This may be a long post, so hang with me.

I purchased my Equinox in Jan 2019 and it was my very first brand new car I ever bought. We had bought my wife her first brand new car a year earlier, a 2018 Cruze. We had never had cars with so much technology so we purchased all the warranty'* you could. My warranty ends in January 2026 (in 2 months). Her cruse has had no issues, but my equinox has been a problem since mid 2021. I purchased my car in Jan 2019, then moved to Vegas in Oct 2019.

Around June of 2021 my battery died. It was under warranty and I was told that manufactures put low quality batteries, tires etc, on vehicles and its normal. Having never bought a new car before, I believed him.

Then around Oct 2022 I started having weird issues. The infotainment center took over a minute to start up, the USB panel kept disconnecting, etc. The most egregious was after the car was in auto stop, while turning the steering wheel it suddenly slammed out of my hand as I was turning right on a red and the ESC error came up. I was sitting at a red light waiting to make a right hand turn. As I turned the steering wheel and let my foot off the brake, it slammed like I hit the curb, except I hadn't actually moved yet. The ESC error went away on its own after driving for a little while. I brought it in and told them what happened, and I was told it was most likely a bad battery and that sometimes a battery will sit on a shelf for a while or just be bad and I was unlucky. They tested the battery and said it was a bad battery. Replaced the battery and solved most of the issue, the USB panel took a few visits but got corrected.

Then around Feb 2024 the steering wheel did its issue again and I brought it in to the dealership that'* been working on my car each time and had them do a full scan that costs $250. The scan came back clean and they couldn't replicate the error, but said the battery was bad and that was why it did that again. Since it was the battery, they didn't charge me the $250, but I still had to buy a new battery since you cannot warranty a warranty item. Replaced the battery, all issues were fixed.

Then in Sept 2025 the steering wheel started doing its thing where it slams out of my hand again and has the ESC error again, and since I've been down this road, I knew the battery was bad again. So I brought it in to get the battery tested, again. But this time, the battery tested fine. It was still holding a charge at 77%, etc. I said we have to find out whats going on. So I scheduled another scan, but this time I recorded a video of the issue which I can replicate 100% of the time. They had my car for 1 week, then called me and said they couldn't replicate the issue even driving all day trying to get it to do it. They had me come in and drive with their lead tech in the car. I showed him and it happened 100% of the time. Turn the wheel and then take your foot off the brake. I did it 4 times in a row in their own parking lot. They had it for 1 more week. They called me in and said its ready to go. That they worked with GM to try and figure out what was going on. They said GM said it was a driver error. They didn't charge me the $250 again, because....of course....the battery was bad. Replaced the battery, and all issue are fixed.

I asked why was my car going thru batteries like that. That something had to be killing off my batteries. I've gone thru 4 batteries in 6 years. They said there was no draw on the battery, everything is working like normal. I said its impossible for me to be THAT unlucky to get 4 bad batteries. And their response was "batteries are really only designed to last 18 to 24 months". I said that cant be true or else they wouldn't warrant them for 3 to 5 years. That I had my last vehicle for 12 years and never had to change that battery. He had pointed out that that was in cold weather as I moved here from Spokane WA, and this is the desert, and the heat kills batteries very fast here and that its normal, and in fact I had been lucky because some batteries don't even last 12 months in the Vegas heat.

I didn't want to argue with him, but my wife has a 2018 Cruze that'* still on its original battery from the manufacture from 2018. She has the auto stop feature on her car and we've never had the issue with her steering wheel slamming while trying to turn. If it was a driver error, wouldn't that happen on every vehicle we drove with that feature? I've had rentals, my wife'* car has it, etc. My Equinox is the only vehicle we have that issue with. Also, why does replacing the battery fix it each and every single time? As soon as a new battery gets put in, the issue goes away for over a year. If it were a driver error, wouldn't the issue persist?

