Purchased my Equinox as a used vehicle, but with only 9k miles on it. Didn't notice anyting until last year when the engine started making a strange fluttering/rattling sound one day at about 75k miles. I called my son because he is pretty knowledgeable about cars, and he says for me to immediately go to the nearest auto parts store or dealership and have someone check my oil, because engines will make that sound when they are running with no oil.

He was right -- the employee at an AutoZone store that was close by said they couldn't get any oil whatsoever to register. I had them add oil so I could drive it home, and my son said we needed to check it every week at least and see if this problem continued. It did. The car would regularly be low on oil and we could find no evidence of leaks in our garage or driveway.

Not long after this I received a letter from GM saying they had been made aware of the oil consumption problem and for me to bring the car to my dealership if I noticed the issue, so I took the letter and went to my local dealership, Randy Marion Chevrolet. They advised me I needed to start an oil consumption test to document that the car was truly consuming oil before GM would pay for the repair.

The first time in I was told to bring the car in every 1000 miles, which I did, and then was told I had to bring it every 2000 miles instead, and that we needed to start the test over (after about 2 or 3 trips to the dealership with low oil). So we started the tests over and I went about every 2000 miles this time. They told me we had to document it 4 times. I was concerned about driving the car another 8000 miles with this problem and potentially causing MORE damage to my engine, but they said this was what GM required. No choice, so I went about every 2000 miles.

At the 4th trip, thinking I had finally gone through every hoop possible to get my car fixed, the technician tells me "oh, sorry, you had 2300 miles this time between your tests and we can't document this time (even though I was 2 quarts low) so we have to start the whole test process OVER AGAIN and document another 4 times that it's low. 4 times equals ANOTHER 8000 miles on my engine that has already been DOCUMENTED to have OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUES. I went through the roof to say the least.

Technician tells me the service manager will talk to me and explain. Service manager tells me GM is being super picky on reimbursing dealerships for this problem and if they don't have every "T" crossed and "i" dotted they won't get reimbursed for the repair. After me throwing another major fit over having to start this blasted test over again after months of coming to the dealership to try to get the repair, he says to bring it one more time and if it's low on oil they will send it to GM to see if they will fix it.

Sorry this complaint is so wordy, but this is just so everyone can see how absolutely ridiculous this whole process is to get a KNOWN PROBLEM fixed by GM. I've been a loyal GM customer for 30 years, having bought a multitude of vehicles, from cars to trucks, suburbans, and diesel dually pickup trucks for our farm. So disappointed that GM seems to be trying to avoid a recall on this obvious defect. I'm trading next year and the next vehicle WILL NOT be a GM.

Update from Dec 27, 2017: Update -- after about 7 months of trying to jump through every hoop imaginable to get my Equinox fixed for the excessive oil consumption problem at my local dealership, Randy Marion Chevrolet, my car started making a different, much louder noise and losing power. I took it immediately to the dealership where I was told "ok now we can fix your car. GM has approved the repair. Your timing chain needs replacing." The letter GM had sent me told me the repair for excessive oil consumption had to do with defective pistons or piston rings and I asked them why they thought fixing the timing chain would solve the excessive oil consumption problem. The service rep at Randy Marion Chevrolet told me that the timing chain would also cause it to consume excessive oil. I was suspicious, to say the least, that this would not fix the oil problem, but they refused to do any other repair. They wanted to replace the timing chain. When I picked up the car, the loud noise was gone and the power was back to normal, so I hoped that maybe they were right and the oil consumption problem would be fixed also. WRONG. After only about 4 weeks and 2000 more miles my car again started making the noise that I had gotten used to when my oil was low. I took it to Randy Marion again and it was 3 quarts low on oil. I said, so now you will fix the defective piston rings like my letter says are causing the problem? The reply was "no, sorry, but since we repaired your timing chain and that didn't fix the oil problem, we have to start your oil consumption test all over again." Can't believe this crap. I called GM customer service to complain and the first senior advisor that reached out to me agreed with me, saying they should have fixed the piston rings because that was what the letter indicated. She said she would call the dealership and discuss. After 2 or 3 weeks I get a call from someone different who tells me that the dealership is correct and GM requires the oil consumption test to be redone if the timing chain is replaced, and that this was their policy. I replied it didn't say anything about a timing chain in the letter they sent me. It clearly says the oil consumption problem has been linked to defective piston rings. And I have documented at least 5 times over the past 8 or 9 months that my car has excessive oil consumption. But I guess my hands are tied here. It's like no one at GM or the dealership has common sense. Or possibly they are just trying to frustrate me to the point where I trade the car and leave them alone. I'm not doing that, though. I will make sure this car gets fixed, trade it, and will never buy another GM again. I've owned GM vehicles all my adult life, and have 3 in the driveway now. But this experience has shown me how GM does not care about customers, and Randy Marion Chevrolet in my opinion is not to be trusted. They have given me the run around for nearly a year for a well documented problem. Run, don't walk from this dealership.

