[Davef]

Terrible, Horrible, Bad Deal!!!

no kidding!!

 

[Davef]

I appreciate that and will send her an email.

it's a little late now, since i was waiting to get a rental till i got the official 'diagnosis' and just ended up renting a kia the final day (that was all they had and i had no clue how long it was gonna take). but I will still see what she says.

 

[Davef]

I have been overall very happy with my Equinox till now but just had a very frustrating experience with my Equinox EV and I am starting to regret the purchase.

5 days ago, out of nowhere, with no warning signs, the car just died — completely dead. It wouldn’t start, and it couldn’t even be put into neutral. A flatbed truck came but couldn’t tow it (since they couldn't get it into neutral), so I had to wait while they ordered a wheel lift and dolly just to get it to a service center. The back and forth with this alone took a day.

To make matters worse, none of the Chevy service centers near me are accepting EVs anymore. Every one of them told me they’re too backed up and dealing with too many EV-related issues. I had to find a Chevy service center 40 minutes away just to get the car looked at.

When it finally got to the dealership, it sat there for three days untouched because they were also backed up. I had no car that entire time, just waiting to hear back. Only after those three days did they finally look at it and discover a glitch with the computer system had drained the 12V battery. The technician had to replace the battery and completely recalibrate the computer system.

I contacted Chevy Concierge during that time, and they told me they wouldn’t authorize a rental car until a diagnosis was made (which again, took three days). How crazy is that??

And even then, they said they’d only reimburse for a rental if it was a Chevy, and only up to $44/day (good luck finding a rental close to that amount!).

But the thing is there were no Chevys available anywhere nearby, and they offered zero flexibility. When I called around to local car rental places and told them I specifically needed a Chevy, one place said to me, “Why Chevy, because you bought an Equinox that broke?” I kid you not, they all seemed to know this model has serious issues. That says a lot.

So I ended up having to rent a car out of pocket $85 a day


Then, when they finally said the car was ready, I had to spend $80 on an Uber just to get to the dealership and pick up what now honestly feels like a computer system that clearly wasn’t fully fleshed out (aka piece of junk).

To top it all off, on the way home on the highway, I realized adaptive cruise control and lane assist weren’t working anymore. And of course, Super Cruise doesn’t work either. So now I need to bring the car back again. These are all features I rely (and enjoyed) on a regular basis.

This is a brand new car. I bought it for peace of mind and unfortunately it’s turned out to be a nightmare.

Chevy really needs to get their act together when it comes to EVs. The cars aren’t fully ready, and the support structure around them is a mess. It feels like we’re paying premium prices to be beta testers.

My advice to potential buyers: exercise caution, this vehicle does not seem to have been thoroughly engineered or tested before being sold to the public.

So there was absolutely no warning before my Equinox died. One minute it was fine, the next it was completely dead and couldn’t even shift to neutral.

Meanwhile, my neighbor also had a 12V battery issue in the same model, but they did get a warning message, which allowed them to drive it straight to the dealer before it died.

So it seems pretty inconsistent, sometimes there’s a warning, sometimes there’s none. That’s a big deal because being stranded with a completely bricked car is not the same as getting a warning and being able to plan ahead.

Also, I’ve spoken to quite a few other local owners, chevy service centers - and they are all telling me that there are a lot of issues popping up with the Equinox, especially related to batteries and electronic systems. It’s not just one isolated case.

I’m not trying to say it is all bad, and I’ve been very happy with mine in many ways until this happened. But I do think potential buyers deserve to know that there are real risks, both with the car itself and with how difficult it can be to get proper service if something goes wrong. There are very few technicians that know how to work on these and those that do are completely overloaded, so I think this is a pretty big issue to have when something like this arises.

I’m glad to hear your experience has mostly been better than mine!

