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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,182 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.

2012 Chevrolet Equinox engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Comments (Page 1 of 18)

problem #342

Sep 012024

Equinox

  • miles

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

The underbody of my 2012 Equinox is completely rusted and now not drivable. The KFrame is rotten and the car is not safe to drive. The engine consumes a great amount of oil. I've been told the engine needs to be replaced. I've only had the car for 2 years.

- Oak Park, MI, USA

problem #341

Nov 202021

Equinox

  • miles
I own a 2012 Chevy equinox 2.4 eco-tech all wheel drive I purchased it three years ago and a little over 90,000 miles on it asked the dealer if it was part of the class action oil consumption lawsuit. They said they knew nothing about it Shortly after I purchased vehicle I noticed I was having to add to 4 quarts of oil every two months I saw oil puddles under my car and not sure where it was coming from. I have driven less than 10,000 miles in three years and have had my serpentine belt snap off due to excessive oil leakage, I have added myself to the class action lawsuit but I-??ve heard nothing. I am still adding at least 3 quarts of oil a month and I don-??t even drive 400 miles a month. I believe this is putting my life in Jeopardy and passengers in my car. There is never been a check oil light come on yet. I have checked my oil and it has been almost completely bone dry..

- Walla Walla, WA, USA

problem #340

Feb 152024

Equinox

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that her husband discovered that the timing chain had failed. In addition, there was an excessive consumption of oil causing the contact to add engine oil frequently. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the timing chain needed to be replaced but no further diagnosis was available for the other failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Uniontown, PA, USA

problem #339

Mar 152024

Equinox

  • miles

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

Basically it has the recall for clogged cats and O2 sensors it has [XXX] my pistons I use quart oil every 100 miles I talked to customer service last night was told all ve fixed and I could have rental went to get it cause my car dies at every stop from not having right fuel mixture. Now they changed story. Lawsuit ? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Fort Madison , IA, USA

problem #338

Jul 152021

Equinox

  • miles
Chevy sold the Equinox knowing full well that it had engine problems. The oil system fails, using oil at an excessive rate and oil dumping from engine. They were aware that around 80,000 miles the car would need over $4000 in repairs. They also knew the timing chain gets off timing causing over $2000 in repairs. Both of which happened to my vehicle within 6 months. The Engine ceased up and was undrivable. It sat in our driveway for over 18 months while we paid off the loan.

- Romeo, MI, USA

problem #337

Jan 172024

Equinox

  • miles
PCV freeze-up with blown main rear seal losing all oil almost instantly while driving on the interstate at 70MPH in 1 degree F weather. Spent 2.5 hours on the side of the road in 1F weather in a vehicle with no heat (because the engine was blown) before a tow truck could arrive. No warnings ahead of time, and no notification from GM of this well-known problem. Although it is a design flaw of the engine, it would be easily preventable if GM would notify users of the potential for this catastrophic problem.

- East Lansing, MI, USA

problem #336

Jan 102024

Equinox

  • miles

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

Vehicle shuttering/stuttering at stop light while idling....oil consumption issue...consuming oil...high pressure fuel pump issue.leading to low pressure fuel pump. Because of this. Leaking oil into engine. Need to replace all spark plugs. Have complete oil change because oil is all clunky/clogged. This has also caused a problem with the engine cam shaft cover... PCV valve. And need to have water pump replaced. Total coming to about $2600!!!!!!!!!!!! why I have not gotten a recall notice for this problem!

- Everett, WA, USA

problem #335

Nov 082023

Equinox

  • miles
Driving to work at 6:30 am. I slowed down at a stop light. Heard a weird noise I've never heard before from under the hood, headlights dimmed and became bright again, started to accelerate as stop light changed to green. Wouldn't accelerate passed 25 mph causing vehicles behind me to almost rear end me. Got to the next stop light, same thing, weird noise dimmed headlights back to bright but accelerated fine. Got to work 2 miles later and my engine was making a very loud noise (rattling). Shut engine off, checked oil which was full. 2 hours later tried to start it and it would not turn over. Towed to a mechanic shop where they determined my engine blew and will cost $7,500 to replace.

- Chippewa Falls , WI, USA

problem #334

Sep 212023

Equinox

  • miles
I purchased a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox with 100,550 miles on it in April 2023. The original owner gave me all service receipts & records to show the automobile had been taken great care of. The interior & exterior are still in like new condition. The problem I've experienced is sudden "reduced engine power" that caused the engine to stall while driving. Two weeks prior, I had had a service check with an oil change and the works. I had it towed and to my surprise, the mechanic showed me that my automobile didn't have ANY oil. The oil indicator light NEVER came on. Afterwards, I did research and discovered that GM is aware of this exact problem in this particular make and model and been sued in a class action lawsuit for this and lost. WHY HAVEN'T THEY ISSUED A RECALL TO REPLACE THE FAULTY PISTONS THAT CAUSES THIS?

- Fargo, GA, USA

problem #333

May 072023

Equinox 4-cyl

  • 74,595 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the instrument display indicated a reduced engine power warning message. The contact stated that while driving up a bridge, the vehicle slowed down and failed to accelerate properly while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the accelerator pedal was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer but due to cost, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,595. The vehicle is currently at a Chevrolet dealer for repairs but they can-??t get the parts because of the strike.