Here is the video of the 3 issues I took it in to be fixed. The auto dimming. I cant get it to stop dimming when going into the shade (they said it was designed that way, but everything I've found says it isn't, but pick your battles). The infotainment taking 39 seconds to turn on. And the steering wheel slams with the error.


Why is my car killing batteries and does anybody else have the issue of the steering wheel slamming out of their hands while turning? Can somebody please help me? Am I really just stuck with having to buy a new battery every other year and replacing them every 18 months? Do I really need to wait until the auto stop as fully turned the engine back on before trying to drive my car? Even without turning, if there'* any pressure on the steering wheel, it jolts, so if you're on a hill or a curve, it does it, and sometimes it reboots the infotainment system.

I love my car, but LOATHE the auto stop. All my issues seem to be tied to the auto stop. I've seen a "workaround" where you if you're in L, it never engages, but you have to manually "shift" the + and - buttons and I have difficulty remember and feeling the engine. Its not the same as shifting a manual transmission.

Steering wheel issue: All of these repair visits where they condemned the batteries were at GM dealerships, right?

Auto dimming: Disable automatic headlights, see if the issue continues. If not, this is just your auto headlights turning on, which dims all of the dash lights and screens by default. Pretty much all cars do this.

Radio: There are reports going around. Do this:
1. Start the car
2. Stay in Park
3. Wait for the radio to start up completely
4. Wait an additional 60 seconds
5. Hold down the [End call] button on the steering wheel for at least 15 seconds, look at a watch or something for this, don't just guess
6. The infotainment screen should show a couple of options, and one of the options should be something like "Factory Reset"
7. Choose the "Factory Reset" option
8. Report back to us what results you see

We've actually done the factory reset on it several times. The dealership did it twice and I did it twice over the past 5 years. They've also done a manual update or forced update, I don't recall the exact phrasing they said. The issues are all resolved every time we replace the battery. I just don't understand why I've gone through 4 batteries in 6 years on a brand new car. Its all stock, no stereo equipment nor lights nor aftermarket anything. I also don't understand how I bring it in and the battery tested fine, they have it for 2 weeks and suddenly its a bad battery. The very first thing they did was test the battery and tell me it was fine, which was why I had to leave it with them for 2 weeks so they could run all the other tests. They said there is nothing drawing on the battery and that the battery was the issue.

They replaced the battery so everything is working fine now so I cant test it to see it that worked, because currently there'* no issues. But I will have an issue at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. This has been pretty regular about being 15-20 months each time it happens. The infotainment starting up after a minute is not really my pressing issue, its the steering wheel slamming when auto start engages and causing whatever the ESC error is, that'* my real issue. Or if thats normal (even tho none of the other vehicles I drive with that feature has ever done it), why is my car killing batteries? 4 batteries in 6 years.

I forgot to answer your first question. Yes its at the dealership. I bought it from Lithia Camp Chevrolet in Spokane WA, then moved to Vegas. Since I moved I take it to Team Chevrolet. I get my oil changes done at Centennial Hyundai tho, because I have free lifetime oil changes done with Lithia stores on both our cars and the only store they own here in Vegas is that Hyundai. All other warranty and service related issue are done at Team Chevy, except I did get my tires done at Sun Auto I guess.

I'd call the customer support line at GM for this one. Your first question should be "How long should a battery last in this car?"

They're allowing the clock to run from what I can tell, and since the car is over six years old, it is probably too late for lemon actions. The dealership likely won't do any more than this for you. What I think you need is an independent shop that is good at electrical troubleshooting, like South Main Auto in New York, except closer to you . . . or it might even be worth it for you to take it there. heck out the videos on YouTube, that guy knows his stuff!

Worst case, put a new battery in every year. Overall in the world of car expenses (like gas, registration, insurance, etc., it'* not that big of a cost. I've also had great luck with Everstart Maxx batteries from Walmart, certainly better than the garbage batteries that come from the dealership.