NHTSA Complaint #10606653 — 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

COLUMBIA, SC-AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH MY IGNITION SWITCH WILL NOT TURN TO THE OFF POSITION SO THAT THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED. I HAVE TO TURN IT BACK TO ON (IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO RESTART THE CAR) AND THEN BACK TO OFF IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE KEY. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING WITHIN A MONTH AFTER PURCHASING MY NEW 2011 EQUINOX. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER APRIL 19, 2011, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM--"UNABLE TO DUPLICATE." THE PROBLEM CONTINUES, LAST OCCURRING 6/25/14. ALSO, DURING THAT SAME VISIT, I HAD REPORTED THAT THE A/C SMELLED LIKE MOLD WHEN I FIRST TURNED IT ON. 6/27/14, IT STILL SMELLS LIKE MOLD. AS WITH THE IGNITION, THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT. COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE LATEST ISSUE STARTED AROUND 21,000 MILES. THE ENGINE, WHICH HAD ALWAYS RUN ROUGH (I ATTRIBUTED THIS TO THE 4-CYLINDER ENGINE) BEGAN SHUTTING DOWN WHEN I SLOWED OR STOPPED FOR TRAFFIC LIGHTS. I CALLED MY DEALER AND WAS ASKED WHERE I PURCHASED MY GAS AND TOLD TO GET SOME INJECTOR CLEANER! I THEN GOOGLED MY PROBLEM AND LEARNED THAT MANY OTHERS WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME SITUATION WITH THEIR 2011 EQUINOXES. I THEN CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR A PICKUP AND RODE IN THE WRECKER TO THE DEALER, WHERE I WAS GREETED WITH DISDAIN. I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISOR TO GOOGLE "EQUINOX RECALL" AND READ THE POSTS, AND HE SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL (NOT YET, ANYWAY!) I TOLD HIM I KNEW THAT, BUT HE SHOULD LOOK AT THE MANY COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE. THE NEXT MORNING HE CALLED TO SAY THAT THEY HAD FOUND A PROBLEM, THE SOLENOID VALVE. HE WAS A LOT FRIENDLIER WHEN I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE, HIS MAIN CONCERN BEING THAT I GAVE THE SERVICE DEPT. A GOOD REVIEW! NO APOLOGY FOR TREATING ME LIKE I WAS CRAZY. I PREDICT THAT THE IGNITION AND ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH THE EQUINOX WILL BE GM'S NEXT RECALLS. MAYBE THEY NEED TO ADVISE THEIR SERVICE ADVISORS TO READ THE ONLINE POSTS REGARDING THEIR VEHICLES! *TR