This was the third time I have had my vehicle in the shop for the same exact issue - stalling while driving. This time we decided to take it to a Chevy Dealer who very quickly diagnosed the PCV System Freeze "causing the rear main seal to push out causing a major oil leak". Seeing as this issue is known in prior years, it is baffling why Chevy has not addressed this design flaw, which causes engine damage, nor have they chosen to included later models - such as my 2016 - in a recall. I am so very lucky that I started being aware of the warning signs and did not get on the highway to go home. It would have likely been a deadly incident in that case - I am not joking. This was a VERY expensive repair - especially considering this is the 3rd repair regarding the same issue.
2016 Chevrolet Equinox engine complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 211, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle has an oil consumption issues which lead to a blown engines. Have been up to date on oil changes, just had an oil change 1 month ago and today the engine blew
We purchased a 2016 Chevy equinox with a 2.4 eco-tech engine in September 2023 for approximately $14,000 and 95,000 miles. In September 2024, our vehicle seemed to malfunction at a gas station. When my husband attempted to turn the car on, it sputtered and several different lights lit up the dashboard. The car wouldnt start and we had to have it towed. The shop informed us the next day that there was zero oil in the car and our engine had blown. This was extremely shocking to us as we had zero issues prior to this and had our oil and tires changed within the last month. Upon their inspection, they stated no oil in the car. We told them we had recently had it changed at an oil shop. A shop employee then informed us there were known issues with this type of engine and we should look into it. Upon further research, we discovered this engine had indeed experienced issues over the past several years. A lawsuit was apparently settled regarding the 2010-2013 vehicles and 2014-2017 were now also experiencing issues. There is a class action lawsuit going on in a southern state as well. I contacted the MN OIG office and they advised we file a complaint here. We still owed approximately 9,000$ when this happened. I contacted GM support at 866‑366‑2273 on 10/7 and spoke with rep Jasmine and supervisor Rochelle. They advised they cannot open a case for me unless I pay to have the car towed to a GM approved dealer and pay for a diagnostic. They stated it’s possible but not likely that I would receive any assistance due to the power train warranty am expiring at 60,000 miles. I advised I cannot afford to pay to have it towed a 3rd time and diagnosed again just in the hope they would be able to help. Prior to this happening, we did not experience any issues with the vehicle and it wasn’t indicating there were any issues (there were no lights on to show something wasn’t functioning properly).
It appears the 2.4L engine is burning oil at a high rate, leading to engine stutters, stalling, and outright engine failure. Our mechanic says if we didn't catch this in time, an engine without the proper amount of oil as a lubricant could stall, seize, and/or cause enough damage to warrant an entire engine replacement. If the engine quit on the freeway around Houston, TX, my wife would have been at great bodily risk. The mechanic suggested that there may be an extended warranty issued to GM Dealers to cover the 2016 Equinox 2.4L engine until 2026. The warning lamp was on for tire sensors, but no indication was given for the oil issue.
The 2.4L engine is burning oil at alarming rates, leading to consumers complaining about stutters, stalling, and outright engine failure. If not caught in time, an engine without the proper amount of oil as a lubricant can stall, seize, and/or cause enough damage to warrant an entire engine replacement. The engine is now blown. Chevy has known about this problem stemming since 2012 and has not addressed this with the American consumers.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
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.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the contact noticed a loud knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to the engine not properly circulating the engine oil. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
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.
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.
Engine keeps failing, on a 3rd engine replacement. The car is defective and burns too much oil
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Excessive oil use. After 500 miles on a new oil change oil needs to be added. Usually 1 quart every 500 miles.
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.
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.
Engine Oil had burned off, no notification of loss of engine oil to fill or maintain. engine is now required to be replaced.
