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.
Brake system failing. ABS and traction system malfunctioning causing ABS system to activate in normal braking situations. Dealer ship said it was a sensor, had it repaired at the tune of $110 system check, $170 hub/sensor assembly purchase. Firestone auto care said it was a faulty wire harness that I am have replace to day to the tune of $250. Per the tech at fire stone this is his third repair of this type, same make and model care. 2005 Chevy Equinox.
Equinox has had power failure while driving 6+ times...all when driving in wet conditions (either raining or having just rained). First time was told by dealership that I drove thru a puddle and got everything wet (I didn't); had something to do with the electrical system replaced. Have taken car back to dealer within the last two months because it happened again, and was told all of my weatherstripping needed replacing B/C that was allowing water in. Had this done. Happened again tonight (wet weather today, but was not raining when I was driving). The other times this has occurred, I've let my Equinox sit where it died for a few days to let it "dry out" and that has worked, but this not exactly the best solution as I don't live in the desert and it does rain here. Chevy dealer of no help; said he agrees there is a manufacturing defect but there is nothing he can do about it. Advised me to call Chevy cs. I have dealt with them before on another Equinox issue and they were of no help. Wish I would have investigated my state's lemon law in time. Sudden and total loss of power is dangerous!!
While driving my 2005 vehicle to work noticed a lot of smoke coming out of the front of steering wheel. Had the vehicle taken to the dealership and was told that the power steering parts had to be replaced.
I have went through 3 wheel bearings, 2 carrier bearings which took 3 weeks to get from dealer so car was laid up., 2 stabilizer bars, all wiring was corroded and had to be replaced, battery goes dead if door is open for 15 minutes. Sun roof has rattled from day one. Paint is chipping off lift gate and inside back door from day one. Warranty would not cover. My 2005 Equinox is a big piece of junk!!!
The drivers side window would not operate up or down. Sometimes the widow would go up or down on its own, without operating the switch. The wiring harness in the door was found to be defective. The wires were broken and exposed at the hinge joint. The electrical system was shorting out.
Oil light stays on and goes away after a few minutes of driving. Everytime I change my oil I reset it like the dealer tells me to but it still does this. The dealer cannot understand why it does this. It is annoying to say the least.
Severe water leak in 2005 Chevrolet Equinox AWD lt. When operating the vehicle in rain conditions, water accumulates in the spare tire well and overflows onto the floor of the vehicle, even up to the front. It also shorts out the speaker system which crackles and blares out a loud noise even when the radio is turned off. The carpeting becomes soaked when this happens and then the vehicle has a foul odor. A phone call to the dealer resulted in an answer that they have no idea what the problem could be. I fear this water is damaging the electrical parts in the speaker system and may result in a fire. This has been going on for at least two years.
I have a 2005 Equinox the first model year for this vehicle. I ordered the car new from the factory. At random times when I turned the key in the ignition the vehicle would not immediately start. At other times the car would not immediately shut off when the key was turned off. On May 3, 2009 the vehicle just "died" it would not turn on. I have just over 40000 miles on the vehicle. The electrical goes in and out since the engine will not start. The theft deterrent system seems to be the only thing that works, as it keeps resetting itself after the door is open and closed. I do hear sounds of some type similar to a computer trying to reset or kick in. I tried to jumpstart the vehicle but that did nothing. The engine will just not turn over. Towing it to the dealer tomorrow. Of course this is a major hazard since it was so random, without any real warning today, as I had driven it only 10-15-minutes before and had just returned home and was attempting to move car so that I could cut the lawn and it was inoperable.
A few months ago my husbands mother drove his 2005 Chevy Equinox to the store and the battery died. They jumped the car and everything has been fine until a few days ago. We had to jump start my husbands car a few days ago and that is when he said something about the cd player staying on after the car was off. When you listen to the cd player it sounds like player is trying to eject a cd but it wont and eventually it says on the screen "cd changer error." It even does this when the vehicle is turned off so it ends up killing the battery. My husband has to unplug the fuse for the cd player or it drains his battery. And still having it unplugged the vehicle has a hard time starting because it is like it can no longer hold a charge. When we mentioned this to my husband's mother she said when it died the time she drove it had said the same thing. I have searched this problem online and many people have the same complaint. One person said that they even replaced the cd player multiple times and every few months it does the same thing. We are going to take the vehicle to the Chevy dealership here and see what they say, but I really feel this is a problem that needs to be looked into because I do not have the money to buy cd players and batteries every few months. The Equinox came out in '05 and it sounds to me like this is an error that they did not fix before production.
The driver side window does not work properly and it chooses when to go up and down and also I would have to open the door in order to work the window. Also the stalls on numerous occasion to start. The brakes are brand new and a problems still occurs when trying to stop it shakes even when going a low speed.
2005 Equinox with normal driving, mostly highway. Began to hear the typical sounds of a failing bearing prior to 60,000 miles. Vibration in steering, hum present when driving, uneven wear on front tires. Replaced rfhub under warranty at approx. 69,000 miles. Within 10,000 miles that rfhub began to fail, by the time I could get it to the dealership I had surpassed my warranty and the 12 months/12,000 warranty on the installed part via the dealership. Was told that it wasn't out of the ordinary for the part to fail so quickly, which is news to me! how can a bearing fail that quickly and not be defective. Was forced to pay over $500 to replace it. Have complained numerous times about a rattle when going over bumpy roads and received the "we couldn't replicate it" response since initial complaint prior to 60,000 miles. Have heard that the tierods are to blame, have mentioned it, but still deal with this rattle that goes unaccounted. Also have bad electrical that "can't be replicated" at the dealership. Radio and panel in dash flash at random times as if a wire were loose or shorting, loud booming thuds come from the speakers at the same time. Speaker blew in door, but after warranty. Regardless of numerous complaints I would have to pay out of pocket because they couldn't replicate these things when taken in to get looked at. Fuel gage sticks, but either have to pay $120 to possibly correct it with a fuel system cleaner, or pay $700 to replace fuel filter. Such great options. My family has worked for General Motors for years, it's a shame.