My car started to have a rattle noise and some hesitation. I called dealer and they got it in the next day. They diagnosed the problem and stated there was less then two quarts of oil in the system and needed new timing chain package, chain, exhaust actuator, intake actuator, tensioner, gasket, coolant and seal ($1697.16). This was unbelievable to me as it hadn't used or leaked any oil between oil changes. This is not normal for a car with only 73,000 miles and regular oil changes. When they were diagnosing my car I was talking to a Salesman about buying a new Acardia. We actually made a deal before I knew what was wrong with my Equinox. I found out before I left the dealer and had them fix it before trading it in. The warranty had run out and didn't find out until later that GM was having problems with the piston rings on this motor. I didn't want to stick them with the cost of repairs, but later find out I am the one getting hosed here. One month later received a letter from GM about the excessive oil consumption in this motor and how to get reimbursement for previous repairs. I filled in the form and gave it to my local dealer that did the repairs. They told me that the dealer or GM would contact me and let me know about the reimbursement. Six weeks later after hearing nothing from either. I contacted my salesman that I have known for many years. He said; he would find out the status and get back to me. A week later after hearing nothing from him, I called him again and he stated he had been in the hospital and he will get back to me. A week later after hearing nothing again I called the Customer Service Center and requested the status of my claim. They took all my info and would have a representative get back to me. A few days later Camille called and talked to my wife. She stated that they had reviewed my claim and decided to deny it for the reason that no oil consumption test was performed on my equinox at the time of repair. The letter I received for the reimbursement didn't say anything about a consumption test nor did I know anything about the piston ring problem GM was having with this motor. The dealer must have known and didn't do the test or tell me of the issue since this problem has been around for years as I now find out. I feel sorry for the next owner of this car because the piston rings were not changed and will almost certainly fail again. I have no way to notify the new owner and tell them to check the oil every gas fill up as GM now recommends, which is ridiculous. No one would buy a car if they had to do that. I believe that GM should do the right thing and recall all defective motors and or repair at no cost to the owner. They state that satisfaction with their product is very important to them.( What a joke!) I now wish I hadn't bought the new Acadia. I have been buying GM since 1983 and will be buying a new truck in the near future. You can be sure I won't be buying GM anymore.

CWH

Update from Jan 24, 2018: UpDate: I had discussion with service manager about GM not honoring the repair for this problem. He asked me to provide proof of regular oil changes and he would try to get GM to honor the repairs. A couple weeks later he asked me to stop in to the dealership at my convenience to discuss the outcome. When I stopped in and talked to him he told me that after his discussion with GM that they would reimburse me for half of my repairs and that their dealership would pay the other half. He handed me a check for the whole amount and I couldn't have been happier. I thanked him for taking the time to pursue it and that they had restored my faith somewhat in GM and the dealership. Perseverance can pay off so don't give up. I may have to reconsider GM for my next truck.

