2026 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

1 recalls, 131 complaints

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Defect Description

General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coup... Read more

Consequence

Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac... Read more

5,861 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC

Complaint Statistics

131 total complaints 13 crashes 1 fires 8 injuries 1 deaths

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
ENGINE	20
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	18
POWER TRAIN	13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	12
SERVICE BRAKES	8
STEERING	6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	6
AIR BAGS	5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS	5
STRUCTURE:BODY	5

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

Breaks failed almost crashed on a highway

Incident date: Sep 8, 2026

Breaks failed almost crashed on a highway

Incident date: Sep 5, 2026

I am driving a rental Chevrolet Equinox with the steering-column-mounted electronic gear selector. I believe this shifter design creates a serious safety hazard. The gear selector is a stalk on the steering column positioned and operated similarly to controls commonly used for windshield wipers in ... Read more

Incident date: Jul 1, 2026

When you accelerate from a stop, the car wobbles and shimmy’s until you reach about 15mph and then it stops and drives normally.

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

At approximately 5pm EST, my wife stopped the EV vehicle after backing out of the garage and put the vehicle in park. After exiting the driver's seat, she was outside the open driver's door, had both feet on the ground and cleared the door enough that she was preparing to close it, when the vehicle ... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jun 30, 2026

my 2026 equinox is having an issue with the blind spot warning on my driver side mirror will either say on or flash. this is regardless of driving, or being parking. i have washed my car, checked my sensor, and i am still having issues. the dealership does not see any issue with the car, however, wh... Read more

Incident date: Jun 30, 2026

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

On XXX, at approximately 5pm EST, my wife stopped our 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV after backing out of the garage and put the vehicle in park. After exiting the driver's seat, she was outside the open driver's door, had both feet on the ground and cleared the door enough that she was preparing to clos... Read more

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Aug 30, 2026

Crash 1 injured

Incident date: Jul 22, 2026

Under light-moderate acceleration, a feeling of the transmission slipping is felt. From my understanding, this is a known issue with the newest generation of Equinox & Terrain. I previously owned a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD and it had the exact same issue. My local GM Dealership replaced the CV ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 8, 2026

Had problewith the gas pedal being to close to the brake pedal found later from the head mechanic after we had a problem with it. He taught us this problem with big people and big feet their shoe catching on the brake pedal which causes your foot to hold down the gas pedal. We should have been t... Read more

Incident date: Jun 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with wheel bearings failure on the shaft. T... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

I was on the way back home from the office driving [XXX]. Speed limit of the road was 45mph and I was driving around 40 mph. There was a traffice light and it changed to yellow. The card in front of me stopped but the brake was slipping and my vehicle couldn't stop, ended up hitting vehicle in front... Read more

Crash

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

Crash

Incident date: Aug 24, 2026

I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. While I was driving on the highway, the vehicle suddenly shut down and became completely immobilized in a travel lane. I was unable to move the vehicle out of the lane or shift the transmission into Neutral. This created an ... Read more

Incident date: Aug 17, 2026

Crash

Incident date: Jul 27, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was taken to the residence while driving approximately 30 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined t... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2025

Firstly, we were driving in the center lane on I-84W (three lanes), with Full Self Driving (FSD) at 55 mph. The car veered left on it owns (under FSD) into the center median with the front driver side of the vehicle struck the metal beam guardrail causing both air bags to deploy on the driver and le... Read more

Crash

Incident date: May 13, 2026

The backup camera in my vehicle has failed repeatedly since I first purchased my vehicle in February 2020. I have had 2 very near miss car accidents because the backup camera went blank while driving and following directions. The backup camera also retains the backup image on the camera after shif... Read more

Incident date: May 13, 2026

The vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine compartment fire while safely parked inside an employment parking garage in [XXX] on XXX, at approximately 3:04 PM. I was physically sitting inside the vehicle cabin when heavy smoke suddenly began pouring out from the engine bay. I immediately evacuated... Read more

Fire

Incident date: Jul 3, 2026

At 86,000 miles After replacing the camshaft and timing chain with a mechanic friend, we turned the engine over and heard the beginning of an engine knock, he said this engine is notorious for knocking and failing before 100000. Kia recalled the exact same engine. However Hyundai did not. I feel thi... Read more

Incident date: Jul 3, 2026

Component Malfunction & Availability The component that failed is the center infotainment and entertainment touchscreen display system on a 2024 Kia Telluride. The center screen goes completely black, remains unresponsive to touch or power controls, and fails to initialize upon starting the vehicle.... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

Purchased great condition used 2019 Fit EX on XXX from local non-Honda dealership. Nearly 10 months later, on XXX the following errors appeared on the dash: tire pressure monitor system, emissions, hill start assist, lane deviation warning, power steering, and vehicle stability assist errors on the ... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2026

All vehicle electronics shut down when ISG / ASG activates

Incident date: May 20, 2025

The self leveling shocks have gone bad two times now in a matter of 4 months. The first time we had no major issues but the second time it caused the ABS system to kick in while making a left turn. The dealer said it was caused by the car not sensing the correct posture because of the shocks turning... Read more

Incident date: May 20, 2025

My 2020 Lincoln Nautilus has an intermittent jerk during light acceleration with no diagnostic codes. This was confirmed when I had a professional mechanic drive it.

