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So disappointed in how noisy my '19 Equinox is

11K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  AuditorBill 
#1 ·
I've complained here before about the tire and road noise, and tailgate buzzes and plasticky vibration noises. First time we've driven it today in three weeks.

Vibration noise that sounds at first like the driver's sun visor, but it stops when you push down in the left corner of the instrument panel, between the steering wheel and the radio speaker.

Done this for a year. Took it in, took paid vacation time, I pushed this area down en route, and no noise. Since tech couldn't hear it, no deal.

This part of the dash will push down a good 1/4 inch.

Anybody else dealing with this?

Our '17 Cruze with three times the mileage is so much more pleasant to drive...not only for road/tire noise, but it is as silent as a vault--never a hint of a buzz or vibration or rattle.

Very frustrating in a vehicle that cost so much more than the Cruze.

So disappointed. It's my fifteenth new Chevrolet.
 
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#2 ·
I've complained here before about the tire and road noise, and tailgate buzzes and plasticky vibration noises. First time we've driven it today in three weeks.

Vibration noise that sounds at first like the driver's sun visor, but it stops when you push down in the left corner of the instrument panel, between the steering wheel and the radio speaker.

Done this for a year. Took it in, took paid vacation time, I pushed this area down en route, and no noise. Since tech couldn't hear it, no deal.

This part of the dash will push down a good 1/4 inch.

Anybody else dealing with this?

Our '17 Cruze with three times the mileage is so much more pleasant to drive...not only for road/tire noise, but it is as silent as a vault--never a hint of a buzz or vibration or rattle.

Very frustrating in a vehicle that cost so much more than the Cruze.

So disappointed. It's my fifteenth new Chevrolet.

Sorry to hear of your plight. As an alternative . . .
Maybe cut your losses and trade for a new GMC Acadia. It rides so much quieter, smoother and much less harsh than the 2015 Chevy Equinox LTZ. Now.. . we had no issues with the 2015 Equinox, but the difference and quality is night and day.
Ok . .. apologies Equinox friends . . . :cheers:
 
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#4 ·
To this day my ‘97 Taurus wagon has a felt strip sticking strangely (diagonally) out of the dash where it meets the windshield on the passenger side. I’ve never pulled it out or cut it off because I’ve always assumed the dealer put it in there to stop some ticking or buzzing noise.

I’m sure some of these strips could be strategically placed into your dash, or where separate panels meet, to stop your ticking or buzzing noises.

Road noise could just be noisy tires. A lot of times, though - I find the very different road surfaces out there contribute the most to road noise inside a vehicle.

And isn’t there a company that makes soundproofing material for automobiles? I know you’re probably thinking “I shouldn’t have to do that” - and I agree, but if you like the vehicle otherwise, and this is something that’s gonna constantly irritate you, then you either invest in the soundproofing and felt strips, or - like JayTee suggested ... trade out for something else.

At least the vehicle has been reliable so far, right (?) ... and that’s what’s most important.
 
#5 ·
Sound deadening adds weight so car Co. are compromising for the Corp. fuel economy standards. Vehicle price point seems to be the deciding factor. My '07 Mustang GT had a lot of rear tire noise. My '09 and '15 Malibu is loud also. Lincoln and Tahoe no road noise. 'Nox not to bad since I replaced OEM tires, went to Bridgestone Alenza's, same as on Tahoe.
Tires make a difference but sometimes adding sound deadener is the only solution.
 
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#6 ·
I think every now and than we need to remind ourselves this is an intermediate size SUV not a Touring or Luxury car...

Sorry that the OP is so disappointed sounds like it's time to prepare yourself for a beating when you trade it in 1st couple years of depreciation can be brutal...:plain:
 
#9 ·
Colt Hero has the right idea. Wedge a piece of folded up felt or a piece of packing foam tightly in to that gap and see if it stops your vibration. I have had to do this on every car I have owned in the past 30 years to stop rattles and vibrations. If done strategically, no one will know it is there except you. And the peace and quiet it brings outweighs any feelings of "I shouldn't have to do that!". Plus, the 5-10 minutes it takes you to do it is way faster and cleaner than what the dealer is going to try to do.
 