I purchased my 2012 Equinox from a dealership in Kalamazoo Michigan, soon after the purchase I kept smelling a foul odor, I called the dealership and the service girl knew exactly what it was, I took it in and they fixed it, for a while, now the smell has come back. I have had problems with hard shifting since I have had it, every time I took it in for service I mentioned the transmission shifting hard, they checked it out and said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. When my husband came home (he was working out of state at that time) I mentioned to my him I thought my car was making a weird noise and just didn't seem right, we took it to the dealership and they said it was low on oil. They started an oil consumption on the vehicle, the first time I brought it back to get it checked they said we need to get this in to get repaired. They replaced pistons, connecting rod and bearing replacement. Now a year later my car stalled on me a couple of times, then my husband I are were out of town and the car stalled 3 times. I called On-Star and they told me it was in the emissions. I took it back to the dealership and they replaced the intake exhaust cam solenoid. Since it was burning 2 quarts every 1,000 miles and the solenoid went out I am wondering what else is going to happen to my car due to running so low on oil 3 or 4 times before they fixed it. I called GM they said they dealership would give me a loyalty for $1,000 on a new vehicle or a lease turn in. Hmmm is that all I am worth to them. Currently in my driveway I have an Equinox, Grand Prix, CamaroZ28 and a Malibu.

Bought 2012 Equinox new from local dealer. All maintenance and fluid Dealership told us this was normal and changes performed by dealership at the recommended intervals. At about 40k miles vehicle developed a rattle. Dealership advised us this was normal, they added oil and it took rattle away. We were not informed by dealer the local dealership we bought car from lost their this was a major issue that had been discovered with this model/series vehicle. This went on for about 2 years. Dealership lost their Chevy affiliation and warranty issues transferred to another local dealership. At about 67k , after consistent low oil issues, dealership started oil consumption, they replaced pistons and rings under drive train warranty.

Have to go every 1000 miles for a oil consumption check. Just fix this thing, I don't have time to sit for an hour every 1000 miles while they check a problem they know is wrong. I need to contact GM directly and flip out before I drive this car into a wall, that will fix it. This issue was happening from the day I bought this car from Berger Chevy and they played stupid and sold it anyway. A dealer that sells bad cars knowing they are bad is bull sh*t. The seller is just a responsible as GM themselves.

I had the exact same issues as everyone else. The 2012 Equinox started to sound like an old Model T and would die at red lights. I took to our mechanic and he said there was no oil in the car! He called the Chevy rep for us which came to look and told him we needed a new engine because we let it run with no oil. Our mechanic said well I change their oil every 5,000 miles so I know that's not true. The rep said they need to be changing every 1,000 miles! We could not believe it so I called Detroit. GM said this was normal and my husband should be putting oil in it all the time. We went with a brand new engine because were told if we put an old one in the same thing would happen again. Once its paid off it will be gone! We will never buy another Chevrolet again! Now my daughter drives it, we taught her how to check the oil and add if needed! OMG REALLY????

I had 2 oil consumption tests done in 2015 before 100,000 miles and was told both times that my car "met the specs". I have to travel around with quarts of oil in my car because I constantly have to check the oil and fill it up.

I recently received a letter from Chevrolet stating that they now acknowledge an oil consumption problem with this model year Equinox. My problem is I now have 138,000 miles and the fix is for vehicles with less than 120,000 miles. Neither my car dealership (Anoka MN) or Chevrolet are willing to fix the problem because I now have over 120,000 miles, even though I was having the problem below 100,000 miles.

I am definitely angry about this and am going to go to the top to address this issue. I'd like to know why 120,000 miles is the "magical number" for mileage. I am looking for a new vehicle and will not buy an Equinox and will not by a Chevrolet. I feel I have not been dealt with fairly.

