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Expensive Chevrolet Equinox repairs by problem area

Engine (47%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (17%)

Brakes and Traction Control (1%)

Suspension and Steering (16%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (17%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (0%)

Other (1%)

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Chart based on 92 repairs.

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Chevrolet Equinox repair cost distribution

$2500+ (35%)

$1000 - $2499 (65%)

$500 - $999 (0%)

$100 - $499 (0%)

< $100 (0%)

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Chart based on 65 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

80000 mi US $5000	Main oil seal was broken and leaking, resulting in damage to engine that required an engine rebuild, which took around a week.
100000 mi US $450	Throttle position sensor on accelerator pedal went bad, causing Traction Control light to come on and engine power to be reduced intermittently. Accelerator pedal was replaced to solve the issue.
107000 mi US $1000	AC Compressor was replaced Replaced ball joint (I believe passenger side)

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66000 mi

US $1500

Transfer case exploded. towed to dealer

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71 mi C $100	Engine threw code. Replaced Exhaust side VVT actuator.
81220 mi C $100	Resonator/muffler failed
83700 mi C $100	Code read indicating faulty down stream o2 sensor. Part replaced
83700 mi C $1000	recurring engine codes indicating faulty catalytic converter. Replaced catalytic converter and in doing so found cracked exhaust manifold and melted upstream o2 sensor. Replaced all 3 parts.
85560 mi C $650	Rattling coming from engine. Replaced timing chains

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70000 mi US $837	They replaced the front stabilizer bar bushings for $196.94, front right lower ball joint for $253.48, Front lower control arm bushings for $309.02 plus a required alignment for $77.41. The front suspension had a loud squeak.
101000 mi US $418	car was running rough, replaced throttle body and replaced the spark plugs
102894 mi US $3585	The oil pump's pressure was low and needed to be replaced

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61300 mi US $1200	Pcv froze causing main seal to blow, known issue on GM 2.4, but GM says my vin number was not covered under TSB 14882, Just get on the web and you will find hundreds upon hundreds of consumers with the same issue with the same results
109000 mi US $100	timing solenoids, intake and exhaust, about once a year, three times so far. burning so much oil

50300 mi

US $1000

AC Condenser Cooling fans Radiator

78740 mi

C $5500

Engine became noisy. A crankshaft bearing was spun. Needed a new engine.

124000 mi

US $4600

Engine block failed allowing oil to drain without warning

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34100 mi C $1107	Erratic operation of the radio and display. Tested to be a problem with radio. During initial testing a scratch occurred on the display. Dealer replaced radio at my cost and they replaced the display at their cost.
36580 mi C $260	Engine light on indicating variable valve timing solenoid needs replacing. Done.
52080 mi C $1000	Replaced seat belt passenger side due to constant "service air bag" notification. Had front crankshaft seal replaced...3rd time. Had spark plugs replaced. Mechanic suggested using Seafoam in oil and fuel due to moisture accumulation.
58900 mi C $26000	Due to the ongoing problem with the pcv and water getting in the engine the rear main seal blew on the highway destroying the motor. Bought used motor and had to get it installed. The water freezes in our climate and pushes the seal and all oil leaks out fast.

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53000 mi

US $1163

Transmission would not engage forward or reverse. Transmission rebuilt 1 month out of powertrain warranty. GM picked up 2/3 of the cost.

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40300 mi C $250	Muffler was broken (corrosion and impact damage). Had to be replaced.
58900 mi C $1500	New brake pads and discs for all 4 wheels

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65000 mi

US $3200

AC failure Catalytic converter failed and had to be replaced.

61000 mi

US $3500

Check Engine Light. Car could not move. Transmission needed to be replaced.