Incident date: May 20, 2025

I own a 2020 Chevy Traverse with currently 16,000 miles. I am currently dealing with a know shudder issue that has returned. I have already taken the vehicle under warranty to the dealership where the transmission was replaced on 6/29/2022 at 4919 miles then the torque converter was replaced separat... Read more

Incident date: Jul 5, 2026

While stopped at a traffic light my vehicle went into auto engine idle stop mode. When the light turned green, I removed my foot from the break, but the engine failed to restart. I had to shift the car to park and fully restart the engine.

Incident date: Jul 5, 2026

The steering sticks in a gradual turn when at highway speed and will not return to neutral on its own. When this happens you must use some force to break the steering free and the vehicle swerves drastically. Dealer confirmed the steering issue today at Honda World in Louisville KY. No warning in... Read more

Incident date: Jun 12, 2026

The car started and when I went to put it in gear, turns off. Park brake limited function appeared on the dash . The car would not let me put it in gear without turning off. A month prior my dash with the speedometer was blank while driving not allowing me to see my speed . I turned the car off and ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 12, 2026

My engine light came on about 6 months ago because I was smelling a gas. I had it run on a code computer and it just showed a gasket needed changed. I didn't think that that was serious enough to address urgently because was unsure how much the cost would be. But was going over a big mountain about ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V201000 (Air Bags). Upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnose... Read more

Incident date: Jun 18, 2026

Common issue reported amongst 2016-2019 Toyota Tacoma owners. Noticed brake fluid dripping from under driver's side dash directly under brake pedal onto floor mat. Upon inspection, found brake fluid dripping down from what appears to be brake booster. Leaking brake booster should be a safety recall ... Read more

Incident date: Jun 18, 2026

Multiple Ford dealerships in my service area have been contacted for recall dated Jan 19,2024, Manufacturer Recall Number24S02, NHTSA Recall Number24V031 but indicate Ford manufacturing does not have parts available. It has been over 2 years. What recourse do consumers have? Summary IN SOME OF THE A... Read more

Incident date: Jun 11, 2026

Hard shifting when at high speeds

Incident date: Jun 11, 2026

The vehicle has ghost braking issues and on top of all the screens go black periodically for no reason at all(they aren’t being touched).

Incident date: Jun 11, 2026

The vehicle has ghost braking issues and on top of all the screens go black periodically for no reason at all(they aren’t being touched).

Incident date: Jun 12, 2026

Check engine light comes on and an alert says "acceleration reduced" dealer says the coolant control valve is bad but the engine never overheats but the fans are running max speed 100% of the time.

Incident date: Jun 8, 2026

I am reporting a critical safety hazard involving my 2021 Nissan Leaf S Plus (approx. 117,000 miles). Since January 2025, the vehicle has exhibited dangerous battery degradation and voltage sag during operation. On my 30-mile highway commute, while driving at normal highway speeds—especially on in... Read more

Incident date: Jun 8, 2026

Incident date: Jun 9, 2026

On a day trip i experienced transmission issues where my truck attempted to shift from 10th gear to 1st gear on the interstate. After getting off an exit it attempted to shift from 6th to 1st gear going 50mph. Ford knows the CDF drum on the 10r80 transmissions are bad from the factory. They have e... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

The active headrest on the driver’s side deployed unexpectedly. No accident or rear end accident happened. The car was in park and it just went off.

Incident date: May 28, 2026

The passenger seat occupancy sensor goes off intermittently, causing an extremely distracting seatbelt alarm in the vehicle during operation. This has occurred to me while driving on a highway; I deeply lost focus on controlling the vehicle as the alarm started suddenly, I shoved the one water bottl... Read more

Incident date: May 28, 2026

The 2019 Volkswagen Final Edition SE Beetle’s rear trunk latch/lock will fail and not open from the outside with the car unlocked and using the key fob due to it being jammed closed. In an emergency situation, there’s no manual way to open the rear hatch, and there are no visible markings showi... Read more

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

Engine Overheat, white smoke from exhaust, and coolant leaking. Empty coolant reservoir.

Incident date: Jun 2, 2026

Engine Overheat, white smoke from exhaust, and coolant leaking. Empty coolant reservoir.

