general problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

2017 Chevrolet Equinox premier certified pre-owned vehicle experienced multiple safety-related defects. 1. Repeated starting failures (electrical/battery/starter system): - March 17, 2026: complete battery failure, vehicle would not start. Aaa/gm roadside assistance called. Dealer inspected but could not diagnose root cause or explain battery drain. Preceded by unusually loud windshield wiper motor and engine noise (March 15). - April 13, 2026 (4:01pm): engine failed to turn over twice in parking lot before starting on third attempt. Safety risk: sudden starting failures create stranding hazard and risk of being rear-ended in traffic. 2. Water intrusion through headliner (sunroof/headliner/mic assembly): - April 15, 2026 (10:40-10:45am): approximately 1 ounce of water poured from headliner/radio microphone assembly directly into driver's eyes while driving on expressway. Continued dripping intermittently for hours. Safety risk: complete vision obstruction while driving at highway speeds. 3. Intermittent safety chimes (electrical/infotainment): - ongoing for weeks: five rapid electronic dings with no dashboard warning lights or indicators. Occurs sporadically while driving (10 occurrences in one recent day). Dealer previously informed by phone but no resolution. Safety risk: distracting chimes with no identifiable warning create driver confusion. 4. Additional electrical: remote start now works intermittently. All components available for NHTSA/manufacturer inspection. Dealer confirmed March 17 battery inspection but found no cause. No manufacturer inspection. No warning lamps preceded any failures except unexplained chimes. Problems began immediately after certified pre-owned purchase despite carbravo certification. Safety defects render vehicle unreliable and hazardous.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. While the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly started shaking, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear engine seal had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Due to cold temperatures, the main rear seal blew causing engine, coolant and intake systems to fail. Full replacements are now needed.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle went into limp mode and the vehicle decelerated to 5 mph. The contact stated that the message "vehicle entering power saver mode" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that when the vehicle was restarted, the message “engine oil level low – shut-off immediately" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear main seal had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart with a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that oil had seeped out of the vehicle, a seal was fractured, and the engine had seized. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

I have had this car for a little under a year. In January of this year 2026, I was driving on the freeway when I received a. Reduce engine power alert. Which caused me to immediately get off of the freeway put the car power down before I can make it another half a mile. After having it looked at several times what was thought to be a rear seal oil leak turned out to be a leak in the transmission. Repairs as of now our thoughts to be needing an entire new transmission. . Repairs as of now our thoughts to be needing a entire new transmission. I don’t understand why there is no recall for this specific situation. Upon my research, I have seen many complaints many concerns of the exact same thing of the exact same making model of these cars. I have not been able to drive the car since January and have been paying for a rental. With cost estimated to be between 1500 and $4000. Surely there’s something that Chevrolet can do for all of the people who are having the same problems with the Equinox.

There is water my oil and I have a blown head gasket. I get all maintenance done and have oil changes on time.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a serious safety defect involving a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox that experienced a sudden and complete loss of engine power while the vehicle was in motion. While traveling approximately 50 mph in active traffic, the engine abruptly shut off and the vehicle immediately lost all ability to accelerate. The loss of propulsion was total and occurred without warning. There were no warning lights, alerts, or indicators of a low oil or engine condition prior to the failure. Moments before the shutdown, the engine began making an abnormal mechanical noise. A video was recorded during the incident while the vehicle was still operating in traffic. The recording captures the engine failure in real time, including the vehicle decelerating from approximately 50 mph to a complete stop as the engine shut down. I was able to coast into a breakdown lane and then into a nearby parking lot, narrowly avoiding a collision. A sudden loss of propulsion at this speed and in these conditions presents a severe and immediate safety risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic. This vehicle has been regularly serviced by authorized Chevrolet dealerships and maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. At no point was I advised that the vehicle required frequent manual oil checks between scheduled oil changes, nor did the vehicle provide any warning prior to engine shutdown. I routinely operate this vehicle at highway speeds and regularly transport my child. Had this failure occurred on a highway or in heavier traffic, the risk of serious injury or fatality would have been significant. The exact cause is unknown at this time. The vehicle is available for inspection, and I can provide maintenance records and video documentation upon request.

The 2. 4l engine is experiencing significant issues, including power loss and rapid oil consumption. The power loss has been observed while driving on both expressways and city streets. The oil burning commenced less than a month after an oil change, resulting in an oil level of zero. This situation poses a risk of accidents and endangers the occupants of the vehicle. An independent service center has confirmed the problem. The center determined that a new engine is necessary as the issue cannot be resolved. There have been no inspections by manufacturers, law enforcement, or other relevant authorities. Additionally, there was no warning about the oil being low to the point of being absent from the engine. The code for the power failure, p0303, was obtained from the service center. It is imperative that this issue be addressed promptly. Either the engine should be recalled or the vehicle should be repaired. Otherwise, I will be compelled to purchase a new engine or a new car.

