Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 060232002 | 12/01/2006 | 060232002B | 10019478 | Normal operating characteristics of electric power steering (eps) system during extended lock-to-lock (maximum steering wheel rotation) usage. *tt | 03/16/2006 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 01/09/2013 | |||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering suddenly failed. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was not available. the vin was not available. | |||
| 01/09/2013 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering suddenly failed. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was not available. the vin was not available. mh | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 57015 | 1 | |
| I was attempting to make a right hand turn from a parking lot onto a main street. the steering wheel would not turn without great force and i ended up on wrong side of road. i got the car to a repair place and was told the power steering motor had burnt up and the stabilizer light had just came on. this happened without any forewarning. i was lucky there was not any traffic or i would of been involved in a head on collision. i now understand this is very common with this vehicle and should of been a recall by general motors. the danger this could cause as it occurs with no warning at all. my cost to repair this was $1400. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 57015 | ||
| I was attempting to make a right hand turn from a parking lot onto a main street. the steering wheel would not turn without great force and i ended up on wrong side of road. i got the car to a repair place and was told the power steering motor had burnt up and the stablizer light had just came on. this happened without any prewarning. i was lucky there was not any traffic or i would of been involved in a head on collision. i now understand this is very commom with this vehicle and should of been a recall by general motors. the danger this could cause as it occurs with no warning at all. my cost to repair this was $1400. | |||
| 11/09/2012 | 94000 | 1 | |
| First off, i love my vehicle. i bought it used 1/11, have had it less than 2 years. i've already had to have a complete transmission replacement earlier this year, and now this. upon purchase, mileage was 85k. mileage is currently approx 94k. therefore, these damages are not by fault of heavy driving, etc... on friday, 11/9/12, i drove about 5 miles from my home to take my son to a job interview in a mall plaza. i pulled into a parking spot, turned the car off and waited while he went inside. approx 20 mins later he came out. i started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking spot. as i was leaving the mall parking area, driving through the lot, all of a sudden i had no control of the steering. it froze up and wouldn't steer. luckily, i was able to brake and not crash into any cars around me. i was horrified! this has never happened to me before with any other vehicle, ever! after i realized it was a steering issue and nothing involving the engine, etc.. i was able to pull into another parking space(barely able to steer)to sit safely and wait for help. i first called a friend to bring me power steering fluid, thinking that was the issue. but, upon waiting for them to arrive i researched and saw other complaints that it does not take fluid, instead there is a steering motor. i then called aaa, not knowing how safe/unsafe it was for me to chance driving home. i had aaa tow my vehicle to my home. my vehicle has been sitting in my driveway since then. i am a single parent and it's hard enough financially trying to make it day to day, let alone enduring unnecessary car repairs back to back on a vehicle i purchased due to the upstanding reputation of chevy cars. i am appalled that there is no recall for this apparent defect and no care from chevy for safety of its drivers/owners! i am extremely disappointed and want something done. asap. *tr | |||
| 11/09/2012 | 94000 | ||
| First off, i love my vehicle. i bought it used 1/11, have had it less than 2 years. i've already had to have a complete transmission replacement earlier this year, and now this. upon purchase, mileage was 85k. mileage is currently approx 94k. therefore, these damages are not by fault of heavy driving, etc... on friday, 11/9/12, i drove about 5 miles from my home to take my son to a job interview in a mall plaza. i pulled into a parking spot, turned the car off and waited while he went inside. approx 20 mins later he came out. i started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking spot. as i was leaving the mall parking area, driving through the lot, all of a sudden i had no control of the steering. it froze up and wouldn't steer. luckily, i was able to brake and not crash into any cars around me. i was horrified! this has never happened to me before with any other vehicle, ever! after i realized it was a steering issue and nothing involving the engine, etc.. i was able to pull into another parking space(barely able to steer)to sit safely and wait for help. i first called a friend to bring me power steering fluid, thinking that was the issue. but, upon waiting for them to arrive i researched and saw other complaints that it does not take fluid, instead there is a steering motor. i then called aaa, not knowing how safe/unsafe it was for me to chance driving home. i had aaa tow my vehicle to my home. my vehicle has been sitting in my driveway since then. i am a single parent and it's hard enough financially trying to make it day to day, let alone enduring unnecessary car repairs back to back on a vehicle i purchased due to the upstanding reputation of chevy cars. i am appauled that there is no recall for this apparent defect and no care from chevy for safety of its drivers/owners! i am extremely disappointed and want something done. asap. | |||
| 11/01/2006 | 22 | 1 | |
| The second day we owned the car, i started it, put it in drive and had no power steering. the car dealership said that nothing showed up on the car's computer. it has happened intermittently for 6 years. when it happens, i shut the car off and re-start it and the power steering works. *tr | |||
| 11/09/2012 | 94000 | ||
