Engine Cooling System problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox

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. 00 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. . . . . . . Read more...

2005 chevy Equinox. . . Ac blows hot air when it's been exposed in the heat for long periods of times. When car is moving without stoppage the ac returns to normal. When there are long stops, the air gets hot again. Have taken it to many repair shops, they have charged the freeon, no problems with the compressor. They seem to think it might be a sensor.

2005 chevy Equinox head gaskets went after 76,000 miles.

This complaint is in regards to the car itself, air conditioner compressor and window switches. I purchased a 2005 chevy Equinox from chris nickel dealership (used). For $10,000 on June 12, 2010 ;not even 2 weeks after purchasing this vehicle the passenger side window would not roll up. . . . . . It had the motor in the window go out. . . . . . Had to have it replaced. . . . . At 8 weeks of owning it. . . . The brakes were squealing. . . . . . . . Took it back to the dealership. . . . . . They said it is normal for these cars and brakes to do that. . . . . . . . They said they turned the rotors and gravitated them and said it would fix the problem. . . . . . On my way home. . . . The car air conditioner was blowing out hot air. . . . . . I once again called the dealership. . . . . . They said it was most likely caused by low freon. . . . . . . . However 2 weeks later it started making a funny noise. . . . . . . . Took it to a mechanic to have it checked out. . . . . . . Told it I was to continue to drive it. . . . . . It would lock up the engine. . . . . . . . . It cost 918. 00 to have it repaired. . . . . . . (called the dealership to let them know of this problem. . . . Refused to listen and make customers happy. . . . . . . . In my purchase. . . . . . They had a certified mechanic inspectors signed and dated form showing that all items had been checked and they were in tip top shape. . . . . . . . Now I am wondering do they just go through and place a check mark in all the boxes because some of the boxes were checked and they are not included in my car. . . . . . . . . . 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. . . . . . . Read more...

2005 chevy Equinox. Incident started in summer still having problems. In shop today as we speak! 1/3/2011.

I had to have my 2005 Equinox's head gaskets repaired. I bought it certified used and gm is not covering the cost. It has 80,000 miles and I have found several siteson the internet reporting this as an issue with the 3. 4 liter engine. My cousin and her husband had a pontiac montana Mini van that had the same issue and gm did nothing about it. I found one site listing court cases in CA and mo because of the dexcool destroying gaskets.

Defective head and rear seal gasket,and tensioner. . .

2005 Chevrolet Equinox passenger window will not come down and drivers window sometimes will not come down. Have to pull up or down with hand. . The ignition does not lock and the vehicle will run without the key in it.

I own a 2005 chevy Equinox. I have had numerous problems with this car-before and after warranty. Most recently, I had to pay over 1600. 00 to have my head gaskets replaced/repaired. I am still waiting to see if different gaskets are cracked and will need repair. I have heard from numerous repairs shops and online sources, that the head gasket problems with the chevy Equinox were known before being put out for sale. My car overheated on the highway and locked up. I could have been seriously injured. I was thankfully able to get off the road. These issues could have been avoided if chevy would have fixed this problem prior to selling. There is no reason why a four year old car should require this much work.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. While idling the vehicle would hesitate as it would stall. While driving between 50-60 mph the temperature and engine warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then the vehicle lost power. She had the vehicle towed to a local gas station. A mechanic stated that the thermostat failed, because it was located near the exhaust system. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.

Please note, just spent $847. 00 on this vehicle, brakes, serpentine belt ,rotors,thermostat. This vehcile has been a lemon since it was exported from canada as that where it was built!!!.

2005 chevy Equinox, replaced head gasket 2 times, blown again. The exhaust and fumes that come out because of this are horrible. The car is not safe to drive and should be recalled, gm is very aware of this problem and refuses to do anything.

Bought 2005 chevy Equinox brand new. Chemical smell in cab at about 1200 miles and at 19,000 a/c leak detected and compressor and parts replaced.

Our 2005 Chevrolet Equinox began to blow warmer air than usual when in the coldest air conditioning setting. We took it to the dealership and were told the problem was an internal valve in the compressor for the air conditioning unit. $1,050. 00 to replace. Our vehicle is 9 months and 4,000 miles out of warranty. We took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and he said without having to look anything up. It's a systemic problem with the 2005 model year Equinox and the part is back ordered for 2 months because so many people have the same problem.

I bought a 2005 Equinox 4 months ago, paid $4000. 00 down on this car and then 2 month later I had to put out $ 956. 00 on the cooling system. The air compressor had went out. Now 2 months later the car had started getting a little over heated. I put engine coolant in it and it seemed to be doing better. 2 weeks after putting the engine coolant in it runs hot again worse than before and I am being told that it has a blown head gasket. I took it to a place that I trust with my vehicle repairs first because I was afraid to drive it to the dealership where I bought due to being afraid it would mess it up even more. They called and told me what the problem is and that's when I called the dealership. They say they are going to come and tow the vehicle to their shop and check it out and see what can be done. Or either see about giving me another car. I'm not going to keep putting money out to get this car fixed and nothing is under warranty any more. There are a few other problems with this vehicle. A couple of times it's acted like it didn't want to start, and I can get out of it and lock it and before I walk away it will unlock by it self. Also I have gotten out of it and the bell will keep dinging like the key is still in it. I've noticed that when I'm making a sharp turn that there seems to be noise with the front tire or something on the passenger side. I can't afford to be fixing this car every couple of months. It's crazy. . .