 

[Salkin]

Wow, what an ordeal. I am genuinely sorry that you experienced the issue with your dead 12V battery in your EQEV. This type of "sudden death" is always the worst thing a car owner can experience. However, it can happen to anyone, to some extent, to any brand and make of car. I am not trying to defend Chevy or Equinox EV build quality, but if you look at any car forum, there are always a few of those unfortunate bad apples. But that does not mean ALL of them are bad.

I have read enough car forums that the 12V draining issue is rampant in any modern car, whether it's an EV or an ICE vehicle. However, especially for EVs that require a computer to boot up and start the car, a dead 12V battery means a dead car. All the service-related issues you have experienced are typical of many service and manufacturing industries nowadays. I can't say Chevy is any worse than other brands or makes of cars.

That being said, a story like yours should be a warning to any car owner to be prepared for the worst. I wonder if your car's 12V battery died suddenly, or if any signs could have been caught earlier to prevent such an event? Without requiring the 12V battery to crank up the engine at the start, we miss those tell-tale signs of weakening, a soon-to-die 12V battery. It may have been draining and not recharging properly for days leading up to the event. This makes it more important to monitor the 12V battery's health and ensure it is not degraded. It is the reason I install the Bluetooth Battery Monitor on all of our vehicles. It gives me peace of mind more than GM can. lol

 

[Kenny]

... I wonder if your car's 12V battery died suddenly, or if any signs could have been caught earlier to prevent such an event? ....

If it's this critical then there should be some type of 12v battery health monitor...

that said, I don't understand why it could not be Jumped/Battery Replaced/Disconnected etc in order to get the car going (assuming it was really and only the 121v battery being dead).

 

[BehindBars]

If it's this critical then there should be some type of 12v battery health monitor...

that said, I don't understand why it could not be Jumped/Battery Replaced/Disconnected etc in order to get the car going (assuming it was really and only the 121v battery being dead).

Perhaps this is a case where the car battery was totally dead (I saw no mention of a voltage measurement being taken or reported on the “dead” battery), and it makes no sense to connect a jumper battery in parallel, rather the jumper battery should be temporarily substituted for the dead one. We don’t know what procedures were used during the attempt to jump start it.

 

[obermd]

So there was absolutely no warning before my Equinox died. One minute it was fine, the next it was completely dead and couldn’t even shift to neutral.

Meanwhile, my neighbor also had a 12V battery issue in the same model, but they did get a warning message, which allowed them to drive it straight to the dealer before it died.

So it seems pretty inconsistent, sometimes there’s a warning, sometimes there’s none. That’s a big deal because being stranded with a completely bricked car is not the same as getting a warning and being able to plan ahead.

Also, I’ve spoken to quite a few other local owners, chevy service centers - and they are all telling me that there are a lot of issues popping up with the Equinox, especially related to batteries and electronic systems. It’s not just one isolated case.

I’m not trying to say it is all bad, and I’ve been very happy with mine in many ways until this happened. But I do think potential buyers deserve to know that there are real risks, both with the car itself and with how difficult it can be to get proper service if something goes wrong. There are very few technicians that know how to work on these and those that do are completely overloaded, so I think this is a pretty big issue to have when something like this arises.

I’m glad to hear your experience has mostly been better than mine!

12v batteries can die over time or fail all at once with an internal failure. Sounds like OP's 12v suffered an internal failure.

 

[coastalcruiser]

it was completely dead and impossible to jump start, i had 2 experienced guys try. it seems like once it's dead the system needs to be reset and collaborated

I hear you Dave. It sounds like you gave restarting the car a best effort. It's good to know your particular scenario can occur so that others can be aware.

I would suggest for anyone who does have a sudden death on their 12v and tries to restart it, there are three factors that I discovered hold true:

1) Take the 12v battery out of the circuit when you connect the jump pack. A bad battery can suck all the current from the jump pack.

2) Connect the leads of the jump pack as secure as possible.

3) The jump pack must be able to supply adequate current. I haven't measured the starting current on my ☰ yet, but my Bolt EUV drew 25-30 amps. A lot of that is likely for closing the contactors on the high voltage battery.

