2005 Chevrolet Equinox Engine

CAR STARTED OVERHEATING AND WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD HEAD GASKET AND REPAIRED. AFTER THE HEAD GASKET WAS REPAIRED THE EQUINOX STARTED OVERHEATING AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD. THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED. THE REPLACEMENT MOTOR LASTED 3 WEEKS BEFORE IT FAILED AS WELL WITH THE SAME DIAGNOSIS AS BEFORE, A BAD HEAD GASKET. I CONTACTED GM. THEY OFFERED NO SOLUTIONS, OFFERED NO HELP IN REPAIRING OR REPLACING THE ENGINE. THE CAR IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND THEY KNOW THE ENGINES IN THE 2005 AND 2006 (VIN F) ARE BAD ENGINES SUFFERING FROM A POOR DESIGN. THEY DIDN'T MAKE THE ENGINES ONLY FOR 2 YEARS BECAUSE THEY WORKED SO WELL. NUMEROUS REPORTS ABOUT THE BAD ENGINES WITH GM'S RESPONSE SIMPLY TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON A CAR THAT WON'T LAST PAST 100K MILES. *TR

BLOWN HEAD GASKET AT 101,000 MILES. I NOTICED THAT COOLANT WAS DISAPPEARING AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. I MENTIONED THIS TO THE TECHNICIAN WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THE COOLANT WAS MIXING WITH THE OIL AND I SHOULD HAVE IT CHECKED OUT BY A MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED IT AS BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE AS 120,000.

SEEMS TO BE THE SAME PROBLEMS A LOT OF EQUINOX OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING. BLOWN HEADGASKET W/ A PRICE TAG OF 1800.00 TO FIX. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEAD GASKETS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT ANTI-FREEZE LEAKED INTO THE MOTOR AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000. UPDATED 02/20/13*LJ UPDATED 02/21/2013 *JS

WITH ONLY 36,212 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE, THERE IS NOW A REAR HEAD GASKET LEAKING. NOW, AS A SENIOR CITIZEN WITH A FIXED INCOME, I NEED TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR. IT SEEMS TO ME WITH THIS LOW MILEAGE AN ENGINE SHOULD LAST LONGER!! POOR WORKMANSHIP!!!! I SINCERELY HOPE THIS INFORMATION IS SHARED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EGR VALVE THAT WAS OFFERED BY THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT FIT SECURELY ON THE VEHICLE. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS CONTACTED IN REGARD TO THE ISSUE AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO PURCHASE THE PART ELSEWHERE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO CONTACTED WHO ADVISED THAT THE PART WAS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

VEHICLE HAS AN ENGINE MISS, COOLANT IS DISAPPEARING AND WAS TAKEN TO REPAIR SHOP. DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING HEAD GASKETS. REPAIRS TO COST APPROXIMATELY $1700.00. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER OWNERS OF 2005 CHEVY EQUINOX'S. *TR

