REAR MAIN SEAL GONE BAD DUE TO ENGINE DEFECT NOTED IN GM SERVICE BULLETIN PIP5093C WHICH IS A KNOWN DEFECT IN THE ENGINE.
2017 Chevrolet Equinox
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Equinox years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
94 reports with mileage · 178 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
178 reportsOil leak caused by insufficient ventilation and excessive oil burning caused rear main seal and timing chain belts to fail. Oil warning systems were too late in warning about problem until engine stalled out and all oil was consumed, causing engine failure. No low oil warnings came up until minutes after the initial engine shutd…
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Oil leak caused by insufficient ventilation and excessive oil burning caused rear main seal and timing chain belts to fail. Oil warning systems were too late in warning about problem until engine stalled out and all oil was consumed, causing engine failure. No low oil warnings came up until minutes after the initial engine shutdown. Research has shown that this has been a known chevy problem since 2017, with a recall being issued earlier on but no known recall now. Dealer has confirmed issues and also that the engine design is flawed and leads to oil burning excessively
VEHICLE STALLED WHEN DRIVEN OR STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. ABNORMAL NOISES COMING FROM ENGINE. WHEN ENGINE OIL WAS CHECKED, NO VISIBLE OIL WAS AVAILABLE IN THE DIPSTICK. INSERTED DIPSTICK A COUPLE OF TIMES TO ENSURE CORRECT MEASUREMENT. EXTREMELY LOW OIL LEFT IN VEHICLE. VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE BURNING OIL. DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES R…
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VEHICLE STALLED WHEN DRIVEN OR STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. ABNORMAL NOISES COMING FROM ENGINE. WHEN ENGINE OIL WAS CHECKED, NO VISIBLE OIL WAS AVAILABLE IN THE DIPSTICK. INSERTED DIPSTICK A COUPLE OF TIMES TO ENSURE CORRECT MEASUREMENT. EXTREMELY LOW OIL LEFT IN VEHICLE. VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE BURNING OIL. DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES READ BY OBD2 TOOL WERE: P0011,P0191,P228D,P0089 AND P0014. WHEN INVESTIGATING ONLINE, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW BEING IGNORED BY THE OEM.
Our 2017 Chevy Equinox, engine 2.4l, is using excessive oil. Doing research it sounds like this is a known well known problem. what is Chevrolet doing to fix this issue?
Driving down a 4 lane busy highway. Going 65 when the car made a pop sound. We pulled over. Car caught on fire 5 mins after we were out
Had car over 5 years from 11/2019 to current and had no issues at all. No check engine lights, nothing, and kept up on all routine maintenance. Car started up just fine drove on interstate from about 10 miles came to my exit and vehicle turned off and tried to restart itself. Car never started again. After getting it towed home …
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Had car over 5 years from 11/2019 to current and had no issues at all. No check engine lights, nothing, and kept up on all routine maintenance. Car started up just fine drove on interstate from about 10 miles came to my exit and vehicle turned off and tried to restart itself. Car never started again. After getting it towed home replaced the started and that wasn’t the issue towed it again to Firestone they could tell me what the problem was because they don’t do engine work. Finally took it to a Chevy dealership who stated the timing chain broke and we need a whole engine replacement for $9600. Now we are stuck without a vehicle because of know issues GM AND Chevy have been aware of.
Car is 7 years old and only 65,900 miles (purchased new and oil changed every 4000 mi) when timing chain noise started - approx April 2024. Chevy dealer in area and independent mechanic could not find the issue and diagnosed as exhaust sound though Chevy has known issues like this with 4 cylinder engines). Car was traded Aug 202…
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Car is 7 years old and only 65,900 miles (purchased new and oil changed every 4000 mi) when timing chain noise started - approx April 2024. Chevy dealer in area and independent mechanic could not find the issue and diagnosed as exhaust sound though Chevy has known issues like this with 4 cylinder engines). Car was traded Aug 2024 (has since been sent to auction due to unknown engine damage) and discovered upon trade it had catastrophic engine failure. For months car was driven at times with small children when engine could have seized up and caused a crash. No engine lights or indication of an issue other than diesel engine sound when car was running.
