14th Feb 2008, 14:00
Equinox is junk.
1. Starting issues-starter does not disengage after car is running
2. Loud thumping noise under car after starting
3. Terrible gas mileage
4. Blown head gasket
5. All the paint has worn off the radio and window control knobs
6. Sounds like transmission is going to fall out.
Run away from this car.
26th Feb 2008, 16:28
I bought my Equinox in April of 05. The rotors were turned and brakes replaced at 31 K. The tires were worn at the same time and replaced. The CD player no longer accepts a disc, many of the numbers have worn off the radio, both vanity mirror covers have broken off the sun visors. February 26th of 08 I have been informed the the front rotors and brakes need to be replaced at 50 K, and on top of all this the head gaskets have to be replaced. This will be the last GM vehicle that I will purchase. I have bought GM for 20 years... no more!
3rd Mar 2008, 15:12
The "rattling" sound in the rear of the vehicle that everyone is referring to has plagued me too. If you look in the spare tire well, the bracket that the spare is attached to has probably broken a weld and the weight of the tire is causing it to rattle when going over bumps. I have a 2005 LS AWD in the dealers shop right now because I went out to start it last week and the starter does not disengage after starting this cheap, plastic hunk of crap. This is my first, AND LAST Chevy purchase. They should be paying me for driving it.
13th Mar 2008, 20:37
I have all the same problems with my Equinox. The loud thumping after I turn the car on, that's if my car starts. It likes to not start when it wants to." I have brought it to the dealer 3 times to get that fixed and they keep telling me that it's an electrical thing that they fixed" that is just WRONG!!! I have a question, does anyone when they are driving hear the engine real loud? It sounds like my car is going to break down... the dealer says Equinoxes are a loud car... that can't be true???
17th Mar 2008, 15:35
I have all of these issues: thumping noise in the back, popping noise in the front, rattling front when I go over holes or apply the brakes at faster speeds, paint chipping off the number keys, driver side window very slow and off track... and worst of all, the car won't start after I take short trips - I have to wait several hours and try again. I have it in the shop now for the last problem and they have been unable to replicate it as of yet. Of course it will happen as soon as I get it back. : (
26th Mar 2008, 20:06
I purchased a 2005 Equinox new and now have about 45,000 miles. I too have had the problem with the brakes vibrating when applied. I took it to the dealer who turned the rotors which took care of the problem for a while, then it came back. Same thing, dealer turned the rotors. The car went out of warranty and the problem returned. I took it to our personal mechanic who turned the rotors again. Problem went away, but is now back. I have never had a car to do this before and am glad to see that other Equinox owners are experiencing the same problem. Has anyone found a permanent solution?
The other problem has been the key in the ignition doesn't want to come out when I turn off the car. It will come out so far, but then is stuck and has to be pulled out with some force. The dealer replaced the ignition and the problem corrected itself. Now it is happening again. Has anyone heard of this?
28th Mar 2008, 22:05
I am glad to hear that other people are having troubles with the 2005 Equinox also. I will never purchase/lease another one again!
Let's see:
Major water leak (they won't tell me where) that ruined all the internal carpeting (they replaced) and RUSTED out my electrical wiring system so the wiring had to be replaced. It also rusted the towing hitch in the back that they didn't want to replace because it was a "post sale" add-on. WRONG - it came with the car at purchase from the factory - thankfully I had saved the window sticker that listed everything the car came with and it listed the towing hitch.
Radio knob has lost all of it's black painted on covering - it's just a white button now.
And today - I blew a head gasket. It was weird; I drove home from work (the car seemed louder than normal, but otherwise drove okay), pulled into the driveway and shut it off and removed the key. The fan kept running and wouldn't stop. Since I've had major electrical problems before with the rusted wiring, I got in and drove it right back to the dealership. There was a slight sensation in the steering that would occasionally feel like you were hit with a blast of wind - but there was no wind. The dealership tells me it was a wonder the thing drove as the head gasket was blown and there was NO coolant left!
14th Apr 2008, 15:22
I have a 2006 AWD Equinox with about 22,000 miles on it. So far I have had no issues with the car, knock on wood. It runs great and performed extremely well this year through a nasty Wisconsin winter when I did a lot of driving on unplowed or icy streets. My only concern is that I occasionally have the "tha-thump, tha-thump" sound occur from somewhere around the rear of the vehicle. It usually happens within a few minutes of starting the vehicle and then will not occur at all for the rest of the trip. The noise is not related to the surface I'm driving on (i.e., it does not happen after going over a bump), so I don't think it's a loose bracket. It has done this since I purchased the vehicle new in July 2006. I've ignored the sound to date, as it doesn't appear to affect the performance of the vehicle. If anyone figures out what this is, please post to this site. Thanks.
22nd Apr 2008, 19:44
April 22, 2008.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I bought a used 2005 Chevrolet Equinox AWD with 29,000 KM. It seems to run fine with no brake or gas problems.
Some of the comments left on here really make me wonder if there is a lot of negative exaggeration happening here, which would make these comments really useless.
Keep in mind that we're talking about a Chev vehicle here. I have owned Chev trucks, and still own one today. I own a fully loaded 2003 Chevy 2500 LT. with 128,000 KM., and it's an awesome vehicle. Not even a hic-up.
If rotor problems keep occurring, why don't you just upgrade the quality of the brake components. It makes for a really nice feel on the braking, and with less chance of ever overheating your brakes.
Comments on Gas: Terrible gas mileage? Compared to what? You don't want to compare it to my full size pick up truck; 4WD, with it's 6.0 litre engine. You have to keep in mind that this Equinox AWD vehicle still has a six cylinder engine in it.
But the Dealership did phone today saying that the last owner complained the engine light was on, and after they checked it out for him (before he sold it), they analyzed that it needed a new throttle body, and that the part just came in, and that it's covered under warranty.
We never experienced the actual problem, and we don't know if the Dealership is just doing a warranty scam, but we're more them willing to have the part replaced since it's covered by the warranty.
Like I say we've only had the vehicle for 2 weeks, and I'm a big believer in Chevy's (and Toyota's, and Honda's), but if we experience any problems with this vehicle, we'll post them.
16th Jan 2008, 16:38
I have a 2005 Equinox and have had some problems with it. Mainly a light kept coming on, had it at the dealership more times then I care to admit. FINALLY seems to be fixed. Now my problem is with the brakes. You step on the brakes and they make a funny noise and the pedal comes back up, you start to stop, but then it keeps going for a little bit. Of course my warranty just ran out. Have had a friend look at the brakes and they are fine. Thinks it is ABS, just wondered if anyone else has had this problem.