Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

Vehicle safety complaint – 2024 Chevrolet Equinox I am reporting a safety defect involving unintended vehicle movement and improper shutdown behavior. While operating my 2024 Chevrolet Equinox, I was able to shut the vehicle off even though it was not in park. After shutdown, the vehicle rolled forward on its own and struck a tree. At the time of the incident, the radio remained on despite the vehicle being turned off, indicating the vehicle may not have fully entered ignition-off state. This incident suggests a potential malfunction involving one or more of the following systems: gear position detection system transmission park engagement mechanism electronic shift control module ignition state logic or body control module the vehicle should not allow shutdown unless it is in park, or it should provide clear warnings and prevent unintended movement. This behavior presents a serious safety risk of rollaway incidents. I am requesting a full diagnostic inspection and documentation of all stored fault codes, including history codes, prior to any resets. Please also check for software updates, technical service bulletins, or known defects related to shift position recognition or ignition state control. This issue resulted in unintended movement and property damage and poses a significant safety hazard.

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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.

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The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact resumed driving, but the vehicle failed to exceed 55 mph on the expressway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a factory defect. The dealer determined that the turbo wastegate solenoid, the charge air cooler, and the tcv wrap needed to be replaced with an aftermarket part. The parts were ordered; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

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Case number 11715650 , check engine light went on , and the vehicle reduced speed, I took car into dealership, they said the engine had an ice problem and a repair would be needed, they said that this was a flaw in design, and it should be part of a recall, and that this is a common problem with this vehicle. The cost of a repair would be around $1000. 00 . T fill this should be covered by the manufacture because of a design flaw.

Got word from the mechanic at the dealership that the cam shaft is leaking oil as well as the fuel injectors retainers are out and need to be sealed as they are also leaking. The engine went into safe mode to prevent any engine fires.

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Vehicle is leaking coolant excessively. Faulty 55513550 water pump (acdelco/gm oe) commonly causes engine overheating, coolant leaks (often from the weep hole), and unusual noise (squeaking/rumbling) in 1. 6l diesel engines for Chevrolet cruze, Equinox, and GMC terrain. It may cause cabin heating issues and trigger engine codes. Major problem #2: electrical described by tony dubois at midas (cinco ranch location) - electrical pulse are being received through the wiring causing lights to go on and off. No other manufacturer or repair shop can fix this issue because of the inability to access the coding. This is an dealership software issue.

Transfer case and front differential failure. No warning lights came on beforehand.

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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 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of fuel coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake pads were wearing abnormally quickly. The message speed reduced was displayed. The engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

While driving, my engine light came on. After taking it in, it turned out that I had water/oil freezing in the intercooler. This could have been very dangerous when I was driving. I have had the gm wrap put on it. I am hoping that this will not be a problem again.

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Turbo/superchargers malfunctioned, and I had to have it replaced back up sensors do not work properly. Say backup, assistant, malfunction.

On 1/22/25 took my car in for warranty repairs of the air induction system. The dealership claimed they fixed it, on 2/17/25 went back letting the dealership know the issue was not fixed but the told me that they didn’t see anything wrong. Yet a year later to the date I am having the same issue visit the dealership for them to let the car thaw and cleared code for my check engine light to pop back on and reduce engine speed once again.

