Used 2011 Chevrolet Equinox Consumer Reviews
Used Equinox for sale
1...
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Pile of garbage.
Tom Lamothe, 04/21/2016
updated 04/24/2017
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
113 of 119 people found this review helpful
I have owned this vehicle for about 18 months. It was purchased off of my parent who bought the vehicle new. In the first 3 years of them owning the vehicle, they had to have several things repairs: Driver's seat, fuel pump/timing chain and some other minor issues. When I bought the car off of them, it was as if a self-destruct button was pushed. Immediately we found rust on the bottom of the rear doors (at 38,000 miles). This was repaired by the dealership under warranty. Shortly after I noticed that the vehicle was losing oil quite rapidly and seemed down on power. After (no lie) 12 visits to dealerships (one of which I refused to deal with any further as they wanted me to drop the vehicle off for the entire day for an oil consumption test), to monitor the oil level, they finally agreed to rebuild the engine (45,000 miles) as well as fix a transmission leak. Upon vehicle inspection, they also "discovered" that the AC condenser was leaking and needed to be replaced and that the rear brakes were "metal on metal" and needed to be replaced. All told there was over $7,000 worth of work done. $700 to replace the condensor. I refused brake replacement, another story, but it turned out that there was more than half of the braking material left and no need whatsover to replace the pads or rotors as we were quoted. one year later and we are back at it. At 58,000 miles, the rear differential is now leaking. The vehicle is still under the mileage for the powertrain warranty but past the time limit by 4 months. This repair was quoted at 600-700 dollars to replace an axle seal. This vehicle is now being traded in as I cannot deal with the sheer level of crap that is the 2011 Equinox. To summarize, 2011 Equinox with a 2.4 L engine only having 58,000 miles has had the following major issues: 1. Burning over 2 quarts of oil per 1000 miles. (Engine rebuilt) 2. Fuel pump and timing chain replaced. 3. Rust repair 4. Transmission leak repair 5. AC condensor leak 6. Seat issue recall repair 7. Rear differential leaking. The other minor issues I have had include random electrical gremlins that cause the auto headlights to come on randomly in direct sunlight, slipping serpentine belt that causes dimming of interior lights on occasion. On the surface this is a great vehicle. The interior is spacious and comfortable, the outside is relatively unobjectionable, It has several higher end features like Satellite radio, heated seats, etc. but the build quality is abysmal. I would not recommend this vehicle to my worst enemy.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Loud engine knock at cold start up.
arveejay, 05/15/2011
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LT1 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
45 of 49 people found this review helpful
The car is very comfortable to drive with lots of leg room. It handles just fine, looks great and rides great. My only concern so far is the 2.4L engine rattle at cold start. It sounds like there is no oil in the engine for several seconds and then quiets right down. Even after dealer changed the oil and filter at 1000 miles the noise is still there. If my dealer can fix the noise before the engine shells out, I'll be very happy with it. I'm sure I won't still have it when the warranty is nearing running out.
Worst Car I've Ever Owned. No GM Support
bradjohnson08, 11/18/2014
updated 05/19/2017
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LS 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful
UPDATE 5/18/2017 - I bought a new car last week and I made sure it WAS NOT a GM product after their terrible vehicle and customer service. Also, 5 family members have bought new cars since this ordeal and even they decided to not buy GM solely based on how terribly they treated this incident. To boot, 4 of those family members retired from GM. Keep alienating yourself GM and I doubt you'll get a buy-out next time! UPDATE 11/18/2016 - I have now found out that GM has owned up to ALL of the issues I had with this vehicle that they FLAT OUT DENIED and were never willing to help me when I had them for several years. They have now sent out notices to replace entire engines and more for these vehicles experiencing the issues that I was having with mine the whole time I "owned" it. However, since I was forced to sell my vehicle due to the challenges it presented on a daily basis I am left with a different car and 5 more years of payments instead of the GM Equinox that would have been paid off some time ago. This just furthers the bad taste in my mouth and pure disdain I feel for General Motors. GM IS BY FAR THE WORST COMPANY/VEHICLE BRAND in quality as well as customer service. I might as well have just threw my money at them to rent it for years then give it back to them to fix and sell again. What a joke - My family