general problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox - part 2

While driving 65mph on the highway the check engine light illuminated and digital display was flashing "engine power limited" and "service stabilitrak". Engine began shuddering and the quickly car slowed to 35mph on its own and would not exceed that speed. I pulled to the side of the road, turned car off for 2 minutes and restarted. Pulled away and in less than 2 miles the same occurred. I disabled the stabilitrak and proceeded to drive another 10 miles to my destination. Car sat for 8 hours. Started the car and in less than a quarter mile I experienced the same engine shuddering and "engine power limited" and "service stabilitrak".

I was driving my 2011 Chevrolet Equinox and the message "engine power is reduced" displayed. The car slowed down to about 30 mph. Then the message "service stabilitrack" displayed. I was ablr to pull into a parking lot and shut the vehicle down. I waited a minute and restarted and drove the vehicle 20 minutes and the problem re-occurred. It was sat afternoon, so the dealer was closed. I nursed the vehicle the rest of the weekend and took it to the dealer Monday morning. The dealer says it is a bad throttle body before they even looked at the car, which tells me this is a common problem. The vehicle is unsafe to drive withouy the repair, so I had them do the service for $603 doing some research and speaking with some mechanic friends, this is a known problem that occurrs between 50,000 - 60,000 miles and I feel should be covered under the powertrain warranty. If this had occurred at interstate highway speeds, it could have led to an accident.

When you are driving the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox ltz and the vehicle goes into ¿! engine power is reduced� mode the vehicle comes to a complete stop within 10 feet. You are unable to turn the steering wheel or continue to move forward in any way with the phrase ¿service stabilitrack� appearing right after. You can be driving slowly at 20-25 miles per hour or faster at 35-40 miles per hour and this is able to happen at any moment. Total control of the vehicle is lost and the engine is unusable. Chevrolet informed us that this is caused by a bad sensor in the throttle body. The sensor is unable to be replaced without replacing the entire throttle body. The vehicle is unusable without replacing the throttle body and the throttle body is not covered after the emissions warranty of 24,ooo miles. From years 2006-2009 the throttle body was covered under the powertrain warranty at 100,000 miles. After researching the internet and speaking with local mechanics, it has been noted that multiple Equinox drivers have had this issue and it always occurs between 50,000-60,000 miles. Frankly the vehicle is unsafe and Chevrolet does not care. Something should be done to either include this faulty part in a 100,000 mile power train warranty (as the engine will not operate without it) or a recall should be established. In the event that an Equinox is traveling at higher speeds (such as on a highway) the situation could potentially cause a fatal injury. Video of this occurring will be provided upon request.

I was driving and all of a sudden , the check engine light came on and "reduced engine power" message appeared. You are at highway speed and suddenly you can only go 30 miles an hour no matter how much accelerator is depressed. After pulling over at the first available safe area, turning off the car and restarting seemed to reset the car so it was able to proceed. This continued to happen until I attempted to clean the throttle body. The throttle body wasn't operating correctly. Cleaning it did stop the "reduced engine power" message. This car also burns oil, no leaks, but you need a quart or two of dexos oil a month. Gm seems to think this is normal. Also the car stalls as you reduce speed, like coming to a traffic light. It works fine for awhile, but on certain days, it stalls every time you slow down. The check engine light points to a gas pedal switch.

Sept. 09,2014 while driving with my 11 year grandson the engine turned off! we fear for our lifes.

While driving to work, I noticed that my service stabilitrak and abs lights came on. During this time, my vehicle lost power and I began to hear a severe grinding noise in my left front wheel. After getting to work, the vehicle sat over night. When I started it in the morning, I noticed that the above mentioned lights had come back on and the grinding noise and loss of power had started again. Approximately a week earlier, I went in for an oil change and was told that there was no oil on the dipstick. This truck is only 3. 5 yrs old and there is no sign of oil leaking or burning. There is absolutely no reason that this vehicle should be falling apart after 3. 5 yrs. The abs/traction control issue is a severe safety issue that could result in an accident.

