2016 Chevrolet Equinox complaints

Due to an oil consumption issue the engine failed while there was still 1000+ miles before the next oil change was due. There was no warning light indication that the vehicle needed oil. Needed to replace the entire engine. After engine was replaced we were required to monitor the oil consumption consistently. The issue continued and oil had to be monitored and changed more often than manufacturer recommendations. The vehicle was brought to an independent service center who then performed the work to replace the engine. Before the vehicle was brought to an independent service center we went directly to the Chevy Dealer that we bought the vehicle from. They wanted nothing to do with it and did not even offer to inspect the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed at the drive-thru, the engine made a knocking sound. The vehicle then lost motive power and failed to restart. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, after the vehicle had an oil change at the dealer, the engine started consuming an excessive amount of oil, causing frequent oil changes every 3,000 miles. The oil life monitor system displayed 60% of oil remaining; however, when the vehicle was taken to Walmart for an oil change, the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine. The vehicle also jerked while driving. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

[XXX] I drove to work 9.8 miles. It was very cold that week, Zero temps. During my drive I experience intermittent power surges/loss, horrible exhaust filled the vehicle to the point I had to open windows. NO ENGINE LIGHTS ever came on. I called repair shop and scheduled to bring it in after work. They notified me that the main rear engine seal had blown and caused the oil to leak all out and ruined my engine. The cost to repair/replace engine is going to be $6k. This was a very dangerous situation. I often drive with my daughters and grandchildren in my vehicle. We could have been in a serious accident if I had lost power on the freeway. Or, could have been stranded on the side of the road in zero temps. Upon researching this issue, there is an ongoing lawsuit, , et al.,[XXX] v. General Motors LLC.Case [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Occasionally the vehicle would surge forward while stopped at a stop light. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who discovered that the engine oil was extremely low. Engine oil was added to the engine however, after retrieving the vehicle the contact discovered that engine oil had leaked from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed the local mechanic who diagnosed that the timing chain had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000.

According to the GM Certified Technician our 2016 Chevy Equinox had frozen PCV valves. On the day this happened temperatures were in the single digits. This caused the rear seal to blow and drain the oil from the engine while being driven. Engine shut off completely while driving (after driving 30+ miles) on the highway. We had to have the car towed. The technician said this is a known issue with the ecotech 2.4 liter engine, “but good luck getting Chevy to do anything for you.” The engine has to be replaced at a cost of $9200. More than the blue book value, and I still owe on it.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound. The contact drove the vehicle to the destination. The contact parked the vehicle and checked the engine oil level. The contact became aware of a pasty substance on the end of the dipstick. The contact was taken to get oil to top off the engine oil. The contact stated that while driving, the low oil pressure and stop engine warning lights illuminated. The contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed PCV valve. The contact was informed that the PCV valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

WHILE DRIVING DURING A SHORT SPELL OF TEMPERTAURES AROUND 0 DEGREES THE REAR MAIN SEAL ON THE ENGINE BLEW OUT. THIS WAS DUE TO CONDENSATION FREEZING IN PVC PORT OF ENGINE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM I GUESS THAT CHEVROLET IS AWARE OF ON THE 2.4 LITER ECO TECK ENGINE. IF I HAD KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM, I WOULD NOT HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR IN THESE CONDITIONS. WHEN IT DUMPED THE OIL, I WAS ABLE TO GET STOPPED BEFORE MAJOR DAMAGE OCCURED. THERE WAS NEVER ANY WARNING LIGHTS BEFORE OR AFTER THE INCIDENT. WHY HAVEN'T THE OWNERS BEEN MADE AWARE IF THIS PROBLEM? WHY DOESN'T CHEVROLET COVER THE COST OF THIS DESIGN FLAW?

My car blew out the rear main oil seal due to a faulty pcv valve that froze over in zero degree weather. The car lost all of its engine oil. There were no engine warning lights on before or after this happened. It has been diagnosed at the used dealer ship I got the vehicle from. It's currently at the shop but can be inspected if need be. My personal safety was at risk because it happened on the way to work and could have left me stranded. I also have had to rent a car for the last few weeks due to this issue. The car showed no warning signs of having prior issues of any sort before this happened.

