2018 Chevrolet Equinox

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE STOPPED THE FUEL SAVING SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF BUT WHEN THE DRIVER LIFTED OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESUME OPERATION AS DESIGNED. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER CAMINO REAL CHEVROLET (2401 S. ATLANTIC BLVD, MONTEREY PARK CA.) WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND I GOT AN ERROR SAYING ENGINE POWER REDUCED, AND MY ENGINE CUT OUT, AND THEN RIGHT AFTER, I GOT AN ERROR SAYING BRAKE ASSIST ON, AND MY BRAKES FELT LIKE A BRICK WHEN I TRIED TO PUSH THEM. I MADE IT TO THE EMERGENCY LANE ON THE HWY, AND PUSHED MY BRAKES REALLY HARD AND THEN PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON. AFTER GETTING IT TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH EQUINOXS WITH MY ENGINE TYPE, WHERE THE VACUUM PUMP GOES OUT, AND THEN THE GEAR RUNNING IT BRAKES, AND THEN THE METAL FROM THAT GEAR GOT SUCKED UP INTO MY ENGINE. THAT VACUUM PUMP CONNECTS TO BOTH MY BRAKES AND MY ENGINE, WHICH IS WHY I LOST BOTH AT THE SAME TIME WITH NO PRIOR WARNINGS OR ANY INDICATION ANYTHING COULD BE WRONG BEFORE IT HAPPENED. MY ENGINE IS NOW COMPLETELY BLOWN WITH NO WARNING. IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE FACTORY PART, AND THEY ASSURED ME IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MAINTENANCE OR ANYTHING, SOME OF THE VACUUM PUMPS THEY USED ARE JUST BAD. THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON MY VIN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD. I LOST MY BRAKES AND MY ENGINE GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON A BRIDGE. I WAS JUST LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND STOP WITHOUT GETTING HIT OR HITTING ANYONE ELSE.

I WAS ALMOST IN A ROLLOVER ACCIDENT ON OCT 7, 2019. I WAS TRAVELLING ON STATE HIGHWAYS FROM AUBURN, PA TO HERSHEY, PA AT APPRX 930AM. ROADS WERE DAMP/WET BUT RAIN HAD STOPPED. SINCE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, I HAD ALWAYS ENGAGED ALL SAFETY FEATURES INCLUDING LANE KEEP ASSIST (LKA), COLLISION ALERTS, ETC. THIS WAS MAIN REASON I UPGRADED FROM MY 2014 EQUINOX. ON RT 183, HEADING UP A WINDING MOUNTAIN ROAD, I ALMOST LOST CONTROL SEVERAL TIMES, DESPITE DRIVING WELL UNDER SPEED LIMIT. **NOTE: MY BF AND I HAD PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED TO DEALER, AND EVEN HAD IT IN FOR SERVICE, BC WE BOTH FELT CAR PULLED TO THE RIGHT ON ITS OWN. WE ARE BOTH EXTREMELY SAFE, EXPERIENCED, NON-DISTRACTED DRIVERS AND THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS QUITE ODD/OFF. DEALER FOUND NOTHING. CLOSER TO HERSHEY, I WAS COMING AROUND A BEND IN THE ROAD ON I BELIEVE RT 743 WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR PULLED ME SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT AND ALMOST OVER AN EMBANKMENT, WHICH WOULD HAVE LED TO A ROLLOVER CRASH AND POTENTIAL SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, AND GREAT DRIVING, I JUST MISSED A STONE WALL, AND MY ?1/4 MILE SWERVING SKID BACK AND FORTH PING-PONGED ME ALL OVER THE ROADWAY, BARELY AVOIDING MAILBOXES, FENCES, AND A HOUSE. LUCKILY ONCOMING TRAFFIC DID NOT APPEAR UNTIL I STRAIGHTENED OUT OF MY SKID. I CALLED THE DEALER AND SAID "MY CAR JUST TRIED TO KILL ME." AFTER RESEARCH, THEY CALLED ME BACK AND SAID TO TURN OFF THE LKA. I HAVE, AND CAR NO LONGER PULLS TO THE RIGHT, EVER. I READ THE MANUAL, AND BURIED AROUND PAGE 254 IS A SMALL BLACK BOX WARNING THAT SAYS TO DISENGAGE LKA ON WET, CURVING ROADS OR COLLISIONS MAY OCCUR. REALLY???? PEOPLE CAN DIE, AND THE WARNING IS BURIED ON PAGE 254??? I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER NEWER CAR OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES IN OTHER CARS/BRANDS. I THINK THESE "SAFETY FEATURES" ARE A DOUBLE EDGE SWORD AND NEED FURTHER RESEARCH. I ALMOST DIED.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON THE STATE HIGHWAY, THE CARE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN IN SPEED CLOSE TO 30 MPH WHICH WAS A HAZARD ON THE HIGHWAY AT THAT TIME OF DAY. I PRESSED ON THE GAS TO INCREASE SPEED, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I FEARED BEING HIT FROM BEHIND SO I SAFELY COASTED TO THE OFF RAMP, THEN IT JERKED, AS IF RE-STARTING THE ENGINE. I FEARED FOR MY LIFE AND THAT OF MY CHILD.

