2013 Chevrolet Equinox

HAD OIL CHANGE ON FEB 5, 2019. FEB. 9, 2019 HAD SOMEONE ASK IF I HAD AN OIL LEAK. I SAW A TRAIL OF OIL UP MY DRIVEWAY AND INTO MY GARAGE. THERE WAS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL UNDER MY VEHICLE. LUCKILY IT WAS STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE. IF I HADN'T HAD SOMEONE SEE IT BEFORE I DROVE IT AGAIN MY ENGINE WOULD HAVE SEIZED UP. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT CAME ON. WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN BAD THIS YEAR WITH RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES, SNOW AND ICY ROADWAYS. IF I HAD DRIVEN THIS WITH, MY NINE-YEAR-OLD SON AND HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY OR INTERSTATE I DRIVE EVERYDAY IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. MY PCV CLOGGED FROM THE ACCUMULATED MOISTURE GETTING FROZEN. CHEVY HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN (#14882) ON THIS, HOWEVER MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT ARE ALSO NOT INCLUDED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN.

OUR 2013 EQUINOX HAD ONLY 36,000 MILES AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH OIL CONSUMPTION BUT RECENTLY IN THE COLD WEATHER THE OIL STARTED LITERALLY RUNNING OUT BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE STARTED JERKING ON THE HWY AND THE OIL LIGHT WENT ON. THE CAR HAS REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND WE COULD NEVER IMAGINE A 5YR OLD ONE OWNER VEHICLE WITH 36,000 MILES WOULD HAVE OIL LEAKING OUT OF THE REAR MAIN SEAL. ENTERED THE VIN NUMBER TO SEE IF OUR VEHICLE WAS LISTED UNDER RECALL 14882 AND NOTHING IS COMING UP. WE WERE TOLD BY OUR MECHANIC FRIEND THAT THERE WERE 5 OTHER EQUINOX'S WITH THIS ISSUE DURING THE CRAZY COLD WEATHER WE HAD RECENTLY. $1,400 LATER. OTHERS APPEAR TO BE REPORTING SIMILAR ISSUES AT HTTPS://WWW.EDMUNDS.COM/CHEVROLET/EQUINOX/2013/CONSUMER-REVIEWS/PG-4/?SORTING=CREATED%3ADESC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TOWED TO DIANE SAUER CHEVROLET (700 NILES RD SE, WARREN, OH 44483, (330) 373-1600) AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR MAIN SEAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE AS LISTED IN TSB NUMBER: 14882. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

JANUARY 22ND 2019 MY WAY TO WORK AT THE LAST TRAFFIC LIGHT THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE I PULLED IN WORK AND PARKED I LEFT AT 5:30 P.M REMOTE STARTED I WAS WALKING TO MY CAR IT WAS LOUD I GOT IN WARNING MESSAGE TO TURN CAR OFF THAT THE OIL PRESSURE WAS TOO LOW. CALLED AAA WAITED THREE HOURS IN THE COLD WITH BRONCHITIS AND ASTHMA CALLED MY MECHANIC I WAS HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO HIS GARAGE. JANUARY 25 MECHANIC SAID HE THINKS DUE TO A FROZEN PCV VALVE THERE WAS PRESSURE BUILD UP CAR SPIT THE OIL OUT HE PUT OIL IN MY CAR LET IT WARM UP HE THOUGHT I SHOULD STILL HAVE THE DEALER LOOK AT IT. I DROVE THE CAR NOT FAR TO THE DEALER GANLEY REP CAME TO WAITING AREA TOLD ME THE PCV VALVE FROZE AND THE HIGH PRESSURE BLEW MY REAR CRANKSHAFT SEAL THE OIL SPILLED OUT MY BATTERY WAS SHOT REPAIR JUST UNDER $ 2000.00 HE SAID THIS FAULT DID DAMAGE TO MY TIMING CHAIN NO GUARANTEE HOW LONG THE TIMING CHAIN WOULD HOLD RECOMMENDED REPLACING $ 1500.00 I SAID DO THE SEAL AND BATTERY. I WENT HOME DID GOOGLE SEARCH EQUINOX 2013 PCV SP. COV. BULLETIN 14882 POPPED UP IT COVERED EQUINOXES BETWEEN 2010-2014 NOT MY VIN. REP CALLED SAID GM IS WILLING TO HELP ME WITH THE TIMING CHAIN AUTHORIZED IT FOR $500.00. I TOLD HIM WHAT THAT BULLETIN SAID IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH MY CAR. PICKED UP MY CAR MONDAY 02/04/19 AND PAID $ 2606.76. ON 02/06/19 I CALLED CHEVY SPOKE TO REP DUKE WHO GAVE ME A REFERENCE NUMBER # 9-5037906721 TOLD ME A HIGHER-LEVEL REP FROM CHEVY WOULD CALL ME. ON 02/07/19 ADAM CALLED AND SAID THE PHONE CALL WAS BEING RECORDED. HE SAID IN A NICE WAY THAT CHEVY HAD ALREADY HELPED WITH $ 1000.00 TOWARDS THE TIMING CHAIN AND I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT GOING TO HELP ANYMORE. I TOLD HIM THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. IS THIS VERBATIM FOR THE CALL NO BUT THEN AGAIN, I WASN'T WORKING OFF A SCRIPT OR RECORDING THE PHONE CALL LIKE CHEVY IS.

