This is a known defect in the manufacture of this car. This situation has happened twice to me. Because the transmission has to be removed to repair it, it is a very expensive and time consuming repair. With both times, the repair shop had my car over a week. It's really hard to function when you don't have a car you rely on. I am super frustrated that Chevy is well aware of this and hasn't recalled. I know there is a class action lawsuit in the works for this. My car needs to be reported as another issue. If anyone knows how to accomplish that, please let me know. Very disappointing.

This is my son's car. We still owe over $5000 on the loan and now have to pay close to $8000 dollars out of pocket to fix an issue that is a known problem with these cars. I've lost money, time, and it has caused a ton of financial stress. This is a KNOWN issue and needs to be fixed an paid for by Chevy. We've kept up on maintenance and taken really good care of this car and then all of a sudden it dies while he's driving it. He's 16 years old an could have gotten hurt if this happened on the highway.

I’m continuing my rant about my 2017 Chevy Equinox 2.4 L engine. A few days ago I noticed an oil burning smell. Shortly after that my engine began making an unusual noise. I quickly pulled over only to discover that not only was my car using large amounts of oil, but now NOTHING showed on the dipstick. I quickly put oil in, only to have it disappear in a short amount of time. Synthetic oil is NOT cheap! I had my son, a mechanic, look under the car and I am losing oil through the main real seal at an unsustainable rate. Apparently, due to pitiful design, the PVC valve froze, caused too much pressure and blew the main rear seal. I am 73, had to quite my job due to health issues and i CANNOT afford to fix these major problems on a vehicle that I am still paying for. One again. I called the manufacturer and the silence is deafening! All my life I have been a believer in Chevy products. I can truthfully say NOT ANY MORE.

Coming home from Church on a VERY cold day, single digits temperature. My husband noticed a smell in the car, like burning oil. When we got home, he checked and found oil leaking. He took the vehicle in and was told it was a rear main seal but this mechanic could not do that extensive work. We are getting quotes. This is my vehicle I use to get my Autistic Son to all of his events, and to his work. He needs transportation so this is definitely a real problem for us. I am retired so really don't like the idea of having to dish out thousands of dollars to fix an issue that has evidently been reported many times (just reading lawsuits today).

Because there was no recall for this, it was quoted to be a very costly repair - $3000+. I was told it would take up to 3-4 days to repair. I have two small kids that I need to drop off and pick up from school and activities daily. I was told this is a common problem for these vehicles. I found it quickly on the internet and coincidently a coworker of mine with the same year, make and model of vehicle on the same day had the same problem as it was frigid cold in our area.

It should not happen to us when these are supposed to be reliable vehicles. I am going through a divorce and have limited money and cannot afford this type of repair on my vehicle that I purchased and was told it would keep my family safe. Absolutely NO warning lights came during the time that this broke down either, no low fuel lights or check engine lights. Makes me very anxious to continue to drive in these conditions without a recall being issued.

2017 Equinox with a known design defect that GM won't cover. Water collects in the air cleaner housing near the PCV hose. Once frozen it causes high pressure in the system blowing the rear seal. Clearly a design defect in ALL Equinox's. If you own one, and live in a cold climate, this issue WILL happen to you. GM is LYING when they say there isn't a TSB or knowledge about the issue. They know its an expensive fix and are avoiding it. Possibly if enough customers complain they will find the courage to do what is right.

Until then DO NOT BUY an Equinox!

WE HAD ONE DAY WHEN THE TEMPERATURES WENT DOWN 5 DEGREES. SHORTLY AFTER WHEN I WAS HELPING A FAMILY IN NEED THE ENGINE SHOWED SIGNS OF THE REAR SEAL GOING OUT. MY WIFE HAD THE SAME ISSUE WHEN SHE OWNED A CHEVY MALIBU. THIS WAS MY FIRST CHEVY AND WILL BE MY LAST.

THE GARAGE AT THIS POINT HAS NOT HAD OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE; BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM THEY ARE SAYING IT WILL BE $1,900 TO REPAIR,ASSUMING THE ENGINE HASN'T BEEN DESTROYED. I DID NOT TAKE IT TO A CHEVY GARAGE THE CAR IS STILL WAITING TO BE REPAIRED AS OF 1/3/23.

