7th Jul 2009, 21:01

I purchased a new 2005 Equinox in June 2005. I am terrified at what I've read here because I have similar problems as have been documented.

Particularly the brakes. First brake job @ 35-40K miles, said I needed the rotors replaced -- never had this occur so soon with any other vehicle.

Now 75K miles, car shimmies when braking over 40-50 mph. I can barely afford doing the brake job (including replacing rotors if necessary). I hope nothing else develops and this is not a problem with the front suspension because I'm 61 yrs old and unemployed almost a year due to downturn in economy. I owe far too much and can't trade or otherwise deal with this of it breaks down -- I'll just have it repossessed.

I always do oil changes regularly when the indicator light comes on. I have come to despise American made cars (certainly not like they were 40 years ago and more. Each any every American car I've owned, either new or used has cost me more to maintain than the cost of the car!

No wonder GM is bankrupt; if they'd have paid attention to customer service and worked to make their cars more dependable. It seems that now the American car market only makes money on after-purchase parts and labor -- a very sad condition for American manufacturing. Now, I wish the government had not bailed out GM or the other two car-makers. Chrysler was a total disappointment for me (1 new, 1 used). Ford 1 used extreme repaid and maintenance. One Toyota Corolla Station Wagon (little problems other that from an oil change place not ensuring oil plug in securely, blew engine; replaced and drove until totaled in an accident.

16th Jul 2009, 13:03

2005 Equinox bought new in August 2005. Started having suspension issues last last year & definitely had the "apply the brakes over 45 mph & feel like the car is going to shake itself to death" issue. The most disheartening issue is now at 43,000 the head gasket blew. It is a $2200 repair that the dealer has offered to go 50/50 on. I still find this unacceptable & do not even feel safe in this car anymore. I am so upset because I loved this car.

Yes and the fabric stains & the paint wears off, but that is nothing compared to brake & engine issues.

Will never buy a GM car again!!!

18th Jul 2009, 23:13

Thus far I have enjoyed my '05 Chevy Equinox. Reoccurring problems are: oil light stays on for extended periods even after being reset; brakes are terrible when attempting to apply at speeds of 45-50mph; MP3 player replaced by dealer 4x with refurbished parts; seals around headlights weak; doors unlock automatically when putting in park.

No major problems until last leg of roadtrip - car would not start and I heard a loud thud under hood while attempting to turn on ignition. Could not locate battery under hood. Thank goodness for roadside assist. Noticed very sluggish looking coolant. Any suggestions??

21st Jul 2009, 09:51

I have a 2005 Equinox with 85000 miles. I also have had most of the problems that I have read on this web site. My warranty is up in a few months and I was wondering if some out there could help with avoiding a future head gasket problem, which as I read could cost me as much as $2000 if it happens after warranty expires. So seeing that I have 4 months left on my extended warranty, what could I have the dealer do as far as checking up if my time is coming up also?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you want to email me direct, maxnicden@aol.com

4th Aug 2009, 19:21

I have been having paint flaking under the wheel well of my 2005 Chevy Equinox and it is not from stones. Looking at the body it appears to be a web like appearance, unit you press it and the paint came right off. A friend of my bought the same time and the back of his chevy is pealing off. I think GM should look into recall, because I will never Buy another GM until the quality and warranty improves.

4th Aug 2009, 21:48

"doors unlock automatically when putting in park."

That's not a problem. They're supposed to do that!

2nd Sep 2009, 19:29

I have a 2005 Chevy Equinox AWD and I drove it for about 2 weeks and the front end makes a horrible squeaking noise everytime I turn the wheel. Any comments or know how to fix this problem? I don't want to take it to a dealer and them try to fix it and it not work. I don't have a bunch of money to pay for this and I am tired of wasting money on it. Any ideas? E-mail address is joshua_0818@yahoo.com.

15th Sep 2009, 18:24

I don't know where to begin... I am still paying on my 2005 Equinox.

I bought it with approx. 19000 miles, the day after I signed the papers, I had to take it to have the rotors fixed...

10K miles later I was on my way to a wedding and the drive shaft snapped in half, that's right, snapped in half. This is an SUV that never leaves the pavement... Thank God I purchased the extended warranty.

Since my purchase I have had 3 fuel sending kits replaced, 2 rear differential replacements, a new wiring harness because the air conditioning wasn't working, and the console lights randomly go on and off, and for some reason when I shut the car off the dinging noise still sounds like I left the keys in the car... even after I have locked it.

The list goes on and on and on... and it is very convenient that when I take it to the dealership for other "odd" issues they can never duplicate the problem... oh and as of 2K miles ago, my warranty has run out, so now all of these issues are going to cost me out of pocket.

I am sour towards Chevy, they have made no attempts to try to keep me as a customer... and I don't need the headaches any longer. I am switching before the car won't start and even the dealership won't want it back.

22nd Sep 2009, 22:21

I have a 2007 Equinox and guess what? I have issues with the throttle body which costs 800.00 to fix. I swear they make vehicle last just long enough to make it to the warranty, then GM really makes money off of people. I don't have 800.00 - point blank. To make matters worse, my head and tail lights have all gone out at the same time - I have had at least 6 changes.

I wouldn't buy another Chevy if someone put a gun to my head. I have one car and need to get to work, the workmanship is crap. I hope they go out of business because they are hurting everyday people - really really bad.

23rd Sep 2009, 13:59

"I swear they make vehicle last just long enough to make it to the warranty, then GM really makes money off of people."

This is EXACTLY what they do. It's why American vehicles become disposable after the warranty runs out.

29th Sep 2009, 20:55

05 LS FWD Equinox 80K.

I am a auto tech and have had some of the issues that you all have had.

Brakes - ceramic pads are the way to go; with lubing the slides and sticky paste the squeaks will go away.

Rotors warp - insufficient rear brake pressure cause 85%-90% braking done with the front brakes, hence the car dives when braking, which causes the rotors to heat up faster, and the front struts to work harder then they need to. Not a great selection of aftermarket parts for the brakes.

Front struts - just replaced them with new KYB struts and new GM uppermounts. When you replace the struts, get uppermount and take the new ones apart to add more hi temp grease to the bearings to last longer. KYB are half the price of OEM and have a good reputation.

I am just now experiencing the starting issue, which next on my hit list. I don't believe the fuel pump would be the problem because the car will run. It is the initial pressurizing of the system before the crank begins. Maybe a module problem. Like I said, it is my next task for this car.

Since we bought this car in 04, it has had few problems that either the dealer or myself have fixed.

The thump after start up in the rear is a emission valve activating in the charcoal can, which is mounted underneath the car on the floor just behind the rear seat driver side. Some of the other noises could be the front sway bar links.

I am a GM fan. I just retired my 88 Caprice with 285K on a 305 w/o a motor swap, body rotted out.

My 91 Caprice has 114k on it and I hardly do anything to it but general maintenance. It is not necessarily GM's fault, but it is more of the part source and manufacture of the materials that they use.

My 08 Harley has been in the shop more times than any car I have owned combined. Also I had many failures with my 02 Kawa Concours (internal part failures). The parts of today are inferior to what we are used to. We do live in a disposable world, and yes this has been a let down for me considering this is the first new car I have ever bought.

Just my 2 cents.