2008 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 370 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2008 reports, 9 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 12 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints: air bags
110 reports, newest first. Show all
Air bags, Traction control system, Aug 19, 2011, crash
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL AND IT CRASHED INTO A WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE PASSENGERS OF THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED BRUISES BUT WERE NOT SEVERELY INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE AN AUTO BODY SHOP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000. RVK
Air bags, Aug 3, 2011
MY 2008 CHEVY EQUINOX HAS BEEN MESSING UP WITH THE AIRBAG SENSOR! I TOOK IT TO GET IT CHECKED AND WAS CHARGE $50 DOLLARS AND THEN THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE MODULE THAT HAD GONE BAD AND IT WOULD COST ME LIKE $600 TO FIX THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS. THEY SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS SINCE IVE READ A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE 08 EQUINOX. *KB
Air bags, Jul 5, 2011
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE CONSTANTLY. THE AIR BAG LIGHT INDICATED A FAULTY PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETECT AN ERROR CODE TO DETERMINE WHY THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,400.
Air bags, May 26, 2011
THE "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF AND HAD BEEN DOING IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. CARRIED IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE PASSENGER SIDE GRID AND MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND WOULD COST $486.00. I STARTED CHECKING AND FOUND THE '07 MODEL HAD A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THE '08 STILL HAS THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON IT? *TR
Air bags, Equipment, Apr 11, 2011
MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 CHEVY EQUINOX. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR WILL NOT ACTIVATE THE DEVICE WHEN MY 150 TO 165 LB WIFE IS SITTING IN THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER TWICE, THEY ADVISE THE SYSTEM IS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY, AS IT WAS DESIGNED, AND THAT MY WIFE DOES NOT WEIGH ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE "ON" FUNCTION OF THE AIR BAG. THIS SEEMS UNSAFE, AND UNREASONABLE TO ME. ID LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT, AND ASK, DOES THIS VIOLATE NHTSA SAFETY STANDARDS? DOES THE NHTSA RESEARCH SUPPORT THAT A 110 LB ADULT SHOULD NOT HAVE AIRBAG PROTECTION? IVE NOTICED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR THIS ISSUE. IT WILL GOING IN FOR THE SECOND TIME...LETS SEE HOW IT WORKS NOW. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Air bags, Mar 18, 2011
PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR DOES NOT WORK WHEN SOMEONE THAT WEIGHS 130LBS IS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. GM WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SENSOR ON THIS VEHICLE. THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP SAID THAT *I* WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM THAT THE 2007 EQUINOX'S HAD, WHICH WERE RECALLED. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THAT GM SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE SINCE IT IS OBVIOUSLY A FACTORY DEFECT AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO SOMEONE IF I WERE TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM CLEARLY VIOLATES FMVSS STANDARD NUMBER 208!
Steering, Air bags, Electronic stability control (ESC), Feb 28, 2011
I PURCHASED MY CAR IN DEC. 2007 AND HAVE HAD ELECTRICAL ISSUES SINCE JAN. 2008. AT FIRST IT WAS SIMPLE THINGS LIKE REPLACING THE RADIO IN APR. 2008 (UNDER WARRANTY), FAULTY WIPER SWITCH IN SEPT. 2009 (UNDER WARRANTY). THEN IN OCT. 2010 I HAD TO PAY $175.54 TO REPLACE A FAULTY SPARK PLUG AND WIRE. BUT FEBRUARY 2011 HAS BEEN THE WORST! ON 2/10/11 I WAS DRIVING DOWN A MOUNTAIN IN BAD WEATHER ON MY WAY TO WORK WHEN MY ENTIRE DASHBOARD LIT UP, STABILITRACK DISABLED, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL TURNED OFF, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT; I COULDN'T DRIVE FASTER THAN 20 MPH WITHOUT MY CAR SLIDING ALL OVER THE PLACE. I WAS TERRIFIED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE VACUUM LINE WASN'T PLUGGED BACK IN DURING MY LAST OIL CHANGE AND THAT'S WHAT WAS CAUSING IT. I DROVE HOME AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED ALL THE LIGHTS LIT UP AGAIN. BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 2/16/2011. DIRTY SENSOR, THEY CLEANED IT. I PICKED UP MY CAR AND ALL THE LIGHTS WERE ON AGAIN SO THEY REPLACED THE SENSOR COSTING ME $174.54. EIGHT DAYS LATER MY CAR IS BACK IN THE SHOP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, STABILITRACK LIGHT CAME ON AND MY POWER STEERING FAILED. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS ITS ELECTRICAL AND I MOST LIKELY WONT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT BUT I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR AT ALL ANYMORE. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUES AND SOME ARE WORSE THAN MINE. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND RECALL THIS VEHICLE. AND FOR YEARS MY PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG HASN'T WORKED PROPERLY. I'M 112LBS AND IT DOESN'T TURN ON WHEN I'M SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THIS CAN'T BE SAFE!
Air bags, Jul 30, 2010
WHILE DRIVING A 2008 CHEVY EQUINOX, IT WAS NOTICED PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WAS NOT OPERATING, IT HAS OPERATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW THEN SPONTANEOUSLY QUITE, FAILURE IS INTERMITTENT IN NATURE , THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH OF PASSENGER. PASSENGER SIDE HAS A PRESENCE DETECTION MODULE AND MAY OR MAY NOT DETECT SOMEONE WHO WEIGHS AROUND 112 LBS. THIS VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER208, OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION, CHEVROLET HAS REFUSED TO CONFIRM THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND YES THE SAME PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS 2007 MODELS AND EARLY PRODUCTION 2008 MODELS. *TR
Air bags, May 13, 2010
MY VEHICLE IS A 2008 CHEVY EQUINOX. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR WILL NOT ACTIVATE THE DEVICE WHEN MY 107 TO 110 LB WIFE IS SITTING IN THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER TWICE, THEY ADVISE THE SYSTEM IS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY, AS IT WAS DESIGNED, AND THAT MY WIFE DOES NOT WEIGH ENOUGH TO ACTIVATE THE "ON" FUNCTION OF THE AIR BAG. THIS SEEMS UNSAFE, AND UNREASONABLE TO ME. I'D LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT, AND ASK, DOES THIS VIOLATE NHTSA SAFETY STANDARDS? DOES THE NHTSA RESEARCH SUPPORT THAT A 110 LB ADULT SHOULD NOT HAVE AIRBAG PROTECTION? I'VE NOTICED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR THIS ISSUE. THANKS. *TR
Air bags, Sep 9, 2009
2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AIR BAG LIGHT INDICATES OFF WHEN A 107# LADY IS SETTING IN SEAT. OFTEN YOU CAN TURN OFF ENGINE AND RESTART ENGINE AND LIGHT WILL FUNCTION CORRECTLY. HAVE HAD TO DEALER 4 TIMES AND THEY SAY THAT IT CAN'T BE FIXED. THIS COULD BE A REAL PROBLEM IF I WERE TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. *TR