THE VEHICLE BLEW A REAR MAIN SEAL FROM AN ACCUMULATION OF SLUDGE IN THE MANIFOLD. GM KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAD ISSUED A SELECT SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT DOESN'T COVER ALL EQUINOXES MODEL YEARS 2010-2014. THIS VEHICLE LEFT THE DRIVER STRANDED AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE REPAIR COST WAS OVER 2100 DOLLARS AND GM HAS REFUSED TO COVER THE BILL. THE ISSUE WAS WELL KNOWN TO THEM AS A DESIGN DEFECT YET THEY ARE REFUSING THE REPAIR STATING THAT IT HAPPENED OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY. APPARENTLY ONLY CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WERE COVERED UNDER THEIR SPECIAL COVERAGE.

SMELLED BURNING OIL IN GARAGE. CHECKED UNDER VEHICLE AND NOTICED LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL AND UNDERSIDE OF REAR ENGINE SOAKED WITH IT. TOWED TO DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE. WAS NOTIFIED THAT IT WAS PCV VALUE HAVING MOISTURE/CONDENSATION IN IT AND FREEZING. THIS OCCURRENCE PUT PRESSURE ON THE ENGINE AND SEALS. THE REAR SEAL CONNECTING TO THE TRANSMISSION IS WHAT FAILED. IT WAS A COLD DAY. THE CAR WAS IN A PARKING LOT UNTIL END OF SHIFT. MY WIFE SAID IT DID NOT START AS FAST AS IT NORMALLY DOES. THERE WAS NOT SHUTTERING OF THE ENGINE, NO LOUD CLACKING SOUND AND NOT ONE LIGHT ICON LIT UP. I NOTICED A TRAIL OF OIL INTO THE GARAGE IN OUR DRIVEWAY BUT NO TRAIL IN THE STREET. I ASSUME IT HAD JUST OCCURRED WHEN SHE WAS ARRIVING HOME. SHE WAS BRAKING TO TURN INTO OUR DRIVEWAY. HER ROUTE FROM WORK IS PRIMARILY STATE ROADS WITH SPEEDS OF 35-55 MPH AND VERY OFTEN HAS DEER CROSSING THE ROADS AS THERE ARE NO ROAD NOISE BARRIERS OR TALL FENCING. SHE ARRIVING HOME AT THE NORMAL TIME BUT I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP OUR SONS. SO SHE WAS ABLE TO JUST GO HOME. THE WEATHER WAS COLD (APPROX. 6-8 DEGREES). I HAVE NO REPORTS, INVOICES OR PHOTOS AS THE CAR IS CURRENTLY STILL IN THE SHOP SINCE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 1ST. TODAY IS WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 6TH 2019. I HAVE FOUND A LOT OF INFORMATION ONLINE REGARDING THIS ISSUE, TSB #14882. SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON.

PCV (PRESSURIZED CRANK CASE VENTILATION) SYSTEM FROZE DUE TO COLD CLIMATE AND POOR DESIGN OF THE SYSTEM.THIS ISSUE CAUSED THE REAR MAIN SEAL OF THE MOTOR TO OVER PRESSURIZE WHICH LED TO FAILURE OF THE SEAL CAUSING THE MOTOR TO LOSE OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT TIME OF THE FAILURE ON A CITY STREET . THE MOTOR IN MY VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED BY GENERAL MOTORS,BUT ALL OTHER 2.4L MOTORS OF THIS TYPE ARE UNDER SOME KIND OF COVERAGE FOR THE PCV SYSTEM FAILURE BY GM. THE DEFECT WITH THIS MOTOR IS WIDE SPREAD AND GM IS DOING NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE MOTOR IS DESIGNED IN A WAY AS TO IF THE REAR MAIN SEAL IS COMPROMISED A LARGE AMOUNT OF WORK MUST BE DONE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. LIKE REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION AND INTAKE MANIFOLD FROM VEHICLE. THIS ADDING UP TO A LARGE REPAIR BILL FOR THE CONSUMER FOR A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE FIXED BY GM.

THE PVC VALVE FROZE CAUSING THE REAR MAIN SEAL TO BLOW. THIS HAS NOW CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THE TOTAL COST FROM THE DEALER IS QUOTED AT $7200.00. THIS VEHICLE ALSO USED LARGE AMOUNTS OF OIL. I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE CHEVY ONLY HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT.

MY VEHICLE STALLED AT SLOW SPEEDS. WHEN GAS PEDAL PRESSED THE VEHICLE WOULD ROCK BACK AND FORTH THEN DIE. VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. A YEAR AGO MY VEHICLE WAS PART OF THE OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES AND THE PISTONS AND RINGS WERE CHANGED. NOW THE 'I TAKE CAMSHAFT SOLENOID' IS AFFECTED POSSIBLY CAUSING THE CURRENT ISSUE. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE SAME VEHICLES. WHY WOULD SOMETHING LIKE THIS NOT BE A RECALL?? IT HAPPENED LAST YEAR AS WELL AND WAS TOLD THAT BY CHANGING THE PISTONS AND RINGS THAT THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. APPARENTLY IT DIDN'T.