2016 Chevrolet Equinox Complaint Log

Maintained vehicle with regular oil changes, tire rotations and inspections. Last oil change was June of 2024. Minimal driving throughout summer as both drivers are teachers and home most of the summer. Vehicle engine light illuminated on 9/12/24 with no prior issues or lights illuminating. Vehicle then went into what felt like "limp mode." Vehicle was taken to certified Chevy dealership service center. Initial diagnosis indicated there was little to no oil left in the engine. No visible leaks were seen on driveway where it has been parked, no smell of burning oil occurred prior to engine light illuminating. Oil life monitor stated 65.89% remaining. Visible leak diagnosis passed inspection. Diagnosis of misfire/engine related concerns. While on phone with mechanic it was stated that pistons and rings were malfunctioning. Upon researching issues, I discovered that there is a well known issues within GM of this exact problem existing in which around roughly 90,000 miles (my vehicle is currently at 91,000+) this specific engine starts consuming oil at a massive rate without indicating any leaks or smells of burning oil. Service center quoted between $6500-$10000 to repair. After I provided feedback about what I had discovered, I was told by mechanic that this is a well known problem with this vehicle. Extended warranties for this issue has been issued however, I am being asked to cover the cost to repair a known problem within the 2011-2017 GM engines in the Equinox and Terrain models.

Wiper linkage. Wipers just stopped working.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started making a ticking noise. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic informed the contact that the engine was low by two quarts of engine oil. On another occasion, the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic for an oil change, and the engine was low by two quarts of engine oil. The following month the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, due to the vehicle hesitating to accelerate, the vehicle was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,690.

The concern is the oil consumption. The car looses a quart of oil a month. I average only 620 miles per month. There is no leak. A mechanic has been keeping track of it every month since April 2025. No warning lights alerted me of the problem. This has been an ongoing problem with the Chevy Equinox. My last one had the same problem but it was fixed thru a recall. It is frustrating for me to have to bring my car in every month to have it checked, because I am a caregiver for my husband and its hard for me to get away. I also use the car for his doctor appointments. I need a dependable car and can't afford a different one.

Wipers stopped during driving on interstate during rain.

Timing chain issue same as 2015 and earlier current recalls. Happened aroun 68,000 miles. May stall pulling out from stop light. Mechanic diagnosed problem Car ran bad at idle and stopped in drive or reverse. Often stalled. Repaired 9/13/24 approx 3,500 bill.Stony Creek Auto Center, Reading, PA did repair. The timing chain kit and oil pump were replaced inpected by mechanic. Warning sign code P0017 and P0012. Yellow warning light.

My chevy equinox 2016 2.4L vehicle engine signal went on. Two days after the light went on, my vehicle stopped on my way to a dealership to ask for assistance. In the early years of purchasing this vehicle everything was working smooth. After the first 3-4 years I remember the mechanics asking if I had done my oil changes, and the answer was yes every time. Now that I started to look further into the issue Im finding out that this exact engine burns through oil way too fast and has cause issue like engine going out. This is a big issue for others on the street and myself, thankfully I was not on the highway at the time when the vehicle shut down on me but I am constatnly utilizing the highway to get around town. This can easily cause an incident in any road/highway if the vehicle had shut off at the wrong time and wrong place. The vehicle has not been inspected for the reasons I'm stating here, but have been noticed by mechanics when doing maintenance. I did not think much of it because I am not a mechanic and I just thought that was the normal for a vehicle to do over time. Now I'm getting quotes to replace the engine plus labor can run anywhere from 6-8 thousand dollars. There was not any warning lights or anything in regards to the engine earlier on, this happened a few days ago and shortly after my vehicle gave out. The engine light never flashed either, it would just stay illuminated, and from my understanding that's a warning to take it to a mechanic shop for further inspection. The amber engine light that im aware of is to not move the vehicle and get somewhere safe.

I was driving in the rain & it just stoped working out of nowhere .

My son was driving when the steering "locked" into one position which caused him to leave the interstate, cross the median, across oncoming traffic and roll the vehicle three times. He suffered a lower back injury and his passenger only encountered minor cuts. We were not aware of any issues at the time. We did not have the vehicle inspected after the crash. No warnings or prior warnings were displayed by the car.

While driving in heavy rain windshield wipers stopped working. 0 visibility while driving is a major concern for me and other drivers

On December 26, 2022, while driving home from work during a snowstorm, my 2016 Chevy Equinox suddenly lost power and began making unusual noises. Shortly after, a warning light indicated low oil pressure, and the engine shut off before I could safely pull over. Since then, the vehicle has been sitting in my driveway. Recently, I had it checked by a dealership, where the mechanics diagnosed a blown rear main seal and significant oil leakage. The dealership confirmed that the rear main seal failure was caused by a faulty PCV valve, a known issue in these models, which resulted in excessive pressure buildup and engine damage. Given the severity of the issue, the dealership mentioned that an engine replacement might be necessary. If it’s just the rear main seal that needs replacing, the estimated cost is $2,700. The vehicle was purchased used with 55,000 miles on it and had only one previous owner.

