2018 Chevrolet Equinox Engine

My vehicle suddenly began giving a message engine power reduced. This happened on a highway that required with a maximum speed of 65 mph. My vehicle reduced speed to under 40mph which may be beneath the minimum speed limit. I took the vehicle to a chevvy dealer who said my transmission was slipping. I took it to AAMCO spent 6000 on repairs only to have the engine power reduced error continue to appear. AAMCO claims they have made all repairs yet the light is still on and my vehicle continues to lose engine power on fast highways (the intended interstate). I called chevy because I had seen similar issues in older models and they refused to accept me rendition of events because my vehicle was not serviced by chevy. I tried to upload a photo of the error message The upload is not working.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the turbo charger failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that excessive pressure was needed to depress the accelerator pedal. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed due to a low coolant level. Additionally, the contact was adding 2-quarts of engine oil to the vehicle weekly. The contact stated there was oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. While checking the oil level, the contact saw smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact was made aware of the Special Coverage Program, NHTSA ID Number: 10171426 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Air Bags, Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the year vehicle was not included. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the oil line connected to the turbo charger; however, the oil leak persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox Premier. The engine connecting rod to the #1 piston separated, causing the engine to stop while the vehicle was in motion. The only warning light at the time was the tire pressure monitor system. The incident had no warning. My husband was driving the vehicle. Initially he thought the car blew a tire by the noise, but then the engine stopped/stalled while I was driving. He was able to get to a side road. The vehicle would not start. He smelled burnt rubber and then thought he broke a belt. He pushed the On-star button for roadside assistance. The car was towed to Ferman Chevolet, Adamoo Dr., Brandon, Florida where they inserted a camera scope and confirmed the rod separation. I do not have paperwork except to show they gave me $2500 towards a trade-in. Over the phone they said it would be $1800 to take apart the engine to confirm the separation. The mechanic suspected the engine was scarred as a result. It would cost $12,000 to replace it, or they could talk to the sales side and see if they can let us trade it in on a different car. We traded the vehicle in. I just saw news of another GM recall affecting the 6.2L V8 and thought it odd that the same thing happened to my vehicle, which is not included in the recall. The engine stall caused my husband to stall in the middle of the traffic lane on a side street. Had he not gotten to the side street in time, he would have blocked a traffic lane on a very busy road which could have resulted in a major accident with injuries.

My son was coming home from work 3/26/2025 after 5 pm, when a warning message came on that said "Engine Power Reduced". My son attempted to pull over, however, the brakes did not work. This caused a definite safety risk to my son and others as he could not stop the vehicle. Gratefully, he was on the street and not on the freeway where speeds are higher which could have caused injury or possibly death. He found a clear area to pull over and put the car in park and pushed the start/stop button to turn off the car. The car had to be towed to my home. The car was towed to the repair shop 4/1/2025. There were no previous warning messages regarding the engine or otherwise until the day of the incident. The vehicle is currently in the shop and has been inspected.

Camshaft broke into pieces into the engine causing the vehicle to not run on the roadway with minors in the car.

Good afternoon I hope everyone is well. This complaint I'm filing for Turbocharger/Supercharger A under boost condition (P0299) with my daughters 2018 Chevy Equinox. When you research this error with Chevy/GM vehicles you'll see this impacts all vehicles, but Chevy/GM is only recalling their vehicles from 2022+. I've spoken with numerous auto mechanics throughout the United States, and every auto mechanic has stated this is an issue that impacts all Chevy and GM vehicles. Both Chevy and GM are deceiving everyone and there's a significant issue that requires Chevy and GM should address.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the contact noticed that the start of the vehicle was abnormal. The contact drove the vehicle out of the driveway and then into the garage. The contact stated an hour later while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact connected to a jump box to the battery and charged the battery for an hour. The contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the shift to park warning light remained illuminated. The contact purchased a new battery however, the vehicle failed to start. The battery was disconnected to prevent the battery from draining. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a voucher for the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the "Engine Power Reduced" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle unintentionally went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the turbo charger assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo charger boost assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for the last time where it was diagnosed that once again the turbo charger boost assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,717.

The contact’s girlfriend owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated the girlfriend's vehicle was parked and would not start. The contact utilized a Nickson Industries Engine Heater Oil Product, CAT' Engine Heater 90-Watt Dipstick Heater 24-inch, Part number 15200, to heat the engine oil. However, a part of the dipstick heater melted off into the oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local mechanic who dropped the oil pan and removed the fragment from the dipstick heater. A new battery was installed, and the vehicle was inspected. The contact sent fragments of the dipstick heater to the manufacturer, and it was confirmed as a manufacturing failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pan had rusted and caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part to do the repair was on back order. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his fiancée was driving 15-20 MPH uphill, the vehicle jolted and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's fiancée was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact's fiancée was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft had fractured, causing the vacuum pump and the solenoid sensor to be fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided because the vehicle was out of Warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Car stopped working at 72K miles. sputtered, stopped, cranked but no start. P0017 error - which has a TSB on it. Camshaft position error. Chevy knows about the issue but just hopes it happens outside of warranty, which is not acceptable. Vacuum pump also had catastrophic failure.

