple of other lights came on, it startled me and it took a second or two to begin braking. This was a costly fix and not one I would expect to have to repair with 114,744 miles on the vehicle.

- Waukon, IA, USA

problem #184

Feb 012018

Equinox 6-cyl

  • 114,744 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to community Chevrolet Buick (4521 university ave, cedar falls, ia 50613, (319) 277-5010) where it was diagnosed that the engine control module failed and the throttle body assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified and opened case number: 84120242638. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 114,744.

- Waukon, IA, USA

problem #183

Mar 222018

Equinox

  • 178,500 miles
Timing belt failed within two years of the first time being fixed. First time was when vehicle was purchased used at approx 123K, second time it has failed is approx 179K. There is an ongoing oil consumption issue with the vehicle. I have heard that there is a recall on the oil issue that was not publically announced and I would like to find out why it wasnt if in fact this is an issue. Timing belt should not fail twice. Took vehicle in to shop after vehicle began shaking violently and jumping while stopped at a light, in drive with the breaks on. When I went to drive, vechicle would drive but had severe loss in poer and was vibrating the whole time. Upon taking to the shop and having an engine diagnostic test done, it was confirmed that the timing chain was indeed stretched out and would need to be repaired at a cost of $2500. This repair had been made two years prior as well, having had to replace the chains and such due to this recurring and ongoign oil issue

- Springfield, IL, USA

problem #182

Feb 152018

Equinox

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer (dave white Chevrolet, 5880 monroe St, sylvania, oh 43560) where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #181

Dec 012016

Equinox

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle made abnormally loud winding and knocking noises. The vehicle stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact stated that the oil dispenser was empty and more oil was added to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the timing chain/belt needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 107,000. The VIN was not provided.

- Ten Mile, TN, USA

problem #180

Mar 152018

Equinox

  • miles
Wiper blade motor stopped working in a heavy downpour. I was on a road I know so was able to pull off safely. If I didn't know this road I am positive I would have had an accident. The manifold was changed in 2013. Today is March 22, 2018. Last week I had the manifold changed again. Cracked again. There were fumes coming into the passenger area. The car is in the repair garage again because the fumes are even worse. The car has always had a loud ticking sound. It uses a lot of oil. I complained to the dealer before the warranty ran out. They did an oil consumption test and said the oil use was within normal range. How can this be normal range when I put a couple quarts of oil every 200 miles. This car is junk.

- Scio, OH, USA

problem #179

Mar 282017

Equinox

  • miles
2011 Chevrolet Equinox. Consumer writes in regards to oil consumption issue. The consumer stated the manufacturer was notified, but declined assistance due to the vehicle having multiple owners.

- Thornton, CO, USA

problem #178

Feb 222018

Equinox

  • 101,733 miles
The 2011 Chevrolet Equinox I own started to idle really high then really low and made the car speed up and then the idle speed would drop to a point where the engine would die. You would have no pedal control at all just rolling along on a city street. It happened out of the blue and was very scary in busy traffic. I brought the car to the Chevrolet dealership and was informed that they had special coverages on the vehicle that I was never notified about.(even though I owned the car at the time the special coverages were released). The dealership told me that Chevrolet was well aware that this car has a problem with excessive oil consumption. (I already new that with oil changes and having to add a quart of oil every 1000 miles). The dealership also informed me that Chevrolet, new that the timing chain on this vehicle would break and be very dangerous to the engine. The dealership said they would also fix that on special coverages. I told them to go ahead and fix these two issues. They took the engine apart, and informed me that because of these 2 issues that GM and Chevrolet were well aware of, it had scoring in my cylinders. The vehicle was extremely dangerous to be driving because it would idle out of control and shut itself off out of nowhere. The dealership was confident that the scoring on the cylinders was a direct result of the two issues that were covered under the special coverages. I was never notified of any of these special coverages from GM or Chevrolet. Chevrolet customer service told me they had my address correct but could not confirm that the notices were sent to me for the special coverages. My family and I were in danger driving this vehicle, and Chevrolet new all about the dangers in driving this vehicle. I now have a car sitting at the dealership with a blown engine and Chevrolet won't do anything for me. There should have been recalls.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

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