Upon leaving the home driveway, as the car began to accelerate, the "check engine" light came on, and the information station flashed the warning "stabilitrac / power reduced". The car was still drive-able, but would not accelerate past the first transmission gear. After getting the vehicle back home, I restarted it, and the same warning was displayed in the information station. The vehicle also began to idle very roughly and emit thick black smoke. All indications from internet sources point to a bad throttle body, which was later confirmed by the car dealership. According to the massive amount of complaints about this part, it has a very high failure rate in this vehicle. However, chevy refuses to cover this part as part of their power-train warranty. The "power reduced" condition caused by this part failure is a very dangerous thing to have happen to you if you are turning in a busy intersection or on an interstate highway, and if something is not done, there will be injuries or fatalities because of it.

Cruising along at 65 mph on highway when service stabilitrak light along with reduce engine power came up on the dash. I lost engine power and went from 65 mph to 15 mph. I was able to pull onto an exit ramp. I quickly pulled over & parked the car. Shut the car off & waited about 1 min & turned the car back on. The stabilitrak & the reduce engine power cleared off my dash but the check engine light stayed on. Then was able to merge back into traffic & pick up the 65 mph speed. I was worried that it would happen again when I had to cross oncoming traffic. When I got in my car later, the service engine light had even turned off, but on the way home it happened again. Took it to the shop and was told it was a throttle body/solenoid issue & that it needs replaced. They told me it isnt covered under the pt warranty. As others have also said, I'm seeing a number of people with this same issue & wondering why this isnt a recall? it's very unsafe especially cause you dont know when its going to happen. If your doing 65-70 mph on a highway & there are cars close to you & the vehicle decides to do this, you and your family are going to get killed.

I was driving on a residential street going 30 mph. All of a sudden there was a engine clunk ( 4 cyl) and then rapid deceleration with the engine running very rough. Of course the warning lights came on. The next day I drove to the dealorship several miles away and was lucky to get there as the vehicle was running so badly. The dealership will make the throttle body repair, change some sensors and fool with the timing belt, but the bottom line is the safety issue. Reviewing the prior complaints, it was scary hearing about those having problems on the interstates. Yes, something needs to be done by general motors. Recalled these vehicles for inspepection. Someone is going to get killed. The lady at the dealership had the gaul to say, "didn't you have the throttle body cleaned when you got your oil changed". I said lady, I have no idea what a throttle body is and if it is so important, then the dealer should do it automatically. Good luck, it will cost me $400. 00, they said today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Started accelerating & when I got to 55 mph the vehicle started losing power rapidly & service stabilitrak light along with reduce engine power came up on the dash. I went from 55 mph to 20 mph within seconds. I was able to pull onto the side of the road. I tried to merge back onto the highway but was unable to go faster then 16 mph. I quickly pulled back over & parked the car. Shut the car off & waited about 1 min & turned the car back on. The stabilitrak & the reduce engine power cleared off my dash but the check engine light stayed on. I then was able to merge back into traffic & pick up the 65 mph speed. I continued to work & had no other issues until I pulled into my work parking lot. Thats when the stabilitrak & reduce engine power came back on & I lost power again. I parked the car & called the dealrshp. They told me to bring the vehicle in. It didnt duplicate the issue the whole way to dealrshp. The next day they called me to let me know they replaced a sensor & updated the computer with software. I drove the vehicle & it seemd fine. Week later had the same issue. Got about 5 mins into my trip & was on the interstate going 60 & all of a sudden the service stabilitrak & the reduce engine power light came back on & the vehicle dropped my speed of 60 to around 17 mph quickly. Thankful that no one was close behind me when this happened. I got off an exit & pulled into a parking lot. Called the dealrshp. This time they sent a flat bed out to get vehicle. They called & said it was a throttle body issue & that it needs replaced. They told me it isnt covered under the pt warranty. I'm seeing a number of people with this same issue & wondering why this isnt a recall? it's very unsafe especially cause you dont know when its going to happen. If your doing 65-70 mph on a highway & there are cars close to you & the vehicle decides to do this, you are in big trouble.

I came to a stop and car began to shake, reduced engine power and service stabilitrak light came on. I pressed gas to go and car would not go out of 1st gear, stayed at about 15 mph. Less than 1 mile from home so made it home and parked it. Started again the next day, no problems and drove most of the week with no issues. Same thing happened yesterday again and I pulled over 3 different times to restart to make it to my destination. Took car to dealership, they called today and said the throttle body needed to be replaced, it was not covered on power train and would be $500 to repair. From what I have gathered looking online, this appears to be a very common problem and sounds like a recall needs to be done. I am currently trying to get assistance to cover repair cost. This is a very dangerous situation as I was on the expressway when it happened once and it was terrifying to go from 60 to about 30 in 30 seconds when cars all around me are going 60 and 70 mph.