Motor is sucking oil, no leak, to the point where check engine light comes on and oil is empty within weeks of an oil change. Must drive with extra oil in car because it is constantly low. When this occurs, car tries to stall out when stopped and in Drive.

Was driving home and without prior warning received a message on the dash to pull over low oil pressure. Vehicle was towed to the dealership and I am being told I that GM has a known issue of freezing PCV in cold temperatures which causes the rear main seal to blow and other internal issues. I know am told this will be a $5600 repair and no coverage. GM has lawsuits and other numerous complaints about this issue.

The rear main seal on our 2016 Chevrolet Equinox blew a second time in January 2024. The vehicle was driven about 30 miles after startup after leaving it at an airport for five days when the rear main seal blew again leaking oil. The first time the rear main seal blew was in February 2020 when the engine had only 46,000 miles. Both incidences occurred when the temperatures were near zero degrees. The same issue occurred after the vehicle had an additional 54,000 miles or approximately 100,500 total miles on the odometer. Apparently, the PVC valve gets clogged during normal cold temperatures in Michigan and created too much pressure inside the engine. This engine should not be sensitive to normal winter climates. I believe this would not have occurred if the PVC valve was on the exterior of the engine. Our trust in our vehicle's engine is waning. We don't want other Equinox owners to experience this and we don't want this issue for a third time. Please help us as I believe it should have been a recall issue. The car dealership said this was the third Equinox brought into their shop this week. The estimate for repairs is $3,156.

I was driving my teenage daughter’s car in negative temperatures in a snow storm. During the drive home from work I started to hear a tick noise and thought the wheel well must have snow built up in it and the tire was making the noise. I made it about two more miles down the road when it really started making a loud growling noise from the engine. I pulled over in the negative temperatures and looked under the hood and could see engine oil everywhere. I had no warning lights that were on , just oil everywhere and no oil on the dipstick. I had to wait along the highway in the negative freezing temperatures waiting for someone to come pick me up with a car I couldn’t run for any heat. I had the car towed to the nearest Chevy dealer and they said that the PVC port froze which created crankcase pressure and blew out the rear main seal. Luckily, I shut it off in time and it did not blow the engine. They told me on the 2.4L engine this is a common problem and they had three other ones in there for the same thing with the cold weather we were having. This is a flawed design that Chevy knows about that could put people’s safety at risk and they will not do anything about it. These engines need to have a recall on them, but Chevy won’t do it because it is such a money maker for them. It cost close to $3000 to have this fixed and wonder when it will happen again, because it will happen again in cold weather. I would stay away from Chevy products unless you have a big wallet for expens

During cold weather my rear main seal failed and and I cannot drive the car my because it loses all of the oil in it. It will cost over $1900 to repair. This is a known issue of equinox’s and the equinox’s with this motor should be recalled for poor design. Three body shops in my town will not do this repair on this car because “it will just happen again”

The contact's uncle owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had an oil change performed; however, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Was driving on the highway and the car lost power and shut down and wouldn’t start again. It was towed to a mechanic where I was told the timing jumped and I needed a new engine. I bought the car used in 2018 and not even 2 months after the car was burning oil the car started shaking and eventually stalled. At that point it was still cover under warranty

Had issue with it burning a TON of oil, solenoid ended up needing replaced. Replaced, and next day engine froze up and shot oil out of the back real seal, and now need replaced engine. Because the back real seal blew, is not being covered by my extended warranty, even though the damage was cause because of a covered part.

My car is a 2016 chevy equinox - the check engine light never came on and I was driving it home from the store when it started bucking, showing "power to engine low" error message and barely moved when pressing the gas. I got the car home and my husband was checking the car only to find I have no oil when I never received any warning. I have done research and have seen this is an issue for many chevy equinox owners who all experienced this with their cars. I just had an oil change completed a few months ago in early Sept/Late August with very minimal driving in the 4 month window as I was out of work for 2 of those months. I do believe this is a defect in the car due to the fact that I was out of oil so quickly PLUS no alert informing me that the oil was low prior to the issue with the vehicle. now it will not start and the engine appears to be trash now.

