Used 2012 Chevrolet Equinox Consumer Reviews
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ECO Mode is a bit squirrelly
pawcoboss, 08/22/2011
2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/1LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
Just bought a 4 cylinder Equinox. Have less than 500 miles on it. Good looks, great value, very comfortable, not going to win any races. Mileage claims I knew going in were significantly overstated but that's O.K. 30 years ago I bought a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado with the V-8-6-4 engine. State of the art technology @ the time. The only trouble was that the car seemed to be driving you rather than you driving it since it would decide when to run on 8 or 6 or 4 cylinders. A real technical flop for GM as it was discontinued after one year. Driving the new Equinox in the ECO mode reminded me of this- shifting into 5th or 6th gear and slow to respond on the downshift. I've since turned it off.
OIl Burner
beverly greene, 05/02/2018
updated 11/04/2019
2012 Chevrolet Equinox LS 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2012 Equinox 2 years ago and I have had nothing but problems with the motor. I received a letter from Gm saying they put the wrong Piston Rings in the motor causing it to burn a lot of oil. I had to go thru 8 Months of oil Consumption testing to prove to them that it was loosing a lot of oil. Every thousand miles I had to take it in and have them check the oil level and have them document it on a piece of paper I had to keep in my glove box. After month 8 I went in and raised heck and demanded they fix it, I had enough. They got permission from Gm to take the motor apart they replaced all of the pistons, timing chain, oil pump, barring's and other nuts and bolts plus a full oil change. You would figure this would solve it but it hasn't now I have creamy residue on the dipstick every time I check the oil, they said its just moisture. No its called blow by and it means something is still not right. They will not check it and told me if I'm still loosing oil that it is ok to loose 1 quart every 2,000 miles. So I have had enough and I am getting rid of it as soon as I can.
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2012 Chevrolet Equinox for sale near you
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Too good to be true!
Catherine Dauthier, 11/30/2018
2012 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
Be aware before purchasing a 2010, 2011, and 2012 and possibly newer models as well. There are a couple of defects Chevrolet is well aware of but is pretending they don't affect the 2012 models even though the work order distributed to the dealer's mechanics includes the same major problem on the 2012 that is on the 2011 and 2010 models....same repair sheet lists the 2010, 2011 and 2012 models. I have since heard that some newer models were affected as well. My timing chain was changed twice, and other major parts (rods, pistons) as well on the motor and the title Chevrolet gave to the problem was something relating to the oil. In other words, the cars was not burning oil nor was oil leaking...it was just not there in a very short time after an oil and filter change. The shop foreman told me that even if a brand new motor is installed, the problem still exists. The problem doesn't exist on every single Equinox, but when the problem does exist, it gives the owner pure hell. The second problem might not seem as a big problem, however, I could have very easily been killed and other people in traffic as well. The windshield wipers and how they were installed were also defective. Thank God I was on a country road that I was extremely familiar with when I was caught in the hardest rain I have ever driven in. Yep....windshield wipers quit. Luckily, I was able to see the white line out of the right passenger's window and crawled a few miles until I got to a gas station with a cover overhead. Had I been on the Interstate, it definitely would have been lights out for me as well as others. The "defect" was the wipers sit inside of a metal tray with no way for the water to run off, therefore, the wiper parts rusted to the point of not working. I had heard of a problem before I had mine and also heard on the same radio station that after Chevrolet had decided the correct way to handle the situation owners would be notified. In the interim, the owners can go ahead and have theirs fixed and would get reimbursed. Well....after my paying $469.00 to have them fixed I was more than happy to do so as I had never been so scared in all of my life when the wipers quit with the violent rainstorm. Needless to say, I called Chevrolet and they told me that the recall were for only the ones built in Canada and especially the ones in Ontario as they have really bad humidity. I tried to explain to the Chevrolet lady about Louisiana's humidity but I felt it was no use. To add salt to a wound, I did a little investigating and discovered that all Equinoxes are made in Canada, therefore, all windshield wipers are made in Canada. She led me to believe the windshield wipers made in the States were all fine. I must sound like a Southern hick. Even still at night when I close my eyes, I imagine myself in a severe rainstorm where I can hardly see where I am going on a 6 land highway, then to make matters worse, my windshield wipers die, and I'm wide awake!!!!!!
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Body Module Failure a Deal Breaker
Alan, 05/22/2016
updated 05/26/2020
2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV AWD w/2LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
31 of 34 people found this review helpful
If your body control module fails, like mine did, the failure mode could be dangerous. When it failed, the power door locks, transmission control, and key ignition release failed simultaneously. It was frozen in 'Park', with no option other than to disconnect the transmission control to move it. I had an older Altima that I could have used to get to work, but it took a tow flatbed, and knowledge if how to put the car in 'Neutral' manually from underneath the car. Repair was covered by GM, but I lost my trust for this vehicle. I would have engineered a failsafe akin to a limp-home mode that would allow an owner to get the Equinox to a safe location. I'm curious as to what would have happened if this module failed at highway speed.
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MPG
impala0169, 08/24/2012
updated 03/27/2018
2012 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4dr SUV w/2LT (2.4L 4cyl 6A)
31 of 34 people found this review helpful
Just a not for some complaining about there MPG. Watch your driving habits. I have corrected mine and it makes a difference. Stopping and starting at stop lights. I watch mine and just got back from a 1000 mile trip.I wrote down my speeds and what the control said I was getting. On the interstate at 69mph I was getting 28.3mpg. On a stretch of road off the interstate where I drove at 58 and got 36.3. Both were flat roads and both were at no stopping for almost a hour on each road. The entire trip gave me 29.3 mpg with 90 % of miles on hwy and the rest city. Now you know you stop and go alot.Thats where you should study your habits. I have the same thing with the transmission jerky. UPDATE 9-22-16 Watch the back hatch connection. Comes loose and you start to hear it rattle over bumps. Shifting still is a bit rough/jerky/ Have 45000 miles. It was a nice on a 8000 west coast trip. Average MPG was 25.8. Handle the 9000 ft climb over mountain. Also hit 104 mph coming down. Like others I noticed radio reception is not great. We get xm over the summer months for $25 which helps. I thought Chevy hit a home run when I heard great things about it. Well I thought is was also great when I bought it. Now after 4 1/2 years its a double or a bit more. Not sure I will buy another chevy. Might look at other brands next time.I was always a chevy owner from the day I started driving. This is the 7th chevy bought brand new and to this day they have not been able to surpass the Cavalier. Owned 2 and still have on and its 16 years old and very little to fix on it. By far the best bang for the buck. To bad they stopped making them update 3/5/2018 Great car. No problems at 63000 miles. Drove it to California and had 26.6 mpg almost 6800 drive. Traded it in for 2018. Hope all goes like last one.
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