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.
I went to get my inspection sticker and received an safety/emissions recall sheet of paper indicating that I might have a problem with this defect number: 2529, engine family:5gmxv02.2025, emission problem: Some engine control modules or power train control modules have potentially damaged integrated circuits. This may cause the egr system to malfunction or cause the fuel pump to turn off or the turbo system to malfunction. This is exactly what a mechanic has told me about the egr system. If you could please let me know what I can do about this issue as soon as possible and if it is covered or if I can get it repaired at no cost to me. I have only owned this vehicle for 1 year since March 1, 2014. I'm the second owner.
Vehicle has an engine miss, coolant is disappearing and was taken to repair shop. Diagnosed as needing head gaskets. Repairs to cost approximately $1700. This has happened to many other owners of 2005 Chevy Equinox's.
This complaint is about my Equinox, my air conditioner compressor, is bad also I have heard a noise sent the day I purchased the truck and the dealership can not tell me what it is. I purchased my Chevy Equinox 2005 (new) from the dealership. The truck has less than 55,000 miles, the mechanic told me I could not drive it......because it would lock up- the engine.........it's costing me over a $1000 to have it repaired........(called the dealership to let them know of this problem....refused to listen........ I believe that this is an ongoing problem in these vehicles and costing consumers lots of money they should not have to put out.....please check into this and correct the problem.......make the consumers happy check out this website for more complaints on the 2005 Chevy Equinox www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2005/Chevrolet/Equinox/cooling+system.
I purchased this 2005 Chevy Equinox in May 2006 with 26K miles on it. In may of 2008 with less than 60K miles on it the head gaskets blew! GM refused to repair or do anything to assist financially in the repair. I took it to another mechanic (I cannot afford GM labor rates) who did in fact repair the head gaskets and the vehicle ran again. In November 2009 the head gaskets blew again. I again called GM with an answer of no, I filed a complaint but heard nothing about it. I again took the vehicle to another non GM dealer and had it repaired. Yesterday 1/4/2011 with 130,000 miles and a motor that has been overhauled twice, the head gasket blew again. I am quite sure the NHTSA is not going to do anything to assist in this; however, one quick search of "2005 Equinox and head gasket" and you will find that this problem is happening over and over and over again, and GM quite simply refuses to take responsibility. I have spoken to a person at GM in the past and was told they were aware of the problem but not enough had been reported to warrant a recall.
- Leawood, KS, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the engine failed to start while the vehicle was parked in the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 61,400 and the current mileage was 61,743.
All problems arose when the brake from the driver's side would shake when braking. We had the shoes and the pads changed and the problem seemed to be solved for about a year. Then the problem began again but this time the brakes would squeak when braking and then they began to tighten and the brake would lock itself and began to smoke because of the friction the pad and the brake disc were creating since the brake would remain locked. This was only on the drivers side. When this occurred the friction made the whole wheel rim get hot and began producing a burning smell from the brake pad. The caliber, shoes, pad and disc had to be replaced for both front brakes. The brakes continue to squeak when breaking. Now, the motor heats up to the red zone, the check engine light comes on even if their is anti-freeze in the engine. When accelerating the motor cools down, but if the speed is less than 35mph the motor heats up more. Based on other comments from drivers with the same make, model and year they noticed that the problem has come up to be the head gaskets. This problem has created many problems with the engine and is becoming a safety hazard when their is still a possibility that the breaks will lock up again and possibly spark fire if the problem is not fixed. We have not used our vehicle because of these issues we fear that not fixing the costly problem may damage other parts of the vehicle. We know we are not alone and that other drivers have the same problem with the Chevy Equinox 2005.
Temperature gauge never used to go over 50% mark, and was always well under and never moved. About three months ago, the vehicle temperature gauge started to climb after highway driving, then idling. Recently, the temperature light came on. I experienced a coolant odor and the vehicle had a rough idle on cold start. Dealer said that it was bad head gaskets. Dealer machined heads, replaced gaskets, replaced plugs and flushed/filled coolant system, all for $2450. Reading some of the websites, it seems like this is a very high amount compared to what some other people are paying at their dealerships. Reading information provided on mycarstats.com and many other forums/news groups, there are hundreds if not thousands of people who have the same head gasket issue with the '05 Equinox. It seems to be a known issue with the red dexcool coolant that eats away at the hoses and head gaskets, causing gasket failure, as well as heater core failure. There needs to be some recourse to recuperate money for this problem. Head gaskets don't typically fail in most cars.
Took my Equinox in for an oil change. Then comes the bad news. Lower intake valve gaskets leaking. What!! only 50000 miles on vehicle this should not be happening. $725 later it is fixed. I have ready many complaints about GM knowing these were defective gaskets and something should be done about this.
I have a 2005 Equinox and had to put the car in the shop 3 times now in 3 weeks! the thermostat went out, then the radiator had to be replaced, and now they say the head gasket needs to be replaced. Bubbling sound can be heard when you take off from a stop. I'm also having problems with the brakes making acting strangely.. the front shakes when brakes are applied.