Received a report from local auto repair and they found that the oil main seal is leaking. Issue happened in the highway and car automatically turned off the engine. I was not in an accident as there was no one else on the road and I was able to push it to the side. When the car turned on the wheel was stiff and hardly moved to the right or left. The warning received before the shut off was the service stabilitrack issues and when checked all oil completely depleted from the vehicle.

Twice the exhaust has leaked into the cabin to the point where it is very noticeable. It causes headaches and breathing problems. Gm has known of this issue for several years and it has been reported several times. Gm placed a bandaid on it knowing it would fail.

While driving my 2017 Chevrolet Equinox, the vehicle repeatedly displays diagnostic trouble code p2138 (throttle/pedal position sensor voltage correlation). The vehicle suddenly enters “reduced engine power” mode without warning and loses acceleration while driving. This occurs daily and multiple times per day, both on highways and local roads. When the issue happens, the vehicle will not properly accelerate and loses power unexpectedly. This creates a serious safety hazard, especially in highway traffic, as I am unable to maintain speed or accelerate to avoid other vehicles. I have had to maneuver carefully or move toward the shoulder to avoid potential collisions. The throttle body has already been replaced; however, the problem continues to occur. The defect has not been corrected and remains ongoing and reproducible. I am currently [xxx] pregnant and drive this vehicle daily for work and to transport my [xxx] child to school. The unexpected loss of power places both myself and my child at risk while operating the vehicle in active traffic. This defect presents a significant safety concern due to repeated and sudden loss of engine power while driving. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving on the highway, nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. Within a 30 second span of time, the car started making a horrible rattling sound, followed by a loud snap sound, then smoke, then I was off the road with oil pouring out of the bottom of the car. Towed home, car was dropped off at the Chevrolet dealership mechanic. As far as I can tell, it fits the description that others have had with this car, namely that some apparent oil consumption issue that never came up on warning lamps resulted in the catastrophic engine failure that nearly launched me off the highway. The vehicle is currently awaiting diagnostics from the mechanic, and I have yet to hear back from them over a week later. There were no warning lights of any sort, and the oil life meter said there was 38% oil life remaining before it would need an oil change. If I had known about this issue before I bought the car, there is a 0% chance I would have bought it.

I have the ecotec 2. 4 engine the engine has gone out and gm is stating car needs a new engine. At 10,000. Two different associates told me to get a new car before they even checked the car.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stoplight, the engine seized without any warning lights illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, there was an abnormal sound and odor coming from the engine. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that pistons needed to be replaced and that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered before hesitating to maintain automotive power. In addition, while at a stoplight, the vehicle lost automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. A second independent mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed the failure. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.

I have to constantly add oil. I have more frequent oil changes. Panel doesn’t display low oil . Mechanic & several others tell me these cars burn oil faster. Combustion of oil leading to excessive oil consumption & premature wear on engine after putting air in tires,the sensors have to be reset & they say I have to go to a dealer.

Fo2017 Chevrolet Equinox with the 2. 4l ecotec engine, excessive oil consumption can indirectly cause a timing chain to fail which is a major safety hazard to all occupants.

1. Since I bought the car it has needed oil on a weekly basis. I took it in for repair it had something to do with the oil consumption device $2270. 00 to fix. 2. Timing chain went out had to fix that too $$$$ 3. While driving along the car at rush hour the car suddenly died without any warning. Had to go off the road clipped a tree and all the cars behind me looked like billiard balls going in all directions so as not to rear end my car. Extremely unsafe car ?? I cant believe that they have recalled every other year for this engine issue and not the 2017!!!!!!!!.

High pressure fuel pump failure on engine block. Car cuts off, engine light on. Failed emission test.

Excessive oil consumption causing failed engine at 60k miles. This was regularly maintained.

I was driving down the highway and as I was going up a hill my car made a loud noise and then shut down. I had to coast to the side of the highway. I was stranded on the side of the highway with my two year old for 3 hours while I waited for a tow truck. I had to have my car towed and it was confirmed that my engine had locked up. My car has 106,000k miles on it and has had all routine maintenance completed on it. There were no warning lights before this happened and the mechanics do not know why the engine locked up.

When my car failed while driving to work, I had it towed to a repair facility. The technician reported that the rear main was leaking and the motor had no oil in it. I have always had the oil changed every 2000 miles. There was also engine metal in the oil filter. It was deemed that the motor was ruined. I was told by the technician that this was a common problem for this make/model of car. I researched and there are many of the same complaints. This does pose safety concerns and I wish for this to be addressed/recalled.