| First off, i love my vehicle. i bought it used 1/11, have had it less than 2 years. i've already had to have a complete transmission replacement earlier this year, and now this. upon purchase, mileage was 85k. mileage is currently approx 94k. therefore, these damages are not by fault of heavy driving, etc... on friday, 11/9/12, i drove about 5 miles from my home to take my son to a job interview in a mall plaza. i pulled into a parking spot, turned the car off and waited while he went inside. approx 20 mins later he came out. i started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking spot. as i was leaving the mall parking area, driving through the lot, all of a sudden i had no control of the steering. it froze up and wouldn't steer. luckily, i was able to brake and not crash into any cars around me. i was horrified! this has never happened to me before with any other vehicle, ever! after i realized it was a steering issue and nothing involving the engine, etc.. i was able to pull into another parking space(barely able to steer)to sit safely and wait for help. i first called a friend to bring me power steering fluid, thinking that was the issue. but, upon waiting for them to arrive i researched and saw other complaints that it does not take fluid, instead there is a steering motor. i then called aaa, not knowing how safe/unsafe it was for me to chance driving home. i had aaa tow my vehicle to my home. my vehicle has been sitting in my driveway since then. i am a single parent and it's hard enough financially trying to make it day to day, let alone enduring unnecessary car repairs back to back on a vehicle i purchased due to the upstanding reputation of chevy cars. i am appauled that there is no recall for this apparent defect and no care from chevy for safety of its drivers/owners! i am extremely disappointed and want something done. asap. | |||
| 11/01/2006 | 22 | 1 | |
| The second day we owned the car, i started it, put it in drive and had no power steering. the car dealership said that nothing showed up on the car's computer. it has happened intermittently for 6 years. when it happens, i shut the car off and re-start it and the power steering works. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 85456 | ||
| We have a 2007 equinox that the power steering quit working. prior to the power steering going out, the service stabilitrak light would come on at random times for no apparent reason. i contacted a dealership and they told me it was possible that there could be corrosion on the connectors for the sensors for the stabilitrak. when the power steering quit working, i did some research and found that others were having similar issues, so i contacted gm who wanted me to have the vehicle diagnosed to see if there was anything they could do. the diagnosis was the power steering control module. after a week and a half of talking to gm they said, due to the age and milage on the vehicle there was nothing they could do. due to the number of customer complaints, we then asked them have they done anything to fix the problem with the control module. they couldn't give us an answer. we aren't going to continue to pay for control modules because they can't fix the issue. thank god my 7 month old child was not in the vehicle with me at the time of the failure. | |||
| 12/08/2011 | 108000 | ||
| I took my car in for inspection and general maintenance. for almost a year and a half i'd been getting an intermittant stabilitrak alarm. it would reset itself upon restart.. at the dealer (tom clark chevrolet, mckeesport, pa.) the power steering locked up. the service manager informed me that the power steering motor had failed. my out-of-pocket expense for relacement is $480.00. apparently my warranty does not cover the expense. my gut feeling tells me the whole stabilitrak/ power steering motor issue has been known from day one and i should not have been responsible for payment on defective parts/design. | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 80000 | ||
| At least 10 times over the course of the past year , the key would not turn the ignition and sometimes the key gets stuck. after numerous attempts of jiggling the key and trying to move the stearing wheel (which seems to be locked when this happens) i get the key to turn. i just took it to the dealer two months ago and they said everything was working as normal. if this is normal, what is abnormal? this happened to my sister's aveo and they replaced her ignition, but her key still gets stuck sometimes. | |||
| 06/03/2011 | 46000 | ||
| 2007 equinox chevrolet - the ignition has been locking up and key could not be removed. dealership has replaced ignition three times and it still locked up. today the wheel is locked, the gear shift is locked up and nothing will move. they are sending a tow truck to haul it into the shop again. my complaint is not the dealership it is chevrolet. the internet lists thousands of equinox's with the same issue and a recall should have been done to pull these in and fix the issue once and for all at no cost to the consumer. i think it is time for a class action suit against chevrolet. my issue has been ongoing for since this past winter. | |||
| 09/19/2011 | 42020 | ||
| I got into my car after grocery shopping. i started the car, put the car in reverse and tried to turn. my car was very difficult to turn, so i checked my rpms to make sure my car was actually started. the space in front of me was empty, so i pulled forward and tried to turn again. my car wouldn't turn at all, so i called my husband and he came and drove my car home. we live only a few miles from the store and there is only one turn. he said it took all of his strength to turn into our neighborhood. we had the fuse tested and it is not the fuse. | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 97000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated there was no specific time or speed when the steering would fail. the contact took the vehicle to the mechanic and was told the power steering control module had failed. the contact then took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage and current mileages were 97,000. | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 97000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated the steering has failed on the vehicle. the contact stated there no time where it was going in and out, the system just failed. the contact took the vehicle to their mechanic and was told the power steering control module had failed. the contact then took the vehicle to the dealer and they confirmed the failure. the vin unknown. the failure mileage and current mileages were 97,000.rl | |||
