NHTSA Complaint #11080880 — 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

MY 2018 CHEVY EQUINOX WITH THE 1.5L TURBO ENGINE FAILS TO SHIFT INTO 6TH GEAR WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 14 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST RESPONSE I GOT WAS "THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE, JUST DRIVE IT AS NORMAL". WHERE I LIVE THE TEMPERATURE IS VERY OFTEN BELOW 14 DEGREES IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. DRIVING AT HWY SPEEDS, THE ENGINE IS OFTEN RUNNING 3400 RPM OR HIGHER LOCKED IN 5TH GEAR. I HAVE DRIVEN THOUSANDS OF MILES THIS WINTER IN THIS CONDITION. THIS IS NOT NORMAL TO ME, AND THE INCREASED FUEL CONSUMPTION, ENGINE NOISE AND WEAR ON THE VEHICLE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME. IN ADDITION I WAS TOLD BY DEALER SERVICE, THAT 6TH GEAR WOULD RETURN AS SOON AS THE TEMPERATURE ROSE ABOVE 14 DEGREES. IT DID NOT RETURN UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE 32 DEGREES. ANOTHER TRIP BACK TO THE DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED THE "CHARGED AIR COOLER". THIS WORKED ONLY UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW 14 DEGREES AGAIN. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT A FIX. I HAD FILED AN ONLINE COMPLAINT WITH GM, AND WAS SHORTLY UPGRADED TO A "SENIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CONSULTANT". THIS CONSULTANT AIDED IN THE REPLACEMENT OF THE COOLER, BUT NEVER FOLLOWED UP WITH ME. WHEN I CALLED BACK TO TELL THEM THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED, I WAS TOLD MY CASE WAS CLOSED. GREAT SERVICE THERE GM. CLOSE THE COMPLAINT WITHOUT EVEN TALKING TO THE CONSUMER. MY TAKE ON THIS AFTER THE LAST 2 MONTHS OF ISSUES, IS THAT GM KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED. THE TRANSMISSION IS PROGRAMMED NOT TO SHIFT INTO TOP GEAR BELOW 14 DEGREES AS AN INEPT ATTEMPT TO PREVENT CONDENSATION FROM FREEZING IN THE "CHARGED AIR COOLER". EVEN THOUGH GM KNEW THIS BEFORE THEY SOLD THE VEHICLE IN NORTHERN CLIMATES, THEY DID NOT INFORM THE BUYERS OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS WILL POTENTIALLY AFFECT ALL GM VEHICLES WITH EITHER THE 1.4 OR 1.5L GAS ENGINE AND 6 SPD. TRANNNY.