I just bought the vehicle a 205 chevy Equinox and the 2nd day I took my wife for a drive & we both noticed a bad odor coming from the ventilation. It caused her to get sick. I told the dealer and they did an ionizer cleaning thing, but that didn't work, because after 2 days, for the last two weeks I've been sick with upset stomach, nausea, headache, sinus problems, earache. Had to take off work because I was feeling bad. I've read some other reports on this type vehicle and noticed people complained about same thing.

Currently my vehicle is in the shop for a head gasket repair. I have previously had to take the vehicle in for a TSB on the cooling system to have the system flushed and new hoses and coolant replaced. A foul odor was being released from the vehicle and a sludge and discoloration was building up in the reserve tank. I recently started to notice that the vehicle was running hot (near red line at stop lights). Upon checking my coolant level it was very low. It is a closed cooling system and this should not be. I immediately took it into the dealership. Upon a service writer opening the hood the vehicle was sizzling and boiling. He quickly pointed out the sludge and discoloration again in my reserve tank and he told me this was indicative of a serious problem with the cooling system. I have been informed that I have a blown head gasket. I have researched on line and seen that this has occurred with numerous other 2005 Equinox owners resulting in major engine problems and failures. Everything from gaskets and heads to water pumps and entire engines having to be rebuilt or replaced is on record. Is there any recourse available to the consumer in the event that problems should continue after this major repair? my vehicle is no longer under warranty and I still owe a very substantial balance. I cannot afford continuing major repair costs in addition to my monthly payments when it appears this was a manufacturing defect/problem. I look forward to your response. Donna huff-bolek shady side, maryland.

We have a 2005 chevy Equinox, as my mechanic would say, is a problem child. We have experienced what most have with the odor coming from the cooling system. Our biggest complaint in with the suspension, and now the abs system. It took several visits to figure out why our vehicle was making loud noises in the front end. It all started while I was driving it around a sharp corner. From that day on, which was about six months ago, till present time the car has been load. We have an excellent mechanic. The noise in the front turned out to be the strut plates. This cost us $300 per side. We thought we had solved the issues except for about a week ago a louder noise stared. It felt and sounded like the car was going to break in two. We brought it back to our mechanic. This time it was the suspension system again. I do not know what it is called. There is a rod that is from the top of the strut that goes down to the wheel. These both needs to be replaced. The vehicle is at the shop now. Thank fully theses rods only cost $30 a piece. The vehicle only has 46000 on it. Then we can talk about the abs system. Not every time but quite frequently we would back the car up and they abs would engage. Only way to fix this was through replacing the sensors on the wheels. In not knowing which sensor is bad we would have to replace all of them which would amout to at least $1200. The good news or not such good news, however you want to look at it, the abs system is engaging going forward now, on dry pavement while braking. At least the mechanics should be able to find the falty sensor now that it is happening all of the time. Shame on us for not doing our research before we bought the vehicle.

I bought the eqinox in the end of February 2005. I noticed a sour smell, and had the dealer clean interior because of the rotten smell. The smell persisted, and the dealer had the coolant system flushed and said that would cure the problem. Then , when the weather warmed up and I turned on the vent light steam would come out of the vents and moisture on the window inside. I had the car in the shop again for 5 days, and they said they could not find anything wrong. They had flushed the system again and the smell was still there. Two weeks later the engine light came on. I took it back to the originals dealer, and they determined the heater core was gone and they replaced it and seemed to run fine , except it seemed to run hot and would leave a large puddle. I complained, but the dealer told me that it was normal, and that all was okay. Last month in may 2007 every time I stopped the temperature gauge would climb so the dealer replaced the thermostat. 3 weeks later the gauge would hit red every time I would stop at a light. I brought it back again this time they said the head gaskets were shot. I contacted Chevrolet, and they were supposed to gave me the parts, but it still cost $918. 00 since now I was out of warranty. I have spoken to several mechanics, and they claimed the engine heads warped due to the heater core problems in the beginning, and that if I had a private repairman repair the gaskets the job would have coasted $1000, and Chevrolet did not give me any real break.

Took in for oil change and lube tech at dealer suggested take in for service due to discoloration of antifreeze, told by service advisor this was okay and not to worry. Second oil change same issues, finally have appointment to hopefully correct,poor gas mileage, erratic shifting, gas cap that will not stay on,check engine light once or twice a week, and only 8300 hundred miles on vehicle. Will have hard time buying another chevorlet again.