This vehicle has a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor and/or an issue with the engine temperature gauge. The main issue is that the design of the 2.4 ecotec engine is defective in the opinion of many mechanics and equinox/terrain owners. The engine burns off more oil than is considered safe. I was advised not to run the oil consumption test by the DEALERSHIP. My experience is, I heard a sound in the engine and upon checking the oil, discovered NO OIL present!!! I had over 1000 miles left on my oil service sticker. There was no indication other than my own observation of a sound. No temperature change, the temperature gauge should have been reading hot, but was at normal. No oil light... like literally no oil sensor light present on the console. This was pretty upsetting to find out. The damage is done and I am out a vehicle over it as the damage is caused to the ENGINE/PISTONS. The timing chain is INSIDE the engine housing and THIS is the defect in the design. Oil splashes over into places it should not be, causing corrosion and combined with the fact that it is burning off this oil and causing damage because of lack of oil as well. The solution, is a nominal offer of 10% off this KNOWN issue and bill for a new engine. This is not ok. I am at 101k miles so just out of the zone for lemon laws, but this is a serious design issue and will cause severe hardship to those who own these vehicles. The recall is for previous years than my own, the issue is the same. The vehicle is NOT SAFE TO DRIVE without the proper indications that the oil is being burned off and damaging the engine.
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.
Oil burns at an alarming rate, no low oil warning. Engine blew up & was rebuilt. A month after engine rebuild, vehicle started to throw the same codes that led to engine failure. I can't keep oil in my vehicle, it has stalled numerous times on busy highway & once at an intersection with my kids in the vehicle. O2 sensors keep frying, catalytic converters keep clogging. Faulty rear main seal valve. Oil is leaking into combustion chamber which has caused manifold issues, spark plugs keep frying. Engine constantly misfires. Frequent engine knocking. My vehicle also seems to have no low oil warning light either. I remember getting an oil change, roughly a month in a half later i checked it again and my dip stick was bone dry. Chevy is aware of defects, but they refuse to do anything for the thousands of customers who have complained about the same exact things I am. There are numerous lawsuits for this exact issue, unfortunately not in my state. The value of my vehicle has dropped substantially to the point I am now upside down with my loan. I've looked into trading it in and my highest offer was $1,500 because of the issues that have been reported. There are so many people dealing with this same exact problem and we are all being ignored. I can't even go trade my vehicle in for something that will actually run without me having to dump hundreds of dollars into it every few months. Not only that, but these defects are extremely dangerous! My vehicle completely shut off while i was driving roughly 60-65mph in crazy/speeding traffic in the middle of rush hour & I had my two little girls with me. When help finally arrived, it was discovered that yet again, there was no oil in my vehicle even though I added roughly 2.5 quarts within a month in a half of this incident occurring. My vehicle over heated... this is absolutely uncalled for and isnt something that happens because of owners negligence. Someone please help!!!
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 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.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while inspecting under the hood, it was discovered that oil had leaked into the engine compartment. The contact discovered that the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption and extra quarts of oil were required and added to the engine every two days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced a faulty sensor, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Problem first appeared with the limp mode being initiated by the vehicles computer system. This occurred at 96,000 miles in July of 2021. After running numerous diagnostics with a OBD scanner, and removing VVT solenoids, came to the conclusion it was the problem. After replacing with new OEM Solenoids and restarting the computer from the battery. The problem seemed to be resolved. In March of 2021the vehicle started losing oil by the quart each week. January 2022 the computer link initiated the limp mode again at 100,000 miles. After trying to diagnose using OBD, the conclusion was not apparent. Followed up by taking the air box off and found oil in the vacuum line for the air box. Continue the investigation by removing the PCV valve and the VVT solenoids. Found large amounts of oil(more than Chevy engineers allowed). Then proceeded to reassemble and run compression tests. Found "blow by" to be so bad that the oil was blowing out of the valve cover and past the seal. Disassembled the intake manifold and found puddles of oil in the base of the intake manifold. The MAF system had large amounts of carbon build up. Cleaned intake components meticulously. Reassembled and problem went away only to reemerge with massive oil loss September of 2022. Took to the dealer and they kept vehicle an entire week to report they found no oil loss. We then decided to rebuild engine; seals, pistons, rings, bolts etc.. After removing engine (January 2023 113,000miles) completely and breaking it down to crankshaft, I came to the conclusion the Intake manifolds direct injection system has a major flaw (mainly due to a pinhole becoming clogged found in the middle of the intake valve system). Causing massive pressure issues that can lead to full engine failure. So much carbon build up on pistons with major ignition problems visible by piston damage. In February of 2024 (131,000miles). Problem has started to reoccur with much blow by continuing near valve seal. I have pics
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.
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.
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