When backing into my drive way moving the gear from d to r the car will jump. This has made it to where I fear to park where I have to reverse. As well as when I started driving down the road the auto stop start kicked on while doing 30 when the car powered back on in the busy intersection the car was clunking I pulled over asap and took a look under the car to make sure nothing was leaking when started back up it went away. It’s very unsafe to have a car that you can’t disable the auto stop feature from coming on as if the intersection was not a safe place for this to happen

On approximately 11/18/21 3:30 pm I drove my car and the engine just died. Busy street. It took me 30 minutes to restart and pull safely into the first parking lot I could get to. every time I went to start vehicle it would take 3-4 minutes each time, I had to turn car completely to stop the car from trying to start. When it finally started it would only go 10 feet before the engine stopped running. I had to have my car towed to the dealership. On 12/8/21 the dealership called me and said the the pump which is inside the engine failed and that the engine would have to be replaced for $8,500.00 HELP!

THE OIL PLUG IS WEAK AND DAMAGED

THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND AT TIMES DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED, PRIMARILY NOTED IN COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS. HESITATIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OCCASIONS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR INPUT, ONCE OCCURRING FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND ONE TIME OCCURRING WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR WITH BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRING ON CITY STREETS WITH A POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 40 MILES PER HOUR. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE DEFECT APPARENTLY IS WITH THE CHARGE AIR COOLER.

WHEN COMING TO A STOP ENGINE CONSTANTLY SHUTS OFF

THE AUTO STOP IS ANNOYING AND I FEEL DANGEROUS. THERE IS A HESITATION AND A LURCH WHEN PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC. I NEVER WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THIS IF I KNEW IT. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

MUFFLER LEAK AT BOTH ENDS !!!!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESTART AND THE AUTO STOP WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KOCOUREK CHEVROLET (1500 MORNING GLORY LN, WAUSAU, WI 54401, (715) 359-7200) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,400.

OIL LEAK NOTED ON GROUND AFTER BEING DRIVEN. STARTED OUT BEING SMALL DROPS BUT GRADUALLY WORSENED. DEALERSHIP STATED "WELD AROUND OIL PAN WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED"

WHILE DRIVING AT CONSTANT SPEED AND RPM OIL PRESSURE GOES FROM 30PSI TO 70PSI. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HIGH OIL PRESSURE IS AS BIG A PROBLEM AS LOW PRESSURE. MY OTHER CARS DO NOT DO THIS AS OIL PRESSURE GOES UP WITH RPM SO I ASKED MCDANIELS SERVICE TECHNICIAN AND SERVICE MANAGER IF THIS WAS NORMAL. TECHNICIAN SAID HE COULDN'T REPEAT IT BUT IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME. I ASKED IF THIS WAS NORMAL AND THEY BOTH WEREN'T SURE. IN OCTOBER THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WOULD CHECK AND GET BACK WITH ME BUT AS OF JAN 30, 2019 I HAVE NO RESPONSE. I HAVE CALLED A FEW TIMES BUT NO CALL BACK. I CALLED GM CUSTOMER CARE AND CORPORATE OFFICE. THEY SAID THEY WOULD FOLLOW UP BUT WHEN I CALLED BACK IN JANUARY THEY JUST SAID I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN. ACTUALLAY I'M NOT SURE THIS IS NORMAL OR NOT ON THE 1.5T EQUINOX. IT MAY BE NORMAL, MAYBE GM HAS A VARIABLE PRESSURE PUMP TO ADD PRESSURE FOR VARIABLE VALVE TIMING. THE PROBLEM IS THE TECHNICIANS, SERVICE MANAGER AND CUSTOMER CARE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TELL ME THIS. THEY SHOULD KNOW OR BE ABLE TO GET AN ANSWER FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS ON TECHNICAL QUESTIONS. CARS ARE MORE TECHNICAL TODAY AND THE TECHNICIANS AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT SHOULD BE MORE TECHNICAL TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. REGARDLESS THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER CUSTOMERS QUESTIONS IN A TIMELY MANOR AND TELL CUSTOMERS IF THEY HAVE A PROBLEM OR NOT. THREE MONTHS IS TOO LONG TO WAIT FOR ANSWER, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ANY ISSUE IS STALLED OR DELAYED TO TRY TO WAIT UNTILL THE CUSTOMER GIVES UP OR THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. I'M GLAD THIS IS JUST A MINOR ISSSUE -I HOPE.

AT CERTAIN TIMES THERE IS A SLIGHT SURGE. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN A STOPPED MODE. WHEN THE FOOT IS REMOVED FROM THE BRAKE, BUT BEFORE THE ACCELATOR PEDAL IS TOUCHED, THERE IS A SLIGHT SURGE WHICH IS NOT NORMAL OR SAFE. OCCASIONALLY, IT ALSO OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN THE HIGHEST GEAR.

VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND INSTANTLY STARTED AGAIN SIMULTANEOUSLY WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A DRIVE THROUGH AT A RESTAURANT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL ODOR WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS OPERATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT IT COULD BE A CHEMICAL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CAVALLARO-NEUBAUER CHEVROLET (3740 NY-104, WILLIAMSON, NY 14589, (315) 791-4206) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLING ELEMENT WAS BEING BURNED OFF AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED HE SPOKE WITHA SUPERVISOR AT GM SHELIA AUG 29TH, 2018 1-866-790-5600 EXT 5921743. AFTER SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL ME THE WEEK BEFORE, SAID SHE HAS SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK AT, THAT'S WHY SHE TOOK SO LONG GETTING BACK TO CONSUMER. ALSO, SAID SHE WOULD TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR SURE AND GET BACK TO CONSUMER ON AUG 31ST,2018, NEVER CALLED. ALSO TALKED TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO RIDE IT OUT THROUGH THE WINTER, IT WILL BE DEALT WITH NEXT SUMMER. AT THIS POINT NEVER BUY A CHEVY AGAIN. STILL SMELLS BAD UPDATED 10/15/18*JB