2013 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 751 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 20 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 20 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Visibility, windshield wiper/washer, motorAug 4, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear over time, possibly resulting in one or both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative.
Inoperative windshield wipers may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, dealers will repair the AIP-hole, inspect and, if necessary, replace the front wiper module, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 25302.
Campaign 16V582000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, ignitionJul 5, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Campaign 16V502000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
751 reports, newest first.
Engine, Oct 19, 2023, crash
My vehicle is burning through oil and has a rattle. I did have an accident on 10/04/23 but the problem started before then.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 12, 2023
My car is loosing oil, I have to keep putting oil in my car. I think this is affecting the performance of the Cadillac converter that makes the car lose power, make noise and overall make the car not run correctly.
Power train, Oct 2, 2023
Issue started appx 2015-2017, loss of oil in between oil changes but would only happen every 6-9 months, took it to Chevy dealership for inspection because there was no oil anywhere. They did 2 free oil changes 3 months apart and said nothing wrong with vehicle, even when I explained it wasn't long enough. But miracously it stopped for about 3-4 years and started slowly again, had mechanic look at it and he didn't see oil anywhere but found that the Equinox has had piston ring issues about the same time I took to dealership. Now in 2023, I cannot drive my car any further than 30 miles without it starting to jerk all over because it is out of oil. I literally stalled on the highway a few times putting myself and my family in danger, I called the dealership and service dept. told me nothing they can do unless I pay for it because they checked it back in 2015-2017 so claim is closed. in the meantime, my family's safety is at risk, I take extreme care of my vehicle so I check my oil daily and if it starts to jerk, I know it's lost the oil again. I carry oil in my car for this reason, but there was a recall and now it won't be honored because it took so long to fully arise.
Engine, Sep 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that upon the depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle vibrated and sputtered with the "Engine Power Reduced" message displayed. The vehicle then failed to exceed 25 MPH after the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the water pump, engine gasket, upper and lower control arms, and other unknown engine parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,400.
Engine, Sep 26, 2023
the vehicle will die while backing up or going forward. We have replace the intake cam position sensor and it is still giving the same code and not running correctly.
Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 24, 2023
Initially, 6 months or so after owning the vehicle, the PCV reported tech bulletin occurred for me, and my rear main seal blew, causing $2000+ in repairs. Then, the Engine stalled out on the coldest day of the year, got an engine replacement under warranty from my dealership, that replacement engine had 66k miles (rebuilt) and was only driven around 5,000 miles when the same issue happened. “Reduced engine power” “Service stabilitrak” this time it was in 98° heat leaving me and my dog stranded on the highway. I’ve had it diagnosed with a shop, and they have stated for the second time my vehicle has had timing issues, jumped time, I believe this is related to the timing issues and oil consumption issues that GM has already reported to be an issue with some of these models. I am now down the $3000 I’ve put into fixing this car and it’s various t leach bulletin reported issues, as well as out of a car now, due to warranty being expired, and still needing to make payments on this unsafe vehicle. Only have the engine replacement receipt on hand, but can gather new diagnostic as well as PCV valve repair receipt upon request.
Other or unspecified, Aug 22, 2023
Engine running rough... sputters when started
Engine, Aug 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Other or unspecified, Aug 8, 2023
There is an oil consumption issue. This car needs oil every other week. It’s burning way to much.
Structure, Service brakes, Engine, Jul 10, 2023
Purchased car from dealer on 7/1, car seemed fine at dealer and then died. Took car to oil change place, discovered underneath frame completely rotted out. Called dealer, dealer unwilling to fix, replace or refund vehicle. Had car further inspected to find complete engine, transmission, frame, axle, steering, brake issues. There were no signs of anything wrong at the dealership.
Engine, Jul 9, 2023
Engine failure, rocker arms broke into my timing chain, oil Consumption to where I had to put oil in every week. Now my vehicle has been in the shop for almost 2 months. Never had warning signs other than low oil
Engine, Jun 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while performing a routine check on the vehicle, the contact noticed that the oil lever was low, and the dip stick was dry. The contact added 2 quarts of oil and the following day the oil level was still low. The vehicle was not diagnosed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 86,300.