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I would like to formally file a safety complaint regarding my Chevrolet vehicle and to express concern over Chevrolet’s handling of a known defect. On January 22, while driving to work in cold weather conditions, my vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction. The engine unexpectedly revved to approximately 4,500 rpm, the check engine light illuminated, and the dashboard displayed an “engine power reduced” message. Despite removing my foot from the accelerator, the vehicle did not slow down as expected. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and bring the vehicle to a stop. I immediately contacted my local Chevrolet service department and was advised to bring the vehicle in six days later, the following Friday. Due to the safety risk, we did not use the vehicle during this time out of concern for a potential accident. When the vehicle was inspected by the Chevrolet dealership, we were informed that Chevrolet had identified this issue as being related to cold weather operation and that a custom shield had been designed to address the problem. We were also told that Chevrolet vehicles were not adequately designed for cold weather conditions, which led to this failure. Despite this acknowledgment and the fact that Chevrolet has engineered a corrective part, we were informed that the repair—costing approximately $1,600—is not covered under our extended warranty, as the shield was not installed on the vehicle at the time of purchase. The vehicle remains unsafe to drive. When accelerating, engine rpms surge from approximately 2,500 to 4,000 rpm, and the vehicle can suddenly decelerate, creating a serious risk of rear-end collisions if a following driver is forced to brake abruptly. This issue represents a significant safety hazard. Chevrolet has acknowledged the defect by creating a corrective part, yet is declining to cover the repair cost, leaving the responsibility with the customer for a known design issue. Please let me know my next step.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving at approximately 70 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated with the message “reduce engine power – drive with care” displayed, and the vehicle was unable to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was driven to a local dealer, where the failure was diagnosed as an active shutter system failure, not allowing air into the turbocharger. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,736.

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.

Engine stalled possibly due to a faulty fuel pump. I was able to drive the vehicle without issue until I pulled up to my house, when the engine stalled. No warning signs prior to the incident. Proceeded to put the vehicle in park and start the engine again. The engine had trouble starting again, sputtering even when the gas pedal was pressed (no response to the gas pedal). No sound comes from the fuel pump when trying to start. Battery in good condition. Lucky vehicle did not stall while driving down the road at 60 mph. Vehicle will have to be towed to a mechanic.

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.

I am on 20 service calls. Mine is currently having onstar issues screens glitching, apple carplay won’t connect, sensors on mirrors are going off nothing beside me, when I hit my breaks it keeps turning my emergency brake on and engine power reduced keeps coming on dash but the dealership is saying gm said my warranty is voided due to a aftermarket part.

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My car has a slow crank and when I am driving down the road it cuts off completely and does not want to crank. I have a signal on my car that says reduced speed and the speed is cut down and drags . My car also smells like gas and there is a leak coming from the vehicle it drains really bad . My brakes goes out every few months . My car radio goes out like there is a shortage. Its horrible.

The 2. 4 liter engine in my car has had excessive oil consumption. Now the engine oil is like peanut butter and the blow by out the oil fill is strong.

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The wiper blade motor is gone out. The tire pressure sensor is off : the oil seems to disappear faster than the sensor.

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.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle lost automotive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Neither an independent mechanic nor the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to auto zone, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the fuel pump control module needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 23v013000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls at the time of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

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.

I am writing to formally document a series of catastrophic mechanical failures regarding the aforementioned vehicle. Despite rigorous maintenance and significant financial investment, the car remains non-drivable, posing a severe safety risk. Chronology of failures: October 2024: four months post-purchase, the timing chain failed on I-94. Atwater Chevrolet replaced the component; however, this did not resolve the underlying engine instability. December 3, 2025: following a dashboard warning light, a northland Chevrolet dealer replaced the solenoids. At this time, the windshield wiper motor also required replacement. Late December 2025: shortly after these repairs, the vehicle suffered a major failure of the rear main seal and engine block during sub-freezing temperatures. This caused a total loss of oil and left the driver stranded in hazardous conditions. Maintenance and disclosure: we have invested over $4,000 in preventative maintenance, including oil changes every 2,800 miles to mitigate known oil consumption issues. At the time of sale, there was no disclosure regarding the inherent engine defects common to this model. Current status: the vehicle is currently at a dealership and is inoperable. A $10,000 loan balance remains. Current diagnostics suggest a frost plug failure triggered the event. I have contacted gm regarding bulletin 14882, which addresses identical issues in similar models, but was informed it does not currently attach to this VIN. Furthermore, the extended warranty provider has denied the claim following an inspection, despite the documented manufacturing issues known to affect these engines for several years.

Check engine light was on after just sitting in the snow for two days. Dealer is saying that it is a fuel injector and something with the gas. I hope this fixes it.

