2016 Chevrolet Equinox Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle on a cold, snowy day, there was oil on the driveway. There was a fuel odor inside the vehicle, and the engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was related to the PCV system. The mechanic stated that the PCV valve was clogged, causing the gasket to fail. The vehicle was partially repaired. The mechanic later informed the contact that other repairs were necessary. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that there were no recalls associated with the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage associated with the VIN for the repair. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

I am writing to formally document a series of catastrophic mechanical failures regarding the aforementioned vehicle. Despite rigorous maintenance and significant financial investment, the car remains non-drivable, posing a severe safety risk. Chronology of Failures: October 2024: Four months post-purchase, the timing chain failed on I-94. Atwater Chevrolet replaced the component; however, this did not resolve the underlying engine instability. December 3, 2025: Following a dashboard warning light, a Northland Chevrolet dealer replaced the solenoids. At this time, the windshield wiper motor also required replacement. Late December 2025: Shortly after these repairs, the vehicle suffered a major failure of the rear main seal and engine block during sub-freezing temperatures. This caused a total loss of oil and left the driver stranded in hazardous conditions. Maintenance and Disclosure: We have invested over $4,000 in preventative maintenance, including oil changes every 2,800 miles to mitigate known oil consumption issues. At the time of sale, there was no disclosure regarding the inherent engine defects common to this model. Current Status: The vehicle is currently at a dealership and is inoperable. A $10,000 loan balance remains. Current diagnostics suggest a frost plug failure triggered the event. I have contacted GM regarding Bulletin 14882, which addresses identical issues in similar models, but was informed it does not currently attach to this VIN. Furthermore, the extended warranty provider has denied the claim following an inspection, despite the documented manufacturing issues known to affect these engines for several years.

Clogged PCV caused engine pressure resulting in failure of rear main seal

I just got this used car in seemingly great shape, was told it was garage kept and well cared for. Dealer had oil changed before I drove it off the lot. I only had it about one month, had driven about 1,000 miles so far, I check the oil, and dipstick was nearly dry. I threw oil in it and took it for an oil change just in case. No oil leaks, etc. No indication, no oil light, nothing to alert me to low oil level. I saw here on NHTSA that these cars burn through excessive amounts of oil, and I definitely saw that firsthand. I’m wondering why no recalls exist when this is a well-known issue with these cars, and so many of them are dead at 50-70k miles…? The last two cars I had (Ford Escapes), had over 218k or 185k miles and they were still drivable when I got a replacement vehicle. Now I buy this used Equinox with almost 70k miles and I’m wondering if it is going to break down within the first year. I expect I will be buying lots of oil and checking/changing it often. This is not just an inconvenience, it can cause major safety concerns! I will not be a repeat Chevy customer!

This car used so much oil that I had to put it in constantly. Eventually the time belt broke, and the car stopped because it literally had no oil in it causing the engine to blow. This is a known problem I found out later on.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and idled abnormally. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle jumped unintendedly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the timing chain had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The independent mechanic advised the contact not to drive the vehicle. The failure became a recurring failure, and the contact parked the vehicle, and the vehicle was no longer driven due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The high pressure fuel pump leaking into crankcase and leaking gasket the fuel in the oil was so much it lit on fire.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that one and a half quarts of oil needed to be added every two days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the failure was caused by the timing belt sagging, and the piston being burned. The dealer stated that the gasket kit, timing chain, tensioner, sensor, guards, actuator, and bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a claim. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that two weeks after the vehicle was purchased, while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the engine was very low on oil. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an oil change was performed on the vehicle. Two weeks later, the contact took the vehicle back to be checked and was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. However, no cause for the failure was found. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact had to check the oil level weekly. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and then stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 117,583.

oil consumption is bad. according to mechanic it has now caused problems with timing chain and tensioner. I have to get that replaced ASAP before engine ties up. There is a class action lawsuit in Missouri for same reason with cars like mine. My car has not even hit 114,000.

Engines rear main seal failed and was replaced Freezing weather-15 degrees car will not run GM dealer that car was towed too Just a shutter no dash or any lights ever came on Repair by GM dealer said pcv valve froze resulting in dramatically increased oil pressure

I'm aware of the history of oil consumption issues with Equinoxs, as this is my third one, but I am told by the mechanic who did the oil change that there are no leaks, yet there 8 day later, after the oil change has been preformed, there is absolutely no oil on the dip stick. I just bought this car from Showcase Auto Sales, in Chesaning, MI and they will not take it back, as they sell them as is. There was no oil then either.