The stabilitrak and engine warning lights on our 2011 Equinox have come on unexpectedly multiple times. When this occurs the car vibrates and looses power. The first time this happened was on the freeway, creating a dangerous situation as I was suddenly unable to maintain speed. I brought the car to the dealer for repair at a cost of $200, however two weeks later the problem recurred, again while driving on the freeway. Once again I brought the car in for service. I also contacted gm. Both the gm representative and the chevy dealer acknowledged that this problem has occurred many times and admitted that they have not yet determined a definitive cause or solution. And while gm covered $300 of the second repair, it still cost us $100. We are now out $300 in repairs so far for this defect with no guarantee that the problem is fixed. We no longer trust this car. This is a potentially dangerous defect that needs to be addressed.

As I was driving down the interstate, my vehicle took a hard sharp right while I was in the left lane. If a car had been beside me I would of crashed. I thought I had a flat tire so, I pulled over and checked the tires and all were fine. As I got back on the interstate my vehicle kept pulling right. When I stopped at a stop sign to make a left I could barely turn the steering wheel. I was able to make it home after much " man handeling" with my 5 year old and 3 year old in the vehicle with me. My children were crying. I have previously read about this issue on the internet. I hope a recall will be issued soon and I don't understand why one has not been issued thus far. My husband and I bought the Equinox because we previously had a camry that accelerated on me while my children were in the car. What has happened to car safety? I am beginning to not feel safe in any vehicle. Thanks, cassandra branton.

So my traction control an abs light goes off an I take it to the dealer to have it diagnosed, and it appears my left wheel sensor is faulty and can cause lock up in breaks and decreased power. Turns out to be a common problem on all chev Equinox models. There have been various complaints and nothing is being done about it as I see this as a major accident waiting to happen,please take this into consideration.

Vehicle has had inordinate transmission noise since around 10k mileage. While vehicle was idling, went into incredibly rough idle, vehicle shaking with warning message about stabilitrack error and vehicle shut down. While this initially happened while idling, it also happened numerous times at speeds from 20-50 mph as reported by spouse. After multiple trips to the dealer for unacceptable engine noise, engine shutting off and cel illumination (seperate issue that has also never been remedied), an issue with the timing chain and fuel pump was alluded to and that a "fix" for this would be available in late spring of 2013. Fuel pump and timing chain replaced at no charge that summer, but similar symptoms continued. Loud, rough idle, intermittent vehicle shutdowns. Eventually took to another dealer who stated it was a throttle body issue and that this somehow was not covered by powertrain warranty even though this "used" to be part of the transmission, it somehow no longer is on newer models. After a $500+ repair, issue hasn't reoccurred in last 3 months (so far), but cel still illuminates during wet conditions (which both dealers cannot seem to fix). I feel this vehicle has been a lemon since about 10k miles and continues to be so. We only own chevy's but between this vehicle and our apparently dangerous '05 cobalt, we can no longer afford to put our trust in chevy and will need to seek out other vehicle manufacturers. It is apparent chevy only cares about the money we can funnel to them for buying american. That will stop with the next vehicle purchase this summer when we turn in the cobalt (for probably next to nothing due to its new safety reputation). I mention this info as we really want to put our faith, trust and money into an american car coportation like chevy and have been overly patient with them. No longer. . . Others need to know about these issues.

I purchased a new chevy Equinox on may 13, 2011 from maritime motors in fairfield, CT it has been a nightmare from the beginning drivetrain/timing issues, bucking on acceleration and deceleration and pulsing at traffic lights and stop signs. The Equinox still occasionally clatters upon starting (after the recall was apparently fixed in summer 2011), and the vehicle also pulses at stop signs and traffic lights to the point it feels like it is going to stall and I have to remove my foot from the brake to stop the pulsing. I have had nothing from maritime motors (or general motors) in terms of support on this issue. I do not feel safe in the vehicle - I have five witnesses/passengers who have experienced my concerns. In addition, I have two friends with the same make and model (purchased from maritime motors) and are experiencing identical issues. The state of connecticut department of consumer protection has resolved four recent complaints with gm for the exact same issues.