WHILE STOPPED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE ON I-80, CAR STARTED TO RUN VERY HOT, FAN KICKED ON AND IT FINALLY COOLED OFF. UPON ARRIVAL HOME, COOLANT WAS LOW, MY HUSBAND REFILLED COOLANT. CALLED JOHNSON MOTORS AND SCHEDULED A CHECK AND OIL CHANGE. JOHNSON MOTORS SERVICE PERFORMED A COMPRESSION CHECK AND INFORMED MY HUSBAND THAT ENGINE WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPLACED FOR PRICE OF APPROXIMATELY $6,000 DOLLARS (WOW). OF NOTE, IN DECEMBER 2010 HEADER GASKETS WERE REPLACED TO A PRICE OF $1,200 DOLLARS, I WENT ON LINE TO FIND MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FROM MANY EQUINOX OWNERS CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUES OF HEADER GASKETS GOING BAD AND CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN ON A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE CARE SCHEDULE WITH ONLY GMC SERVICE TECHNICIANS. I AM SHOCKED THAT WITH REGULAR OIL CHANGES ETC THAT THIS HAPPENED. THIS SITUATION IS DANGEROUS AND REALLY NEEDS A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION. APPARENTLY THE V6 ENGINE USED IN THE EQUINOX VEHICLES IS A PROBLEM ENGINE THAT GMC IS WELL AWARE OF, TIME FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE A CHANGE. THANK YOU. *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2005 EQUINOX A FEW MONTHS AGO AND HAVE ONLY PUT ABOUT 1600 MILES ON IT. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE GETTING HOT, AND THE COOLANT BEING A STRANGE ORANGE-BROWN COLOR AND DISAPPEARING FROM THE OVERFLOW TANK. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP ON OCT. 2, 2012 AND FOUND OUT IT HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. ESTIMATE FOR GETTING IT FIXED IS A LITTLE OVER $1400, AND MORE IF THE HEAD IS CRACKED. THE REPAIR SHOP INFORMED US THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS A GOOD ENGINE AND THEY ARE VERY SURPRISED THAT IT HAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET WITH ONLY 85,700 MILES. WE'RE VERY DISAPPOINTED SEEING ALL THE COMPLAINTS OF OTHER OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT GM IS NOT DOING ANYTHING. WE WILL BE CONTACTING THEM NEXT, EVEN THOUGH IT WON'T MATTER. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS ABOUT MY EQUINOX, MY AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR, IS BAD ALSO I HAVE HEARD A NOISE SENT THE DAY I PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THE DEALERSHIP CAN NOT TELL ME WHAT IT IS. I PURCHASED MY CHEVY EQUINOX 2005 (NEW) FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THE TRUCK HAS LESS THAN 55,000 MILES, THE MECHANIC TOLD ME I COULD NOT DRIVE IT ......BECAUSE IT WOULD LOCK UP- THE ENGINE.........IT'S COSTING ME OVER A $1000.00 TO HAVE IT REPAIRED........(CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO LET THEM KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM....REFUSED TO LISTEN........ I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM IN THESE VEHICLES AND COSTING CONSUMERS LOTS OF MONEY THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PUT OUT.....PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM.......MAKE THE CONSUMERS HAPPY CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE FOR MORE COMPLAINTS ON THE 2005 CHEVY EQUINOX WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2005/CHEVROLET/EQUINOX/COOLING+SYSTEM. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS 2005 CHEVY EQUINOX IN MAY 2006 WITH 26K MILES ON IT. IN MAY OF 2008 WITH LESS THAN 60K MILES ON IT THE HEAD GASKETS BLEW! GM REFUSED TO REPAIR OR DO ANYTHING TO ASSIST FINANCIALLY IN THE REPAIR. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC (I CANNOT AFFORD GM LABOR RATES) WHO DID IN FACT REPAIR THE HEAD GASKETS AND THE VEHICLE RAN AGAIN. IN NOVEMBER 2009 THE HEAD GASKETS BLEW AGAIN. I AGAIN CALLED GM WITH AN ANSWER OF NO, I FILED A COMPLAINT BUT HEARD NOTHING ABOUT IT. I AGAIN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER NON GM DEALER AND HAD IT REPAIRED. YESTERDAY 1/4/2011 WITH 130,000 MILES AND A MOTOR THAT HAS BEEN OVERHAULED TWICE, THE HEAD GASKET BLEW AGAIN. I AM QUITE SURE THE NHTSA IS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO ASSIST IN THIS; HOWEVER, ONE QUICK SEARCH OF "2005 EQUINOX AND HEAD GASKET" AND YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS HAPPENING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND GM QUITE SIMPLY REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A PERSON AT GM IN THE PAST AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT NOT ENOUGH HAD BEEN REPORTED TO WARRANT A RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED TO START WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,743.

DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET. ENGINE; BLOWN HEAD GASKET; ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED.

TEMPERATURE GAUGE NEVER USED TO GO OVER 50% MARK, AND WAS ALWAYS WELL UNDER AND NEVER MOVED. ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO, THE VEHICLE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED TO CLIMB AFTER HIGHWAY DRIVING, THEN IDLING. RECENTLY, THE TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON. I EXPERIENCED A COOLANT ODOR AND THE VEHICLE HAD A ROUGH IDLE ON COLD START. DEALER SAID THAT IT WAS BAD HEAD GASKETS. DEALER MACHINED HEADS, REPLACED GASKETS, REPLACED PLUGS AND FLUSHED/FILLED COOLANT SYSTEM, ALL FOR $2450. READING SOME OF THE WEBSITES, IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A VERY HIGH AMOUNT COMPARED TO WHAT SOME OTHER PEOPLE ARE PAYING AT THEIR DEALERSHIPS. READING INFORMATION PROVIDED ON MYCARSTATS.COM AND MANY OTHER FORUMS/NEWS GROUPS, THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME HEAD GASKET ISSUE WITH THE '05 EQUINOX. IT SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE RED DEXCOOL COOLANT THAT EATS AWAY AT THE HOSES AND HEAD GASKETS, CAUSING GASKET FAILURE, AS WELL AS HEATER CORE FAILURE. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME RECOURSE TO RECUPERATE MONEY FOR THIS PROBLEM. HEAD GASKETS DON'T TYPICALLY FAIL IN MOST CARS. *TR