THE NAVIGATION SCREEN IS WAY TOO BRIGHT AT NIGHT, MAKING DRIVING DIFFICULT AND DISTRACTING. WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED AT NIGHT THE BRIGHTNESS IS NORMAL BUT AFTER USING REVERSE IT BRIGHTENS TO DAYTIME LEVEL AND CANNOT BE CHANGED WITHOUT DIMMING THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CONSIDERABLY. MANY OTHER 2018 EQUINOX OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM ON VARIOUS WEB FORUMS.

SINCE PICKING UP THIS VEHICLE ON 5/29/18 I HAVE NOTICED (OCCASIONALLY) THAT THERE IS A "GRAB OR PULL" ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE ALIGNMENT APPEARS TO BE OKAY, AND WHEN I HAD THE OIL CHANGED I WAS TOLD I HAD TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THIS CHECKED. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT I NEEDED A NEW SET OF TIRES! THIS WAS CONCERNING TO ME AS I HAD JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE. WHEN THE TIRES WERE REPLACED, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ALIGNMENT WAS OKAY. I AGAIN MENTIONED THE "GRAB/PULL" SITUATION AND WAS TOLD IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE TIRES. AFTER DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, AND HAVING TWO OTHER PEOPLE DRIVE THE SAME, THE SITUATION STILL EXISTS. WE HAVE ALL DRIVEN OTHER CARS OVER THE SAME ROADS AND HAVE NOT HAD THE SAME RESULTS. I AM WONDERING IF THIS COULD BE A FAULTY SENSOR? I HAVE NOTICED THIS GOING STRAIGHT ON A HIGHWAY.

JUST FINSHED MY SECOND YEAR INTO MY 3 YEAR 2018 CHEVY EQUINOX LEASE AND FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO THE SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST HAS APPEARED AND DISSAPEARED DOZENS OF TIMES WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND WHILE DRIVING AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS. ORGINALLY MAD AN APPOINTMENT BUT THE DEALER SHIP CANCLLED IT AND THEN MY CAR SUDDENLY HAD REDUCED POWER THE DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD. NOT A HIGHWAY. GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THE SAY A VACUM PUMP SEIZED? NOW ARE SAYING THERE IS METAL IN THE ENGINE AMD THEY DONT KNOW WHY. TRYING TO GET ME TO PAY FOR COST. HAVE TAKEN CAR OF VEHCHILE AND DONE THE REQUIRED MATINENCE. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ON A 2 YEAR OLD CAR WITH ON 32000 MILES. VERY CONCERNED THERE IS SOMETHING DEFECTED WITH THE CAR. AS NUMEROUS VEHICLES HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SIMILAR ISSUES TO MINE BY GM.

VEHICLE SUDDENLY POWERED DOWN WHILE ON THE EXPRESSWAY IN MORNING TRAFFIC, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE AND SLOW TO AN UNSAFE SPEED. I EASED OFF THE EXPRESSWAY TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF BIG TRUCKS, ETC., AND WAS SCARED TO TURN OFF THE EXIT FOR FEAR THAT IT WOULD STALL AGAIN AND I WOULD BE HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, EACH TIME THEY REPLACE SOMETHING ELSE. YOU NEED TO FORCE CHEVROLET TO MAKE A RECALL ON THESE UNSAFE VEHICLES!

I STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN A MESSAGE SAYING THE ENGINE POWER WAS LOW. THE CAR WOULD NOT START OR GO INTO NEUTRAL HOWEVER I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON AS WELL AS THE RADIO AND ON-STAR. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER GOT IT STARTED IN LOW GEAR TO GET IT ON THE TOW TRUCK, BUT IT DIDN'T START AGAIN. I WAS ON A CITY STREET IN RUSH HOUR, GOING LESS THAN 15 MPH. I JUST GOT MY VEHICLE BACK FROM SERVICE AT THE MIRAK.COM DEALERSHIP IN ARLINGTON, MA, AND APPARENTLY THE ISSUE WAS: "CAUSED BY: PERFORM SCAN TOOL TEST. THE TECH "EXTRACT CODES WITH SCAN TOOLS". I WAS TOLD THAT IT "JUST NEEDED A SOFTWARE UPDATE". THE VEHICLE DID NOT PROVIDE ANY ALERTS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT OR SHOW ANY SIGNS OF AN ISSUE, SO THIS IS VERY ALARMING AND A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND CRASHED INTO TWO VEHICLES. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BURNS TO THE ARMS AND HANDS, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED THIRTY DAYS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MATTHEWS-HARGREAVES CHEVROLET (2000 TWELVE MILE RD, ROYAL OAK, MI 48067, (866) 275-2746), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: [XXX]. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *LN ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB*JB