2017 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 273 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 15th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 18 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 14 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints
273 reports, newest first.
Engine, Apr 15, 2025
Timing chain going bad. Vehicle burning oil excessively.
Power train, Apr 15, 2025
Bearing on front intermediate shaft broken or missing.
Engine, Mar 24, 2025
Driving to work, my car decided to die upon stopping at a stop light. I managed to get it to start again and coast to work, but upon reaching the parking lot, it died yet again. I allowed it to stay parked while at work, when leaving it seemed normal, mind you it hasn't made any noises. I went to leave; it died yet again at the stop sign. I just put a brand-new battery in it, so I knew that wasn't the issue. I took it maybe 200 feet down the road and it died again. This time, I noticed a bunch of oil on the ground. Since this traumatic event, I took it to my local dealership to have it diagnosed. They found that the timing chain and guide broke, and this pressure caused the seals to also blow. I spent $3,600 to fix those in hopes this would bring my car back to normal use. Unfortunately, there was more damage than expected and the bearings at the bottom of the engine went out, which the mechanic then explained to me would cause them to replace the pistons and other parts and it would be more feasible to get a new engine. They said this was due to the engine overconsuming oil and causing the oil levels to be much lower than they needed to be even with normal maintenance and tops offs in between routine oil changes. This could have caused an accident as when the vehicle would die, I had no time to get to a safe spot on the road. This did not cause any warning lights, notices, messages or signs that something was wrong. I have reached out to the dealership and GM for further assistance to look into this matter as the ECOtec engines have been known for this same issue in the 2013-2016 models but have refused to speak further about the 2017 to current models. GM customer service informed me that due to the engine stating it had too low oil, they were refusing to assist me in anyway.
Engine, Mar 7, 2025
EGR valve froze cause the rear main seal to blow, has timing chain fixes. Now having more issues again.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 6, 2025
After very cold winter weather, car started to smell. PCV valve blew and car was seizing causing it to blow out the rear systems. It had spilled oil onto the garage floor and had a bad emissions smell. Dealership said they added 3 quarts of Oil and that within 30 minutes two quarts leaked out. No warning lights on dashboard, no affected cautions through the equinox app (which still shows that I have 80% of my oil still remaining). While driving the car started making a ticking sound during acceleration and a bad smell. I am now left with a $3700 bill. Numerous others have detailed exact experiences with their equinox after the last February, cold spell in Chicagoland. I was very fearful driving the car and my safety was compromised. The car was shaking, and the smell was pungent Right now my car is at the dealership so I do not have the invoice
Power train, Mar 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that upon arriving to the destination, the contact became aware that there was an excessive amount of engine oil pooling underneath the engine compartment of the vehicle, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the rear main seal. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Engine, Mar 2, 2025
When my car failed while driving to work, I had it towed to a repair facility. The technician reported that the rear main was leaking and the motor had no oil in it. I have always had the oil changed every 2000 miles. There was also engine metal in the oil filter. It was deemed that the motor was ruined. I was told by the technician that this was a common problem for this make/model of car. I researched and there are many of the same complaints. This does pose safety concerns and I wish for this to be addressed/recalled.
Power train, Engine, Mar 1, 2025
Oxygen sensor, catalytic system efficiency below threshold bank,o2 circuit low voltage,accelerator pedal position sensor 1-2 not plausible, invalid data received from engine control module, vvt timing solenoid, engine vvt timing solenoid, timing shaft bank 1, exhaust camshaft, intake performance camshaft up and down shift switch circuit left front wheel sensor circuit I have had to replace all this on my vehicle nothing was covered under extended warranty I bought car from drive time wanted to return it when they wouldn’t replace when shield mad me look for estimate and then told me I drove over 400miles and would take it back Bridgecrest financed me and car been in and out of shop since I got it also had to replace some but my gas peddle I still owe on this vehicle they wanted 20k still owe like 14k higher robbery I have contacted BBB this is fraud if you ask me also had to replace fuelrail pressure sensors
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 27, 2025
My vehicle had a pool of oil beneath it and a trail behind it due to a faulty PCV. I had it towed to the certified dealer and they told me it was a PCV valve issue, due to the cold temperatures, ice was able to accumulate and caused a pressure build up inside of the hose or something of the sort. With that being said, the pressure caused the seal to pop off and allowed for the oil to leak out and get all over the engine/parts within the engine. The dealership let me know they were aware and had correspondence about this particular issue. There was no sound prior to the decline of my engine, no indicator on the dash, and this issue can happen so quickly that there's no time to respond or reverse damage that was made. My engine no longer works and was told I would need to purchase a new one, despite the fact this issue could happen again with a new engine regardless of routine upkeep. Dealership confirmed the engine was damaged, the oil was depleted, and the PCV was to blame. There were no warning signs, it happened quite quickly, and I fear that if this incident didn't happen at night, my vehicle would have slowed or completely stopped at a rate that would have prevented other drivers from steering clear of me and harming themselves or me. Thankfully it wasn't a busy night. I was going 80km/hr and my vehicle slowed to barely 30 km/hr without being able to accelerate. At home, the engine shut down, and again a pool of oil was found before being towed to the certified dealership I had my routine inspection done at a few months prior. Vehicle previously register in Texas, now resides in Canada where incident occurred.