| 03/30/2011 | 77000 | ||
| I own a 2007 chevrolet equinox with 77,000 miles. after pulling into a parking spot at a retail store, i turned the car off and went inside. upon returning, after starting the car, i immediately noticed that the steering wheel was virtually unmovable. i thought the engine had stalled out but realized that it was still running. then i noticed the service stabilitrak message on the dic. drove the car home with great difficulty and looked for the cause of the problem. only after going online and reading about the scores of individual complaints for this power steering failure did i realize that a very serious problem exists. i went to the local dealership for repairs and was told the problem was the power steering control module. after paying the repair costs of over $660 i asked if there were any recalls to cover this major safety issue. the answer was no. it is seriously unbelievable that such an obviously widespread problem has continued without so much as an acknowledgment from gm that this is a recurring problem in an equinox. however, i did get somewhat of an acknowledgment from the service person at the dealership who told me that this was a common problem. all in all, probably my last gm purchase. | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 9000 | ||
| Engine light turns on and says the stabilitrak needs servicing as well as the traction control and that they are off, also says that engine power is reduced. this has happened about 5 times in the past 2 months and each time that i have an appointment, the light goes off and the dealer says they cannot diagnose without a check engine light on. this concerns me. autozone hooked up there little gadget while it was on once and indicated that the throttle position sensor may be the culprit, said it came up three times. power steering column locks up when i turn on vehicle, this has happened a few times in the past 3 years, each time i take to dealer, they cannot duplicate the problem and therefore cannot fix it. i have had vehicle since july of 2007. my current mileage is 42,998 the first error with column started probably in october of 2007 and occurs every so often but by the time i get it to dealer, it cannot be duplicated. what i have to do is turn the car on and off until it registers and then the column works otherwise it is very stiff and hard to nearly impossible to turn. | |||
| 12/23/2010 | 32000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. while driving 25 mph she was unable to make a right turn, the steering column failed. the vehicle was very difficult to steer. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer advised her that the steer column needs replacing. the manufacture was paying for the parts and the contact was paying for the labor. the failure and current mileage were 32,000. vwb | |||
| 12/08/2010 | 76200 | ||
| In october 2010 while traveling in illinois, the vehicle check engine light came on. i was told by a dealership in illinois that nothing was found to trigger the alarm after they ran a diagnostic, and drove the car for a while. a few days later, while driving from illinois to colorado, the service stabilitrack light came on, but went out after driving for about 60 miles with it illuminated. again i was told over the phone by the illinois dealership that it was probably nothing to be concerned with, and it should reset itself. in december 2010, i was unable to drive my car due to the loss of power steering. i received no alarms the previous day, and the car was working properly. the service stabilitrack light remained on at this point. i loss the ability to drive my car safely to the dealership i purchased it at in colorado. after towing my car to the dealership, i was informed by the service department that the power steering assist motor had gone out, and would need replacing at the cost of $1000. i was also told that there were several history codes indicating back to october, that there was a problem with the car. i have just discovered that chevy has recalled other vehicles with the same problem. this is a dangerous issue that should be addressed as soon as possible! | |||
| 10/14/2009 | 14000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the driver was driving approximately 55 mph when a steering light illuminated on the dashboard and the steering wheel became very stiff. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. approximately 1 year later the failure recurred. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where he was informed it was repaired. upon receiving the vehicle from the authorized dealer he noticed the steering service light was still illuminating on the dashboard. the failure mileage was 14,000 and the current mileage was 15,000. the vin was unavailable. sm. | |||
| 03/14/2010 | 60300 | ||
| I have the 2007 chevrolet equinox which been a lemon since new. among the many breakdowns over the three years the driver side power lock does not work and the most glaring is the sudden failure of the power steering assist motor. my wife was putting air in the tire and the battery failed. the battery needed a sudden recharge. why pay on a vehicle with constant breakdowns. the repairs alone on the power steering assist motor are over 700 dollars to also get the stabilitrak light off. the recall of the power steering assist motor on the chevrolet cobalt needs to extend to the chevrolet equinox as well. now with no money to fix the motor, the driving has and is an adventure with no power steering. even if i could fix the vehicle myself, the part is virtually unavailable. | |||
| 10/05/2009 | 1 | ||
| I was driving my 2007 chevy equinox, and i lost my steering. i had to fix the problem, i could not drive the vehicle. i had the same problem as the chevy cobalt is having now. i contacted gm for some assistance, and they did nothing. i want you to know that the chevy cobalt might not be the only vehicle that has this problem. luckily for me, i did not have a accident, or any other issues listed below. *tr | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 2000 | 1 | |
