2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 396 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 14 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 22 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, other, labelsJun 21, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles manufactured October 16, 2015. The certification labels may have incorrect tire/rim size and cold tire pressure information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
If the information on the certification labels is incorrect, the operator may install incorrectly sized tires or rims or may improperly inflate the tires, increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the certification label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1050, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 46600.
Campaign 16V449000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
396 reports, newest first.
Engine, Oct 8, 2023
Always changed my oil every 3000-5000 miles. Almost Never had any check engine lights. Replaced a few sensors. A battery. Was a good vehicle until it died in the beginning of January. Stuck on the side of the road with oil coming out of my car According to the mechanic i took it to Engine failure due to "frozen" pcv valve causing front and rear main seals to blow. Lost all my oil. Also have a rod knock now. and they recommended whole engine replacement. For $6000-8000. Stuck with a crappy car and making payments on it. Way to go Chevrolet!
Engine, Oct 7, 2023
Despite not being due for an oil change, the low oil pressure light came on. Then there was a loud sound, smoke came out of the exhaust and the engine started smoking and rattling and then the engine stalled. I had it towed and the mechanic told me there was no oil in the engine, even though there had been earlier in the day. The mechanic told me that this is a known problem with the 2016 Equinox. They are known to burn oil and the engine will stop without warning. Luckily, I was at a place where I could safely pull over. But I was told the engine is blown and it is no longer drivable. I bought used less than two years ago with less than 70k miles on it. It currently has just over 103k miles on it. The fact that this is a known problem and such a huge problem is upsetting. The manufacturer needs to be held accountable.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 2, 2023
As I was driving, it started to rain, so I turned on my windshield wipers. While the wipers were functioning, they abruptly stopped in the middle of their rotation. I had to stop on the side of the road while the wipers were stuck, and I couldn’t drive in the rain without them, so I had to wait until the rain went away before I could drive. I took it to the dealership the next day when it wasn’t raining, and they told me the windshield wiper arm detached from the motor and the whole thing needed replacement. The year of my car is 2016, and I noticed that while my car didn’t have this recalled, the 2015 model does. It literally is the same issue as seen on the 2015 version. Because my car’s year isn’t under recall, I had to pay the full amount to get this issue replaced. Thankfully, this did not occur during heavy rainfall or a winter storm, especially on the highway, because I would’ve been stranded. There is no way a windshield wiper arm detached from the motor on its own unless it was a defect right from the start, as evident by the fact that the 2015 model was already recalled for exactly this issue.
Engine, Sep 27, 2023
Engine started with fuel injectors starting leaking out of injector. Then codes started popping up. Bad fuel rail - misfire - imbalanced below threshold catalyst system efficiency. All caused by crack on exhaust manifold. The cost was substantial. This is known on many equinox. Look on media to see.
Engine, Sep 22, 2023
Engine problems . Oil problems. Metal shavings in the oil and took to a mechanic and they said it needs a new engine. Also the heater isn’t working. Check engine light would go on and off. Had the oil changed beforehand. Says reduced engine power. Took daughter to work stopped at gas station and shut it off came back out and wouldn’t start had to have it towed home.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 10, 2023
Driving in a very heavy downpour and had wipers on high about 10 hours from home on a vacation. On a country road, no real burm to pull off on, both wipers stopped up on the windshield leaving no way to see the road. Had to drive not seeing until I could find a semi pull off. Had to sit for an hour with flashers on until rain passed. Stopped at a parts store to spray rainex on until I could find a garage. Next day, found a garage to look at it and paid him $72.00 to say hopefully it could get me home. He said there was something in there that was bad and had never seen this fail before. Left garage and next morning about 5 minutes into a drive, wipers quit working again. This is a very dangerous thing to fail.