I bought my 2017 Chevy equinox around October or November of 2018. Since owning this car I have had nothing but problems with the oil. The oil had been burning at such an excessive rate that GM finally stated they would need to replace the engine! I have continued to change the oil before it need to be changed due to it burning …
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I bought my 2017 Chevy equinox around October or November of 2018. Since owning this car I have had nothing but problems with the oil. The oil had been burning at such an excessive rate that GM finally stated they would need to replace the engine! I have continued to change the oil before it need to be changed due to it burning so quickly. After the engine was replaced I informed GM of the loud noises and informed them 3 weeks after they replaced everything that the oil was again empty! They are now ignoring me and won’t do anything further! I am a single mother of 3 kids trying to make ends meet and I bought a car they knew and have known has oil consumption issues which has caused my car to have major issues. The car randomly can to a full stop while I was driving and I am so lucky I wasn’t going 80 miles an hour because it would of killed me all because the car had burned the oil just 2 weeks after an oil change! GM continues to ignore me and will not replace the car or fix anything! I started having issues in August of 2019 and they replaced the engine on jul 14 2022 and I am certain this car is not going to make it much longer it has ac and heat problems as well again all started after replacement and still have oil issues
On 2-11-24 a light came on about system reset plus speed reduced to 20. I drove home 4 miles. Called Chevy Corp. Told needs to be checked. Dealership said if drivable come in.Light was safety to get off Rd or to garage. Timing chain slipped and chewed up teeth spreading metal everywhere and killed motor. No warning. It's a known…
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On 2-11-24 a light came on about system reset plus speed reduced to 20. I drove home 4 miles. Called Chevy Corp. Told needs to be checked. Dealership said if drivable come in.Light was safety to get off Rd or to garage. Timing chain slipped and chewed up teeth spreading metal everywhere and killed motor. No warning. It's a known prob with Equinox as I have seen class action lawsuits. Advisor even said need another lawsuit to solve it. Tried going thru insurance but advisor said normal wear and tear. Chevy dealership or corp will not help or give me a rental car. $10300 to get a refurbished motor and hope it doesn't happen again. Same car burns oil had sensor issues on block and every 1-2 years battery dies. Paid 65 to replace it one time under warranty. Timing chain doesn't slip they break to stop car. Advisor says a few mechanical issues caused it. To me it shouldn't do that if made rt. I could have been in an accident if on highway. Insurance won't cover under comp part of policy yet if hit and totaled it's paid.A diff garage said belt or chain shouldn't need replacement until 100k miles. I only have 77k.
I am writing to address a critical issue involving my 2017 Chevrolet vehicle, which poses a significant safety hazard. I purchased this car from Faulkner Subaru in Bethlehem in 2022. The specific component failure relates to the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, particularly the lack of a traditional PCV valve and th…
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I am writing to address a critical issue involving my 2017 Chevrolet vehicle, which poses a significant safety hazard. I purchased this car from Faulkner Subaru in Bethlehem in 2022. The specific component failure relates to the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, particularly the lack of a traditional PCV valve and the presence of a fixed orifice vacuum port in the intake manifold. This component is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself, my passengers, and other road users was compromised due to the sudden and significant oil leakage caused by the malfunctioning PCV system. This not only endangered our safety but also posed a serious risk to others on the road. While the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, it is a well-documented issue with ongoing litigation against Chevrolet. However, there are currently no active recalls addressing the problem. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The incident occurred suddenly while driving, with the strong smell of burning oil and subsequent oil leakage being the first indications of a problem. Your immediate attention to this matter and intervention on behalf of affected consumers is crucial. I urge Chevrolet to address this safety concern through a formal safety recall and to take responsibility for rectifying this manufacturing defect.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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