NHTSA Complaint #10865869 — 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IMMEDIATELY IN THE MESSAGE AREA TWO MESSAGE WERE DISPLAYED - "REDUCE ENGINE POWER" AND SERVICE STABITRACK SOON". IMMEDIATELY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO OVER 3000 RPM AND 50 MPH. WITHIN A MILE THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER (LUCKILY THIS WAS AS I WAS HITTING THE EXIT RAMP OFF THE HIGHWAY). AFTER WAITING FOR A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO FIRE IT UP BUT THE ERRORS RETURNED. I LIMPED THE VEHICLE HOME AND HAD IT TOWED TO MY LOCAL GARAGE. MY MECHANIC INDICATED THERE WERE 9 ERROR CODES WHEN HE LOOKED WITH HIS SCANNER RELATED TO FUEL PRESSURE, CAM SENSORS, AND MOTOR TIMING. FURTHERMORE, SINCE I WAS DUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE, HE DRAINED THE OIL PAN AND SAW I WAS NEARLY 3 QUARTS LOW ON OIL. THIS IS PUZZLING AS (1) I JUST CHECKED THE OIL TWO WEEKS AGO AND, WHILE A BIT LOW, WAS IN OPERATING RANGE AND (2) THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS AND OTHER SITES THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE. SO NOW I HAVE A VEHICLE WITH 63,000 MILES THAT MY MECHANIC SAYS HAS SIGNIFICANT ENGINE DAMAGE (TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS, CAM SENSORS, FUEL PUMP). THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO BELIEVE SINCE THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT CAME ON FOR LOW OIL AND AT THIS RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE. MY ONLY ALTERNATIVES ARE TO PONY UP FOR THE PARTS (AND HOPE THE PISTONS/SEALS ARE UNDAMAGED) OR REPLACE THE MOTOR. I ALSO THINK ITS QUITE DANGEROUS FOR THE MOTOR TO JUST CUT OUT LIKE THIS WITHOUT MORE ADVANCE WARNING (I WAS LUCKY I WAS ALREADY GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY). NEEDLESS TO SAY MY CONFIDENCE WITH GM IS PRETTY MUCH GONE.