#10 ·
I just bang on the dash where I think its coming from and curse the car.. I think my plastic vibration is actually coming from the pax side front door panel but so far I haven't been able to track it down.. I just keep banging on things and nothing works.. Doesn't bother my wife at all.. (well, me banging on it does, but the noise doesn't)
 
#12 ·
Thats par for the course with GM vehicles, they're gonna rattle. My CTS-V had a rattly dash and sunroof. If they can't get a $75k "luxury" car right, what chance does a $30k non-luxury one have? When you put cheap plastic parts up against each other, they're going to squeak and rattle. So the options are; a: Deal with it, b: Use higher quality plastic, c: Put felt between them or d: Use more clips and get your clearance tolerances better. B, C and D cost more, so GM has chosen A. They aren't the only ones. I've been in many a Honda with rattly dashes. Thats just the way the mainstream market is these days. People don't want to pay more, companies don't want slimmer margins, so you get an inferior product.
 
#19 ·
People don't want to pay more, companies don't want slimmer margins, so you get an inferior product.
Sounds like BMW's new tagline, Mr. "No Brand Loyalty" ???
 
#16 · (Edited)
I’ve been quite disappointed with the build quality of my 2020 Equinox too. I traded up from a 2013 Equinox with less squeaks and rattles. I took mine into the dealership with a rattle in the drivers side A-Pillar and the trim piece under the cruise controls button on the steering wheel was coming off (It had 800 miles on it but was doing it since day 1). They diagnosed it with a bad windshield molding and decided they needed to replace the steering wheel to deal with the other issue (it literally just needed a little bit of super glue to reattach it). It no longer rattled after that but I had to leave it with them for a month because they messed up the corner of the air bag cover replacing the steering wheel. After I got it back from that the dash has started rattling, it can be stopped by applying pressure to the upper left corner by the speaker. I think it might just be bad fitment of the clips for the speaker grille but it could also be a bad design of the dash since mine also moves significantly like it isn’t supported well. I acknowledge that this is not a luxury car but there is really no excuse for a car with 4,000 miles to be squeaking and ratting. Currently I am just leasing the car but I was intending to buy it out at the end, the longer I drive it though the more I question if that is a good decision.
 
#17 ·
I'm with RIT333 and c&wsinbad. Since 1972 I've owned five GM vehicles, and since our wedding in 1978 my has had four GM vehicles. No rattles, other than loose sunglasses, kids toys, etc. A few squeaks from dried out bushings as vehicles aged beyond the 15 year mark.
 
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#18 ·
All of my GM vehicles have had rattles.


'88 Chevy Beretta (center stack squeak, dash rattle)

'95 Pontiac Grand Am (upper dash rattle, fixed by dealer came back a few weeks later, gauge cluster also rattled)

'98 Pontiac Grand Prix (dash rattle at 1700 miles, dealer refused to even try to fix)

'99 Chevy Camaro (rear cargo hatch rattled)

'06 Chevy Impala (too many rattles to count...dash, doors, windows, rear parcel shelf, etc.)

'15 Chevy Equinox (dash rattle and side windows/doors chatter over bumps)


I have had plenty of cars from other manufacturers as well and they all have had rattles of some sort (VW, Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, Hyundai). Interestingly enough, my Dodge and Plymouth were the best built of all of my past cars. The Hyundai was probably the worst.
 
#23 ·
OP here.

I'd like to say, "Duh, yes I heard these noises when I test-drove the car, decided to not complain until later".

Sheesh.

No, in the short test drive I didn't hear these noises which have made themselves aware over 10K miles in various road conditions not duplicated in a short test-drive.

This seems like it should be obvious.
 
#25 ·
Well, took the left A-pillar-to-dash vibration into my own hands; pulled a piece of car wash sponge off and crammed it between the A-pillar and instrument panel 'til it couldn't been seen. Took care of it.

Vibration up near RH sun visor is next.

The multiple buzzes/vibrations around all the plastic in the cargo area/near the tailgate will be after that, sigh.
 
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