2005 Chevrolet Equinox safety issue with the steering. Consumer states that the steering failed completely. Dealer blamed the failure on ice in the wheel well. Then the trouble light illuminated and the issue has not yet been fixed properly. The consumer stated the vehicle had to be towed because it wouldn't start. The dealer cleaned the connector, however the computer did not pick up any diagnostic history, even though the trouble light had been coming on quite consistently. On Feb 25, 2006 the consumer once again lost steering, but regained it and continued to drive. At that time they replaced the ignition switch. The trouble light continued to come on and once again the vehicle would not start. The dealer discovered that by pushing on the fuse box, the vehicle would start and steer. On 2 separate occasions, the consumer became stranded, the doors wouldn't unlock and the vehicle wouldn't start, but the horn worked. The consumer let the vehicle sit overnight and when she came back, the vehicle still would not automatically unlock, she opened the door manually and pounded on the fuse box, and the vehicle started up. The second time the consumer became stuck, pounding on the fuse box did not work and the vehicle didn't start, even though the battery was fine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and for the second time, the ignition switch was replaced. As soon as the consumer left the dealer the trouble light illuminated again. The consumer stated the steering continues to go out a couple of times. The consumer also stated the resume button for the cruise control doesn't always work properly.
2005 Chevy Equinox w/45,000 miles - had the smell of burnt plastic, and smoke rising from the steering column, while the vehicle was started and moving. Radio pre-program button on the steering wheel lost function, and the ignition keeps turning over despite the key being returned to the neutral position.
Oct 8, was in class for 30 minutes came out car was dead, everything worked but started just clicked. Called roadside assistance.. took too long; called campus security got a jump start, car drove fine died again until Oct 13. Jump started again, Oct 18 died again, called roadside assistance had it towed to herb adcox Chevy. They still have it and say it is running fine...no diagnostic problems showing on computer. Filed an issue with 800chevusa.... they say even though I have an extended warranty(car still in original warranty now) that this issue may not be covered. The car is only two years old I am the original owner. Chevy cannot find any problems so I am stuck wondering when it will die again. I also reported noxious fumes (smells like rancid butter)most likely from antifreeze problem like other 2005 Equinox's and a brake shimmy problem at highway speeds(entire car seems unstable). This is the last Chevy I will ever buy. I hate to even trade it in and give the issues to someone else. This is wrong. I believe Chevy is aware of these issues and doing nothing to recall or repair them. I was told if there is no diagnostic there is no problem.
Where do I begin I bought a Chevy Equinox 2005 brand new and have had numerous problems!! the main problem is the check engine light. It continuosly comes on and when I take it to the dearlership they never seem to be able to actually fix the correct problem. I have replaced a headgasket, thermostat, internal gasket, front roters and brakes, dealership states that I need new front roters and brakes again it hasn't even been 1 year since the first set. I've had new shock plugs and a coil put in, etc. This all started last Nov. With the check engine light and still is having problems. I am so frustrated with this car. I thought that with buying a brand new car I wouldn't have all of these problems. I'm afraid to travel with it because it is so unreliable!!!
I always parked car in a garage, but this day no spots were open so I parked on the street and went to work. About a 1/2 hour later I looked the window and noticed smoke coming from the back of the car. I ran out to see what the problem was, and saw fire on the back bumper area on the driver's side. Someone called the fire department. While I grabbed a few things out of the inside of the car. The fire department T came and eventually put out the fire. I have never known a car to spontaneously combustion before, and it was a very traumatic experience. The car was destroyed between the fire, smoke and water, and declared totaled by the insurance company. The origin of the fire appeared to be in the tail light section and to be electrical in nature. I did not have any prior problems with the car, and it was equipped as originally leased from the dealer. It was only two years old and still under the warranty. Thankfully, no one was hurt/killed this time. I believe this car was defective and posed a very real danger to my family as well as my coworkers. The manufacturer was extremely uncooperative in discussing the problem - with not even a 'sorry you are having trouble with one of our products' line as I wanted to be reimbursed for the deductible that I will have to give the insurance company.
My driver side window will not go up or down, it just failed completely. The dealership advised that the wires inside the door are completely broken. The system needed to fix it is back ordered so I have to wait to have it replaced. Four days later my brakes became the new problem. On my way to school, I was approaching a stop light and began applying the brakes but the car would not stop. It made a vibrating noise and thrust itself forward. It wasn't a grinding sound but clicks and vibration. Luckily there wasn't anyone in front of me or coming from the opposite direction. I thought it something I did and continued driving carefully. At the next stop I was unable to slow down to make a right hand turn. I passed the turn completely before the car slowed enough to turn. This scared me so I pulled over and called for help. After taking a test drive with a car repair person who informed me it wasn't my brake pads or rotors. He said it sounded like my anti-lock system failing and I should call the dealership. I called the dealership and they said to bring it in. GM roadside assistance towed it. That was Saturday and today is Monday, the dealership worker told me she drove it and she has been driving for 12 years and she didn't have a problem with the brakes but they will put it on the electric diagnostic machine to double check it. I am afraid to drive with my children. The fact that the car may not stop or the brakes may fail at any time is scary. I should hear from them by this evening.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Southaven, MS, USA