I bought this car Pre-owned about a year ago. Recently it started sounding like it was in first gear when I was in drive. Yes, I was in drive.

Scared to drive it because I know that has to be a transmission problem. I know from experience a transmission problem is an ongoing issue.

The car also noticed that it rolls when I park after a drive.

Not really sure of my options IF I decide on repairing I'll stress about when the issues will reoccur.

If I decided to try and trade it in I will be completely upside down on a loan. If I even qualify for a new loan.

I was driving back home on the freeway between 50 and 60 mph on a snowy day and suddenly I hear and felt a big jerk from the car and saw the check engine light popped on the dashboard. Immediately pulled over on the shoulder and checked under the hood (timing belt etc.) but it all looked fine. I waited for 15 mins and then slowly took the next exit to take city roads to drive back home. I had stopped at a stoplight.

When the light turned green, I depressed accelerator. The car moved forward but did not process through the gears staying in first gear only (This is a major safety hazard especially when you are trying to take a turn on yield and there are vehicles coming in the opposite direction and your transmission doesn't work or shifts the gears or have no power). During this time I also noticed the drive mode "D" blinking on the dash board. I drove in this condition for the next 15 miles and got it checked for the problem codes at Autozone.

P0700, P0601 codes popped up. I have attached the picture of it to this complaint. The next day I did not see the check engine light on but now I am very scared of driving the car on the freeway or take it to the long drives. I made an appointment with the dealer and they are checking for the problem. I did not hear back from them yet after I dropped off the car yesterday. I will update the complaint once I hear back from the dealer.

But this is unacceptable for a 3 year old car to have a problem with the power train so early in the life. I feel this is not a dependable car anymore.

The code(s) and explanation(s) associated with this issue is/are:

P0700 The Engine and Transmission System is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Transmission System that transfers power from the engine to the drive wheels. You may experience reduced power or shifting issues. If the vehicle is continually driven with the check engine light on, the emission controls might not work as well, the vehicle fuel economy might not be as good, and the engine might not run as smoothly. This could lead to future repairs.

P0723 The Engine and Transmission System is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Transmission System that transfers power from the engine to the drive wheels. You may experience reduced power or shifting issues. If the vehicle is continually driven with the check engine light on, the emission controls might not work as well, the vehicle fuel economy might not be as good, and the engine might not run as smoothly. This could lead to future repairs.

P077C The Engine and Transmission System is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Transmission System that transfers power from the engine to the drive wheels. You may experience reduced power or shifting issues. If the vehicle is continually driven with the check engine light on, the emission controls might not work as well, the vehicle fuel economy might not be as good, and the engine might not run as smoothly. This could lead to future repairs.

I had been noticing a significant drop of around 10% in gas mileage. At first I just attributed that to cold weather, but then I started noticing that the engine speed on the tachometer was running high, around 3000 rpm at 65mph. After several normal acceleration runs, counting the gear shifts it became obvious that the transmission never advanced past 5th gear. To me, a missing 6th gear, was a serious problem requiring immediate attention from the dealer.

Two hours after bringing our 2018 Equinox to the dealer, their verdict was that this was a normal condition for the 1.5L engine, covered by TSB 18-NA-035. Evidently the Chevrolet engineers decided that the best way to resolve an icing problem in the "charge air cooler", was to lock the transmission out of 6th gear keep the rpm up, whenever the ambient temperature is below 15 degrees F.

Having been a "gear head" since my early teens, and keeping abreast of the advances and improvements in engines and transmissions over the years, I know this beyond any normal mode of operation. I have never heard of any other vehicle that interferes with normal transmission operation, to resolve another issue.

This is totally unacceptable to me, and I hope to many other who own this vehicle. GM needs to correct this. I live in central Minnesota, and in the winter we have several dozen days every winter when this car will have no 6th gear. This obviously affects mileage, drivability, and engine noise when driving at highway speeds.

Note to GM engineers..FIX THIS. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. THIS IS NOT OK. The Equinox I bought had a SIX speed transmission, not Five.