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.
Car had an oil change and three days later, it burst into flames. It was a 2013 Chevy Equinox with a ecotec engine. The care was sitting in a parking lot.
While driving the Equinox on a very cold day (9 degrees), I began to lose power as I approached my place of work. Thankfully, my vehicle made it to the small road off of the state route I was traveling, which is 55mph. Upon turning off of the road, my engine completely shut off and I lost all acceleration and power from the engine. I got out of the vehicle to find oil all over the bottom of frame of my vehicle. Upon getting to my office, I looked up what could have caused the issue. GM has published service bulletin 14882 that claims certain models of vehicles, including the 2013 Equinox, can experience a plugged PCV orifice on very cold days, which could result in the blowout of the rear main oil seal of the engine. I had hoped this was not my issue, but it seemed to fit the bill. I had the vehicle towed to a local GM service center and to be diagnosed. The service manager called me two days later to inform me that my rear main oil seal (crankshaft seal) had blown and that I had lost oil while driving. Although the description from the bulletin matched my situation perfectly, GM claimed that my VIN did not line up. As you can understand, this could have been a much more serious situation if it had happened minutes earlier while I was traveling on a 75mph interstate, or if my wife and one year old were in the vehicle. GM has documented that they know about this issue, but in an effort to reduce their exposure, they are limiting it to a very small number of VIN numbers. Two other customers with the same model car were also at the service center that very day. As a health and safety manager in manufacturing myself, I am surprised that GM has not stepped up and corrected this issue when it is presenting a potential serious hazard to the general public.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was a pool of engine oil in the engine compartment leading to the vehicle losing power without warning. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the mass airflow sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
2013 Chevrolet Equinox. Check engine light illuminated. Code P0014 code definition camshaft position 'B' - timing over-advanced or system performance (bank 1) replaced both intake and exhaust vvt. Vehicle is losing about a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Took to dealer. Did a diagnostic. Old code found, no new "problems" found. Was told running normal. It died 2 times on the way home. This caused my vehicle to stall while attempting to take off at a green light, almost causing a rear end accident two times. Fortunately, I didn't need to break or I would have probably hit another vehicle. After reading other reviews, this appears to be a continuation of a 2011 problem with the Equinox. We were in the process of looking at a Chevy Tahoe, but with Chevy's history it appears we'll look at a different brand.
My 2013 Equinox is using a massive amount of oil I have the oil changed every 2000 miles and still have to keep an eye on it no oil light comes on to warn me my car also died on me right after starting it and when I pulled the dip stick so much air pressure blew out and blew oil on me I have already replaced the throttle body and pedal postings sensor as well as my back up camara went completely yellow with a blue line going across it my date is never right and I still owe 6000 on it I've had my car 2 years and 6 months
- Elnora, IN, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I had my oil changed at car X, was told there were metal shavings in my oil, I took this vehicle too mauer chev in inver grove heights, mn, they said no there wasnt, I said it burns 1-2 quarts every 1000 miles, mileage was at 119,958, I asked about oil consumption, they did not inform me this vehicle was on recall for oil consumption ! they said there was nothing they could do it was running fine without performing the oil consumtion test, on a recalled vehicle still under 120,000 miles and under the 7 years and 6 month recal by 1 month! how do I procede ? at 126,000 miles the cam shaft sensors failed and the flex pipe cracked because of this consumption recall ! what do I do at this point
Rear main seal blew due to a faulty pvc valve, and warranty will not cover repairs. Say it is because it is a know factor with GM and they will not recall. I had just started my vehicle to drive to work when check engine light came on. It died right after the light came on and would not start back up.
The vehicle' PCV valve failed, causing high crankcase pressure, causing the rear main seal to fail. All of the engine oil left the engine in a short period of time. And no engine light or service message came up. Vehicle was in motion at about 35 mph. The vehicle only had 72,000 miles.
First problem since I bought car June of 2020 was the stalling issue. I changed exhaust and camshaft selenoids still idled rough but didnt stall.. the car would start ticking every other week from the excessive oil this vehicle consumed. Luckily I knew what the tick meant because no low oil light ever came on. Then I got the notice for the oxygen sensor recall and hoped itd take care of oil problem. When I took it to the GM dealer it started ticking on way there so I figured I'd let them add oil this time since I spend as much as I do already on oil. Get back into my car. The car still idled roughbk ang didnt seem like they touched it other than adding air to tire. When I left dealers car still ticking oil not even on dipstick I went to walmart immediately and added oil. Then not even a monthlater I got sick and the car sat outside 3 days I had to go get corona test and on my way home on a county rd low oil pressure light came on on said shut off engine immediately. I did my dad came brought oil followed me to mechanic they said rear main seal blew, oil was gushing out. Low oil light has never came on. The tube running into intake. Bulletin. 14882 is exactly what happened the intake tube got plugged and froze from condensation water is known to sit in tube and freeze. When I took my car in for recall on 02 sensor tha dealer should have checked out any other problems this recall could cause knowing the history of oil consumption on these vehicles should have discussed the problem with PCV and added a vent of some sort so main seal didnt blow and this could have prevented what happen 1month after being there for recall this car also will allow U to take key out when not in park and a few times would try restarting on it's own after I shut it off. Running this car low on oil im sure has had many underlying bad effects on my engine.but warning light never came on.