I was driving my vehicle on the highway when all of a sudden I started to lose speed and my car wouldn’t accelerate. When my vehicle wouldn’t accelerate it started to shake significantly and the check engine, abs, traction control, and service stabilitrak light came on all at once. I was able to pull over and get my car towed to the dealership. Once it was at the dealership it was diagnosed that my car had jumped time causing a misfire in cylinder 4. My dealership stated this was due to low oil and my piston had become warped due to making contact with my valve. My car had no check oil warnings or any indication that vehicle was low on oil prior to this happening. My vehicle drove perfectly fine until that point. My vehicle also had no oil leaks (confirmed by myself not seeing any leaks under my vehicle as well as the dealership when they did the diagnostics). Before I bought my vehicle I did research and knew this model vehicle had oil consumption issues, so I made sure to routinely check my oil levels. Even with getting oil changes approximately every 3,000 miles and checking my oil levels and topping off my oil whenever it got less then 5 quarts I still had to get a total engine replacement. This was a huge safely issue since there was no warning that my oil was low and my car lost speed on the highway and was trying to stall out before I had a chance to pull off to safe place.

There is a oil consumption issue with this vehicle and there are no warning indicators whatsoever that there is no-low oil If I hadn't caught it I would've blown my engine

1. Excessive oil consumption! Adding one quart of oil every two weeks! 2. Timing chain replaced (TWICE) within 2 years! 2022/2023 3. Rear main seal replaced! 2022 4. VVT solenoid replaced because of rapid oil consumption causing metal shavings from engine! 2025 No warning lights just loud ticking all of a sudden and then engine shaking! Camshaft locked up and would not start, had to be towed to repair shop! This is a very dangerous engine (EcoTec 2.4L 4 cylinder) to drive with, as it can lock up or just fail causing an accident!

On January 21st,2025 (a day where temps did not exceed zero degrees driving this vehicle 3/4 of mile home from work, as pulling down my street, engine began to run rough. No warning lights came on. i pulled in my drive and garage and turned off, there was an oil trail up my drive. After about an hour i looked under car and a HUGE puddle of oil was there. I then had it towed to Chevy dealer. They said it was the 3rd car with this same engine brought in that week, and same issue, a blown rear seal, and in my case damaged the engine quickly. we were told by other dealers that fire could have happened. After doing research, models 2004-2015 have the same exact engine and same exact Defect. the PVC intake valve can develop condinsation (the design does not allow this to escape) and on extreme cold days this can freeze, causing the pressure to build quickly and without warning blow the seal and damage the engine. In 2015 GM put out a service bulliten to dealers warning of this issue and fixed at no charge and also extended the warranty to 10 year 125000 miles (we are currently 8 years , 90K) GM did not change the Defect in this engine until the 2018 model years, GM did not contact any owners of 2016-2027 with the same exact engine and defect to fix or make aware it existed. There are hundred if not thousands of these engines with this defect on the road. It is all over GM related forums, the dealership service departments are aware of the issue as well. GM is refusing to fix my vehicle which now needs a new engine at cost close to $10K, For last month I have had to rent a vehicle for $300 per week at my cost while I fight with GM They have offered me a $1500 coupon to buy a new car, and now today offered $2000 towards the fix this is not acceptable to me. They are aware of the issue and have fully paid for and fixed the SAME EXACT issue all except 2016-2017 we think there should be an urgency to this matter

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving on a rural road at 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact entered a nearby parking lot, where the vehicle was parked and inspected. The contact stated that there was an abnormal amount of oil leaking from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the vehicle had experienced engine failure and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Vehicle has an oil consumption issues which lead to a blown engines. Have been up to date on oil changes, just had an oil change 1 month ago and today the engine blew

When temperatures were around 0 degrees, I was driving to work and I started hearing a noise and the car was shaking. I oil all over the ground and checked the oil once parked, the dip stick had no oil and there was white foam under the oil cap. This issue could've cause me to lose control of my vehicle while driving, putting myself and anyone around me at risk. I had the vehicle towed to a dealership where they found out that the rear main seal failed. They replaced the rear main seal along with the front main seal and sent me on my way. I had no issues for the next month, but the weather went back below 0 degrees and the same issue happened again, this time there was ice found in the intake manifold. This repair is being completed now. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealership. No warning light, messages or any other symptoms were present prior to the failure. The engine light DID NOT turn on when the seal "blew" but did turn on after turning the car off and back on.