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.
Of the 2015 reports, 24 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 19 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
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
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: visibility
278 reports, newest first. Show all
Visibility, May 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the windshield wipers failed to operate as needed during inclement weather. The contact heard a sound coming from the windshield wiper module as she made multiple attempts to use activate the windshield wiper. The dealer had been notified of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The dealer attempted to repair the wipers without the recall remedy; however, the failure persisted after the repair. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Visibility, May 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Visibility/wiper, May 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a failure with the passenger’s side windshield wiper. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Visibility, May 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-25 MPH on a rainy day, she heard an abnormal popping sound coming the windshield and the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V165000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 2, 2022
My wipers failed on a trip to Syracuse traveling down the thruway it was raining and the wipers just quit , i had to leave my car overnight at a thruway stop and i paid to have them repaired , I was so annoyed i feel i should be reimbursed from GM for this. Thank God a stop was nearby it was a safety issue
Visibility/wiper, Feb 12, 2022
Windshield wipers quit working due to ice when parked. Bushing came off of ball fitting on wiper transmission. I replaced bushing and it quit again. I put it back on and it came off again The second failure occurred while driving. I had to operate by hand to remove dirt splatter on windshield.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH while it was snowing, the windshield wipers stopped working as needed and the contact was unable to see the roadway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the road until the snow slowed down. The contact was then able to drive to her destination. The contact called the local dealer but was unable to speak to a representative about the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,881.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the windshield wipers and transmission became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the ball joint detached. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,300.
Engine, Visibility/wiper, Dec 29, 2021
In July/August 2021, the driver side windshield wiper got stuck mid-swipe. The only way to get it to go down was to physically move it. I was driving on the interstate in the middle of a downpour. Had to pull over several times on the way home because periodically it would move back up and get stuck. When it wasn't stuck I had to lean to the right to see out of the right side of the windshield to get home. For about 20 miles. My husband figured out the issue and purchased the malfunctioning part and repaired it. In December 2021, my engine seized at a stoplight. I coaxed the car out of the way and got it on the side of the road. The only warning to this was an occasional "ticking" noise, that never seemed to happen when my husband listened to it. We assumed it was the timing chain, but after having it towed to the dealer we were told it was an "oil consumption" issue. The "oil life" alert had been on for about a month, and I had planned on getting an oil change the weekend this happened. However, little did I know that the vehicle had ZERO oil in it. The low oil pressure light never came on. As a matter of fact no warning lights ever came on. The vehicle is now sitting at the dealership, unmoving because the fix is $8300.
Visibility, Nov 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that his daughter informed him that the front driver's side windshield wiper linkage was fractured and had detached. The failure occurred on three separate occasions. The two previous failures were repaired by independent mechanics. The most recent failure was repaired by the contact, who replaced the windshield wiper linkage however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH in a rainstorm, he heard an abnormal sound and the windshield wipers stopped working at 45 degree on the windshield. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer and the dealer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,300.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while it was raining, the windshield wipers seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and restart the vehicle however, the windshield wipers failed to function properly. The contact stated that she was able to drive to her residence after the rain had stopped. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,025.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 31, 2021
I was travelling at approximately 65/70 mph on the freeway when it began to rain very heavily and I turned on my windshield wipers. The windshield wipers came on for a few seconds and then stopped moving. The wiper blades would not come back on after multiple attempts. I could not see out my front window. I was able to put on my hazards and pull quickly off onto the berm with my passenger guiding me. I called the Chevrolet Dealer and they said they could replace the Windshield Wiper Transmission under a "Special Policy" at no cost to me. Dealer explained Chevrolet knows there is a problem with the wiper transmission and the special policy extends warranty to replace for no charge to me. Dealer said at this time Chevrolet is not recalling, just waiting until a car owners wipers fail and then they will replace. I had it replaced. The Dealer has replaced other Equinox wiper transmissions in my rural county, pop. 62,000. Chevrolet issued a recall for Windshield Wiper Transmission failure for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. Chevrolet and NHSTA are aware there is a problem with the Equinox for more than just the 2013 models, including the 2015 which I own. To date no recall or advisory has been issued to me or other Equinox owners. I was fortunate to have a berm to pull over on, fortunate not to crash my car and injure myself, my child or any other vehicles. Had I been further on my journey on the state route or county road to my home, with zero visibility, I would have had nowhere to pull over safely.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 15, 2021
Windshield wipers have been repaired 3x in 5 months because in heavy rain when wiper was increased from low to next level they go to left and stop. It’s been a bushing replacement. The last incident occurred on 8/13/2021 during heavy rainstorm in Cincinnati, OH. I am a 63 yr old female, driving by myself at night. The wipers quit working. Found spot to pull over, set for over an hour waiting for rain to ease up, which it didn’t. Luckily for me I was about 2 miles from my home. I finally braved it in the rain which had let up to a steady pace, put on my flashers and made it home on a back road. What a hazard, when I think I could have been on an interstate instead of 45 mph back road, my blood pressure goes sky high. My VIN says no recalls, but numerous articles mention 2015 Equinox wiper issue. What recourse do I have?