We purchased a used 2013 Equinox for my daughter in 2016 and received regular maintenance including on-time oil changes. On Jan 18 at 1:30 am my daughter was driving home and the check engine light came on, she pulled off to the side of the road and the car shut off. She tried to restart and it wouldn't start. We had the car towed to the local Chevrolet dealership and the first diagnosis was it needed a new drive belt and negative battery cable for $860. They called back the next day with a new diagnosis and said it needed a remanufactured engine which would cost $8,000 because a piston rod blew and damaged the engine. The car has 91,836 miles. Luckily, she was in town, near home and not away at school and wasn't on the interstate when her car broke down. She is safe but I can't help but wonder what if she was on the interstate when this happened. The Equinox is not safe if it can easily shut down with no prior warning. After researching this problem I have learned that many Equinox owners have dealt with this issue and some are on their second and third engines. Unfortunately, this unexpected occurrence puts us in a very awkward, expensive situation. I refuse to pay $8,000 for a new engine for a vehicle that I still owe $6,000 on and the new engine can easily have the same issues. Chevrolet knows about this engine problem and does not want to be held accountable. I will never purchase a Chevy car again and will definitely let people know about the Equinox issues.
I am very frustrated with GM right now! there is a known issue with the rear main oil seal on several of the vehicles from 2010-2014 but they are only covering repairs for certain VIN numbers. The seal broke on the engine causing oil to leak out of the vehicle. This left me stranded in freezing cold temperatures. Now I am being told that I am responsible for thousands of dollars to fix an issue that GM knows is their fault. They have a service bulletin out on the issue but are stating that because my car was manufactured at a different plant it is not covered. The service department let me that the hole in the engine was too small causing the seal to break. Had my car suddenly stalled on the highway there would have been a wreck. There was no indication of an oil leak or any issues with the car until the main oil still broke.
Found a pool of oil on the driveway in the morning, had it towed to a dealer, told the main rear seal let go, oil changed at dealer 5 days prior for an oil consumption check, because of constant oil loss, in the past two years. Never had a visible leak on the engine or oil spots on the driveway or garage since owning the vehicle since 2014.
My engine light came on and the shop diagnosed that the catalytic converter needs to be replaced. Looking online I see the 2012 is covered by Chevrolet but my 2013 is not. Speaking to the shop they tell me this is very common with these cars.
Excessive oil consumption. I have to add oil every week and check frequently so that I do not run out of oil when oil is low there is no safety feature that lets you know
I bought my 2013 Equinox in 2012. It now has about 68,000 miles. Oil changes are on time and regular. Recently I made a 7 hour round trip. Towards the end of the trip the car began to idle very rough and the engine sounded louder than normal. At the end of the trip the check engine light came on. The next day I took it for an oil change. I thought it might be the oil filter. After the oil change, it seemed to drive smooth for one day then the check engine came on again. The almost immediately a message that said 'reduced engine power.' The next time I drove it was to take it to the dealership for a diagnosis. On the way there the car stalled at a busy stop light. After a few minutes I was able to get it started again and made it the maybe 1000 feet to the dealer. The first diagnosis they gave me was a time chain issue ($1800) then they called me a day later and said pistons/piston seals were also an issue and now it would be ($2500). I started to do some research and I found the lawsuits about the piston issues and oil consumption. It sounds exactly like the problem w/my car. I can detail regular oil changes and never had an oil light come on but I see where other people describe how the screen that gives the oil % is not really monitoring the cars actual oil use. I relied heavily on this screen, always checking it to see if I needed oil. I would like info on how to access the special warranty to pay for these repairs.
Three oil changes all done at carl black Buick GMC, llc, 11225 alpharetta hwy, roswell, ga 30076 when the vehicle states there is 40% oil life left. Each time, oil has been completely depleted creating a loud clicking sound in the engine. Next oil change schedule 1-month in advance of service recommendation from dealer oil sticker. This has been a persistent problem throughout the life of the vehicle. Dealership thus far has not been helpful contacting GM corporate to assist. This is the same 2013 Chevy Equinox already part of an approved and proven issue with GM motors that burn excessive oil even when being maintained by their certified mechanics at their dealerships. This is an 11-month follow-up after initially reporting the same issue on 2/21/20 - NHTSA id 11310678.
After performing a diagnostic check on January 15th 2021, I was informed by jefferson Chevrolet that my engine light was on because of the timing chain and misfiring pistons. I have not had this car six months. It has a hundred and one thousand miles on it and I have been excessively adding oil. Even the prior visit in December 2020, the representative at jefferson Chevrolet in detroit Michigan informed me that my car had no oil after a recent oil change and that he could not perform any inspections until they perform another oil change. I would like information on how to receive payment from the manufacturer to repair my vehicle.
I am following up to an ongoing issue regarding our 2013 Chevy Equinox that recently had the lower end rebuilt due to excessive oil consumption. For some brief history on the vehicle, it began using a significant amount of oil around the 70,000-mile mark. Prior to the lower end rebuild, I was adding nearly 8 quarts of oil every 3,000 miles. The vehicle has 95,000 on it now. Fast forward to late this past winter [early 2020], I received a letter in the mail stating the sca (15285/16118 coverage) was extended for the 2013 model year 2.4L ecotec. Upon receiving the letter, I was in the process of making an appointment for the oil consumption issue, however, this was the same time the state of Wisconsin shut down for covid reasons. This was, unfortunately, was around the time the extension was going to expire. Once, restrictions were lifted an oil consumption test was performed. The initial oil change occurred in April 2020. The vehicle was found to consume a significant amount of oil. Holiday automotive of fond du lac, wi performed this test. The engine, without a doubt, was in need of a lower end rebuild. This rebuild was scheduled and completed in December of 2020. Via communication between myself and holiday automotive of fond du lac, GM has agreed to cover half of the costs, but in the end this is still very significant. The work has been completed, but I am now between a rock and a hard place with the vehicle. The extension window that GM provided was narrow to say the least.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ankeny, IA, USA