and friends have now listened to my story and NOT ONE of them have bought a new or used GM vehicle and have branched out to the "foreign" makes that they have always said they would "never" try due to loyalty to a brand that doesn't understand how to properly appreciate it's customers that tried to stick with them until they felt unwanted and forced to move on. The only way that GM would ever possibly get back in good standing with it's irate customers is if they learned how to treat them and offer real incentives when they encounter issues. UPDATE 5/18/2016 - This car was the biggest mistake I've ever made in terms of a large purchase. After 2 years of constant circles with GM and them continuing to own up to their short comings they finally made me an offer to turn in or replace. They offered $6,500!!!!!! and they said this was "generous" since it was used and had lots of issues. Keep in mind - these are issues they denied until this point and refused to assist. I hit my breaking point and decided to go to another local dealer of a brand I swore I would NEVER drive because I'm a "GM person from a GM family" but after I walked in the doors and they offered me OVER DOUBLE to turn it in and buy a car from them that has higher ratings and WAYYYY less expensive - not to mention for american made than GM and their false claims. I normally wouldn't even turn in a car because they offer so little but I didn't wish to look an individual in the face and sell them this hunk of crap. I knew this dealer would go through and replace the things that GM refused to do over the years. In closing - I will NEVER own another GM car and my whole family that is brand loyal and over 10 family members who retired from GM have said they will never own GM, as well. Another case of GM not understanding it's customer base and selling an inferior product for a premium then not backing their garbage models and wiggling out of everything to not help. I am now paying off a new car instead of riding out my Equinox until the wheels fell off because, sadly, the wheels will fall off an equinox before it hits 50,000 miles. PLEASE - IF YOU'RE READING THIS - SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY AND DON'T BUY AN EQUINOX. ON SECOND THOUGHT, DON'T BUY GM AT ALL BECAUSE THEY WON'T HELP YOU WITH THEIR PRODUCT EVEN IF IT'S CLEARLY A LEMON OR PROBLEM-RIDDEN IN WARRANTY PERIOD. February 2011 7,099 miles - Complaint of jerkiness while shifting. Weird shifting. Action taken Seat belt recall, nothing done concerning our complaint except charge us for an oil change. November 2011 17,683 miles - Further shifting issues and chugs while driving. Loud ratting and grinding from under hood by engine. Knocking in back. Slow to take off from a stop. Has stalled 2 times driving. Action taken Reprogrammed engine control module. Said they couldnt duplicate the rest. April 2012 22,365 miles - Stalled more times. Knocking in engine and rattling. Still shifts incorrectly. Sputters and stalls while driving. Transmission leak.
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Good and bad points
chrisco716, 09/05/2012
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LT2 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
32 of 35 people found this review helpful
Have owned 2011 LT2 Equinox for about a year and a half. Bought it new. The Good - Nice looking and drives pretty well. Comfortable for passengers. Good options like heated seats, power everything including automatic opening tailgate. AWD. Nice computer. The Bad - Does not achieve expected mileage. We consistently average a little over 19 mpg in mixed driving conditions. Only about 24 mpg highway. Drivers seat uncomfortable... I have to put a rolled up towel in the bottom back to keep from getting back pains. The Ugly - It's a dog driving in the mountains or even getting up to highway speeds. The automatic transmission also seems a bit rough when accelerating hard.
Seeking new car ... definitely not another Equinox
Dee, 11/07/2015
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
42 of 47 people found this review helpful
Nothing but repair issues from about 50,000 miles forward. Thank god I had purchased an extended warranty. Had a/c compressor and condensers replaced multiple times. Oil burning issues resulted in complete overhaul of engine. Now having catalytic converter issues .. presumably due to the oil that had been burning for 5,000 miles while engine consumption tests were being run. I would be broke if it weren't for the extended warranty. Trying to limp to the end of my extended warranty but the engine light is back on again. On a first-name basis with everyone in service at the dealer. On the bright side, the interior was comfortable on all those trips to the dealer. I've hauled a lot in the past 4 years and the interior has withstood. Mileage has always been disappointing. Unless I was coasting on a downhill, I never approached anywhere near 30 mpg. Acceleration sluggish. Huge blindspot due to pillars and side mirrors. Intermittent remote issues.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
1...