80800 mi US $500	W hd a prblem wth th A/C cabn fn ctl modul tht contrled fan spd whn swtching frm 1 mode to the nxt. The fn spd wold slw whn swtch from 1 mod but wuld not retrn to the corect spd Whn tht was"FXED"th OnStr stopd working Thy had to replce cblew
98000 mi US $1650	Transmission failed wile on vacation. We didn't know that the hard shifting was because the transmission was failing back around 65,000. Hard shifting would happen occasionally. A dealer in California "City Chevy" told us it would take 2 weeks and cost $5500 We then trailered it back to AZ on our own And had it repaired at Van Chevy" in Scottsdale.

95000 mi

US $1450

Replace catalytic converter.

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86700 mi

US $2000

Replaced defective catalytic converter; replaced O2 sensors, replaced leaking exhaust manifold. GENERAL MOTORS COVERED THE COST AND INSTALLTION OF THE REPLACED CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

48000 mi US $105	The rear windshield wiper blade snapped off of the mount for some reason.
61300 mi US $725	Brake caliper piston was squeaking and since the pads had less than 5mm-the brakes were completed as well.
66100 mi US $500	Braking subsystem parts not identified as worn during replacement of brakes.
79000 mi US $800	timing belt issues due to stretching of the chain
94000 mi US $300	Throttle body failed
83000 mi US $1400	compressor replaced
90000 mi US $1200	I told the dealer I noticed a bit more exhaust noise than usual-being a four cylinder, any kind of growl is unusual in the Equinox. Resonator replaced. Battery died in a parking lot in the rain-battery was checked and was fully discharged, car was towed to dealer and replaced with new battery from dealer

130000 mi

US $3500

timing and balance shaft chains failed high pressure fuel pump

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63000 mi

US $1050

Air compressor failed, needed replacing.

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49000 mi US $175	Battery needed replacement - only a little over a year old! Delco battery! Was replaced once under warranty but 2nd failed in a little over a year! Heavily sulphated.
60000 mi US $800	Engine running too cool and thermostat defective and not working. Needed to be replaced and catalytic converter needed to be cleaned out because of heavy carbon build up. AC compressor noisy and non-functioning. System needed to be recharged. Seems to be working so far.
73000 mi US $2000	The condenser was leaking an oily fluid and the compressor is making a lot of noise.

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88040 mi C $423	Hub required replacing for speed sensor
97000 mi C $2500	Pcv valve failed causing pressure build up in the crank case causing the rear main seal to fail. Left over oil from a previous repair was trapped in the exhaust flex pipe causing a burning smell

35960 mi C $112	No power to rear windows. Splice J313 was open. Qty 2 Splice N 089650 replaced. (Parts cost $6.50 ea) Labour $100.00
36580 mi C $1281	Rear differential clutch control module - internal fault. Module replaced (Part cost $500). Access to module required exhaust removal, and lowering of rear differential. Power mirrors not working. Mirror switch and left door module on the door were replaced.
37200 mi C $627	Loss of power (near stalling) with warning "Service Stabilitrac". Technicians had difficulty identifying the cause. Replaced wiring under the drivers seat. Vehicle ran fine for 19 days before reoccurring. Return to dealer today.

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60000 mi US $240	Spontaneous rear hatch glass breakage, repaired by auto glass specialist shop in Rome, GA
100998 mi US $3597	Intermittent power delivery, rebuilt transmission installed

112000 mi US $200	Sway bar linkage rattling badly. Had to replace both of them.
112000 mi US $4000	Transmission shifting erratically and sometimes not shifting into certain gears. Determined the 3-5-R wave plate was bad and caused problems so the transmission had to be replaced.

44020 mi C $128	Check engine light came on. Took it in and they said it was a knock sensor. They said it was operating properly so they reset it and said to return if it comes on again. It has since.
54560 mi C $650	Control arm bushings
57350 mi C $350	Wheel bearing and speed sensor replaced.
59520 mi C $355	This was the passenger side wheel bearing and wheel speed sensor this time. Almost seems to have a life span of 100 km.
620 mi C $100210	Replaced 2 coils and all spark plugs.

