NHTSA Complaint #10724818 — 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

INITIALLY THE ISSUE STARTED WITH ROUGH IDLING OF THE CAR, ENGINE TICKING, AND ENGINE STALLING. AFTER INDICATING THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED BECAUSE THE OIL LIFE INDICATOR WAS NOT PROPERLY CALIBRATED CAUSING THE SYSTEM TO THINK THAT THERE WAS MORE LIFE ON THE OIL THAN THERE ACTUALLY WAS. THE ENGINE BALANCE CHAIN EVENTUALLY BROKE WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE (55 MPH), DUE TO IMPROPER OIL LUBRICATION. THE FUEL PUMP, WATER PUMP, AND A FEW OTHER ITEMS HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED WHEN THE CHAIN BROKE. I NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP ONCE AGAIN AFTER ENGINE TICKING/ ROUGH IDLING RE-OCCURED AND THEY INDICATED TO ME THAT THE ENGINE TICKING DURING STARTUP WAS NORMAL. THE ENGINE TICKING PROGRESSED TO BECOMING A CONSTANT NOISE. I NOTICED THAT WHEN I TOOK THE OIL IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, APPROXIMATELY 2000 MILES IN, THAT THE OIL DIPSTICK WOULD COME UP COMPLETELY DRY. THIS INDICATED THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL CONSUMPTION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THAT PISTONS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS CRACKED. THIS INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS OBSERVING SOME EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF HEAT MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE. DURING THESE ISSUES, NO SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT EVER CAME ON. THE CAR HAD TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHICH INDICATED THAT THE CAM SHAFT ACTUATOR SOLENOIDS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MOST LIKELY FAILED DUE OIL SEEPING INTO THE EXHAUST WHICH COATED THE CERAMIC SUBSTRATE & THE EXCESSIVE HEAT EXPERIENCED BY THE ENGINE (AS INDICATED BY THE CRACKED MANIFOLD) DAMAGED THE CERAMIC SUBSTRATE. OIL CONSUMPTION LEADS TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM THE ENGINE WHICH CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD. ENGINE STALLING DUE TO OIL CONSUMPTION LEADS TO CRASH SAFETY ISSUES.