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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Chevrolet Equinox — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 399 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

399
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
14
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
3
Involved Fire
owner-reported
22
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Chevrolet Equinox — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

784 complaints

782 complaints

685 complaints

751 complaints

548 complaints

680 complaints

399 complaints

276 complaints

409 complaints

305 complaints

314 complaints

99 complaints

179 complaints

98 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 203 reports
Visibility/wiper 114 reports
Unknown Or Other 32 reports
Power Train 27 reports
Electrical System 24 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 19 reports
Air Bags 12 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11292010 12/30/2019

VEHICLE WAS PARKED,STARTED FINE BACKED UP OUT OF SPACE. WHEN PULLING FORWARD THE WARNING BUSSER CAME ON AND DISPLAY READ STABIL TRACK. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND TURNED OFF ENGINE AFTER 2MIN. I RESTARTED ENGINE, THE WARNING STAYED ON. DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO DEALERSHIP,WAS TOLD TO DRIVE IT AS APPT NOT AVAILBLE TILL TUES. ENGINE SLOWED DOWN COULD ONLY GET TO 35MPH. AFTER ANOTHER…

Engine ODI 11707541 12/29/2025

Clogged PCV caused engine pressure resulting in failure of rear main seal

Power Train ODI 11499449 12/29/2022

This is my second submission hoping someone contacts me [XXX] Thanks INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Engine ODI 11499240 12/28/2022

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the PCV valve was clogged due to the cold weather. The clogged PCV valve caused the rear main seal to fail. The mechanic informed the contact that the PCV valv…

Engine ODI 11561845 12/26/2023

Was driving on the highway and the car lost power and shut down and wouldn’t start again. It was towed to a mechanic where I was told the timing jumped and I needed a new engine. I bought the car used in 2018 and not even 2 months after the car was burning oil the car started shaking and eventually stalled. At that point it was still cover under warranty

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?
Owners have filed 399 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Chevrolet Equinox years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.