Chevy Equinox

[rockieroad]

Well I have written many times about our 4 cyclinder 2014 Chev Equinox. Gm finally gave us a directive to pull another fuse, number under the hood, instead of fuse 32 like the owners book says to do, we have had no problems until November 26, 2020. Driving through Troutdale Oregon our little car decdided it missed shaking our 45000 lb Monaco coach AGAIN. Scared people on the freeway they could not get away from us fast enough. We pulled off the freeway, got it stopped, and proceded on. When we got to Woodburn Oregon, parked there, went over to the Ford dealership, traded our Equinox in for a Ford Edge. Told them even though the owners manual said it was flat towable it is not. Got an email from the new FMCA person in charge, Skip Tate, told his the situation so if someone else has the problem he would be able to explain the problem to them. Loved the Equinox, did not like the "death wobble."

[10Boomer]

Originally Posted by rockieroad

Well I have written many times about our 4 cyclinder 2014 Chev Equinox. Gm finally gave us a directive to pull another fuse, number under the hood, instead of fuse 32 like the owners book says to do, we have had no problems until November 26, 2020. Driving through Troutdale Oregon our little car decdided it missed shaking our 45000 lb Monaco coach AGAIN. Scared people on the freeway they could not get away from us fast enough. We pulled off the freeway, got it stopped, and proceded on. When we got to Woodburn Oregon, parked there, went over to the Ford dealership, traded our Equinox in for a Ford Edge. Told them even though the owners manual said it was flat towable it is not. Got an email from the new FMCA person in charge, Skip Tate, told his the situation so if someone else has the problem he would be able to explain the problem to them. Loved the Equinox, did not like the "death wobble."

Sorry to hear about your issues with 4 cylinder EQ.
Been towing ours close to 60k miles no issues. Still only switch off the interior fuse. GMs fix, is not the issue for death wobble IMHO.
I found and correct a few previous setups with folks towing EQ.
Mostly due to angle of tow bar connection.
Glad you found a resolution.

[TerrFLA]

Originally Posted by bobgio

Anyone out there towing a Chevy Equinox? We are looking for an suv style 4 wheels down toad that also can be used for a get around town car while home. We have a Fleetwood Bounder gasser 33c. Any issues? Remo says it should be ok 4 down. I am 6'4 and the Honda crv design is a little too small for me.

We recently bought a 2019 Chevy Equinox FWD Premier to tow. I posted a question first and there is lots of good info under that thread: "2018-2020 Chevy Equinox as Tow Vehicle."

We are going to have a charge line put in before we tow for the first time because it draws a lot off the battery while you are towing. Be sure to check the Users Manual for whatever year you look at to see what the requirements are for RV Towing - each year is a little different!! Love the car so far!!

Good Luck!

[stevewitt1]

Well I posted on here before actually towing my 2019 Equinox 4-down but have made a couple trips since then. The car tows like a dream. I don't even feel it behind me. The two runs I've made from home (north of Green Bay) to Madison and back have showed me little if any mileage difference towing it. Both trips I averaged 10.9 mpg round trip. Both trips had wind issues. I've had some hiccups with the lights working properly. I bought the BlueOx light kit for LED lights. Dummy me thought wiring a hot wire to the battery was part of the harness, but no it isn't. One trip to Madison I didn't drive my car down there except to unhitch it. When I got home the LOW BATTERY message showed up when I started it. I have a hot wire from Coach to Toad now for future use.

[Grn_Mtn_Boy]

I have been towing a 2013 6 cyl Terrain for 3 snowbird seasons now. 20,000 miles on the hook. Only pull the inside fuse, I actually wired a switch. For those unfamiliar with the issue the 4 cyl Equinox and Terrain have electrically powered steering rather than the old fashioned power steering pump. This seems to create a problem with occasional shaking when flat towing. My rig has never given me any such problem. I use an RVI brake system and extra bulbs in the brake lights. RVI is a fantastic company to deal with. Love the Terrain, sort of a mini version of our daily driver at home, Lincoln Navigator. I haven't kept up with all the fixes for the wobble issue, but starting out from scratch, why not consider a 6 cyl and avoid the issue? Steve, according to the manual, you are supposed to be running that Equinox between trip legs. Doing that, you still drain the battery? I have never had a battery issue in mine, no charging line, never drive more than 10 hours between starts. Happy trails.