With no warning my 2016 equinox’s engine began to fail functioning, reduced engine power warning displayed, then the vehicle stalled and would not restart. Professional mechanical review has indicated excessive oil consumption and timing chain issues regardless of a regular documented maintenance and oil changes

I was driving home from work, all of sudden all the dash borad lights started flashing and the car stop. engine would not start back up. I had to have the car towed home and the next day it was towed to the dealership, I was told that there is a problems with the Chev Equinox's oil use, it burns fast and make the plastic parts in the engine break down. I was told that i will need timing chain and pitston replaced or new engine. i filed a complaint with GMC and they said that they don;t know of any problems with the type of car engine that i have. GMC said they will pay $600, toward cost of my repairs about $6500. dollars.

The engine has failed. This problem is known by Chevrolet Corporation. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk when my vehicle just shut down. This problem with the 2.4 Engine, is a known problem by GM.. About 2 years ago I noticed some oil spots. I then took it to a certified mechanic and had it inspected. They told me that the gaskets and seals of the engine were bad and they needed to be replaced. I had them replaced and it cost me almost $3000.00 out of my pocket. Now, once again, there are oil spots and now there is oil all over the right side (looking at the car from the front) (alternator side). I was driving back home from my daughter's (at night) and my car just quit on me. There were no warning lights nor any sounds. I am now out of a vehicle. I desperately need a vehicle for doctor appointments down state and I am a caregiver as well. I reached out to Chevrolet Support a bit ago. I have the case number. I am requesting for Chevrolet to make this right. I am requesting Chevrolet Manufacturer replace the engine in my vehicle. They know of this problem with the engine and oil consumption.

Timing chain issues with 2016 Chevy equinox with the echo Tech engine problem with automobile stalling out and running rough at idle. Occasionally will stall out while stopped .

Was in a small accident the air bags never deployed but the seat belts locked saying that I needed to service my air bag system. As I did. The seat belts are no longer locked but the light is still on and the car is telling me to servic we the airbag system

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine oil level was extremely low. The contact stated that the engine had experienced oil consumption failure and engine oil was constantly being added to the engine. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.

This vehicle has no leaks and no console indicators to let me know of this issue. The vehicle burns more oil than is acceptable. Was empty with no indication and no oil change due. Dealership admits to faulty design that burns too much oil. Gm admits and agrees to pay a small amount of the cost. Nominal and honestly not acceptable either since I have on record keeping up to date with all maintenance.

While driving my 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, it completely shut down. I was luckily not on a busy road, at the time, I was able to coast part way of the road. Had I been in traffic, and stopped so abruptly, I most likely would have caused an accident. I had it towed back to my house, and then I had to pay someone to haul to dealership to be looked at. Upon Inspection, was told almost completely out of oil, although no low oil, check engine oil indicator light came on. Was also told there were bent valves, and broken rocker arms. They said this is a common problem with this particular motor in similar vehicles. Burning excessive oil, causing major damage to the engine. After reading several complaints, it is easy to see the 2016 Equinox motor has major flaws. We have yet to give go ahead to fix, because price of repair is unknown. A new engine and install could be $8,000. My Equinox had 84,447 miles on it, when this happened. This should not be the life of a motor. Especially with regular oil changes, and maintenance, which it had. I would hate to see it take a fatality, for this engine to be recalled

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed. The contact was able to pull over near to the shoulder of the roadway. The Police assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the residence and then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

I was driving on a freeway with my child in the car it was pouring down raining and my wipers stopped working almost causing up to be in a bad wreck!

Always changed my oil every 3000-5000 miles. Almost Never had any check engine lights. Replaced a few sensors. A battery. Was a good vehicle until it died in the beginning of January. Stuck on the side of the road with oil coming out of my car According to the mechanic i took it to Engine failure due to "frozen" pcv valve causing front and rear main seals to blow. Lost all my oil. Also have a rod knock now. and they recommended whole engine replacement. For $6000-8000. Stuck with a crappy car and making payments on it. Way to go Chevrolet!

