2020 Chevrolet Equinox

PULLING OUT OF CARWASH.TURNING LEFT IN CARWASH LOT. CAR ENGINE REVED UP, CAR LUNGED FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED. SLAMMED ON BRAKE BUT BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. CAR THEN SIDE SWIPED CARWASH VACUUM SYSTEM ON PASSENGER SIDE SCRAPING AND DENTING BOTH PASSENGER SIDE DOORS. THREW CAR INTO PARK AND SHUT OFF ENGINE TO STOP WAITED 5 MINUTES. TURNED CAR BACK ON PUT CAR IN DRIVE. SLOWLY MOVED AND PUT BRAKE ON. BRAKES WORKED. DROVE 5 MILES TO GET HOME. NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE CAR.

RECEIVED THIS NOTICE ON 9/23/2020 WITH LESS THAT 400 MILES DRIVEN, BOOKED APPOINTMENT WITH SERVICE AND HAD BATTERY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE OF 1.5 HOUR REQUIRED TEST DETERMINED IT WAS BAD. TODAY, 9/30/2020 WITH LESS THAT 50 ADDITIONAL MILES DRIVEN, I RECEIVED THE MESSAGE AGAIN. MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM ONSTAR IS AS FOLLOWS. DEAR HENRY WILLCOX, YOUR 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX DETECTS A BATTERY SHORTED CELL. THE BATTERY IS NEEDED TO START THE VEHICLE. TO AVOID A SITUATION WHERE YOU CAN'T START YOUR VEHICLE, PLEASE SCHEDULE SERVICE WITH YOUR PREFERRED SERVICE PROVIDER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THEY CAN REPLACE YOUR BATTERY. YOU CAN STILL DRIVE YOUR CHEVROLET BUT IT MAY BECOME HARDER TO START. AND IF THE BATTERY DOES FAIL, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DISREGARD THIS MESSAGE IF YOUR VEHICLE IS ALREADY IN FOR SERVICE (AS THIS COULD BE A FALSE NOTIFICATION IF THE VEHICLE IS IN FOR SERVICE AND THE SERVICE BEING PERFORMED AFFECTS THIS COMPONENT). SERVICE CODE SAC001 WILL BE BOOKING SECOND SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR FIRST OPPORTUNITYASAP.

I AM A CRASH INVESTIGATOR/RECONSTRUCTIONIST LOOKING INTO A FATAL CRASH INVOLVING A 2020 EQUINOX WITH APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES ON IT THAT HIT A TREE IN THE FRONT (HEAD-ON) AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR. THERE WERE 2 OCCUPANTS, DRIVER AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER. PASSENGER SAID HE WAS NOT WEARING HIS SEAT BELT. PASSENGER SEAT BELT WAS FOUND TO BE RETRACTED AND LOCKED TIGHT. DRIVER SEAT BELT WAS FOUND TO BE RETRACTED AND LOOSE (NORMAL POSITIONING). INITIAL OBSERVATION OF THE CDR DATA, AND NOT THAT OF A THOROUGH AND COMPLETE ANALYSIS, INDICATES THAT THE DRIVER WAS BUCKLED AND THE PASSENGER WAS UNBUCKLED. THE STEERING WHEEL APPEARS TO BE COLLAPSED AS THOUGH THE DRIVER MOVED FORWARD IN THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT. THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT INVOLVE THE NORMAL AND SAFE SEAT BELT OPERATION, AND THEREFORE IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THIS IS A DEFECT, NORMAL OPERATION AS A RESULT OF THE CRASH, OPERATOR MISUSE, ETC. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE DRIVER SEAT BELT HAS NOT BEEN DONE AT THIS TIME.

WHEN ACCELERATING THE CAR BEGINS TO SHAKE AND SHIMMY NOTICEABLY BEGINNING AROUND 35 OR 40 MPH. THIS SHAKING IS FELT IN THE SEAT AS WELL AS THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VIBRATION CONTINUES UNTIL THE ACCELERATION IS HALTED. THIS SHAKING FEELS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION OR DRIVE SHAFT. IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE TOO. CURRENTLY 3650 MILES ON THE CAR. SERPENTINI CHEVY IN WESTLAKE, OH IS ALSO AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND SHOWED ME A LETTER THAT GM SENT TO THE DEALERS ACKNOWLEDGING THE ISSUE ON 9/9/20 BUT NO FIX IS AVAILABLE. IT FEELS UNSAFE

I TOOK THIS 4 WEEK OLD CAR IN TO AUTONATION CHEV AUSTIN FOR AN ESV LIGHT THAT STARTED APPEARING SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR. I TOOK IT IN ON AUG 10 AND THEY CALLED THE NEXT DAY TO TELL ME THE CAR WAS READY. I DROVE IT FOR 4 MINUTES AND HAD TO TAKE IT RIGHT BACK TO THEM AND IT HAS NOW BEEN THERE 8 DAYS. NOT ACCEPTABLE. THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A SIMPLE PROGRAMMING PROBLEM - REALLY - WHY DO THEY STILL HAVE THE CAR.