My daughter, the driver of this vehicle, noticed a noise. The check engine light came on. Over a short period, the noise from the engine progressively worsened. We brought the car to a certified mechanic. The mechanic's initial determination was that the engine would need to be replaced. It was determined that the engine was faulty, failing due to oil leakage that led to excessive oil consumption. As we were not ready to make that kind of financial commitment, we asked him if there was another option. We were instructed to check the oil frequently. We did so over the next couple of months, but the problem continued and worsened. As my daughter was driving, the engine would make a noise and lose power. Eventually, the vehicle started shaking and would shut down when stopped at red lights and stop signs, requiring the engine to be restarted each time. We then brought it back to the mechanic, and the engine was replaced with a new one.

I just got this used car in seemingly great shape, was told it was garage kept and well cared for. Dealer had oil changed before I drove it off the lot. I only had it about one month, had driven about 1,000 miles so far, I check the oil, and dipstick was nearly dry. I threw oil in it and took it for an oil change just in case. No oil leaks, etc. No indication, no oil light, nothing to alert me to low oil level. I saw here on NHTSA that these cars burn through excessive amounts of oil, and I definitely saw that firsthand. I’m wondering why no recalls exist when this is a well-known issue with these cars, and so many of them are dead at 50-70k miles…? the last two cars I had (Ford escapes), had over 218k or 185k miles and they were still drivable when I got a replacement vehicle. Now I buy this used Equinox with almost 70k miles and I’m wondering if it is going to break down within the first year. I expect I will be buying lots of oil and checking/changing it often. This is not just an inconvenience, it can cause major safety concerns! I will not be a repeat chevy customer!.

Engine power low.

Vehicle displayed reduced engine power, check engine light, and service brake assist all at the same time. Brake pedal wouldn't move leaving me without brakes. Coasted to stop and shut off car. Brake did not release and now engine won't start. Informed brake vacuum booster pump is problem and ruined motor now.

Timing chain tensioner lost tension and timing chain got so loose it would not turn the cams and catastrophic engine valve damage was done! this engine is notorious for this and there are class action lawsuits as a result but no recalls from gm as yet only TSB’s (technician service bulletins). This is going to cost me thousands in repairs and I still owe $8500 on it. If this happens in traffic it could pose a serious safety risk in addition to the financial burden it is causing many people! mine fortunately happened in my driveway and the vehicle had to be towed to my mechanic and has been there for 3 weeks. Have had rental vehicle costs as well. He had 3 other 2010-‘16 gm 4 cylinder 2. 4l ecotec engines in his small shop with the exact same issue! after doing research it is a common issue and gm has done nothing to solve it!.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the message "engine power reduced" was suddenly displayed. While attempting to stop, the brake pedal was extremely difficult to depress, and the braking distance was extended. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact was also informed that metal shavings from the vacuum pump might have entered the engine and that an engine diagnostic test was needed. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.

My 2013 Chevrolet Equinox (~132,000 miles) has a serious and unsafe oil consumption problem. I had a full oil change, and only two weeks later the dipstick was completely dry. The vehicle provided no warning lights, no low-oil indication, and the gm oil life monitoring system gave an inaccurate reading, failing to alert me to the critically low oil level. On November 25, 2025, while stopped with my foot firmly on the brake, the vehicle began constantly jumping and jerking forward as if it was trying to move on its own. During driving, I also began hearing a loud crunching, metal-on-metal noise whenever I accelerated or drove under 50 mph. Because these symptoms started suddenly and were severe, I took the vehicle to my mechanic the same day. On November 26, 2025, the mechanic confirmed that the engine had suffered major internal damage due to running with almost no oil. The timing chain and vvt components needed to be replaced. The mechanic confirmed that oil starvation caused this failure despite a recent oil change, and the inaccurate oil life monitoring system contributed to the hazard by failing to alert me to the critically low oil. This defect presents a significant safety hazard, as the vehicle can jerk unexpectedly, stall, lose power, or suffer sudden engine failure while driving, all without warning. I have since learned that excessive oil consumption and inaccurate oil life readings are widespread in gm 2. 4l ecotec engines. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this safety-related defect.

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