Despite not being due for an oil change, the low oil pressure light came on. Then there was a loud sound, smoke came out of the exhaust and the engine started smoking and rattling and then the engine stalled. I had it towed and the mechanic told me there was no oil in the engine, even though there had been earlier in the day. The mechanic told me that this is a known problem with the 2016 Equinox. They are known to burn oil and the engine will stop without warning. Luckily, I was at a place where I could safely pull over. But I was told the engine is blown and it is no longer drivable. I bought used less than two years ago with less than 70k miles on it. It currently has just over 103k miles on it. The fact that this is a known problem and such a huge problem is upsetting. The manufacturer needs to be held accountable.

As I was driving, it started to rain, so I turned on my windshield wipers. While the wipers were functioning, they abruptly stopped in the middle of their rotation. I had to stop on the side of the road while the wipers were stuck, and I couldn’t drive in the rain without them, so I had to wait until the rain went away before I could drive. I took it to the dealership the next day when it wasn’t raining, and they told me the windshield wiper arm detached from the motor and the whole thing needed replacement. The year of my car is 2016, and I noticed that while my car didn’t have this recalled, the 2015 model does. It literally is the same issue as seen on the 2015 version. Because my car’s year isn’t under recall, I had to pay the full amount to get this issue replaced. Thankfully, this did not occur during heavy rainfall or a winter storm, especially on the highway, because I would’ve been stranded. There is no way a windshield wiper arm detached from the motor on its own unless it was a defect right from the start, as evident by the fact that the 2015 model was already recalled for exactly this issue.

Engine started with fuel injectors starting leaking out of injector. Then codes started popping up. Bad fuel rail - misfire - imbalanced below threshold catalyst system efficiency. All caused by crack on exhaust manifold. The cost was substantial. This is known on many equinox. Look on media to see.

Engine problems . Oil problems. Metal shavings in the oil and took to a mechanic and they said it needs a new engine. Also the heater isn’t working. Check engine light would go on and off. Had the oil changed beforehand. Says reduced engine power. Took daughter to work stopped at gas station and shut it off came back out and wouldn’t start had to have it towed home.

Driving in a very heavy downpour and had wipers on high about 10 hours from home on a vacation. On a country road, no real burm to pull off on, both wipers stopped up on the windshield leaving no way to see the road. Had to drive not seeing until I could find a semi pull off. Had to sit for an hour with flashers on until rain passed. Stopped at a parts store to spray rainex on until I could find a garage. Next day, found a garage to look at it and paid him $72.00 to say hopefully it could get me home. He said there was something in there that was bad and had never seen this fail before. Left garage and next morning about 5 minutes into a drive, wipers quit working again. This is a very dangerous thing to fail.

I purchased a 2016 Equinox in April of 2019 and had no problems until November of 2022. The check engine light came on and the car kept stalling out on me. I took it to my mechanic, and he told me I needed a new intake solenoid. I did purchase an extended warranty and called them immediately. They told me where to take the car for repair. I did and they repaired it under warranty, but they never explained why it was running rough. They just told me that I should get an oil treatment with my next 2 oil changes. Fast forward to August 2023. The engine light came on again. I was due for my oil change and went to my mechanic. He said the engine was burning up. The oil wasn't even showing on the dip stick. He had to replace the intake, exhaust solenoid and crank sensor, plus change the oil, but this didn't resolve the problem. Coming home from work, 3 days later, it started making loud noises and stalling when I stopped. The engine light and StabiliTrak light came on. The instrument cluster said engine working at 1/2 Power. I don't know how I made it home, but it did. I have a 7-year-old car with 64,000 miles on it and have a balance on my loan. The standard and extended warranties have expired. I did call GMAC and all I was told was that it was past the warranty period. After having it towed to a Chevy dealership, I was told that it would cost me over 5K to fix it, without any guarantee on parts & labor, or over 9K to replace the motor which would come with a 3 year, 100,000-mile

Driving down the highway at 70mph in a downpour, when the drivers side wiper went up, and never came back down.