DURING NORMAL DRIVING OPERATIONS THE VEHICLE ENGINE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT WITH ONLY 60,000 MILES. AUTO REPAIR SHOP STATES IT IS A COMBINATION OF BROKEN HEAD GASKET AND CRACKED EGR VALVE. CHEVY UPGRADED THE EGR VALVE AND THE NEW PART DOES NOT FIT ON THE EXISTING EGR COMPONENT. NOW HAVE TO PAY $280 FOR A NEW EGR ASSEMBLY AS WELL. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR FROM OVERHEATING IS $1900. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED EVERY TIME HE STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE LAMP ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE WOULD STALL. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT IN ORDER TO TURN THE VEHICLE BACK ON HE HAD TO DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 87,500.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AT ANYTIME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37,000. SM.

I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY EQUINOX LT- AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF DRIVING IT WITH NO PROBLEMS THE HEAD CRACKED. GM IS TAKING NO ACTION TO TRY AND REMEDY THIS SITUATION. *KB

THIS VEHICLE IN TO A GM SHOP MULTIPLE TIMES FOR HEATING ISSUES. THE FIRST TIME THE THERMOSTAT WAS REPLACED. A YEAR LATER IN THE FALL, THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN NOT BLOWING HOT AIR. TOOK IT BACK TO GM AND THEY FLUSHED THE SYSTEM. ABOUT 2 MONTHS LATER, IT WAS BROUGHT BACK IN BECAUSE THE HEAT WAS NOT BLOWING AGAIN. FOR THE 2ND TIME THEY REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT. FOLLOWING YEAR, WOULDN'T BLOW HOT AIR AGAIN, THEY FLUSHED THE SYSTEM 3 TIMES AND FINALLY GOT THE HEAT WORKING AGAIN. FAST FORWARD TO FALL 2010. SAME PROBLEM, NOT BLOWING HEAT ONLY THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. GM DIAGNOSED A CRACKED HEAD GASKET AND A LEAKY WATER PUMP AND WOULDN'T COVER ANY OF THE SO CALLED PROBLEMS. THE FIRST 3-4 TIMES THAT THE CAR WAS IN TO BE WORKED ON IT HAD THE SAME "SYMPTOMS" 1. WHEN THE HEAT WAS WORKING AND I SLOWED TO STOP - IT WOULD START BLOWING COOL AIR, BUT AS SOON AS I ACCELERATED, THE WARM AIR RETURNED. 2. IF I TURNED THE FAN KNOB PAST THE 2ND TICK, IT WOULD START BLOWING COLD AIR. IN 2010, STARTED WITH THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS AND ONLY TO HAVE THE HEAT GO OUT COMPLETELY. GM WON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.THIS GO AROUND DIAGNOSED A CRACKED HEAD GASKET AND A LEAKY WATER PUMP AND WOULDN'T HELP PAY TO FIX BECAUSE IT WAS A "NEW" DIAGNOSIS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. FUNNY HOW EACH TIME IT WAS IN PREVIOUSLY, THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS ARE DOCUMENT IN THEIR SYSTEM AND NO CRACKED HEAD GASKET OR LEAKY WATER PUMP WAS THE CAUSE. THEY'RE SKIRTING BY ON AN UNDERLYING ISSUE AND AREN'T WARRANTING THEIR PRODUCT! WE'VE SINCE TAKEN IT TO TWO SEPARATE MECHANICS AND THEY'VE BOTH TOLD US THE ISSUE ISN'T CAUSED BY A CRACKED HEAD GASKET OR LEAKY WATER PUMP. WE'VE AGAIN REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT ONLY TO HAVE THE HEAT GO OUT ON OUR 3 HOUR CAR RIDE HOME FROM THE HOLIDAY WITH A BABY IN THE CAR-NICE GM YOU ARE A JOKE. I'VE ALWAYS OWNED A GM PRODUCT BUT AFTER BEING SWEPT UNDER THE RUG, I WILL NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN!