90000 mi US $1100	35R clutch wave plate snapped and needed to be replaced. Spark plug failed - check engine light, stabilitrak issue, rough idle
92000 mi US $200	Broken sway bar links. Needed replacement. Also needed to replace both outer tie rod ends.

130000 mi US $1300	Car was stalling after start up. Smelled gas. Leaking seal on the high pressure fuel pump resulted in gas in the oil and a rich fuel mixture. Replaced fuel pump and a small, very expensive, one time use fuel line. Replaced leaking front right inner axle seal. This is the third time this has been replaced. About every 40,000 miles or so.
162500 mi US $686	Loud noise hear from left front area. Increased with speed. Noise level did not change when transmission placed in netural while car was moving on highway. Front left hub bearing failed and was replaced.
153000 mi US $490	Exhaust manifold was cracked
169400 mi US $525	Abs and stability lights on dash. Right front speed sensor broken magnets missing. Replaced right front hub. No other way to repsir
192300 mi US $967	Replace air blend motor which failed. Repair was $900.00. Mostly labor. Replacement part was $75.00 the rest was labor which included removing parts of the dashboard to get to the partrnRemainder of cost was wiper replacement (3) plus taxes
193000 mi US $179	The ambient temp on the display was inaccurate which effected the A/C. Outside was 80 degrees display on screen was 19 degrees and dropping. This prevented the A/C from turning on. Local mechanic cleared a few codes in system and advised GM has a software update to fix the display problem. Dealer software update failed due to electrical short discovered during update. Technician found a damaged wire connection for the ambient temp sensor. Pig tale connection and ambient temp sensor replaced. Software update installed. Technician took car out for test. Temp display did not work correctly. I was advised there was a short in the wiring harness that needed to be found. Dealer provided me a free loaner. Long story short after a full (almost four hour) diagnostic test of the wiring harness, the wiring harness passed with no issues. Not sure what happened next other than maybe getting some advice from another source. They realized the ambient temp sensor replacement process requires at least a 15 minute ride at 55 mph to sync up the sensor with the software! Dealer only charged me for the replacement part and software labor. Got a full wiring harness test st no cost! Labor rate is 136.00 per hour so that was nice to get for a car with 193K miles on it. System worked great on the recent 2600 mile RT to Mississippi! Only down side on the repair ????????????only got to put 10 miles on a brand new Chevy!
207000 mi US $645	Alternator failed this was the original. Replaced with new original equipment alternator. Also had serpentine belt replace that was about $50 of the cost my shop provides a 2 year warranty on their work!
210000 mi US $461	Right cv joint failing had both checked because of loud clicking noise when turning corners . Left still ok right needed replacement. Replacement comes with shop’s two Warrentee!
219000 mi US $595	Cracked exhaust manifold replaced. Also replaced original O2 sensor. Second exhaust manifold for car first replacement was in 2015
222000 mi US $675	Left CV joint failing also replaced faulty tue rod.
224000 mi US $300	Water was entering the car driver floor wet after major storm determined windshield leaking around seal. Researched I-Net and found A1 glass has great reviews. Got appointment for next day. Technician did great job. Had some major rain after fix ...no leaks????
224000 mi US $1300	Engine light on catalytic failure. Catalytic converter installed with engine replacement in 2013 total miles before failure about 133k items possibly contributing to failure since engine replacement...exhaust manifold failure (2) oxygen sensor failure .

62000 mi US $500	Replaced exhaust manifold
89000 mi US $1100	Exhaust resonator had to be replaced. Dealer gave me the option of replacing the whole muffler ($1200) or just the resonator ($600) A/C was not working well, dealer did a recharge and determined that the condenser had to be replaced

49000 mi US $1300	Transmission failure. Required rebuild. GM paid 2/3 of cost.
50000 mi US $160	Wipers would not work correctly.