That being said, a story like yours should be a warning to any car owner to be prepared for the worst. I wonder if your car's 12V battery died suddenly, or if any signs could have been caught earlier to prevent such an event?

The OP swears there was no warning. I like to have a voltage read out in the cabin. If one were to check it each time before starting the car it might lend a clue to spot premature failure (the voltage would slowly be dropping over time).

One way EVs insure the 12v battery remains charged is to close the high voltage relay and charge the 12v from the traction battery if the 12v falls below a certain threshold. It would be interesting to learn what the threshold is for the ☰, or if it even has such a circuit.

 

[Steverino]

This makes it more important to monitor the 12V battery's health and ensure it is not degraded. It is the reason I install the Bluetooth Battery Monitor on all of our vehicles. It gives me peace of mind more than GM can. lol

If it's this critical then there should be some type of 12v battery health monitor...

Yes, owners have asked for this. Like the tire pressure monitor, it would be helpful to have a battery monitor available as a DIC widget, and infotainment app, or even an item under the Charging app.

 

[coastalcruiser]

So there was absolutely no warning before my Equinox died. One minute it was fine, the next it was completely dead and couldn’t even shift to neutral.

By the way Dave, for inquiring minds that will noodle on your puzzle... Was the car running when it suddenly died, or, did you get in to start the car and found it to be dead? From a technical perspective their is a significant difference.

 

[Kenny]

Perhaps this is a case where the car battery was totally dead (I saw no mention of a voltage measurement being taken or reported on the “dead” battery), and it makes no sense to connect a jumper battery in parallel, rather the jumper battery should be temporarily substituted for the dead one. We don’t know what procedures were used during the attempt to jump start it.

Exactly, thus my reaction....

 

[Kenny]

I hear you Dave. It sounds like you gave restarting the car a best effort. It's good to know your particular scenario can occur so that others can be aware.

I would suggest for anyone who does have a sudden death on their 12v and tries to restart it, there are three factors that I discovered hold true:

1) Take the 12v battery out of the circuit when you connect the jump pack. A bad battery can suck all the current from the jump pack.

2) Connect the leads of the jump pack as secure as possible.

3) The jump pack must be able to supply adequate current. I haven't measured the starting current on my ☰ yet, but my Bolt EUV drew 25-30 amps. A lot of that is likely for closing the contactors on the high voltage battery.


The OP swears there was no warning. I like to have a voltage read out in the cabin. If one were to check it each time before starting the car it might lend a clue to spot premature failure (the voltage would slowly be dropping over time).

One way EVs insure the 12v battery remains charged is to close the high voltage relay and charge the 12v from the traction battery if the 12v falls below a certain threshold. It would be interesting to learn what the threshold is for the ☰, or if it even has such a circuit.

View attachment 7616

Yes, if the system is monitoring the 12v in order to keep it charged/topped off as it appears to be doing...

 

[Kenny]

This makes it more important to monitor the 12V battery's health and ensure it is not degraded. It is the reason I install the Bluetooth Battery Monitor on all of our vehicles. It gives me peace of mind more than GM can.

What are you using for this?

 

[Davef]

Wow, what an ordeal. I am genuinely sorry that you experienced the issue with your dead 12V battery in your EQEV. This type of "sudden death" is always the worst thing a car owner can experience. However, it can happen to anyone, to some extent, to any brand and make of car. I am not trying to defend Chevy or Equinox EV build quality, but if you look at any car forum, there are always a few of those unfortunate bad apples. But that does not mean ALL of them are bad.

I have read enough car forums that the 12V draining issue is rampant in any modern car, whether it's an EV or an ICE vehicle. However, especially for EVs that require a computer to boot up and start the car, a dead 12V battery means a dead car. All the service-related issues you have experienced are typical of many service and manufacturing industries nowadays. I can't say Chevy is any worse than other brands or makes of cars.