TOOK MY EQUINOX IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE. THEN COMES THE BAD NEWS. LOWER INTAKE VALVE GASKETS LEAKING. WHAT!! ONLY 50000 MILES ON VEHICLE THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. $725.00 LATER IT IS FIXED. I HAVE READY MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT GM KNOWING THESE WERE DEFECTIVE GASKETS AND SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS.

01/21/2011 THE EQUINOX WOULD NOT TURN OVER AND WAS HAULED TO THE DEALER. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THERE APPEARED TO BE A SLOW LOSS OF COOLANT, REQUIRING A GALLON OF COOLANT TO BE ADDED OVER THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTH PERIOD. THERE WERE NO LEAKS ON THE GARAGE FLOOR, NOR ANY INTERIOR CABIN LEAKS APPARENT, BUT THERE HAD BEEN A "SYRUPY" SMELL IN THE PASSENGER CABIN. THE DEALER PUT IN A NEW BATTERY AND ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE HEATER CORE WAS LEAKING. THE NEW BATTERY AND HEATER CORE REPLACEMENT TOTALED $1090.11. APPARENTLY, WHEN THE BATTERY DIED, THE DIAGNOSTICS CODES RELATING TO THIS INCIDENT WERE LOST. 03/16/2011 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED FREQUENTLY IN THE PAST BUT HAD ALWAYS BEEN RELATED TO A LOOSE GAS CAP AND WAS EASILY REMEDIED BY TIGHTENING THE CAP. WHEN THAT SOLUTION DID NOT WORK, THE EQUINOX WAS TAKEN INTO THE LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP. IT WAS THEN DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING A HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT, WHERE IT IS NOW BEING REPAIRED. THE REPAIR TOTAL IS EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT $1400. IN LESS THAN TWO MONTHS, THIS VEHICLE (WITH ONLY 68K MILES ON IT) HAS REQUIRED AT LEAST $2400 DOLLARS IN HEATER CORE AND ENGINE HEAD GASKET REPAIR COSTS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE HEATER CORE LEAKS WERE LIKELY TO HAVE HAD THE SUBSEQUENT EFFECT OF COMPROMISING THE INTEGRITY OF THE HEAD GASKET. I HAVE FOUND MANY DOCUMENTED REFERENCES TO SIMILAR PROBLEMS OCCURRING IN THIS ENGINE MAKE, THE 3.4L GM V6. THERE ALSO SEEMS TO BE A RELATED LINK TO PROBLEMS WITH THE TYPE OF COOLANT USED IN THIS ENGINE (DEX COOL). AT THIS POINT, I AM NOT AWARE THAT GM HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS PROBLEM. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT SO THAT IT CAN BE ADDED TO THE MOUNTING EVIDENCE OF PRODUCT DEFECTS IN THIS ENGINE TYPE.

2005 CHEVY EQUINOX. INCIDENT STARTED IN SUMMER STILL HAVING PROBLEMS. IN SHOP TODAY AS WE SPEAK! 1/3/2011. *TR

2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX---WITH A BLOWN HEAD GASKET @ 63,000 MILES. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS VEHICLE AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A PRETTY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE! IT IS A SHAME THAT GM/CHEVROLET WILL NOT STEP UP TO THE PLATE TO HELP OUT ALL OF US POOR UNSUSPECTING OWNERS WHO BOUGHT THIS SHODDY MADE CAR. IF ANYTHING, IT LOOKS AS IF THE NHTSA WOULD INTERVENE ON OUR BEHALF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATING SYSTEM WAS INOPERABLE AND THAT THE ENGINE WOULD OVERHEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHO FLUSHED THE HEATER CORE, PERFORMED A PRESSURE TEST, REPLACED THE CYLINDERS, INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET SET, OIL FILTER, HEAD GASKET, EXHAUST MANIFOLD, DISTRIBUTOR O-RINGS, HEAD VOLT SET, AND THE ANTIFREEZE. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 55,075. UPDATED 02/23/11*LJ UPDATED 05/20/11