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2011 Chevy Equinox Problems

1035 messages,  Last post on May 11, 2013 at 2:53 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Equinox Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Equinox, Auto Repair, Transmission, SUV

Messages Page 74 of 104

#731 of 1035 Re: 2011 CHEVY EQUINOX NIGHTMARE [katph062000] by gfrustrated

Feb 06, 2012 (10:09 am)

Replying to: katph062000 (Feb 03, 2012 3:38 pm)
Update to my saga, took car for a second opinion per GM representative to a different dealer on Thursday 2/2/2012. This dealer has a "Master" Technician on staff and he found 2 bulletins, 1 on the electric steering motor and one on the steering gear. They have ordered the parts for both and will call me when they come in.
I will post after this is done. Hopefully this will fix the problem!
  
gfrustrated P.S. Sent reply to wrong person originally!

#732 of 1035 Re: 2011 CHEVY EQUINOX NIGHTMARE [gfrustrated] by bubbz

Feb 06, 2012 (12:09 pm)

Replying to: gfrustrated (Feb 06, 2012 10:09 am)
So, I was getting ready to purchase a new Equinox. I was going to trade in my truck. Well after reading this thread, I have opted not to purchase this vehicle. Blame the problems and the poor customer service I have read about on here. Personally it's not so much the car, it's more about the piss poor service people are receiving. Congrats GM, you lost a potential customer.

#734 of 1035 2011 Equinox Control Module Burned Up (Literally) by katemonster

Feb 06, 2012 (12:40 pm)

A little history:
My 2011 Equinox is 13 months old and has ~17k miles on it. It has been well maintained. I live in a sub arctic climate, which means the vehicle sees temps as low as -40 or colder regularly in the winter but the car is parked in a garage at night an correctly winterized for the conditions. Other cars that I have had have not problems in this arrangement. I have had NO problems with the car up until now.
 
The Problem:
Last Monday I was leaving work (car had been sitting for about 3 hours, and I had let it warm up about 30 minutes before driving) I was about 30 minutes into my drive when my gauges zeroed, several service lights came on, and the screen behind my steering wheel displayed the message "Check Tire Monitor". My radio, however was working fine. Thinking this was very strange, I noted that I was only a couple miles from my dealership and changed my route to go straight there. I stopped at the next intersection and when I got going again I realized I had lost my power steering, my turn signals and head lights. This made me very nervous but I kept going.
 
Once I got to the dealership I parked the car and decided I would try restarting the car to see if things fix themselves. I couldn't even put the car in park! So sitting with my car stuck between park and neutral, I tried to open the door, which of course, due to the "safety features" of the wonderful Equinox, stayed locked while not in park. I couldn't override the lock with the center console unlock button either. Panicking, I called the dealership (thank you iphone!) and explained over the phone that what had happened and that I was now locked in my vehicle in their parking lot.
 
His first question for me was "Cobalt or Equinox?" second was "2005 or 2006?" He seemed very surprised when I told him it was a 2011. He told me to meet him at the vehicle (like I could go anywhere) and hung up. While waiting, I WAS able to get myself out using the peg next to the window (these don't seem to be meant to be used anymore, they go more of the way down into the door and aren't easy to grip). The service guy tried to jump the car and no success.
 
I sat in their waiting room for 3 hours to be told that a "control module" had "burned up" and that it was literally smoking when they took the cover off of it. They set me up with a rental and told me it would be less than a week.
 
Today, it has been a week. When I called, they told me it would now be more like mid week.
 
I think what they intend to do is simply drop a new module into place.
 
My question is...
 
Has this happened to anyone else?
 
Is there a chance there is another problem elsewhere in the car that could have precipitated this issue? I'm a Mechanical Engineer but I have no clue when it comes to electronics.
 
I drive 50 miles a day through un-populated areas to get to work. I need a reliable car. Do I need to worry about this happening again?

#736 of 1035 Re: 2011 CHEVY EQUINOX NIGHTMARE [katph062000] by gfrustrated

Feb 10, 2012 (3:11 pm)

Replying to: katph062000 (Feb 03, 2012 3:38 pm)
Re: Steering Noise - It's gone!!! They replaced the Electric Motor and Gear, now it works just like it is supposed to, QUIET!!! Don't let your dealer or GM give you the run-a-round!! Had it fixed at Capitol Chevrolet in Salem, Oregon. They did a fantastic job, found the problem in 30 minutes and ordered the parts. The part number for the Motor and Gear is, 20857570.

#738 of 1035 Re: 2011 CHEVY EQUINOX NIGHTMARE [gfrustrated] by gmcustsvcsarah

Feb 13, 2012 (11:44 am)

Replying to: gfrustrated (Feb 10, 2012 3:11 pm)
I'm glad to hear that Capitol Chevrolet took such great care of you, gfrustrated! Many happy, quiet miles to you!
Sarah
GM Customer Service

#739 of 1035 2011 Equinox Shifting Problems by smazz

Feb 23, 2012 (1:22 pm)

My 2011 Equinox has 14800 miles and is 11 months old. Daily I drive about an hour home from work in stop and go traffic. Toward the end of my drive one day a month ago as my car was shifting from 3 to 4th gear, it acted like it went into neutral, RPMs went really high and then several seconds later it "jumped violently" back into gear. This happened a couple more times over the next few days, so I took it into the dealer. They did software updates, etc. and then three (3) of them drove it, including one driving it home from work. Only one of the gentlemen who drove was driving it went the problem briefly happened. They suggested that I NOT drive it in ECO mode and switch it off and that might resolve the problem. I did just that and now it is still doing it. My fear is that when it happens I suffer from a rapid deceleration and since I am not applying the brakes, no brake lights go on and I am going to get hit from behind or it is going to stay stuck in "neutral" permanently. I have a 10 year son and I am afraid someone will hit us from behind when this happens. I took it to the dealer again yesterday. They couldn't find anything again, so they called GM. GM said that they are AWARE of the problem, but don't know how to fix it. Their suggestion to the dealer was to tell me to PUT it on ECO mode and see if it does it. I told the dealer that I had it in ECO mode the first time when I brought it in and they told me NOT to drive it in ECO mode and see if it does it. Basically, GM knows about the problem, doesn't know how to fix it and I am stuck with a vehicle that is CLEARLY unsafe.

#740 of 1035 Re: Still living the nightmare! [gmcustsvcsarah] by missydubo

Mar 15, 2012 (5:49 pm)

Replying to: gmcustsvcsarah (Jan 20, 2012 8:34 am)
I'm glad to announce the nightmare is over! After months of frustration and fear, my 2011 Equinox is gone. A GM rep and engineer met with us today and offered us trade assist to get out of the nightmare. I upgraded to a 2012 6cyl with an upgraded stereo and wheels, same color that retailed for $3k more. I actually received the full purchase price, a discounted vehicle (thanks to the dealer), and a lower financing rate for less than $20 more a month. If we would have traded without the assistance of GM, we would have lost our pants! Thank you GM for listening. I would like to wish everyone else the same results. I also pray that no life is sparred due to the hesitations when pulling out. Thank you all for listening!

Messages Page 74 of 104

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