I have a 2007 Equinox with 76k miles. The service stabilitrak, service traction control and check engine lights recently came on along with "engine power reduced". The RPM's were also jumping from 700-1500 while idling. These symptoms would happen sporadically and didn't really seem to have any type of pattern as to when it happened or why. I do know that the engine power cutting out while I was driving down the interstate at 70 mph was not the safest position to be in as the car fell from 70 to 40 and there was nothing I could do about it.

I had the codes read at AutoZone and it came back to the EGR valve, $90 for the part and a few bolts later I was able to change it myself. Unfortunately this did not fix the problem.

I did some research online and I convinced myself it was the "throttle position sensor" which in an Equinox is part of the "accelerator pedal position sensor" - $70 for the part and a few bolts later I was able to fix it myself. Again, this did not fix the problem.

On the advice of a buddy I added dry gas and Sea Foam to a full tank of gas. While the car was still sluggish it felt like it was getting progressively better and the warning lights were off. I was able to burn off the tank without the issues resurfacing. However, I refilled my tank - added another Sea Foam, and the following morning I am back where I started. All of the lights are on and the engine power is reduced.

I am at a loss. I am completely defeated with this problem and totally abandoned by Chevrolet. In reading and researching this is obviously a common problem with Chevy, but no one seems to have found or posted a concrete solution. It just seems to be money thrown at a problem that never gets fixed.

If I find something that works, I will let everyone else know. If you get any type of answers, I would whole-heartedly appreciate your feedback.

 

For me, the throttle body needed cleaned. If you go to youtube and search "how to clean a throttle body" they can walk you through it. It's really easy and took less than an hour.

Who would've thought a $10 bottle of throttle cleaner was all I needed to fix the problem. I was sick to my stomach and extremely worried something major was wrong with my car.

I cleaned mine while it was attached to the car still, you'll just need someone to fully depress the gas pedal to open the throttle. Mine was dark with carbon build up and was oily inside. With the right cleaner it cleaned right up. I may even go back and take the throttle body off of the car and make sure I've go it spotless on both sides.

I recommend starting here. It's the cheapest and easiest way to start the process of elimination until something works.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

I had the same problem when i got my 05 5ys ago believe it or not it was a wiring issue. With on star of all things

 

I found a fix! My 2011 Equinox had the same issue with the Reduced Engine Power and Stabilitrak message. At first I was getting the message intermittently. I would just stop and shut the car down and then turn it back on and the problem went away and the Stabilitrak and Engine light also went away. But eventually it came back---and got so bad that my car would only stay on for about 20 seconds before getting the dreaded message again and shutting down. Luckily, before the car got this bad I had gone to my local Auto Zone auto parts store and had them run a test on my vehicle when my Engine light was still showing. They gave me the code which said I needed to service my Throttle Body Unit.


So I made an appointment with the Chevy Dealership. Since it was bitterly cold outside and my car wasn't staying on for more than 10 seconds at a time, I tried calling a towing company; luckily because of the bad weather I wasn't able to get a tow right away. So instead I did research on servicing the Throttle Body Unit myself---and that's where I found my fix. I went out and bough a $4.95 can of Throttle Body cleaner, found a video on how to spray-clean the part without removing the throttle body unit itself from the car. Seconds later my car started up just fine and have had no more issues! Below is the video I watched on how to clean the throttle body (the video is not of an Equinox, so I first had to find out where my throttle body was---see picture below)

Make sure you follow exactly what he says:



The throttle body unit on the Equinox is at the bottom of the plastic case labeled ECOTECH (see picture below). The top part of that case pops off if you pull the top . The bottom has a hose leading up to the throttle body unit. Simply use a flat screwdriver to loosen the hose and pull it off. Then you will see the throttle body unit ready to be sprayed and clean. Notice that this is an electronically opted (not mechanical) throttle, so you will need to have the key in the ignition with the gas pedal pushed in (I used my car ice scraper/brush to hold the pedal down. (DO NOT TURN CAR ON) simply put the key in the ignition to the on position as explained in the video.




Throttle Body units are sturdy and if they go bad it's usually because of age and high miles. My Equinox has less than 40,000 miles, so in my case, all I needed was to clean it and voila (after 2 very frustrating days flaming mad my car is now running just fine.. Cheers

 

Have you had any other issues since doing this? I am curious if I should do this before spending close to 500...

https://chevroletforum.com/forum/equ...e2/#post293409

 

Thank you for your experience! My 2011 Equinox is showing those same trouble codes but it has over 100,000 miles. I may just need to clean the throttle, hopefully.

 

symptoms of a dirty throttle body are:
-start and stall
-a slightly extended crank time

off idle, it should not create any issues and not set reduced power dtc. Maintenance wise its a good thing to do.

May sure to use throttle body cleaner and not combustion chamber cleaner. Chemicals that are too harsh can damage the plastic gear teeth in the throttle actuator. If you have a scan tool, perform a throttle relearn procedure when finished. This relearn will allow the vehicle to idle smoothly after the cleaning process; otherwise the vehicle may idle rough until it learns the new position.

 

My 07 Equinox has the same problem. I was driving 75 mph on the highway and all of a sudden the speed reduced and the rpms went nuts. Felts like I had half the power as usual - not a fun situation on the highway. Thankfully, I was able to shut off the car and restart with just the check engine light on. I drove it into the dealer the next day and they said it was the throttle body sensor and cover. Even if I'd used the throttle body cleaner the electronic sensor would still malfunction. The sensor and cover were 120 bucks, the labor much more with total cost of 500. Looks like it has fixed the problem.

 

Did this fix your issue? I have the same vehicle showing this problem

 

Yes, it was a sensor issue. 500 dollars out of my wallet and it was fixed. The GM dealer said that the 07 Equinox has more electrical problems than any of the other Nox.