Visibility/wiper, Jul 9, 2021
While on the highway in the rain, the wipers were engaged to the highest setting and suddenly went was the windshield and stopped working. The wipers are in perfect condition, the wiper motor no longer engages or turns on. Super lucky to not have crashed as I had ZERO visibility from the rain.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 4, 2021
I was driving back from Albany to Troy NY on 787 in a steady light rain when the rain roared to full torrential downpour. I put my wipers from the regular steady setting up to high, and they instantly both went all the way to the left and turned off in the upright position. They would not respond again. Middle lane, 65 mph, thunderstorm, and I can’t see anything out my windshield and cars are flying beside me on both sides. I rolled my window down but couldn’t see around my hood to the road and steer at the same time. I couldn’t get to the right lane to pull over because of the traffic and even if I could it was dangerous to be on a narrow shoulder at that point in this rainstorm. I put my flashers on, slowed to 40 and stayed in the middle lane as best I could based on the white lane markers as I still had zero visibility out my windshield. One I was past the last of the on ramps for that section I could pull over to the right lane at least and I got off at the next exit. Once I was on a city street to pull over, there was still so much traffic I had to wait until I could get out and put my wipers at least in the down position. They did not feel broken or slack at all. I waited a while for the rain to let up, but it would soon be dark, so I decided to slowly drive the rest of the way. it took me a half hour to drive the length of Troy on side streets slow enough so I had some measure of visibility in the still downpour. I cannot believe the wipers stopped working at the high speed setting on a highway in the middle of a storm. I could have crashed my car easily. What if my children had been with me? A failure like this is unacceptable and incredibly dangerous. It is a holiday weekend. I will call the dealership tomorrow in hopes they are open to speak to them about this.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 26, 2021
Driving today during a thunderstorm and the windshield wipers just quit working. The wiper blades stopped half way and that was it we made it to the side of the road and I could move the wipers back and forth really easy and could here a clunking down in by the motor needles to say my 2015 equinox with only 90,023 miles on it can’t go down the road with no windshield wipers this could’ve really been bad had not known my surroundings because I immediately couldn’t see the road !!! My 2000 silverado still has all its factory wiper arms and motor yet why is this pile falling apart ?? GM better go back to the drawing board on this major malfunction
Visibility/wiper, Jun 25, 2021
On 25 June 2021, about 12:30 pm, driving from home to Bank then Shopping Center in Slidell, La. East bound on I-12 then at I-12/I-59/I-10 junction merged right on I-59s to I-I0w lane merge. In right lane approaching exit 263 (Gause Blvd) when a sudden thunderstorm happened. Switched Wipers on to High. About 1/2 mile from exit lane without any warning the wipers suddenly quit. I eased onto shoulder/turned on Hazard Lights, and continued at a slow speed to exit the Interstate and exit as it was a very heavy rain and I was afraid of being plowed into from someone from behind driving too fast for conditions. Also there is a Truck Stop on this exit and it was a very un-safe to be in on the shoulder. I exited to the right and pulled into the Truck Stop Parking Lot. After about 30 or so minutes the rain stopped so I drove home. My Equinox is well maintained and has about 98,000 miles on it. As an 82 yo driver both myself and my wife(passenger) were in a very dangerous situation as were the others traversing the highway at this time. As it is a Friday afternoon, I will have a mechanic check it on Monday. I think it linkage problem same as been reported in the 2010 to 2016 models, but only the 2013 models were recalled.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 20, 2021
The windshield wiper assembly broke off and windshield wipers no longer function. I have not had it repaired yet, so it is available for inspection. My son was driving on the freeway when it started pouring rain. He had to pull over to the side of the Freeway because the windshield wipers didn’t work. I have not brought the vehicle to be inspected yet. No official inspection of any kind has occurred as of yet. There were no warnings.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 15, 2021
While driving home in a pretty good rainstorm, put windshield wipers on high and they completely stopped working. Couldn't see anything on a busy interstate while driving 75 miles per hour. I feel that this could have endangered my safety and the other vehicles driving on the highway as I had to pull from the middle lane of 3 lane I-75 to find the shoulder, which I could barely see. No warning. Vehicle has 89,000 miles on it. Took to dealer and vehicle was still under my personal extended warranty, but would have been a $400 repair. Couldn't drive the vehicle for a week until it was fixed because I didn't want to put my safety in jeopardy in case it rained.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 15, 2021
I was driving with grand babies in my car and a severe rainstorm hit. I turned on the wipers and they went back and forth 2 times then I heard a clunk and they stuck to left side. I could not see at all and almost had an accident! I did some research and see that you have been aware of this issue since at least 2015. NHTSA has been investigating since then as well. There have been over a thousand reports so far. Please advise as to where I should bring my car to get it fixed by GM.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 14, 2021
My wife and son were driving through town in a pouring rain and had the windshield wipers running on high. All of the sudden the wipers stopped and never started working no matter what was selected on the switch. My wife had to blindly pull to the side of the road and wait for the rainstorm to stop. When she got home I went online and researched the problem and it sounded very common that the Chevy Equinox has defective wiper transmissions that have plastic bushings that pop loose. Sure enough when I removed the wiper cowl cover this was the problem. The motor ran fine but the wiper transmission plastic bushing that connects to the motor linkage was worn out and popped off. 2015 Chevy Equinox with 82K miles. The local parts store had a replacement from Dorman that I purchased to replace the wiper transmission with and he said they sold a lot of these as this was a common problem with the Equinox. This caused a very unsafe driving condition during a rainstorm, especially if my wire had been on a bridge or an area where she could not have quickly pulled to the side of the road.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 8, 2021
Was driving in the rain when my windshield wipers stopped working causing me to lose visibility. I struggled to pull over to safety since I was unable to see during the downpour.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 5, 2021, crash
Without warning, windshield wipers suddenly stopped working during a significant rain storm that resulted in loosing all visual of interstate. Traffic had slowed to 45 MPH due to rain prior to the complete failure of windshield wiper transmission. As we were lowering driver and passenger windows to get a bearing of where we were in the interstate, we were sideswiped by a semi that caused significant damage to the entire drivers side of the car and a flat tire. This was a serious safety issue that was very close to causing a fatality and/or multi-car collision.