| Purchased vehicle in sept 07 and started noticing a knocking noise from the front end of the vehicle at about 2000 miles. the noise would occur during slow reverse, slow forward, and turning at slow speeds at intermittent times. we have taken the vehicle to three different dealers and they have all stated that they could not hear the noise. i am currently at 21,000 miles and we still hear the noise and we can not find anyone willing to perform the proper check on the vehicle to locate the cause. *tr | |||
| 10/28/2007 | 10 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the very first day he took the vehicle home, it broke down. all the instrument panel lights illuminated and flickered, and the vehicle would stall. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle would completely shut down and lost all power steering and braking ability. the computer would reset itself and then restart. the failure would occur intermittently. he took the vehicle to the dealer approximately 14-15 times and they attempted to repair the failure, but it was never remedied. after he stated that the vehicle was a lemon, the dealer stated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. he consulted the manufacturer and was informed that if the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the current mileage was 6,025 and failure mileage was approximately 10. | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 800 | 1 | 12/01/2006 |
| 2007 chevrolet equinox with several issues. consumer states that the steering wheel stopped working, won't turn or allow him to back up. stabilitrak light comes on. he was told he couldn't leave his car because dealer needed to check the warranty. *kb the consumer had the vehicle inspected by another dealership and they told him the alarm system that was added was causing the problem. *jb | |||
| 11/29/2007 | 36 | 100 | 11/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet equinox. while driving 65 mph, the contact experienced difficulty steering. he returned the vehicle to the dealer at approximately 1,500 miles, and they replaced a rear tire for a thumping issue that was heard while driving at low speeds. after the visit to the dealer, the low speed driving improved; however, the highway speed driving did not. the contact returned to the dealer the following day because the thumping noise recurred while driving at low speeds. the highway speed failure continued, but improved only slightly. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 5,000 and failure mileage was 36. updated 02-14-08. *kb | |||
| 10/12/2007 | 13000 | 30 | 02/22/2007 |
| I had 2 chevy equinox 2007 model, loaded. first vehicle repurchased due to multiple episodes of stabilitrak failure, turn signals quit working, radio problems, passenger system airbag not working, and finally failure of main airbag system. given exact twin of first car, as thought that car was just a lemon. 2nd equinox had 2 episodes of stabilitrak failure, and a new steering column placed, and then had total system failure of the steering, brakes, gas, stabilitrak, and airbag system while driving the vehicle. i had absolutely no control over any of these systems! you could turn my steering wheel 360 degrees, and the wheels never moved, the brakes didn't work, the gas didn't work, and all alarms were going off that the systems, including the airbags were not working. luckily, no one was injured as i had just begun making a turn into roadway and all vehicles coming at me both ways were able to swerve, and the car was going slow enough and over a slight incline that it rolled to a stop just before hitting a steel light post. this car was also repurchased. something is very wrong in the engineering of this vehicle and i am concerned for all the other people owning/driving this vehicle. *tr | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/16/2007 | 2768 | 1 | 03/29/2007 |
| Power steering failure. immediately after start up power steering did not operate. dashboard warning read service stabilitrack. drove home approximately 8 miles without power assist. after restarting the vehicle at home power steering appeared to be normal, but service stabilitrack warning was still lit. a quick look on the internet showed multiple instances of this problem in chevrolet malibu with similar power steering. car will be brought to dealer next week. this is a safety issue.*ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/09/2007 | 2 | 08/27/2007 | |
| 2007 chevy equinox with transmission failure. customer states the vehicle started bucking when it was shifting gears. she stated that the dealer said it was the power steering. she stated the engine and stabilitrak lights illuminated. *kb not long after the consumer picked the vehicle up from the dealer, the vehicle repeated the same noise and the vehicle would not move forward while in drive. the consumer had to drive in reverse to get the vehicle to a safe place *jb | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 9000 | ||
| Engine light turns on and says the stabilitrak needs servicing as well as the traction control and that they are off, also says that engine power is reduced. this has happened about 5 times in the past 2 months and each time that i have an appointment, the light goes off and the dealer says they cannot diagnose without a check engine light on. this concerns me. autozone hooked up there little gadget while it was on once and indicated that the throttle position sensor may be the culprit, said it came up three times. power steering column locks up when i turn on vehicle, this has happened a few times in the past 3 years, each time i take to dealer, they cannot duplicate the problem and therefore cannot fix it. i have had vehicle since july of 2007. my current mileage is 42,998 the first error with column started probably in october of 2007 and occurs every so often but by the time i get it to dealer, it cannot be duplicated. what i have to do is turn the car on and off until it registers and then the column works otherwise it is very stiff and hard to nearly impossible to turn. | |||