The rear main seal has gone out in two 2017 chevy Equinox right around 100,000 for both vehicles costing over 1000$ plus to fix.

My husband was driving our vehicle on his way to work on [xxx] very early in the morning. He was on the highway going 70 mph. While driving he noticed a tire pressure monitoring system warning come up. Shortly after the vehicle went into reduced power mode. He was able to exit the highway and get the vehicle stopped. Upon stopping the vehicle died. Upon getting out of the vehicle he noticed a large oil leak on the ground and coating the underside of the vehicle. Had this incident happened during a busier traffic hour the sudden drastic slow in speed could have resulted in an accident. There was also oil left on the roadway that could be a hazard to other drivers. We had the vehicle towed to our mechanic. He confirmed that the engine had blown and would need replaced. He informed us that this vehicle has a known oil overconsumption issue. Gm has settled on a class action lawsuit involving this make and model for the 2010 to 2013 model years. There is also a class action lawsuit currently in process out of missouri against gm for the model years 2014 to 2017. I contacted gm and was told there was no active recall on my vehicle. I inquired about help getting the issue resolved and was told they were unable to help due to the vehicle not being diagnosed at a gm dealership. O have contacted gm dealerships and am having a hard time finding one that is willing to work with me on getting this issue resolved. This vehicle never warned of low oils or oil pressure. The engine did not make any kind of noise to indicate an issue. There was nothing indication anything was wrong with the vehicle until the vehicle went into low power mode and the engine was blown. A police report was not filed and insurance has not been contacted due to no accident being caused by the incident. The vehicle is still with my independent mechanic as we try to figure out how to cover the cost of this very costly repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Defective pcv valve system caused the rear main seal to blow out. Causing oil leak which made my engine stall while driving on interstate 95.

When very cold in January 2025 in evansville in area. Our Equinox was being driven 1 hour and no lights on dashboard turned on and then all of a sudden at a stoplight the Equinox stalled and wouldn't go. The mechanic at a chevy dealership said pvc froze and engine wasn't getting oil.

The rear main seal failed which ended up causing issues with the timing belt and required pistons to be replaced as well. The safety of the vehicle was at risk because it was spewing oil all over the place while I was driving which could cause the roads to be slick and cause others to crash. Let alone the oil spewing everyone could cause further damage to my own vehicle. The dealer confirmed there is a bulletin for this exact issue and also advised me that in my small local area there was 6 others in the past 3 weeks who had the exact same issue. Several others I know who have this vehicle also had it happen to them within the past few years. There was 0 indication of anything that something was wrong until it just happened all of the sudden. It cost $6500 to fix and GMC will take 0 responsibility for their own willful misconduct.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly went into limp mode. The traction control, the stability-track warning lights, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the race car factory, where it was diagnosed that the engine's rear main seal was blown. The mechanic determined that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000. The VIN was not available.

I am having this same issue with my 2017 Equinox as stated in the below information. It currently only has 58390 miles. I have already paid over 700 to try and fix and now they are telling me it is going to be another $5040. 00. I feel like this should be covered by the class action lawsuit. The lawsuits against general motors allege that the 2. 4-liter ecotech engines found in model year 2010-2017 chevy Equinox and GMC terrain suvs burn excessive amounts of oil. The safety risk posed by the apparent defect is substantial, the lawsuits claim, given that an engine operating without sufficient oil could wear down and fail prematurely, even during the course of normal operation, due to friction. According to the lawsuits, general motors, for its part, actively concealed from consumers that its Equinox and terrain vehicles suffered from an oil consumption defect. Worse, the suits say, gm allegedly failed to offer vehicle owners and lessees any help by way of repairs or recalls.

Rear mail oil leak engine gone timing chain failure allowed the engine pistons to contact the engine valves thereby damaging the valves and pistons.

Two massive oil leaks experienced while driving during cold weather months. One two years ago (Feb 2023) and the other January 2025. Both instance caused by rear main seal and led to mass oil loss while operating and vehicle almost shutting down on roadway. There appears to have been bulletins sent to dealers from gm on the matter but no indication to customers of the potential dangers.

Rear main seal gone bad due to engine defect noted in gm service bulletin pip5093c which is a known defect in the engine.

On 1/5/25, the rear main seal ruptured due to a known issue in the vehicle's pvc system, causing severe oil loss, potential catastrophic damage to the engine, loss of power, possible accident and/or injury. The problem was confirmed by a local Chevrolet dealer, with an estimated repair cost of $4000. The failure occurred without any vehicle warning lights activating.