NHTSA Complaint #11130323 — 2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

PURCHASED EQUINOX AT THE END OF JUNE WITH 85,557 MILES. FREQUENTLY CHECKED THE "OIL LIFE" PERCENTAGE. AT 25%, THE CAR STARTED MAKING AN AWFUL NOISE. AT FIRST IT WAS MAINLY WHEN I TURNED TO THE LEFT. IT ALSO MADE THE NOISE WHEN I ACCELERATED AND THEN GRADUALLY IT WAS NOISY NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION I TURNED. THE CAR WOULD LURCH WHEN IDLING AT A STOP LIGHT, EVEN WITH MY FOOT BARELY ON THE BRAKE. IT WAS EXTREMELY TERRIFYING. HAVE THIS CAR FOR LESS 3 MONTHS AND THIS IS HAPPENING??? TOOK TO MONRO FOR AN OIL CHANGE EVEN THOUGH THE OIL LIFE WAS ONLY AT 25%. MECHANIC WAS HESITANT TO DO THE OIL CHANGE UNLESS IT WAS 10% OR LESS. I INSISTED HE CHANGE IT ANYWAY, WITH SYNTHETIC PLEASE, DUE TO THE NOISE IT WAS MAKING AND HOW IT WAS ACTING. I WALKED AWAY TO DO KILL TIME WHEN I RECV'D A CALL FROM HIM INFORMING ME THAT HE WOULD NOT DO AN OIL CHANGE. HE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT THE NOISE IT WAS MAKING WAS FROM SOMETHING KNOCKING (PISTONS, ROD) AND IF HE WERE TO DO AN OIL CHANGE, HE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENGINE SHOULD IT "BLOW". HE WENT ON TO INFORM ME THAT THE ENGINE IS GOING TO BE NEEDED TO REPLACED, IT COULD "BLOW" IN 3 HOURS OR IN 3 MONTHS. IN TEARS, I ASKED HOW MUCH THAT WOULD (GUESSTIMATE) COST AND HE TOLD ME EASILY $5,000, HALF OF WHAT I PAID FOR THE [XXX] CAR. HIS LAST COMMENT TO ME WAS, "I WOULD SUGGEST YOU DRIVE RIGHT UP TO AUTOZONE AND PURCHASE 4 QUARTS OF OIL BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO OIL"!! REALLLY? MY OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON, MY PERCENTAGE WAS 25%.... AND I'M GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE WORK DONE TO IT THAT I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT INCLUDING 2010-2017 EQUINOXES. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).