NHTSA Complaint #10984220 — 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

IT WAS 7 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I DROVE HOME FROM WORK 20 MILES. WHEN I TOOK MY EXIT, THE VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE (AND IT'S NOT A DIESEL). I MANAGED TO GET HOME AND THE VEHICLE DIED IN THE DRIVEWAY. HAD IT TOWED TO THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP. THE PCV VALVE HAD BECOME CLOGGED AND WAS HOLDING CONDENSATION. THE PCV VALVE THEN FROZE CAUSING THE REAR ENGINE SEAL TO BLOW AND MOST OF MY OIL WAS BLOWING OUT DOWN THE INTERSTATE. NO OIL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A PROBLEM UNTIL I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND COULD HEAR HOW THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. THIS WAS A "KNOWN PROBLEM" WITH GM, BUT NOT A RECALL. THEY EVEN GAVE ME A PROBLEM NUMBER FOR IT. THE VEHICLE WAS 5 1/2 YEARS OLD WITH 92,000 MILES. SINCE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE OF AGE, GM WOULD NOT COVER THE ENTIRE REPAIR, BUT DID PAY 1/2 OF IT. BUT IF THIS WAS A "KNOWN PROBLEM", THEN WHY WASN'T IT A RECALL. I CAN ONLY GET MY PORTION OF THE REPAIR COST BACK IF THIS BECOMES A RECALL. IF YOU CHECK ONLINE, THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY PEOPLE. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. ALSO, IF I HAD BEEN TOLD BY GM TO GET THE PCV VALVE CLEANED OUT, TRUST ME I WOULD HAVE. IF THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, WHY AREN'T WE TOLD TO CLEAN OUT THE PCV VALVE. AND, ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE FOR THIS VEHICLE WAS DONE AT THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I WAS LUCKY THAT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T DIE ON THE INTERSTATE AND CAUSE A CRASH, BUT IT WAS A MIRACLE THAT I GOT HOME WITH THAT VEHICLE. ALSO, IF THEY AREN'T GOING TO CORRECT THE ISSUE, THEN THIS VEHICLE SHOULD ONLY BE SOLD IN WARM CLIMATES WHERE THE PCV VALVE CAN'T FREEZE UP.