01/21/2011 the Equinox would not turn over and was hauled to the dealer. Prior to this incident, there appeared to be a slow loss of coolant, requiring a gallon of coolant to be added over the previous three month period. There were no leaks on the garage floor, nor any interior cabin leaks apparent, but there had been a "syrupy" smell in the passenger cabin. The dealer put in a new battery and also discovered that the heater core was leaking. The new battery and heater core replacement totaled $1090.11. Apparently, when the battery died, the diagnostics codes relating to this incident were lost. 03/16/2011 the check engine light was on. This has happened frequently in the past but had always been related to a loose gas cap and was easily remedied by tightening the cap. When that solution did not work, the Equinox was taken into the local GM dealership. It was then diagnosed as needing a head gasket replacement, where it is now being repaired. The repair total is expected to be about $1400. In less than two months, this vehicle (with only 68K miles on it) has required at least $2400 dollars in heater core and engine head gasket repair costs. It seems to me that the heater core leaks were likely to have had the subsequent effect of compromising the integrity of the head gasket. I have found many documented references to similar problems occurring in this engine make, the 3.4L GM V6. There also seems to be a related link to problems with the type of coolant used in this engine (dex cool). At this point, I am not aware that GM has acknowledged that there is problem. I am filing this complaint so that it can be added to the mounting evidence of product defects in this engine type.
2005 Chevrolet Equinox---with a blown head gasket @ 63,000 miles. I have done a lot of research on this vehicle and it appears that this is a pretty common problem with this vehicle! it is a shame that GM/Chevrolet will not step up to the plate to help out all of us poor unsuspecting owners who bought this shoddy made car. If anything, it looks as if the NHTSA would intervene on our behalf.
This vehicle in to a GM shop multiple times for heating issues. The first time the thermostat was replaced. A year later in the fall, the vehicle was again not blowing hot air. Took it back to GM and they flushed the system. About 2 months later, it was brought back in because the heat was not blowing again. For the 2nd time they replaced the thermostat. Following year, wouldn't blow hot air again, they flushed the system 3 times and finally got the heat working again. Fast forward to fall 2010. Same problem, not blowing heat only this time the vehicle was out of warranty. GM diagnosed a cracked head gasket and a leaky water pump and wouldn't cover any of the so called problems. The first 3-4 times that the car was in to be worked on it had the same "symptoms" 1. when the heat was working and I slowed to stop - it would start blowing cool air, but as soon as I accelerated, the warm air returned. 2. if I turned the fan knob past the 2nd tick, it would start blowing cold air. In 2010, started with the above symptoms and only to have the heat go out completely. GM won't have anything to do with it.this go around diagnosed a cracked head gasket and a leaky water pump and wouldn't help pay to fix because it was a "new" diagnosis outside of warranty. Funny how each time it was in previously, the exact same symptoms are document in their system and no cracked head gasket or leaky water pump was the cause. They're skirting by on an underlying issue and aren't warranting their product! we've since taken it to two separate mechanics and they've both told us the issue isn't caused by a cracked head gasket or leaky water pump. We've again replaced the thermostat only to have the heat go out on our 3 hour car ride home from the holiday with a baby in the car-nice GM you are a joke. I've always owned a GM product but after being swept under the rug, I will never buy one again!
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the heating system was inoperable and that the engine would overheat. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who flushed the heater core, performed a pressure test, replaced the cylinders, intake manifold gasket set, oil filter, head gasket, exhaust manifold, distributor O-rings, head volt set, and the antifreeze. The contact did not inform the manufacturer. The current and failure mileages were 55,075. Updated 02/23/11 updated 05/20/11
89,000 miles needed to replace head gasket. Failure at cylinder #1. looking at other complaints it appears that cylinder 1 head gasket failure is common.
Check engine light came on at 59,900 miles. Took it in to Firestone they ran a diagnostic on it and said that the spark plugs / witing were bad. Had them replaced for at a cost of $400. A week later check engine light came back on and car overheated. Took it in to Firestone again. This time they said the head gaskets were blown and the #1 cylinder was leaking. Repair estimate $1500 to replace the gaskets, plus an additional $1000 if the head is cracked. Have done much research and found this to be a common problem among GM vehicles that require the dex-cool coolant. Found a class action lawsuit in ca and mo but that only covered up to 2003 models. Obviously GM knows this to be an issue, so I have to wonder why are they allowed to continue selling defective products?
Blown head gasket on a 2005 Chevy Equinox with 60,000 miles. Internet research revealed this as a common problem with several Chevy vehicles with 3.4L engines. Some with mileage below 30,000 miles. GM is ignoring issue and up to $3000 repair bills. This is a widespread issue.
Replaced two front brake sensors - same side; computer board for antilock brake system went out - cannot afford to replace it; emissions system light is on - checked twice to find out what is wrong; leak in A/C hose when first purchased...car is a lemon, ,bought it new...when troubles started it had less than 55,000 miles....
I am submitting this to inform you of the horrible quality and safety of my 2005 Chevrolet Equinox lt, w/ 3.4L engine. I have just had my engine's headgaskets blow-out at 43,000 miles on a car that has been maintained exactly to manufacturer's specification. The car's braking system is also dangerously under powered. I have worn through two sets of rotors and pads already in 43,000 miles. I do not drive aggressively either. The brakes wear out too quickly and when the rotors warp the braking distances skyrocket and the car vibrates uncontrollably while applying them. This car is a total lemon as I am sure I am not the only person reporting this. Just read some reviews on the 2005 Equinox and you will see - the 3.4L engine put in this car is a design embarrassment for GM. We need some NHTSA assistance, as Chevrolet does not stand behind this product.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Worcester, MA, USA