- Morgan City, LA, USA

problem #332

May 012023

Equinox

  • miles

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

Car is using a quart or more of oil a week. Consistently needing top offs and has shut off while driving before. This is a major safety issue. There is a major possibility I could be driving down the road and my engine explode because it ran out of oil. There is no leak. It is just the oil burning so fast. There is no resolution asides from putting a new engine in it and that is not something I can afford considering I just got the car from a dealership back in November. If there is not a recall on it, there should be. The oil will be full and then suddenly get super black and then next day be empty.

- Lancaster, KY, USA

problem #331

Jun 202023

Equinox

  • miles
Eats up oil, no oil leaks, shuts off while driving but will start back up. But it's dangerous when your on the interstate and it quits running and traffic is behind you. Multiple of people with this model experience the same thing with the oil consumption, and dying on them even after replacing multiple items that were suggested the vehicle needed but made it worse and now doesn't want to drive when pushing the gas pedal when it is running and in drive

- White Hall, AR, USA

problem #330

Aug 152016

Equinox 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine oil was topped off once every month. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Little Elm, TX, USA

problem #329

Mar 312023

Equinox

  • miles
My 2012 chevy equinox lt had had nothing but issues with the timing chain the oil consumption where it hardly wants to start I have only had this used vehicle for 6 months or less I shouldn-??t be having all these problems with it! The tailpipe isn-??t smoking out white clouds but when you put your hand over it it leaves black oil gas smelling grunge on your hand! This is the second equinox I have owed in less than 1 year and it should not be costing me a fortune in repairs within a year even though it-??s used makes no sense to me why chevy allows this to happen!!!

- St.Robert, MO, USA

problem #328

Mar 012023

Equinox

  • miles
The engine went completely out as the vehicle is known for excessive oil consumption.

- Terre Haute , IN, USA

problem #327

Jan 312023

Equinox

  • miles
I bought my 2012 chevy equinox Lt 2.4L because I owed one just like it but a deer totaled it at only 10 mph! It been nothing but issues since I purchased it drove it off the lot the check engine light comes on and then I go to get it checked and it states that I have a permanent catylic converter code that no one can fix except gmc! When I idle at a stop for longer than 1 min it starts stuttering and jerking like it-??s gonna die! So I clean my throttle body like the mechanic said I should do and I found this dark brown whitish sludge in my pvc tube that runs up into the air box which now my air box is full of this gunk! I have to put oil into this vehicle every 3 days cause it will be full then three days later it-??s just a smidge above out on the dipstick! I am poor I can not afford huge repairs or replacement of yet another vehicle ?! GMC needs held accountable since they seem to know about this and it-??s not recalled they need to do better in taking care of us poor customers who just want a reliable vehicle!! So VERY upset yet again!!!

- St. Robert, MO, USA

problem #326

Mar 302021

Equinox

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption. Has been since I purchased the vehicle.

- Millerton, PA, USA

problem #325

Dec 162019

Equinox

  • 132,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the oil level was constantly low, and she was adding 5 quarts of oil in the vehicle every 4-6 weeks. The contact stated while driving 25-30 MPH, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact-??s son lifted the hood and noticed that there was oil residue on all the components under the hood. Additionally, there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the engine compartment. The contact added oil to the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the part to do the repair was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

- Troutdale, OR, USA

problem #324

Feb 012022

Equinox

  • miles
Oil consumption excessive burning oil TIMING Chain has been replaced unfortunately problem still occurs..Car was calculated by mileage driven 2000 miles Heavy Excessive Oil Consumption When removing key from ignition to turn off vehicle. The Vehicle will still run with a heavy shake die out rumble noise.. Scarey..

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #323

Dec 242022

Equinox

  • miles
I was driving my equinox coming up on a red traffic light. Upon pushing down on the brake pedal the radio shut off and the dash started flashing all of the lights very rapidly. The light turned green and i pushed on the accelerator, and there was little or no power and the car killed. I was in the intersection so I quickly put it in park and the car restarted, but had very little power. I was now on a slight incline so I barely made it into gas station and before I could park the car stalled again. Now the doors were locked and I could not unlock them. Did I mention I live in MN and the temp was -9 (31 below windchill) and I was stuck in my car. Horn, doors and windows would not work. It got very cold very quick! After trying and trying 15 min later the doors unlocked. I am 64 and disabled. A man gave me a jump and the car ran roughly without power for about 2 min. and died again. I called a friend who came and jumped the car. He left the cables on for 10 min. or so and had me try it. I was about 3/4 mile from home and he unhooked the cables and said "Go! Go!" so I raced toward home. He followed and a block before home the car killed again! He jumped it again and I got it home. The "service stabilitrack, front camera and all wheel drive" warning lights were all flashing in sequence as was the battery light on the dash and the "charging system" warning. I had the alternator and battery replaced, all fuses and connections checked, and all cables and terminals checked. It still will not hold a charge, and it is my only means of transportation. It is a VERY large paperweight! I see pages of complaints, yet there is no recall. If I was in a more secluded area I could have froze to death! Is that what it will take" Loss of life" Let me state that before this happened there was NO WARNING! No lights came up that there was a problem. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

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