2020 Equinox LT

[gbjamis]

Hi
I purchased the 2020 Equinox with 55000 miles. It had two owners and carfax mentioned “check engine electric”. I asked and was told no problems 2 days after I had the vehicle the auto stop did not work
And I had problems with radio/display
Radio changing stations on its own, display freezing, automatic volume changes
I went back to dealership and was told autostop is conditional. However it was not working under any condition. The vehicle was brought to service and I was told the problem was a “module” that was replaced
For 3 rides it worked perfectly then quit again. When I brought the vehicle back I was told that they had to order a part that was needed. The part came in and it is a radio/display. I asked what that had to do with autostop not working and was told it sends signal to stop the autostop. I think I have been duped and am stuck with a potentially unsafe vehicle.

 

[PoManNox]

Auto stop/start is very conditional. If you have the A/C running, have the heat on full blast along with the rear defroster are just a few examples of what will hold it out. Battery voltage below minimums will hold it out. Lots of things.

A bad radio module is not unheard of. I do doubt that that problem itself has anything to do with auto S/S, but it may.

At the end of the day, auto stop/start does absolutely nothing good electrically or mechanically for the vehicle. It puts excessive wear on both, especially the electrical system of the vehicle.

 

[gbjamis]

Auto stop/start is very conditional. If you have the A/C running, have the heat on full blast along with the rear defroster are just a few examples of what will hold it out. Battery voltage below minimums will hold it out. Lots of things.

A bad radio module is not unheard of. I do doubt that that problem itself has anything to do with auto S/S, but it may.

At the end of the day, auto stop/start does absolutely nothing good electrically or mechanically for the vehicle. It puts excessive wear on both, especially the electrical system of the vehicle.

 

[gbjamis]

I understand the conditions with auto stop
But when it won’t work under any conditions after it worked for 2 days, something is wrong. I had one vehicle catch fire because of an electric issue. I am afraid that I am looking at trouble down the road especially since engine electric was mentioned 2x in carfax

 

[PoManNox]

First step is to scan the vehicle for trouble codes. If there's no trouble codes present, I don't believe there's a means to determine why the A.S.S. isn't active, at least at the mechanic level. I hear you on your concerns, but allowing that system to cycle is not a good thing for the vehicle overall. Many of us here who own 2018-2023 have this "feature" bypasses because of the longterm problems it can cause.

Did you know those issues were reported on the Carfax prior to purchase? Either way, buying a 5yr/old vehicle can have it's risks.

 

[gbjamis]

First step is to scan the vehicle for trouble codes. If there's no trouble codes present, I don't believe there's a means to determine why the A.S.S. isn't active, at least at the mechanic level. I hear you on your concerns, but allowing that system to cycle is not a good thing for the vehicle overall. Many of us here who own 2018-2023 have this "feature" bypasses because of the longterm problems it can cause.

Did you know those issues were reported on the Carfax prior to purchase? Either way, buying a 5yr/old vehicle can have it's risks.

 

[gbjamis]

No codes came up as far as I was told. They kept the vehicle for 1.5 days and then told me it was some kind of “module” that needed to be replaced. Then it worked for 2 days before it quit again When I returned they tell me they ordered radio/display that caused the autostop to disengage. I have a hard time to believe that. I specifically asked about the carfax mention “engine electric checked” and was told everything is fine

 

[NXR71]

Is it the original battery? The dealer may have had the battery on a charger right up until you saw it.

I just replaced the original battery in my 2020. The car started and ran fine but for the past several months the Auto Start/Stop would only work after a long interstate drive, an hour or two. That told me the battery was getting weak because the car monitors the battery condition to decide whether it is strong enough for Auto Start/Stop to work reliably.

The second day after the new battery was installed Auto Start/Stop was back to killing the engine at every traffic light.

The 2020 Equinox uses an AGM battery (no water checks) and it needs that type due to the Auto Start/Stop. It was about $280 at Autozone installed. The Chevy dealer wanted $90 more for their battery but it only added 6 months to the warranty, 3.5 years versus 3,0 years.

Since I hate Auto Start/Stop I installed the hood latch cable that PoManNox recommended in a different thread and it works great.

 

[gbjamis]

No codes came up as far as I was told. They kept the vehicle for 1.5 days and then told me it was some kind of “module” that needed to be replaced. Then it worked for 2 days before it quit again When I returned they tell me they ordered radio/display that caused the autostop to disengage. I have a hard time to believe that. I specifically asked about the carfax mention “engine electric checked” and was told everything is fine

Is it the original battery? The dealer may have had the battery on a charger right up until you saw it.

I just replaced the original battery in my 2020. The car started and ran fine but for the past several months the Auto Start/Stop would only work after a long interstate drive, an hour or two. That told me the battery was getting weak because the car monitors the battery condition to decide whether it is strong enough for Auto Start/Stop to work reliably.

The second day after the new battery was installed Auto Start/Stop was back to killing the engine at every traffic light.

The 2020 Equinox uses an AGM battery (no water checks) and it needs that type due to the Auto Start/Stop. It was about $280 at Autozone installed. The Chevy dealer wanted $90 more for their battery but it only added 6 months to the warranty, 3.5 years versus 3,0 years.

Since I hate Auto Start/Stop I installed the hood latch cable that PoManNox recommended in a different thread and it works great.

Thank you. I am having anxiety attacks because the dealership actually lied to me in order to get a “goodwill” form signed By ignoring my report that the autostop only worked a few times before giving up again. I am old but did question them claiming the radio was the cause for that. I guess being the 3rd owner of this vehicle and checking car fax that mentioned “check engine electric” made me a bit paranoid

 

[NXR71]

We have the larger screen, 8" I think, and Chevy piled a lot of functionality into ours well beyond "just a radio". There's also like 17 modules in ours that can have firmware updates done by a dealer. If that is a real Chevy dealer then they can give you the entire history of the VIN regardless of which Chevy dealer did the work. Carfax pays shops to submit that data to them but I've never given permission to share my data.

 

[gbjamis]

That is very helpful. Thank you