Took delivery o '05 Equinox in June of '04. Within the first year I began having an odor of coolant in the passenger compartment. Had coolant system flushed and tank cleaned out in April of '05. This was apparently before a TSB was issued for the problem. In March of '06 I had it back to the dealer for the same problem and this time they had a TSB for it and changed the hoses and coolant under warranty. Again in July of '06 dealer replaced the tank and coolant due to coolant gelling in tank. In August of '06 with 35,557 miles on the car (just under the 36,000 mile warranty there was again the smell accompanied by overheating. Dealer found leaks in the front and rear head gasket. Just barely got this job in under warranty! within weeks I was back at the dealer for a heater core replacement. They told me that this sometimes happens with the problem of the head gasket. (why didn't they check this when they were doing the head gasket if that was the case?) anyway I was back to the dealer by December due to the sound of air in the system after the heater core replacement. They found a leak between the tranny and the back of the block. They replaced the metal heater o-ring that was leaking. I never asked for any of the old parts from the dealer. I recently had the car to my mechanic (not the dealer) because of the smell of coolant in the cabin and the sound of water rushing/air in the system. He told me there is a TSB for hth problem and I would have to flush the system and change all the hoses. That was the end of March and I was saving $ for the job. This week my car overheated all the way to the red and when I checked the reservoir it was empty. I can't afford to replace or flush the coolant system every few months or year, especially when it is supposed to last much longer. If you have any advice on a remedy for the situation I would greatly appreciate it. I have had numerous other problems with this vehicle which I have not listed here.

Cooling system problems, foul smell, fluid is a dark color when it should be light pink. Problem was first pointed out at 2nd oil change appointment. They advised that the cooling system was malefunctioning and that I should contact the dealership to have this fixed. They also mentioned that they have seen 3 other Equinox's all with the same problem. Upon contacting the dealership they advised that it was not a malefunction, they did not seem concerned about this problem. Appointment is scheduled in a couple days. Upon reading more about this cooling system problem I am even more concerned due to the fact that there is yet to be a recall and all of the vehicles are having the same problem.

This is a correction to the complaint I submitted yesterday. The complaint number is 10100295. On that complaint please delete the part of the complaint that says the abnormal odor from the engine coolant is entering the passenger compartment of the vehicle. I found that the coolant reservoir cap was loose, allowing the strong odor of the coolant to escape and be drawn into the passenger compartment. When I tightened the cap the odor stopped entering the passenger compartment. I am still very concerned about the abnormal odor and color of the coolant. This could be adversely affecting components of the cooling system and engine.

I recently purchased a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. After only 500 miles the engine coolant has turned brown and has a very bad odor (stinks). When the heater is turned on, the odor comes into the passenger compartment and is almost intolerable.

My 2005 Chevrolet Equinox has reoccruing problems with 1) the engine coolant turning from the normal dex cool pink color to a dark brown / black color. 2) horrible smell entering the passenger cabin when the engine is running the heat is on. The vehicle was picked up from the service department on November 18th and according to the dealer, gm's technical line is instructing all service departments to take no repair actions as they are still trying to determine the cause. The first time I took the vehicle in they performed a coolant system flush which took care of the problem for a couple of hundred miles, only to return. This problem is happening all across north America so it cannot be blamed on weather or type of fuel used. I have many concerns with the long term reliability of this vehicle.

In the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox the coolant may be contaminated and turn a dark brown or black and somehow emit fumes into the cabin that cause the occupants to feel light headed. This condition can start anywhere from 400 to 1800 miles ands worsens over time. It is unknown whether the fumes are toxic so the vehicle is undrivable at that point.

2005 Equinox - I had about 300 miles on the car and it started smelling of a propane odor/dead animals. Took it to dealer and they flushed the coolant system but the odor returned. Then the car overheated due to the coolant system. They put a new thermostat and flushed once again. Still a bad odor, the car leaks water and it runs hot. I have had the car in the shop 3 times and they still can not fix the odor.

Purchased a 2005 chevy Equinox new from dealer. Vehicle spent two days at dealer, only for dealer to tell me that there is no fix for problem. My Equinox has coolant contamination which emits a bad odor. Chevy still has to TSB out on this problem yet, and others are having the same problem. This was noticed @ 1500 miles. Currently, the vehicle has 2700. Dealer told me that there would be no problem driving until chevy comes out with TSB. If you look at the coolant resevoir, the coolant is dark in color and sludge is forming in the container (residue).

I have a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. Soon after I received the new vehicle (within a few hundred miles) I began noticing a very distinct and horrible smell coming from the engine compartment. The smell is noticeable from 10 feet away from the car and comes in through the cabin vents when the air is on and the car is standing still and running. It does not enter the cabin when the car is moving. Gm thinks the smell is due to the dexcool coolant reacting with the hoses in the coolant system and has flushed my coolant system several times already but the smell keeps coming back. I have been reading of this problem from many, many others across the us and canada who own Equinox and so far gm has not announced a recall despite people being unable to spend more than 5 minutes in these vehicles before getting headaches or just being unable to handle the smell. Please urge gm to come up with a solution fast!.