Windshield wipers became inoperative during a rain storm, leaving us stranded on the highway till the rain passed.

Every single time I go for an oil change, my oil is empty, even though I go early. One time I went to my place and they refused to do in oil change because it is dry and I had to go buy oil and put it in before they would change it. This car burns oil quicker than I burn gas. I’m very concerned because there were a couple times where there was no oil and I now stop in mid oil change for top offs and come in a few hundred miles before I was out. The dates below are for now but this is insane and has been going on a very, vary long time.

I was driving down the interstate at 70+ mph when my windshield wipers suddenly stopped mid swing. They stayed frozen in place and did not fall back down. I have been unable to have the wipers work in any situation since. This occurred during an extremely heavy downpour and my vision was immediately obscured. In the car we’re also my wife and 5-month old child. I was able to turn on my hazards and begin to slow down by releasing the accelerator but I had to drive blindly for about 30-seconds at speed to allow 2 18-wheelers and a car from behind me to pass before I could move over 2 lanes and onto the shoulder. My wife had to help provide assistance from the backseat where she was seated next to our child’s car seat. Her view out of the rear-passenger window was enough of an angle and less obstructed to be able to help. We were forced to wait out the remainder of the rain on a narrow shoulder with 18-wheelers continually plowing past. After the rain passed I could use the shoulder to drive about a mile to the next exit. Unsure at the time what the issue was, we were able to get rain-X and contacted a Jiffy Lube. A brief diagnosis by their mechanics was a faulty wiper transmission since the wiper motor was still operating and making noise but the wipers appear to have disconnected from the motor. They had neither the time nor the parts for repair. I will be taking the car to a GM/Chevy dealership for inspection and repair. There was no prior indication of a problem and has neve

Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles are plagued by a defect that causes the SUVs to burn or consume excessive amounts of oil, leading to a risk of catastrophic engine damage and serious safety concerns. This is a problem with certain Equinox, mine incldued. The recalls should not be by state, if there is a problem we should be able to take to dealer and get tested and if it fails they fix it. they know it's a problem but figure if we can get away with not paying that will be great for GM. Will definitely not by a Chevy again.

Exhaust Muffler/Resonator leaking causing loud exhaust. Need to replace resonator back with muffler and clamps.

I was driving down the road & my windshield wipers stopped working in the middle of a horrible downpour of rain. I know there was a recall on the 2015 model mine is a 2016

Piston rings failure and excessive oil consumption Car stalled on a side road. had the cylinder tested for compression and only had 100psi no warning lights at all

I have completed extensive research on my 2016 chevy equinox and it is my understanding this model has ongoing issues with the high pressure fuel pump. However only the newer models have been recalled for the same exact issue. I need to report the same issue with the 2016 models as well. I have never had any major issues with this vehicle until it suddenly started stalling and failing emissions inspections causing a huge monetary set back. I want to file a complaint for Chevy to acknowledge that this is an ongoing issue for not just newer vehicles and address my repairs.

Front wipers just suddenly stopped working in the middle of a Interstate Highway, during a downpour, causing to lose complete visibility.And unable to get them working again, as we're stuck on the shoulder.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wipers failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the windshield wiper motor. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Whiper blades suddenly stopped working while driving in a rain storm.

It doesn't make sense how much oil this thing burns. We just had the oil changed last month and prior to that we've replaced the solenoids. Why in heavens did this vehicle stall out yesterday when my husband was driving on the highway saying engine power reduced. This vehicle is costing a fortune. There is truly something wrong with these engines! This could have cause a major crash. Thank goodness no one got hurt.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH in inclement weather, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and waited until the rain showers had slowed down to continue driving to his destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,125.

I was driving my car and it just stopped working it wouldn’t turn over at all! I heard about recalls with the engine that has something to do with the oil burning to fast. I took it to the dealership and had a warranty on it but they said it was only a one year warranty and it would be 6000 for a new engine.