[Spdracr39]

For me a simple rubber bungie from the seat frame through the bottom opening of the steering wheel solved the wobble issue on our 2015. All it needs is a little resistance to keep it centered. The 2020 has no issues.

[rick5963]

We did tow a 2017 awd v6 premier for 3 years till we recently sold Rv. Had no issues all. I still drive it every day.

[NXR]

I haven't kept up with all the fixes for the wobble issue, but starting out from scratch, why not consider a 6 cyl and avoid the issue?

There are no current Equinox models offering a 6 cylinder.

Steve, according to the manual, you are supposed to be running that Equinox between trip legs. Doing that, you still drain the battery? I have never had a battery issue in mine, no charging line, never drive more than 10 hours between starts. Happy trails.

On our 2020 Equinox the "tow mode" drains almost 8 amps out of the battery. That will kill a new battery in four to six hours if there is no charge line.

Ray

[10Boomer]

Our 2015 manual states start engine every 6 hours of towing for at least 3 min. I run it. At least twice a day during my 6-8 hour tow day. I also cycle through the transmission to circulate fluids. Never had a battery issue

[Rivrman2]

I think I posted this once before: I have a 2013 Terrain FWD w 4 cyl. I’ve successfully tow it many miles with no issues.
It is important that’s the tow bar is as level as possible- I see so many that aren’t. The geometry of an unlevel tow bar will only aggravate the death wobble situation. I had to install a 6” drop receiver to make mine level.
Also the inherent “slop” in the receiver and the slop of the drop receiver will also add to the resonance of death wobble. I install a hitch tightener to both the receiver and the drop receiver.

[Rivrman2]

I think I posted this once before: I have a 2013 Terrain FWD w 4 cyl. I’ve successfully tow it many miles with no issues.
It is important that’s the tow bar is as level as possible- I see so many that aren’t. The geometry of an unlevel tow bar will only aggravate the death wobble situation. I had to install a 6” drop receiver to make mine level.
Also the inherent “slop” in the receiver and the slop of the drop receiver will also add to the resonance of death wobble. I install a hitch tightener to both the receiver and the drop receiver.

[RayChez1]

I had a 2017 GMC Terrain two wheel drive and never had the wobble. I kept it for a year, now I tow a Buick, l still have the base plate from the GMC Terrain if anybody needs the base plate, send me a email.

[dlduck]

Hi StvC,
I just posted this note today:
"I just purchased a 2021 Chevy Equinox LT model with hopes of flat towing and would like to use the Ready Brute Elite II system with a Road Master Base Plate. My issue is that I looked under the hood of the Equinox to see where the brake cable would run thru the firewall and because there is so much equipment there, I can't even see the firewall. I tried crawling under the front end and there is very little room to operate there also. Has anyone installed the Ready Brute brake system in a late model Equinox and what would be your experience with how to best install this system?"
Thanks for any inputs and advice,
Dave

And then I ran across one of your old replies dated 3-1-2016 on this subject where you suggested removing the left front tire, which gives you better access to the fire wall and installation of the Ready Brute brake cable. That is an excellent idea that I never thought about before and I have not gotten any feedback from anyone on how to solve this issue. By doing this, did that allow for a fairly straight path for the brake cable back to the base plate? And do you have any other lessons learned for me using and installing the Ready Brute Elite II system? I know your post and reply was in 2016, but I hope you will still see this.
Thanks,
Dave

[daydream37]

2016 Equinox is a totally different car than the 2021 Equinox. Big model change in 2018. Check owners manual to see if yours is flat towable. Salesmen are totally unreliable.