When I was at a stop light on my way to work, I smelled something not pleasant. I thought it was the car's exhaust in front of me. Continued to drive to work when after I parked and got out of my car, I noticed a long trail of oil and a large puddle. Knowing the car probably didn't have any oil I wasn't about to drive it anywhere.

I had to have it towed to the Chevy dealership where I bought the car and had all my oil changes and needed services done. The inspection found the pcv system plugged up (froze) and blew the rear main seal which caused a major oil leak.

Of course, I did not have any extended warranty. Had just paid it off. The cost was over $2,800. I am a senior on SS and definitely did not need an expense like this. The service advisor said he has seen this with other Equinox's with NO recall from Chevy. I'm only guaranteed a two-year warranty on this happening again.

Will NOT be buying another Equinox or any other Chevy. This is not my first experience with an Equinox. I had a 2012 which was losing oil due to some ring problem. Fortunately, I was able to trade it in before anything happened and found out later there was a lawsuit due to the problem.

Shame on Chevy for not standing behind their vehicles when they know there is a problem!

I have a 2017 Chevy Equinox with only 78,000 miles. SUV started acting weird like it was choking for gas. Got home and a trail of oil in driveway & garage!! They found the PCV valve froze causing pressure buildup and the rear main seal blew !!!!! Every mechanic I called says this is a very common occurrence with this type of vehicle. Unacceptable, and GM can't figure it out. Shame on you for not doing a recall for this problem. I finally get to take it in tomorrow and from what I have heard the part itself costs 30-40 dollars.....BUT takes 10-12 hours to fix it!!! So I'm assuming around $1,500-2,000 to get it fixed. GM needs too do something about this.

Update from Jan 4, 2023: Finally got my 2017 Chevy Equinox back x yesterday. I had no vehicle for 5 days, due to the Holiday weekend. I can understand that. SOOOOO: Rear Main Seal $48.99 Total Labor $1700.96. I can't tell you how maddened I am with GM not doing anything about this COMMON problem !! Shame On You GM !!!!! I will not be buying or supporting GM anymore.

I bought the car in august of 2019. Broke down in December 2019. I was driving to work when it broke down on the highway, so we had it towed and the dealership said it was a blown rear main seal. The dang tow truck driver knew what was wrong because he said he’s picked up a bunch of Equinoxes that have the same issue. It drained all of the oil from the car but they claim it didn’t ruin the engine too much. They cleaned and replaced what they needed to and gave it back to me. The service tech was very short with his answer but basically said “we have seen all years of equinox’s come in with this issue.”

When at the same dealer, trying to trade in they said “oh bummer, Equinox is usually really good. You must’ve got a lemon. This isn’t good for GM or us.” The car was then back in the shop every week in February for issues related to the initial breaking down that the service techs screwed up. Currently still driving as I’m looking for a new car, but it doesn’t drive as good as it used to. I will not buy another Equinox in my life.

A cold week, driving down the road and all the oil drained out of the engine. Luckily we made to our driveway. Taken to GM dealership, and they determined the PVC valve malfunctioned and blew the rear main seal. The dealership said they have seen the same thing from other Equinox's. No warranty extension on the 2017 model. Called the GM line and was politely told not covered by recall or warranty.

This problem was known in 2015 and GM didn't fix it. Not happy!

See:

https://www.terrainforum.net/threads/gm-service-bulletin-14882-blocked-pcv-valve-causing-rear-main-seal-failure.10865/

I bought this car for my wife 2 years ago for reliable transportation. A very cold winter day in upstate NY. She got about 5 miles into a trip to visit family, and the car suddenly began to shake and slow down, so she immediately pulled over. She shut it off quickly and called me. Sounded to me like it ran out of oil? But I had just checked it the other day.

I rushed the 40 miles from work to where she had stopped. No oil on the dipstick but plenty under the car and in the road. I opened the filler cap, had her start it and oil blew all over. Plugged PVC? I put 4 1/2 quarts of fresh oil in it, and drove it back to my shop. I put it on the lift and saw oil coming out from between the engine and the trans. Rear main seal blown out?

I googled it and found this site. I have always driven GM cars only and have worked on them extensively. I have never heard of a PVC valve freezing in cold weather. Never. I now have to replace the seal myself. Merry Christmas I've smiled thru rusted fuel and brake lines, and welded cracked truck frames and fixed rotted rockers on 2 yr old trucks, all the time defending GM. I'm running out of patience. GM needs to own this issue and make it right in my opinion.