I had to go from 0-60 quickly to merge from a parking lot onto a highway, and my Equinox bucked, hesitated, and the dashboard lit up with the traction control light, CEL, and stability control. I also got a warning saying the AWD was turned off.
Scanned and got these codes:
Anyone know if I can solve this with a simple remove and replace sensors?
Probably not; 3 different sensors are all pointing to a problem. Just because a sensor tripped a code, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad.
Are you up to date on maintenance? Air filter, oil change, etc.? What fuel and grade are you using? 2.0T or 1.5T engine? Did it operate normally when you restarted it?
@Chen
Thanks for your response. After I turned it off and back on, it was still hesitating and jerking, even in park, so I shut it off again.
I’m pretty meticulous with maintenance. I change the filters regularly, but it’s been really dusty lately with the drought in NJ. Oil was changed 1k miles ago (Valvoline full synthetic 0W20). Spark plugs were last replaced around 40k miles ago.
It’s the 1.5 EcoTech engine, and the car has 141k miles.
@Vesper
It’s definitely going to need further diagnosis. The lean operation plus the knock sensor could indicate an internal engine issue, but it could also be something like a bad seal or gasket, or even a fuel delivery problem.
@Chen
Fun. Maybe Chevy found out I paid the car off last month. 
P1101 isn’t exactly just a mass airflow sensor issue; it refers to intake air system performance, which could be due to an air or vacuum leak. I’d suggest popping the hood and checking if the charge pipe is still attached to the throttle body—it has a tendency to come loose, and I believe there was a bulletin about it. If the pipe is secure, you might need to have the intake system smoke tested to look for leaks. P1101 can also be triggered by a dirty throttle body, but that would cause high idle compensation, not hesitation.
@Lane
Thanks, I’ll check the charge pipe in the morning.
Vesper said:
@Lane
Thanks, I’ll check the charge pipe in the morning.
No problem. If you still get those codes after checking, I’d suggest going for a smoke test to rule out any leaks.
LIKELY SOLVED:
Found a piece of felt lodged in the intake hose, blocking the MAF sensor. It looks like a GM part that’s supposed to be attached to the top of the air box, but it somehow got loose and blocked the airflow.
The felt piece is labeled as non-serviceable (DO NOT REMOVE GM P/N: 23279661). Cleared the codes, and everything seems to be running smoothly (just did a quick drive around the block).
QUESTION: Do I really need that felt piece? Since it’s non-serviceable, I’d have to replace the whole air box.
@Vesper
Good to hear you found the issue! That felt piece is likely for sound dampening or to help with airflow. If it’s running fine now, you might be okay without it, but replacing the air box wouldn’t hurt in the long run, especially if it’s a critical part. Maybe check with a dealer or GM parts specialist to be sure.
@Chen
I’ll check with a dealer. I’d rather not mess with it if it’s supposed to be there, but I’m glad it was an easy fix. Thanks for the help!
Those multiple codes could be related to each other. The knock sensor picking up a misfire could be because of the lean condition (P0171) and the MAF issue (P1101). It might be worth checking for a vacuum leak or something clogging the intake before swapping out sensors. A faulty sensor is possible, but multiple codes usually point to a bigger problem.
You might want to run some cleaner through the intake and throttle body. Sometimes, buildup can mess with the readings and cause all sorts of codes to pop up. Could be a cheap fix if you’re lucky!