NHTSA complaint #11231903

Owner complaint summary

WHILE ON VACATION TRAVELING ON 81S IN VA & DOING 70 MPH ON THE 3-LANE HWY., WITHOUT A WARNING A POWER REDUCTION MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASH; THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. OUR VEHICLE WENT FROM 70 MPH (POSTED SPEED) TO 40 MPH. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. WE HAD A TRACTOR TRAILER PUSHING US & A CAR PASSING US ON THE LEFT. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE FAST REACTIONS OF MY HUSBAND AND HELP FROM THE MAN ABOVE, WE WOULD NOW BE 6' UNDER. AFTER SHAKING & GAINING OUR WITS, WE CONSULTED THE VEHICLE HANDBOOK TO CHECK ON A POSSIBLE REASON FOR THE POWER REDUCTION & HOW TO PROCEED. THIS ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOGGED AS DRIVER ERROR, WHEN ACTUALLY IT WAS VEHICLE MALFUNCTION. WE LEFT THE VEHICLE IN VA AT A CHEV DEALERSHIP ON MONDAY & THEY ADVISE IT WOULD BE 4 DAYS UNTIL THEY COULD WORK ON THE UNIT. WE AGREED TO PICK IT UP FRIDAY ON OUR RETURN TRIP TO PA. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED THURS. MORNING TO ADVISE IT WAS READY. WE HAD TO REQUEST PAPERWORK SHOWING THAT IT WAS WORKED ON & THAT THEY FOUND NO ISSUES WITH IT, BUT THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT. UPON ARRIVING HOME, WE TOOK THE UNIT TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WHILE THE UNIT DID NOT REGISTER A CODE IN THE COMPUTER A MECHANIC DID FIND---5242 VEHICLE HAS A U0100 LOST COMMUNICATION WITH THE ECU--CHECKED COMMUNICATION WITH THE PCM, TCM & BCM---NO POOR CONNECTIONS FOUND AT THIS TIME. THE DEALERSHIP DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR TWO WEEKS, BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT IS WITH MUCH TREPIDATION THAT WE MUST NOW DRIVE THIS VEHICLE FOR 3 YRS. UNTIL OUR LEASE IS UP AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ALLOW PASSENGERS IN IT FOR FEAR OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN AND TAKING THEIR LIVES TOO. WE HAVE READ FIVE REASONS FOR THE 2019 EQUINOX TO EXPERIENCE A POWER REDUCTION, BUT NONE OF THEM FIT WHAT WE EXPERIENCED. WE WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST FURTHER TESTING & INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER. OUR UNIT HAD 4,785 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED.