2015 Chevrolet Equinox

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 679 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 679

Of the 2015 reports, 24 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 19 people were injured.

Primary concernVisibility/wiper250 reports · 37% of complaints
Owner complaints679Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship2 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Visibility/wiper250
  2. Engine227
  3. Power train63
  4. Other or unspecified54
  5. Electrical system45
  6. Air bags37
  7. Fuel/propulsion system31
  8. Visibility29

Recalls and investigations

  1. Visibility, windshield wiper/washer, motorMar 17, 2022

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode, causing one or both windshield wipers to fail.

    Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Dealers will inspect the wiper module, and repair or replace it as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on April 21, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212352530.

    Campaign 22V165000 on NHTSA.gov

  2. Air bags, side/windowOct 16, 2015

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.

    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of one or both of the side impact air bags, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not properly inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Additionally, if the air bag does not properly inflate, the driver or passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.

    Campaign 15V666000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: engine

231 reports, newest first. Show all

  1. Engine, Mar 29, 2023

    Took 2015 Equinox into Dealership due to call stalling - not dying. I made an appointment for a few days later. They gave a "fix", and said if it starts doing this again to bring it back in as this was their first guess at what it was. A couple months later it started stalling again. It was a Saturday, this time the stalling happened once and then died. I had it towed to the dealership and they said I had ran the car without oil. I had religiously had the oil changed and had never had low oil when I brought it in even for any oil change. The dealership quoted me $9,200 this time to "fix" it - by replacing the engine. The car has less than 90,000 miles on it.

  2. Engine, Mar 28, 2023

    Burning oil

  3. Engine, Mar 24, 2023

    1.What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?exhaust system failed at the manifold cracked in half ,causing exhust gas to enter the car making it unsafe to drive with dangerouse leves of carbon monoxied ,and it is available for inspection , 2.How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Dangerouse levels of carbon monoxied entering the car causing head aches and drowzyness 3Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes 4.Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? yes loud noise coming from engine and first noticed in January 2023

  4. Engine, Mar 15, 2023

    Engine has been burning an excessive amount of oil for months. This has caused damage to pistons and cylinders and the repair costs keep adding up. Vehicle started making a ratlling noise when accelerating amd finally would not start. The mechanic estimated over $8,000 to replace the engine. The mechanic's inspection stated: "No oil on dipstick. When trying to start engine just cranks with occasional knocking noises. Engine failure likely". there was no indicator light or warning that the vehicle was low on oil. The oil was not due to be changed until May.

  5. Engine, Mar 4, 2023

    The timing chain jerks two teeth because of engine oil consumption. The chain guide was damaged. The engine light is on and indicates the reduction of power. The engine failure also causes the StabiliTrack light to be on.

  6. Engine, Mar 3, 2023

    Rear Main seal leak/timing chain which was repaired 5/21/2022.

  7. Engine, Feb 14, 2023

    The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated upon servicing the vehicle, the independent mechanic informed him that the rear main seal was leaking engine oil. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the failure was related to GMC Technical Service Bulletin Number: PIP5093C. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there would be a follow-up regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

  8. Engine, Feb 9, 2023

    Engine has 100,000miles on it uses about 2 quarts of oil a week my wife drives 128 miles a day mon-friday. Eats oil like crazy, causes the timing chains to weaken and break and complete engine failure. Chains broke, and bent valves and cause major internal damage needs a engine the dealer quoted me $7,900. Wow GM come guys no low oil lights or warning systems. Also all these equinox’s burn oil to much. Maintenance done regularly and still fail. Chevrolet turned away any time of recall or help. Please help. NHTSA!

  9. Engine, Feb 7, 2023

    My engine is damaged beyond repair. I was driving to work and started to hear a clicking or tapping sound coming from my engine so I called the dealership to make an appt for my car. When I was almost to work (which is an hr commute) my car shut off!! While I was MOVING IN TRAFFIC!!! No warning lights or sounds. I had to push myself off the road with no assistance. Thank goodness I didnt get into a wreck! When the dealership looked at it they said my engine consumed oil and it damaged the pistons and valves. After doing some research, there was a recall for my car's engine to have the piston rings redone bc of excessive oil consumption. My car was not in that recall, but my engine was. I also found that there is a class action against GM about my cars engine and the engine blowing for this exact reason. I've read so many consumer complaints about the same problem. I don't understand WHY GM would continue to make faulty engines and put them in cars to sell??? My car just turned 7 yrs old... it has 113k miles on it bc I travel a lot for work. Now I have to replace an engine that costs more than my car is currently worth. How is that fair? I can't pull 10k out of my back pocket and I shouldn't have to! I've taken care of my car. I don't wait until 0% to change my oil, I've done my flushes, I've had sensors changed out, the battery, I've always changed all my filters including the internal ones, and I just put 4 brand new tires on it. Now I have a dead car that the dealership said they would only give me $500 to trade in. Are you kidding me?! Even the dealership said they won't pay for a new engine bc it will cost them too much to repair it so they'd sell it to a scrap yard. I'm furious. I want my car fixed and GM needs to pay for what they're causing consumers to go through. That was my only mode of transportation so this whole process has hindered me from working. Someone needs to do something.

  10. Engine, Feb 5, 2023

    Issues with Excessive Oil Consumption timing chain Failure

  11. Engine, Feb 3, 2023

    While driving to work, -7 was the temp, noticed an oil smell coming from the vents. At this point car is still running normal. When leaving work received the following information: sevice stabilitrac, reduced engine power, and low oil pressure shit off engine. I shut the car off and checked the oil. There was no oil in the engine, 2 quarts added and off i went. The car was driving like it always has, no issue. Later in the evening drove it again. The same three messages popped up, only this time i was in motion. Immediately stopped added 2 more quarts of oil which went staight on the pavement. Car was towed home, then towed to the repair shop the next day. First repair is the starter, it's full of oil and they cannot find the leak until it starts. The cost $433.81, later i receive a call they are returning the starter, to save me money, i need an engine instead. The engine is blown. The mechanic stated there was oil in the starter, and oil mixed with coolant in the air filter. States this is a common problem with the 2.4L engine. So why is there no recall? This will cost between $3,000-$5,000. I can't afford this repair. I still have a loan on the car. I have owned this car for 18 months. General Motors you should be ashamed!

  12. Engine, Feb 3, 2023

    VEHICLE DIED WHILE SITTING AT SIGNAL. WOULD NOT RE-START. TWO MEN HELPED ME GET VEHICLE OFF HIGHWAY AND INTO CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT. TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED. A MECHANIC AND THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER BOTH STATED THAT THESE ENGINES HAVE OIL FAILURES. NOT GOOD ENGINES. SAFETY WAS HINDERED BY NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE VEHICLE WITHOUT OTHERS HELP. VEHICLE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR OTHER SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO FAILURE. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REPRODUCED AS VEHICLE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND VEHICLE WILL NOT START.

  13. Engine, Jan 28, 2023

    The engine is burning excessive amounts of oil at 120,000 miles. GM should take responsibility for this defect and fix the problem. Never ever buying one again.

  14. Engine, Dec 29, 2022

    The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, he noticed a massive oil leak underneath the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact noticed an oil seal leak. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

  15. Engine, Dec 29, 2022

    My SUV uses a lot of oil. I'm not sure where it is going. Also my brakes squeal something awful. ever since I had the car.And it stalls most everytime I stop at red lights or when I park. My check engine light is on all of the time. It simply will not operate at those low speeds. The engine starts to lag and idle really bad. I ran the codes and it said it was the camshaft positioning sensor. I've owned the SUV for 18 months. I don't know what the lemon laws are where I live, but I believe it's a total lemon.

  16. Engine, Dec 28, 2022

    Engine failed as a result of a constant oil leak. My and others safety was put at risk because the engine died while I was traveling on the road. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. There was no warning lamps or messages.

  17. Engine, Dec 26, 2022

    PCV system freezing and plugging resulting in increased pressure causing excessive oil leak and potential engine failure. Pulled oil dipstick and release excessive pressure, however icing and freezing within the system continues to occur.

  18. Engine, Dec 26, 2022

    Do to excessive oil consumption and cold weather the engine is done and has to be replaced.

  19. Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 14, 2022

    my 2015 Chevrolet equinox 2.4l ecotec AWD vehicle with 102k miles had a massive oil leak in jan.2022, when it was -22 deg. f outside. The car was at work outside, and my drive home was about 7 miles. When I got home, I decided to check the oil on the dipstick and it was empty. The whole underside of the chasis was oil splattered. I added 3 quarts of oil and started the car up and oil was poring out of the rear main seal. I trailered it to a chevrolet dealer, and they said the pvc frozen up. The engine and subframe will need to come out.This was an expensive repair. This vehicle does burn oil. It does not leak oil thou. The engine oil light never came on during the ride home. I am glad I checked the oil, because the engine would have quit running on the freeway somewhere.

  20. Engine, Dec 14, 2022

    Car all the sudden died while driving and wouldnt start back up. Took it to my mechanic to find out it was very low on oil and timing chain slipped. Both oil consumption and timing chains are common issues in this car. No indication of low oil on the dash and had just added oil the week before. Also had to fix the rear main seal awhile back which caused my car to just stop while driving which is also a common issue due to the design of the pcv.

  21. Engine, Dec 12, 2022

    My 2015 Equinox started having issues over the summer. In July it had a stuttered drive to it, a lot of little hiccups in the ride. I took it in and was told the oil was bone dry despite having changed it a few months prior. I had the oil changed, and then 2,001 miles later the car died entirely, which was roughly two months after that oil change. Once again, they told me the oil was bone dry. I was told that the car had excessive oil consumption and it had essentially killed the engine. I contacted GM and they acted like they had no reports of this problem, even though a simple google search yields an impressive amount of excessive oil consumption complaints that lead to engine failure around the mileage I'm at. (111,000 miles, just paid it off a month prior too.)

  22. Engine, Nov 7, 2022

    The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that a month after having an oil change performed on the vehicle, he noticed that the engine had consumed 2 quarts of oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he had been adding a quart of oil every1,000 - 2,000 miles. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

  23. Engine, Oct 24, 2022

    Engine system making noise, the vehicle did not sound right, but no warning lights. I took vehicle in for oil service, told it was not time for an oil change even though 50% of the oil was consumed with only about 600 miles driven (last service 89275 mi, now 89889 mi). Service center topped off my oil but warned the system is burning more oil than it should with no signs of a leak.

  24. Engine, Oct 4, 2022

    It's has oil consumption problem issuse because the added 3 quarts of oil and it still wouldn't show on the dipstick

  25. Engine, Sep 13, 2022

    High engine oil consumption, timing chain system failure resulting g in catastrophic engine failure.