I BOUGHT A 2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX WITH APPROX 2000 MILES AT TIME OF PURCHASE. AROUND 20,000 MILES I NOTICED IT USING OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. TOOK IT TO CHEVROLET IN 2015, TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM. THEY REPLACED THE SEAL WITH OIL FILTER. THE LAST YEAR IT HAS STALLED, ENGINE KNOCK AND STILL USING MORE OIL. I GOT A LETTER MAY 2017 SAYING I NEED TO TAKE THE EQUINOX TO CHEVROLET DEALER IF I HAVE ANY PROBLEMS STATED IN THE LETTER, WHICH I HAVE AND STILL DO. THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO DRIVE IT 500 MILES, BRING IT BACK TO DO A ENGINE OIL PRESSURE TEST. AM STILL DRIVING IT. AFRAID TO BUT VERY WORRIED AND CONCERNED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.

In 2015, started having problems with excessive oil consumption and oil light not coming on (oil changed every 3000 miles)...had oil change and gaskets replaced in May 2015.....by Sept 1st - bad knocking noise and wanting to shut down....found out no oil and no sensor light came on. Repeat in 2016...oil consumption, no sensor, gaskets replaced, now check engine light comes on....had camshaft actuator solenoid valve replaced under warranty. If Chevy knows about these problems, then they should recall to fix it or provide extended warranty to cover it. I didn't know about this site til today....I'm so glad I happened to fall on it.

I own a 2012 Equinox LS. I bought the vehicle used with only $25,000 miles. At around $35,000 miles the timing chain had to be replaced. Shortly after I had to start an oil consumption test, the vehicle was not running well and the engine was ticking. No oil on the dipstick and vehicle was not even close to the next oil change due. I'm now at $44,000 miles and still doing the oil consumption test.

This time the Engine is knocking very loudly, no oil on dipstick again, yellow bubbly fluid and the smell of gas. Dealer tops it off - down 3 quarts this time. Come back again between $1,500 and $2,000 miles.

I was told by the dealership that GM has a special warranty for the engine in the 2012 Equinox because they are aware of the problem. I was told the pistons are probably bad - and this was said to me when we first started the oil consumption test, but I need to do this test in order to prove to GM there is a problem. Hoping this is true.

At this point I'm very aggravated and worried the engine will go one day while I'm driving.

2/13/16: Car stalled when put in drive. Kept stalling. Husband found there was no oil. We put in oil til it registered on dipsick. Was due for oil change in couple 100 miles. Oil change done next day.

4/7 it happened again!!! Oil consumption was at 64% had to add a quart. I did not see any oil leaks.

Took to dealer on 4/11, they kept car AND gave mark a loaner(2017 Equinox) I picked up car on 4/16. They replaced the cam shaft actuators for intake and exhaust, sealed all points to oil, dipstick, oil filter and oil pan and plug. I had to take back when i had 1000 miles on it..Which i did, no oil used up and problem thus far has been RESOLVED!!!!! Thank you Momentum Cheverolet and especially Dan!!!

I have a 2012 Equinox LT bought with 75,000 miles on it. I noticed there is a Oil Monitor which is completely incorrect. Had the vehicle about a year now and every couple weeks I am having to add oil. Its not leaking anywhere so Im not sure where its going. This oil consumption problem has ruined the lifters because I cant keep up with checking the oil every single day.

I bought this thinking Chevrolet was a good brand without doing research on the vehicle but this is a huge problem. Luckily I bought extended warranty so repairs shouldnt be too much.

Chevy should recall and fix this issue!!

Update from Oct 24, 2017: Just received notice from GM for Special Coverage to fix piston and rings for excessive oil consumption. Got appointment this weekend so we'll see how the car runs after the fix.

Update from Apr 10, 2018: Did an oil consumption test with a chevy dealership and apparently 1 qt of oil in 2000 miles is ok with GM and the dealership wont fix it., I dont know if they scammed me because I know it burns more than that. And the oil light NEVER comes on when the oil is low and the engine starts knocking.