Engine, Feb 21, 2025
The Rear Main seal failed which ended up causing issues with the timing belt and required pistons to be replaced as well. The safety of the vehicle was at risk because it was spewing oil all over the place while I was driving which could cause the roads to be slick and cause others to crash. Let alone the oil spewing everyone could cause further damage to my own vehicle. The dealer confirmed there is a bulletin for this exact issue and also advised me that in my small local area there was 6 others in the past 3 weeks who had the exact same issue. Several others I know who have this vehicle also had it happen to them within the past few years. There was 0 indication of anything that something was wrong until it just happened all of the sudden. It cost $6500 to fix and GMC will take 0 responsibility for their own willful misconduct.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 20, 2025
PCV valve got clogged and failed, i have an extended warranty and the extended warranty EXCLUDES this from any repairs if this is involved. Caused my Rear Main Seal to break and leak oil. Not drivable currently. Quoted 3200 on a repair. Purchased the vehicle less than 12 months ago.
Engine, Feb 20, 2025
Timing chain broke guides and jumped timing which resulted in engine failure. There were no lights indicating a problem before. Engine had to be replaced by a service repair shop.
Engine, Feb 19, 2025
My husband was driving our vehicle on his way to work on [XXX] very early in the morning. He was on the highway going 70 mph. While driving he noticed a tire pressure monitoring system warning come up. Shortly after the vehicle went into reduced power mode. He was able to exit the highway and get the vehicle stopped. Upon stopping the vehicle died. Upon getting out of the vehicle he noticed a large oil leak on the ground and coating the underside of the vehicle. Had this incident happened during a busier traffic hour the sudden drastic slow in speed could have resulted in an accident. There was also oil left on the roadway that could be a hazard to other drivers. We had the vehicle towed to our mechanic. He confirmed that the engine had blown and would need replaced. He informed us that this vehicle has a known oil overconsumption issue. GM has settled on a class action lawsuit involving this make and model for the 2010 to 2013 model years. There is also a class action lawsuit currently in process out of Missouri against GM for the model years 2014 to 2017. I contacted GM and was told there was no active recall on my vehicle. I inquired about help getting the issue resolved and was told they were unable to help due to the vehicle not being diagnosed at a GM dealership. O have contacted GM dealerships and am having a hard time finding one that is willing to work with me on getting this issue resolved. This vehicle never warned of low oils or oil pressure. The engine did not make any kind of noise to indicate an issue. There was nothing indication anything was wrong with the vehicle until the vehicle went into low power mode and the engine was blown. A police report was not filed and insurance has not been contacted due to no accident being caused by the incident. The vehicle is still with my independent mechanic as we try to figure out how to cover the cost of this very costly repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 18, 2025
2/4/19 bulletin issued for PCV valve defect [XXX] bought car from dealer, was told nothing wrong with car [XXX] sold me a extended warranty to assure me the car would be protected [XXX] car wouldn’t start in driveway had it towed to Tarr Chevrolet. [XXX] warranty refused to fix car, seems they excluded the PCV valve from warranty. The PCV valve blew the rear seal, part of the power train which I have a lifetime warranty on. But since the PCV valve caused it , they didn’t cover that either. This repair cost me $2800.00. Living on social security that’s a lot of money. I have called Chevy, the dealer and the warranty co to no avail, I have read about all the class action suits. This is a very serious problem. The bulletin states below 0 temperatures can cause this, we live in Tennessee, we don’t have that kind of weather. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Feb 18, 2025
Rear main seal keeps blowing out due to PVC hose freezing also noticed oil on ground from rear the transmission at work so
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Feb 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 71 MPH, the engine lost power with the check engine and stability-track warning lights illuminated. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to a local gas station. The contact approached the gas station, and the vehicle shut off. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed; however, the mechanic could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the PCV valve had frozen due to the cold weather. The contact was informed that the failure then pressurized the crankcase valve and blew the engine oil seal. The contact was also informed that the timing chain had failed and caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 68,000.