117000 mi

US $2900

Timing chain failure, Balancer chain failure. new pistons, rings. and top end rebuild do to the timing chain breaking. Fuel pump failure.

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92700 mi

US $1814

PCV valve froze causing positive pressure in the crankcase. This led to the Rear Main Seal failing, causing all engine oil to leak out very quickly. Dealer replaced seals and tested.

90000 mi US $500	The exhaust manifold was broke in half, manifold replaced.
95000 mi US $1200	Muffler split open, replaced. Water pump chain broke. Replaced timing chain, water pump chain, and thermostat, flushed radiator.

99800 mi US $500	Exhaust manifold cracked and needed to be replaced.
103000 mi US $300	Heater would periodically stop working correctly. Reflashed the software. Also, found warm air door missing tooth so it was not functioning correctly. Replaced door.
114000 mi US $600	ABS light came on and Service Stabilitrak message displayed. Required replacement of front wheel bearing.
135000 mi US $2300	Resonator box rusted out and rest of exhaust replaced.
111500 mi US $5000	Driving to work, engine started making loud knocking sound. Pulled to side and shut off, but wouldn't restart. Rear oil seal blown, engine had to be replaced.

15000 mi US $600	Recall from GM for Climate controls not working. Replaced climate control circuit board Rear liftgate would not shut. TSB performed involving replacement of liftgate latch switch
40000 mi US $5000	TSB indicates oil consumption is due to "zebra striping" scoring of cylinder walls which is a design problem on this engine. Engine replaced entirely.
81000 mi US $650	A/C condenser had a crack in it allowing refrigerant to escape. This is likely a design issue as the location of the condensor neck is exposed underneath the car to getting hit by rocks, etc. Replaced condenser.
80000 mi US $2600	Bearings in rear differential bad. Replaced entire rear differential. Error codes being set for bad throttle body. Replaced Throttle body.
99990 mi US $900	Car smelled like exhaust all the time. Took it in right before powertrain warranty expired. It was a cracked exhaust manifold leaking exhaust. Replaced manifold and fixed the problem. Transfer case input shaft seal leaking gear oil. This is the second time the seal has been replaced
140000 mi US $110	Got a check engine light; Computer scan said it was failed intake and exhaust solenoid actuator. Replaced both and codes cleared. Unfortunately the electrical connector broke on removal so I had to order replacement pigtail
130000 mi US $3000	Transmission failed with a big crunching sound while driving. Likely failed faceplate. Traded it in

51460 mi C $600	Rattling sound from left front side. Stabilizer bar needed replacement.
54560 mi C $1800	Timing belt and actuator.
54560 mi C $800	Rear brakes- pads and drums.
81840 mi C $700	Replaced front rotors and pads.

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184100 mi US $500	Rear wheel bearings and shocks were showing signs of wear, shaky while braking vehicle. Overheat warning would come on and door chime continue to beep (as if keys were left in the ignition) but engine was not overheating. IPC (instrument panel cluster) needed to be rebuilt. Turn signal stick was not operating properly, would not stay in position or on. This problem had existed for a while.
198000 mi US $750	Replaced front struts, rear shocks and 4 wheel alignment.
213000 mi US $1500	Vehicle was emitting a high-pitched squeak and had a slight shake to it, especially at higher speeds. Bearings were replaced as well as rotors/brakes.

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74000 mi

US $1600

Major head gasket blown. New head gasket installed.

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63860 mi

C $1800

Fuel sensor in gas tank failed. Only showed half tank.

160000 mi

US $3700

Transmission slipping - computer failure.