Engine keeps failing, on a 3rd engine replacement. The car is defective and burns too much oil

Wiper blades stop during light or heavy ran I spoke with the dealer and they won’t correct it I see there we recalls

On [XXX] at approximately 10:30 am I was driving on [XXX] to [XXX] . It started raining heavily and all of a sudden my wipers just quit. Could not see nothing and scared me to death but thankfully was able to get off road and call tow truck. Tow truck took me to Bentons Auto in Guthrie Oklahoma where they replaced the wiper blade mechanism. Mechanic said it was a bad design. They have a mechanism bar which just pops on to a plastic ball. There is not a screw to hold it in place on it anywhere. He said the plastic ball just wears down and arm mechanism just falls off. This could have cost me my life! I looked on line and saw many more complaints on same thing! How can I guarantee it wont happen again unless they have a recall and fix it? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle burns oil causing engine failure. This issue occurs without warning (no oil light, and the check engine light appears moments before the vehicle dies). The vehicle burns oil and reaches engine failure even when regularly scheduled oil changes are completed. THIS SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND RESULT IN A RECALL.

Front Windshield wiper motor stopped working / Broke while driving on an interstate in a severe rain storm. I almost and could have been killed in a crash. Why isn't this a RECALL?

Vehicle began to run rough and jerk forward at slow speeds or when stopped. This unexpected jerking forward when stopped occurred several times almost causing the vehicle to strike the one in front of it No dashboard warning lights we observed. Check oil and found it was 3 quarts low despite being changed and topped off a few weeks earlier. Had a mechanic inspect the vehicle for signs of leaks and he found none. Added 3 quarts until read full on dipstick and began to monitor oil consumption. Vehicle is consuming approximately 1 quart of oil every 400 miles. This is a well maintained vehicle with only 83,000 miles and should not be consuming this much oil. A quick search shows this is a common problem with this model and year, but not recall has yet been issued

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine oil pump had failed and caused the engine to seize. The contact was advised that the engine and oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH unintendedly and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner and retrieved several DTC codes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact of piston rods failure and that the sensor shutdown the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming excessive amounts of engine oil. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

Severe oil consumption which could lead to damage to engine and vehicle failure when driving, which could cause an accident or worse. The dealer stated that the rear main seal could blow out and cause the vehicle failure. Defective parts that GM is aware of, but not addressing to the owners. There is a service bulletin (14882) that dealers are aware of concerning this issue, for an extended warranty of 120,000 or 10 years, no charge to customers to repair. Part#12591866.crankshaft real oil seal. The dealer refuses to honor it.

During a severe rain storm, the wipers just stopped working mid-use after only about five minutes of use. We had to quickly pull over due to significantly decreased visibility. They did not return to the off position on their own and no setting moved them. We manually pushed them back down, but they were able to stretch far beyond the window, leading me to believe something became completely disconnected, not a motor function failure.

Engine Oil had burned off, no notification of loss of engine oil to fill or maintain. engine is now required to be replaced.

Engine consumed all oil and seized up, complete engine failure. We had just had a full synthetic oil change (and regularly did so according to manufacturer recommendations) 2,000 miles prior. This failure was not due to negligence. It appears to be a part of the same oil consumption issues with the 2.4L ecotech engine.

Exhaust manifold cracked leaking dangerous fumes into the cabin.

Timing chain tensioner broke. Fortunately, my wife stopped driving it so the engine didn't blow up.

I had just bought my vehicle, 2016 Chevy Equinox LT, as I was driving it home, not even 20 minutes, it had completely ran out of oil and the engine blew, according to the dealer he had just filled the oil before we bought it. I cannot fix the vehicle due to cost and it almost caused an accident when it suddenly stopped driving in the middle of the road.

My equinox has only 70,000 miles and they found ground bearings in the transfer case and it cost me $2000 to fix they said this was an unusual repair to report it

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.

While vehicle was in motion front wiper failed to operate while it was heavily raining. Resulting in have to pull to side of road and request a tow to a mechanics due to the dangerous hazard of no longer being able to see out of front windshield and possibly causing accidents and or fatalities. This problem was due to the Ball joint linkage system failing.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to extremely low engine oil. The contact was informed that the engine oil was four quarts low. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the regularly scheduled oil changes were always performed on the vehicle and that the engine had experienced excessive oil consumption. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000. The contact stated this could have been a VERY serious problem had the engine failed while her son was on the freeway traveling 70 MPH instead of only driving 20MPH. The contact had the engine rebuilt for over $8,000 and GM offered me a "Goodwill offering" of a little over $400, but contact declined the offer.

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.

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?

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.

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”

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.

[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)

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.

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.

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 expensive repairs. I hope they get enough implants to force a recall on this well known problem on the 2.4L engines.

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 vehicle stopped middle of traffic, engine light came on. Took ti mechanic states need a new engine 100,000 2016. Diagnosed no oil, engine burning oil, it stutters.

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.

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

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.

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 .

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.