Incident date: Mar 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon intermittent starts of the vehicle, several, various warning messages would appear on the instrument panel. Warning messages such as tire pressure monitor, brake system problem, brake hose system,etc would all appear on the instrumen... Read more

Showing 50 of 131 complaints.

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2026 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

2026 CHEVROLET EQUINOX SUV N/A AWD

Category	Rating
Side Crash	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Driver	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Side Crash, Passenger	5 / 5 ★★★★★
Rollover	4 / 5 ★★★★☆
Rollover Risk	17.4%

Safety Technology

Feature	Status
Electronic Stability Control	Standard
Forward Collision Warning	Standard
Lane Departure Warning	Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings Program. Ratings are based on crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA Safety Investigations, CHEVROLET EQUINOX

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

PE, Closed , Model Year: 2010

Momentary Increased Steering Effort

On June 1, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-009 to investigate instances of a momentary increase in steering effort after the vehicle is driven in a straight line for a period of time due to an issue with the steering gear in model year (MY) 2010 through 2012 Chevrolet Eq... uinox and GMC Terrain SUVs.If the electric power steering system fails to operate as intended, the driver will experience momentary increased effort when attempting to turn the steering wheel from the straight-ahead position. For this condition to occur, the driver would need to have traveled in a straight line at a sustained high speed, without turning the steering wheel, for approximately 30 minutes or longer. The steering gear contains a servo unit that includes a worm gear with a worm and a worm wheel. General Motors (GM) stated that the primary root cause of the increased steering effort is the supplier's inconsistent application of grease in the interface between the worm and the worm wheel. The grease may have been applied in a location on the worm wheel that didn't interface with the worm, depriving the worm gear of proper lubrication.On November 1, 2014, GM issued Special Coverage 14232 to address the power steering stick-slip issue in MY 2010-2014 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain; MY 2011-2014 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt; MY 2012-2014 Buick Verano; and MY 2013-2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. GM notified consumers via mail.The Special Coverage repair includes the replacement of the steering gear with an improved internal worm gear greasing process for MY 2010-2012 vehicles. For the MY 2013-2014 vehicles, the Special Coverage repair includes a reprogramming of the steering gear control module. The new software has an anti-stick feature which senses and reduces the friction between the worm and worm wheel by oscillating the worm gear. GM stated that the difference in remedy is due to the inability of the MY 2010-2012 steering gear control module to accept the new software.The remedy implemented in GM Special Coverage 14232 appears to be sufficient in addressing the safety-related concerns of this issue. Considering the low complaint and warranty rates of steering rack replacement as well as the field exposure time for the subject vehicles, the potential safety consequences of this issue are very low. To date, there have been no reported crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. ODI has not identified a safety defect or defect-related failure trend in the subject vehicles. In view of the Special Coverage, low rate of failure, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers:11424633,11421725,11229647,11101375,10919921,10689932,10671557,10664687,10663350, 10593429,10592065,10585476,10585365,10576237,10575693,10532766,10490295,10434128, 10417845,10412535,10403168,10395532,10395171,10391948,10384211,10375515,10366297, 10360999,10360599,10345626,10319530,10305569,10304769,10299745Read more

EA, Closed , Model Year: 2010

Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles,... MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.Read more

RQ, Closed , Model Year: 2010

Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrai... Read more

CHEVROLET EQUINOX - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the CHEVROLET EQUINOX across all model years (2005, 2026).

47 Total Recalls

12,762 Total Complaints

3 Investigations

589 Reported Crashes

141 Reported Fires

17 Reported Deaths

CHEVROLET EQUINOX - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2026 (current)	1	131
2025	0	358	View
2024	1	131	View
2023	3	143	View
2022	5	223	View
2021	4	128	View
2020	4	495	View
2019	4	421	View
2018	5	591	View
2017	0	371	View
2016	1	493	View
2015	2	845	View
2014	1	699	View
2013	2	991	View
2012	3	945	View
2011	3	1,140	View
2010	3	1,118	View
2009	0	151	View
2008	0	535	View
2007	4	953	View
2006	0	950	View
2005	1	950	View

Other CHEVROLET Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
SUBURBAN	246	10,458	View
TAHOE	240	12,622	View
MALIBU	216	29,080	View
SILVERADO 1500	200	22,534	View
CORVETTE	187	6,308	View
CAMARO	179	4,298	View
SILVERADO	159	10,964	View
SILVERADO 3500	152	1,409	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2026 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

Complaint Statistics

Top Reported Components

NHTSA Safety Ratings, 2026 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

Safety Technology

NHTSA Safety Investigations, CHEVROLET EQUINOX

CHEVROLET EQUINOX - All Years Overview

CHEVROLET EQUINOX - Year by Year

Other CHEVROLET Models