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91300 mi

US $1200

AC would work for a short time then quit and blow out warm air

70000 mi

US $1800

Head Gasket replacement - overheating issues

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45880 mi C $150	Clunking in back. Brought in twice before same problem. Bushings on sway bar had to be replaced drivers side window wouldn't work intermittantly
87620 mi C $1000	Front end struts replaced
101060 mi C $1100	Oil leak, gasket replaced

102000 mi US $200	Some tube that controls the airflow. It rattles loose and makes your check engine light come on. A known issue and there is a repair bulletin out for it.
104000 mi US $1200	Some intake hose allowing too much air into the engine and causing the check engine light to stay on.It was a known issue as it was in the Bulletin. Dealer part and then it had to be recalibrated at the dealer to get the ck eng lite off

116000 mi US $690	Replaced Left front Hub Assembly due to rough bearings and ABS failure Replaced Left front CV Shaft due to crunching sound while turning Replaced Both front struts and upper mount assemblies due to severe wear of left front strut and leakage on right front strut.
122000 mi US $186	Heat Blend air door and actuator failure - No heat issue when trying to adjust temperature. Troubleshot and found actuator out of normal position and door drive broken. Dealer wanted $1500+ to repair issue. DIY repair took 24 Hours. Original Battery failed, replaced with new. 6+ years on original.
153000 mi US $2700	EGR tube leaking, Replaced EGR Valve and Tube, Both O2 Sensors. Replaced and catalytic converter.

114700 mi C $1600	Replaced both front struts as well.
141980 mi C $392	Replaced front driver's side bearing.

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55180 mi C $142	Driver door roller guide bar - not covered by warranty.
56420 mi C $423	both front sturt towers were replaced due to leaks in both Right rear axle bearing replaced Left rear axle bearing replaced
59240 mi C $453	Water at power car wash entered vehicle through drivers side seal and affected wiring harness connection on inner door post panel. Water affected all electronics. Connector was dried, cleaned and silicone sealed with shrink wrap and silicone.

72000 mi US $100	Weather stripping at top of rear hatch had disintegrated and torn loose. Water leaked if through car wash and wind noise had increased significantly. Pre-ordered part and took it into shop for installation.
82000 mi US $100	Starter failed without warning in shopping center parking lot. Towed to dealership. Part ordered and replaced next day. Upon pick-up, still had hard start. Technician took back into shop & re-programmed for successful completion of job
98000 mi US $100	Compressor leaking - replaced. Temperature regulator - stuck - replaced. Temperature diverter - stuck - replaced. All under extended warranty, hence the $100 out of pocket cost. New noise upon exiting from previous repair. Took back to shop on next work day. Unrelated according to them. Oxygen sensor failed. It was replaced with no labor charge.
116000 mi US $339	Transmission cooling lines were leaking and it was reported by the company that did my oil change. Took to repair shop and both lines (in and out) had to be replaced. Mechanic checking as to why check engine light was on and found an air intake hose was partially loose.
148800 mi US $498	Car would not start - towed to repair - started right up. Diagnostics run - replaced starter. Also replaced battery. Car would not start one day after previous battery and starter replacement. Called shop and owner came to my home. Slammed hood and car started. Determined to be faulty starter and replaced under warranty for this portion of the trip. Repair person noted wear on alternator drive belt (serpentine belt) and advised replacing
158000 mi US $1000	Car overheated requiring thermostat replacement, radiator fan replacement, and fee for pressure testing radiator ands diagnosis of issue While attempting previous repair they had to remove front headlamp area to reach radiator. They said the fog lamp was "glued in" and they could not replace it after removing it.
158200 mi US $900	Same problems reported in June and repaired in July occurred 2 weeks later. Required upgrade to OEM parts at my expense. Two days later same problem occurred while 350 miles away. Unable to return for repair. A/c fails to run under 30mph.
169000 mi US $750	A/C cycling on and off rapidly Plastic piece on radistortion hosee to radiator broken causing fluid leakage and overheating Large radiator cooling fan not running, for the 4th time in 15 months. Part not under warranty, but labor was.
169800 mi US $200	ERG valve was clogged - check engine light on - could not pass inspection. Mechanic removed, cleaned valve and replaced. Door Handle on driver's side broke internally. Required replacement handle and door panel removal and replace part and replace door panel

123380 mi C $1400	Major drivetrain problem, my AWD is now FWD. Cost for parts to repair was $1600 plus, unable to rebuild the driveshaft due to it being a very non-standard design. My repair shop says he knows 3 other former AWD driving around as FWD...
125860 mi C $300	wheel bearing
128960 mi C $1100	Many parts replaced in braking and suspension systems.