I purchased my 2012 Equinox new, late in 2011. It now has just over 80,000 miles. I have done all routine maintenance on the vehicle but a couple days ago the check engine light came on... so I brought it in for service at my dealer. I was told that my vehicle had NO oil... nothing was registering on the dip stick at all! I was told that this is a prevalent problem with this make and model... that I needed to check my oil every 1000 miles now and that I may need to get my pistons etc.. replaced. Estimate...$2500.00 ! That was yesterday... and today the same check engine light is on. OnStar diagnosis today... same problem. In reading the same problem over and over again on this site, something needs to be done and there needs to be a recall!

I bought this car about 2 years ago and for some reason every time I check the oil, the oil is low,even after an oil change. This is ridiculous. I just don't understand how a car consumes oil. I took it to the dealership and they don't understand why it does that. I took to the mechanic to check for leaks, nothing. So where the hell is the oil going if its not leaking? I wish I knew this before I bought this car because I see big problems with this in the future because my wife drives this car and she doesn't know anything about cars. She takes my kids to daycare every morning. I keep up with all maintenance that needs to be done, but I have a feeling my heads are going blow or something bad is going to happen if this problem is not resolved.

After wife told me her Equinox kept stalling, I went out and checked it. It was stalling when put in drive, with no error indications on the information panel, etc. The engine was making more noise than usual, so checked the oil and found it was down 3 quarts! No low-oil level indication at all! Called dealership, took it in, they called next day and said it was rings, pistons, and the noise was from a cracked manifold. Almost $3500 later, I get the car back. I requested old parts and was told but the Customer Service Rep they put a newly designed piston and ring set into the car. I was incredulous and made the rhetorical observation that if the design weren't the problem, why did they "redesign" it in the first place? I am meticulous with maintenance on all my vehicles and keep all my records. To that end, I've never had a major engine repair like this - ever! And I typically get 250,000 + from my vehicles before selling/trading them in. I am writing a letter to GM to ask for at least partially recompense for this since, to me, the CS Rep tipped his hand in saying the piston/rings were redesigned (obviously to improve/fix a noted defect). Will update here when I get a reply from GM. Worth a shot. My wife drove Toyota and Hondas most of her life. We wanted to give American car company a chance to prove they could produce as reliable a car as Honda. Nope - not this time. Even though many rated the Equinox high, this was a game changer for me. Next car, we'll be going back to Honda or Toyota. Wish I could give business back to GM, but since we typically drive our cars for 5 + years, can't take the chance.

Update from Jan 27, 2017: I've crafted a letter to Chevrolet to complain and request at least partial compensation since this is a well known problem and the guy at teh dealership told me GM redesigned the pistons and rings. Based on other inputs on this thread, apparently the news has spread to some of the Chevy mechanics as well.

Update from May 23, 2017: Received a phone call on 14-FEB from GM Customer Service acknowledging my letter and complaint. I argued that this engine is the same engine they've issued the Tech Bulletin for in the 2011 models of the Equinox. I thought a fair review and perhaps some compensation for the expensive repair would be fair since it clearly indicated a manufacturing defect and not something caused by owner neglect, etc. She indicated they would review it and let me know. She gave me a case #, but as of today, no response from GM. I may call them and see what (if any) determination has been made on this issue especially since there clearly are many other owners who are having the same issue.

Update from Jun 3, 2017: I'm happy to report that Chevrolet sent out a notice last week which identified our 2012 Equinox as one of the affected models with the 2.4L engine that had defective pistons and rings. Since we already paid for the repair, we were instructed to fill out the enclosed form, include a copy of the invoice receipt for the repair and bring it to the dealer for faster service. They weren't kidding - we took the package to our dealer, and had a check in the mail for the full repair amount within 3 days. While many don't always get a positive outcome from these things, this is an instance where writing a letter to GM Customer Service paid off. It was a significant amount of money to us which is even better. Kudos to GM for doing the right thing.