2011 Chevrolet Equinox: check engine light

Filed Feb 23, 2026 · Engine · CA

Vehicle burns excessive oil. Have to put in a quart weekly. Check engine light comes on for camshaft sensor, they’ve already been replaced 3 times and the light won’t go off.

Filed Sep 21, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · WI

While driving, the car wouldn't accelerate even though I was pressing the gas pedal to the floor. It made funny noises and was jerking. I was told not to drive because of the danger to my engine. The engine light did come on

Filed Jul 15, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · 90,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the contact stated that once the fuel gauge displayed that 1/4 tank of gasoline was available, the vehicle jerked, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the pistons had failed, and the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2025 · Fuel system · 100,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle jerked, and an abnormal sound was heard coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the pistons had failed, and the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed May 15, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · TN

Gas is getting into the crankcase because the GDI Fuel pump is faulty and is causing check engine light and the stability Trax light and caused the reduce engine power light and shuts engine off

Filed Mar 6, 2025 · Steering · 149,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who observed a small amount of fluid within the engine compartment. The dealer later determined that the fluid was power steering fluid. However, the dealer was unable to determine the exact location of the leak. The contact was advised to continue driving the vehicle for 1 week then return for a follow-up inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 149,000.

Filed Dec 4, 2023 · Engine · NJ

I purchased the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox 5 months ago from a dealership name The Automaxx group in Morrisville, PA. Two weeks after, the check engine light came on, I took it back to the dealership and it was in the shop for 3 days or more. I got it back and every week it was back in the shop for the last four months. I was very hesitant about driving it, but I need to get to my doctor appointments and then I park it. I had to constantly put oil in it and not knowing why or where the oil is going. It started smoking black thick smoke under the hood and cut off, then cut back on and I took it to the shop near my home, and let the mechanic diagnose the problem and he said the vehicle is not safe to drive at all, it's engine failure due to excessive oil consumption and that the vehicle could possibly catch on fire and that it's a defect with the engine from general Motors. I just would like to recoup the money back that I paid for the vehicle. I was totally unaware of the harm that I was in with this vehicle. I am not sure if the dealership was aware of the faulty engine or the dangerous vehicle that they sold, but thank God I wasn't hurt and that I don't have to inhale the smoke from that vehicle. The check engine light has been on for awhile and I was told that they weren't sure why it would not go off, that was a red flag for me. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance company.

Filed Nov 22, 2023 · Engine · 110,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal knocking sound with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming engine oil excessively fast. The contact stated several quarts of oil were kept in the vehicle to avoid the oil becoming extremely low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with excessive oil consumption and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Filed May 1, 2023 · Engine · 150,000 miles · AR

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with a catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Nov 1, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · 106,697 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled while attempting to cross a bridge. The contact called a friend who assisted with towing the vehicle to her residence. The contact then drove the vehicle to two independent mechanics who attempted to retrieve fault codes but were unable to. The mechanics were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The sparks plugs were replaced, and an oil change was performed; however, the failure persisted. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 106,697.

Filed Sep 3, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · AZ

I purchased a 2011 Chevy Equinox LT from a used car dealer in April 2022 with 153,000 miles on it. The second day I had it the brake caliper completely fell off of my front passenger tire causing my wheels to lock. Couple days later I noticed that after an extended time of driving anything more than 10-15 minutes it. The RPMs would fluctuate sometimes dropping down to zero and the vehicle stalls. The excessive amount of oil used in this vehicle is ridiculous I literally got an oil change and a week later it said I was low but my oil notification on my Dash messages said oil life remaining 95% check engine light comes on and it's the p0042 for catalyst system not at threshold. This literally should be a class action lawsuit because this is ridiculous

Filed Jun 4, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · AL

This model with this VIN# was not listed for a recall, however, it burns oil excessively. The oil gets changed to only have to add oil numerous times before the next oil change. It is absolutely absurd that I have to purchase oil by the gallon. The second problem is the A/C. The check engine light comes on at times when the A/C is on, stays on for days or a week or so, go off, comes back on, and the cycle continues to repeat itself. The mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensors(upstream and down-stream) spark plugs, have all been replaced many times thinking the replacement parts were defected. It appears all of this has to do with a vehicle that was not well built. This car has had a lot of things to go wrong to include the transmission which was no good, and it does not appear that much else about the vehicle is good. It has taken a lot to keep this vehicle running! General Motors, please recall this vehicle? I do not have photos of the oil problem, because I am checking it approximately every two weeks, and more often if I must travel a long distance. I add oil as needed. The situation with the air resulted from getting the check engine light read at an auto parts store, and it is unnerving that it is always the same thing. I want to allow my grandson to take this car to college in August, but there is some uncertainty.