Seat belts, Feb 6, 2025
The cable that holds the seat belt to the frame of the car severed in half. We are ordering a new cable and fixing it, but I have never heard of this before. I will attach a photo below. We have had the car for a really long time.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 1, 2025
Defective pcv valve system caused the rear main seal to blow out. Causing oil leak which made my engine stall while driving on interstate 95.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 1, 2025
Two massive oil leaks experienced while driving during cold weather months. One two years ago (Feb 2023) and the other January 2025. Both instance caused by Rear Main Seal and led to mass oil loss while operating and vehicle almost shutting down on roadway. There appears to have been bulletins sent to dealers from GM on the matter but no indication to customers of the potential dangers.
Engine, Jan 31, 2025
When very cold in January 2025 in Evansville in area. our Equinox was being driven 1 hour and no lights on dashboard turned on and then all of a sudden at a stoplight the Equinox stalled and wouldn't go. The mechanic at a chevy dealership said pvc froze and engine wasn't getting oil.
Engine, Jan 31, 2025
My 2017 Chevy Equinox, equipped with the 2.4L Ecotec engine, experienced a catastrophic failure due to a faulty PCV system. In cold weather, condensation caused the PCV valve to malfunction, leading to excessive pressure and ultimately blowing out the rear main seal. This issue has been well-documented in the 2010–2013 models, which were covered under a class-action lawsuit, but the same defect persists in later models, including mine, which are not covered. This design flaw creates a significant safety and financial burden for owners and needs further investigation. My car shut off several times while driving in heavy traffic. I was in the car with my 6 year old child taking him to school on a busy street. This could have been catastrophic. In addition, I was informed my engine is burning oil excessively which is also a known issue. The safety risk posed by the defect, readily know by service techs, is substantial, the lawsuits claim, given that an engine operating without sufficient oil could wear down and fail prematurely, even during the course of normal operation, due to friction. According to the lawsuits, General Motors, for its part, actively concealed from consumers that its Equinox and Terrain vehicles suffered from an oil consumption defect. Worse, the suits say, GM allegedly failed to offer vehicle owners and lessees any help by way of repairs or recalls. Oil leak caused by insufficient ventilation and excessive oil burning caused rear main seal and timing chain belts to fail. My oil warning systems never detected the low oil. 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
Engine, Jan 25, 2025
My 2017 Chevy Equinox, equipped with the 2.4L Ecotec engine, experienced a catastrophic failure due to a faulty PCV system. In cold weather, condensation caused the PCV valve to malfunction, leading to excessive pressure and ultimately blowing out the rear main seal. This issue has been well-documented in the 2010–2013 models, which were covered under a class-action lawsuit, but the same defect persists in later models, including mine, which are not covered. This design flaw creates a significant safety and financial burden for owners and needs further investigation.
Engine, Jan 22, 2025
On 1/5/25, the rear main seal ruptured due to a known issue in the vehicle's PVC system, causing severe oil loss, potential catastrophic damage to the engine, loss of power, possible accident and/or injury. The problem was confirmed by a local Chevrolet dealer, with an estimated repair cost of $4000. The failure occurred without any vehicle warning lights activating.
Engine, Jan 22, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly went into LIMP Mode. The traction control, the stability-track warning lights, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to The Race Car Factory, where it was diagnosed that the engine's rear main seal was blown. The mechanic determined that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000. The VIN was not available.
Power train, Engine, Jan 21, 2025
114k miles and the PCV valve was collecting condensation which froze. This caused a build up of pressure and blew the rear main oil seal and timing chain. No warning, no dash lights, nothing. Oil life at 35% and over 1,000 miles before due for next oil change. Went from running fine to DEAD in less than 1/4 of a mile.