NHTSA Complaint #10231225 — 2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

TOOK DELIVERY O '05 EQUINOX IN JUNE OF '04. WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR I BEGAN HAVING AN ODOR OF COOLANT IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. HAD COOLANT SYSTEM FLUSHED AND TANK CLEANED OUT IN APRIL OF '05. THIS WAS APPARENTLY BEFORE A TSB WAS ISSUED FOR THE PROBLEM. IN MARCH OF '06 I HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND THIS TIME THEY HAD A TSB FOR IT AND CHANGED THE HOSES AND COOLANT UNDER WARRANTY. AGAIN IN JULY OF '06 DEALER REPLACED THE TANK AND COOLANT DUE TO COOLANT GELLING IN TANK. IN AUGUST OF '06 WITH 35,557 MILES ON THE CAR (JUST UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY THERE WAS AGAIN THE SMELL ACCOMPANIED BY OVERHEATING. DEALER FOUND LEAKS IN THE FRONT AND REAR HEAD GASKET. JUST BARELY GOT THIS JOB IN UNDER WARRANTY! WITHIN WEEKS I WAS BACK AT THE DEALER FOR A HEATER CORE REPLACEMENT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS SOMETIMES HAPPENS WITH THE PROBLEM OF THE HEAD GASKET. (WHY DIDN'T THEY CHECK THIS WHEN THEY WERE DOING THE HEAD GASKET IF THAT WAS THE CASE?) ANYWAY I WAS BACK TO THE DEALER BY DECEMBER DUE TO THE SOUND OF AIR IN THE SYSTEM AFTER THE HEATER CORE REPLACEMENT. THEY FOUND A LEAK BETWEEN THE TRANNY AND THE BACK OF THE BLOCK. THEY REPLACED THE METAL HEATER O-RING THAT WAS LEAKING. I NEVER ASKED FOR ANY OF THE OLD PARTS FROM THE DEALER. I RECENTLY HAD THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC (NOT THE DEALER) BECAUSE OF THE SMELL OF COOLANT IN THE CABIN AND THE SOUND OF WATER RUSHING/AIR IN THE SYSTEM. HE TOLD ME THERE IS A TSB FOR HTH PROBLEM AND I WOULD HAVE TO FLUSH THE SYSTEM AND CHANGE ALL THE HOSES. THAT WAS THE END OF MARCH AND I WAS SAVING $ FOR THE JOB. THIS WEEK MY CAR OVERHEATED ALL THE WAY TO THE RED AND WHEN I CHECKED THE RESERVOIR IT WAS EMPTY. I CAN'T AFFORD TO REPLACE OR FLUSH THE COOLANT SYSTEM EVERY FEW MONTHS OR YEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS SUPPOSED TO LAST MUCH LONGER. IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON A REMEDY FOR THE SITUATION I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE WHICH I HAVE NOT LISTED HERE. *TR