That being said, a story like yours should be a warning to any car owner to be prepared for the worst. I wonder if your car's 12V battery died suddenly, or if any signs could have been caught earlier to prevent such an event? Without requiring the 12V battery to crank up the engine at the start, we miss those tell-tale signs of weakening, a soon-to-die 12V battery. It may have been draining and not recharging properly for days leading up to the event. This makes it more important to monitor the 12V battery's health and ensure it is not degraded. It is the reason I install the Bluetooth Battery Monitor on all of our vehicles. It gives me peace of mind more than GM can. lol

thanks, I certainly didn't notice any warning signs!

 

[Davef]

If it's this critical then there should be some type of 12v battery health monitor...

that said, I don't understand why it could not be Jumped/Battery Replaced/Disconnected etc in order to get the car going (assuming it was really and only the 121v battery being dead).

I have no explanation either!

 

[Davef]

1) Take the 12v battery out of the circuit when you connect the jump pack. A bad battery can suck all the current from the jump pack.

This is what exactly happened!

 

[Kenny]

This is what exactly happened!

and it still didn't "come on/bring up the display" ? Or it came on but would not 'start'?

sorry if I sounds like I'm giving you the third degree, not trying to, but want to understand in case it happens to me or others.

Thank you!!

 

[Davef]

and it still didn't "come on/bring up the display" ? Or it came on but would not 'start'?

sorry if I sounds like I'm giving you the third degree, not trying to, but want to understand in case it happens to me or others.

Thank you!!

NOTHING ON DISPLAY!! no worries at all, ask away!

 

[Salkin]

I like to have a voltage read out in the cabin. If one were to check it each time before starting the car it might lend a clue to spot premature failure (the voltage would slowly be dropping over time).

What are you using for this?

I use this Bluetooth Battery Monitor 2. It directly connects to the 12V battery posts. It measures the voltage of the battery every 30 seconds and logs the data. It features a Bluetooth transmitter, allowing me to remotely monitor the 12V battery's resting voltage on my phone app, which is critical for most modern cars. For a modern car like the EQEV with sensors, simply walking up to the car, opening the door or hood, touching any of the buttons, or pressing the brake pedal wakes it up. The moment the car wakes up, it sends a signal to other sensors and the internal computer, which spikes the draw and changes the voltage of the 12V battery. You can't measure the resting voltage of a "sleeping" car with any built-in in-dash monitor or a monitor inserted into the 12V socket.

The Bluetooth monitor itself uses 1.5mA of juice from the 12V battery. So it does add up to any other phantom drains, but in my experience, it is small enough that a healthy 12V battery with "normal" phantom drains of modern cars, which can be as high as 100mA or higher, has no noticeable effects on daily drains.

However, all the monitoring is useless if an internal failure of a defective 12V battery occurs suddenly, to the point that no battery degradation could be detected in the days leading up to it.

 

[Davef]

I use this Bluetooth Battery Monitor 2. It directly connects to the 12V battery posts. It measures the voltage of the battery every 30 seconds and logs the data. It features a Bluetooth transmitter, allowing me to remotely monitor the 12V battery's resting voltage on my phone app, which is critical for most modern cars. For a modern car like the EQEV with sensors, simply walking up to the car, opening the door or hood, touching any of the buttons, or pressing the brake pedal wakes it up. The moment the car wakes up, it sends a signal to other sensors and the internal computer, which spikes the draw and changes the voltage of the 12V battery. You can't measure the resting voltage of a "sleeping" car with any built-in in-dash monitor or a monitor inserted into the 12V socket.

The Bluetooth monitor itself uses 1.5mA of juice from the 12V battery. So it does add up to any other phantom drains, but in my experience, it is small enough that a healthy 12V battery with "normal" phantom drains of modern cars, which can be as high as 100mA or higher, has no noticeable effects on daily drains.

However, all the monitoring is useless if an internal failure of a defective 12V battery occurs suddenly, to the point that no battery degradation could be detected in the days leading up to it.

very cool!