40000 mi US $3800	Steering shaft cracked and became disconnected from the steering rack causing driver to lose control of vehicle. Check engine light was FINALLY solved with a reflash (TSB) routine 40K maintenance done at this time.
44000 mi US $2100	water pump failed, car had to be towed to dealer
46500 mi US $2918	This is the second time this calendar year that there was a steering rack failure on this car. In addition, they needed to do suspension work: claiming that the bushings on the front suspension were worn out. At 46K. I think they are full of crap
49000 mi US $2956	The vehicle started having the same issue it has had over and over with the steering. It goes "light" and the driver's inputs to the steering wheel are not translated properly to the road. Turn right, car goes straight. Duplicated by dealer!!!

52300 mi

US $1300

Rearend ran dry on grease causing the gears to lock up and crack the housing, damaging the driveshaft and both rear axles.

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90000 mi US $1500	Bad front impact sensor Both front struts were leaking. Replaced both front struts, sway bar links, strut mounting plates and one bearing.
98700 mi US $150	DRL not working. Replaced ceramic ballast resister
116000 mi US $326	Replaced Right Rear Wheel Bearing/Hub
135300 mi US $700	Ignition interlock with transmission had to be replaced due to excessive wear
164000 mi US $1200	Replace left front wheel bearing. Bad bearing was driven on so long it essentially welded itself to the spindle. When the shop tried to remove it, the upright bent and also had to be replaced.

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83200 mi

US $1000

datime running lamps not working

52000 mi US $700	Head gasket leaking coolant.
110200 mi US $780	Compressor replaced.

117000 mi US $942	Leaking lower intake manifold gasket Blown head gasket
118000 mi US $1026	New front struts and mount Replace a leaky water pump
119000 mi US $450	Replace worn out engine mounts. Fixed exhaust or engine noise when accelerating and under load. Occasional unexplained ABS engagement. Tried to replace front left ABS sensor but it broke off. Replaced the whole hub assembly with ABS sensor. Problem fixed.

139000 mi US $350	Water pump was going out, was over heating in sit and go traffic. Also had the gas cap replaced, it kept turning and didnt lock, check engine light came on because of that.
157000 mi US $185	Door handle broke off
167100 mi US $1000	Coolant was leaking into the engine, replaced ALL gaskets (intake, exhaust, head)

39271 mi C $2250	Ordered hanger bearing for next service. Replaced both front sway bar links. Brake Flush(?)was done, replaced both front sway bar links, machine front rotors and install pads, performed rear brake service. Four new all purpose tires 17". Part # 25775162 hangar bearing replaced. WOW... Price has tax included.
39771 mi C $603	Hangar bearing k SP 056000 Factory Part # 25775162 was replaced. 2 hours replacement time.
75640 mi C $300	ignition cylinder had to be replaced.

109000 mi

US $1200

Drive shaft joint

119200 mi US $700	Had to replace two rear tires because the rear trailing arms were bad and went out of alignment. Trailing arms cost $500.
144000 mi US $400	tie rod end
149000 mi US $882	Struts, and re-alignment.
177000 mi US $2300	Head gaskets, water pump.

94860 mi C $150	Clamp on cooling system failed. Lost my coolant into the parking lot. Required a replacement clamp and flush and fill.
99200 mi C $2000	Coolant blew as a result of rad failure. Also discovered head gasket blown. Both required replacement.

121000 mi

US $1243

rear wheel bearing front strut

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Expensive Chevrolet Equinox repairs by problem area

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