Engine, Jun 25, 2023
While my husband was driving to work at 5:30a.m., may 2022, on the highway, the car started shaking, puttering and making noise.made it to a gas station and checked oil and car had no oil, no warning lights ever came on car had recently gotten an oil change and no where close to 3,000 miles for another oil change yet and display check said I had 58% life of oil. As a result engine blew and was junk, car only had 128,000 miles and did oil changes faithfully. Car sat in driveway for almost a year as I had just paid it off month before this happening. I struggled to save money for new engine and have been waiting for one since March this year. The manufacturer knew of oil consumption burning at high rates and owners getting no warning and new engines would blow and be junk.they did extend some warranty,but only till a certain mileage, which I believe is wrong and should have been offered to everyone regardless of this. I only found out after this happened to me and was to late, how would I know this to happen…… please help me get engine covered as I’m disabled and need car…
Engine, Jun 12, 2023
car is burning 1 quart of oil every 700 mils driven. At one point , the engine light came on & car almost stalled in traffic. Another car almost ran into me! Have spent at least $1000 ti fix but nothing helping!
Engine, Jun 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine was consuming 1-quart of oil per 500 miles driven. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.
Engine, Jun 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into reduced engine power mode. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the timing chain had caused the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000. The contact stated the engine went out and she had to take out a loan to repair the engine.
Suspension, Jun 1, 2023
Rear control arm mounts have rusted out and are unrepairable. This should not happen to a 10 year old vehicle and seems to be a common issue with this chassis style and numerous models.
Electrical system, Engine, May 18, 2023
Abs electronic control panel not working all dash lights come on abs, track, power steering , seat belt dinging sound , rpm and mph gauge erratic . Part is unavailable . Car consumes excessive oil, transmission. ready to go. Car could stall and or slow and cause accident. Car was taken to dealership
Other or unspecified, May 5, 2023
Excessive oil consumption. I have had to refill the oil more often than usual and oil changes have been needed prior to reaching the 3,000 - 5,000 miles and before 3 months. This was even after the initial recall was repaired. It has continued to do this.
Air bags, Apr 24, 2023
Unknown, just driving and service air bag light came on. Has not been on before and have not been in any type of accident.
Visibility, Apr 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the switch used to control the defroster failed to operate as needed. Due to the failure, the vision through the windshield was obstructed while driving. The dealer was contacted and acknowledged the failure; however, the contact was provided a diagnostic test fee to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
Engine, Apr 24, 2023
My Equinox is consuming excessive amounts of oil and the oil light nor check engine lights come on. The truck starts to shake and skip while drive which can be very dangerous. I have owned the truck since 2016 and was not notified of the class action lawsuit to have it fixed.
Engine, Apr 22, 2023
I went to Walmart to get an oil change. 8 days later while I was driving my SUV began making a knocking sound. I pulled over at a convenience store, checked the oil level and there was no oil in the SUV. I added 1 quart of oil and called Walmart to tell them what was going on. Walmart asked me to bring the SUV back since it had only been 8 days. Walmart added oil to my SUV but the car would not start afterwards. The mechanics had to push my car out of the service area. I had my car towed to GMC for diagnostics, inwhich they told me I would need to replace the engine. I kept up with my service work and had paid the SUV off 7 months prior so this was so frustrating.
Engine, Apr 17, 2023
Car keeps burning oil and cabin smells like fumes. No engine light comes on to warn me when oil is low.
Engine, Apr 9, 2023
For the past 2 years i have had my vehicle in the shop for repairs that have been unnecessary. The car would display check engine light, to the car jerking, and not wanting to accelerate, to shutting completely off at times. I have had the transmission replaced 2 times. To as of today april 8th,2023 mechanic at carmax where i have been taking car for every issue since i purchased it from them. Now says it has a oil consumption issue. Which i have had to take the vehicle back to carmax many times for . And yet still the issue is not fixed. Now they want me to pay for a new long block engine. And say that there is no special coverage from chevy for this oil consumption issue now.