Engine, Sep 5, 2023
I purchased a 2016 Equinox in April of 2019 and had no problems until November of 2022. The check engine light came on and the car kept stalling out on me. I took it to my mechanic, and he told me I needed a new intake solenoid. I did purchase an extended warranty and called them immediately. They told me where to take the car for repair. I did and they repaired it under warranty, but they never explained why it was running rough. They just told me that I should get an oil treatment with my next 2 oil changes. Fast forward to August 2023. The engine light came on again. I was due for my oil change and went to my mechanic. He said the engine was burning up. The oil wasn't even showing on the dip stick. He had to replace the intake, exhaust solenoid and crank sensor, plus change the oil, but this didn't resolve the problem. Coming home from work, 3 days later, it started making loud noises and stalling when I stopped. The engine light and StabiliTrak light came on. The instrument cluster said engine working at 1/2 Power. I don't know how I made it home, but it did. I have a 7-year-old car with 64,000 miles on it and have a balance on my loan. The standard and extended warranties have expired. I did call GMAC and all I was told was that it was past the warranty period. After having it towed to a Chevy dealership, I was told that it would cost me over 5K to fix it, without any guarantee on parts & labor, or over 9K to replace the motor which would come with a 3 year, 100,000-mile warranty. GM would be willing to help me with 4K towards the new motor only. Unfortunately, I don't have enough to cover the rest, and I still have to pay the balance on my loan. It's very sad that one of the biggest Auto manufacturers won't stand behind their product. They sold these cars knowing that there was a problem with the engines, and no one is holding them accountable. They've had 3 class action lawsuits filed against them, but nothing has changed.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 18, 2023
Driving down the highway at 70mph in a downpour, when the drivers side wiper went up, and never came back down.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 17, 2023
Windshield wipers became inoperative during a rain storm, leaving us stranded on the highway till the rain passed.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 13, 2023
Every single time I go for an oil change, my oil is empty, even though I go early. One time I went to my place and they refused to do in oil change because it is dry and I had to go buy oil and put it in before they would change it. This car burns oil quicker than I burn gas. I’m very concerned because there were a couple times where there was no oil and I now stop in mid oil change for top offs and come in a few hundred miles before I was out. The dates below are for now but this is insane and has been going on a very, vary long time.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 11, 2023
I was driving down the interstate at 70+ mph when my windshield wipers suddenly stopped mid swing. They stayed frozen in place and did not fall back down. I have been unable to have the wipers work in any situation since. This occurred during an extremely heavy downpour and my vision was immediately obscured. In the car we’re also my wife and 5-month old child. I was able to turn on my hazards and begin to slow down by releasing the accelerator but I had to drive blindly for about 30-seconds at speed to allow 2 18-wheelers and a car from behind me to pass before I could move over 2 lanes and onto the shoulder. My wife had to help provide assistance from the backseat where she was seated next to our child’s car seat. Her view out of the rear-passenger window was enough of an angle and less obstructed to be able to help. We were forced to wait out the remainder of the rain on a narrow shoulder with 18-wheelers continually plowing past. After the rain passed I could use the shoulder to drive about a mile to the next exit. Unsure at the time what the issue was, we were able to get rain-X and contacted a Jiffy Lube. A brief diagnosis by their mechanics was a faulty wiper transmission since the wiper motor was still operating and making noise but the wipers appear to have disconnected from the motor. They had neither the time nor the parts for repair. I will be taking the car to a GM/Chevy dealership for inspection and repair. There was no prior indication of a problem and has never occurred in the past.
Engine, Aug 10, 2023
Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles are plagued by a defect that causes the SUVs to burn or consume excessive amounts of oil, leading to a risk of catastrophic engine damage and serious safety concerns. This is a problem with certain Equinox, mine incldued. The recalls should not be by state, if there is a problem we should be able to take to dealer and get tested and if it fails they fix it. they know it's a problem but figure if we can get away with not paying that will be great for GM. Will definitely not by a Chevy again.
Engine, Jul 20, 2023
Exhaust Muffler/Resonator leaking causing loud exhaust. Need to replace resonator back with muffler and clamps.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 19, 2023
I was driving down the road & my windshield wipers stopped working in the middle of a horrible downpour of rain. I know there was a recall on the 2015 model mine is a 2016
Engine, Jul 18, 2023
Piston rings failure and excessive oil consumption Car stalled on a side road. had the cylinder tested for compression and only had 100psi no warning lights at all
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 7, 2023
I have completed extensive research on my 2016 chevy equinox and it is my understanding this model has ongoing issues with the high pressure fuel pump. However only the newer models have been recalled for the same exact issue. I need to report the same issue with the 2016 models as well. I have never had any major issues with this vehicle until it suddenly started stalling and failing emissions inspections causing a huge monetary set back. I want to file a complaint for Chevy to acknowledge that this is an ongoing issue for not just newer vehicles and address my repairs.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 2, 2023
Front wipers just suddenly stopped working in the middle of a Interstate Highway, during a downpour, causing to lose complete visibility.And unable to get them working again, as we're stuck on the shoulder.
Visibility, Jun 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving in the rain at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wipers failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the windshield wiper motor. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Other or unspecified, Jun 26, 2023
Whiper blades suddenly stopped working while driving in a rain storm.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jun 15, 2023
It doesn't make sense how much oil this thing burns. We just had the oil changed last month and prior to that we've replaced the solenoids. Why in heavens did this vehicle stall out yesterday when my husband was driving on the highway saying engine power reduced. This vehicle is costing a fortune. There is truly something wrong with these engines! This could have cause a major crash. Thank goodness no one got hurt.
Visibility, Jun 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH in inclement weather, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact parked and waited until the rain showers had slowed down to continue driving to his destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 167,125.
Engine, May 29, 2023
I was driving my car and it just stopped working it wouldn’t turn over at all! I heard about recalls with the engine that has something to do with the oil burning to fast. I took it to the dealership and had a warranty on it but they said it was only a one year warranty and it would be 6000 for a new engine.
Engine, May 24, 2023
Get an oil change with recommended oil and schedule. Last oil change around 74k miles, there was no oil on dipstick. A week later, check engine light came on and stalled immediately. Oil level fine as it was just replenished a week prior, however now in need of cam shaft actuator repairs- which mechanic believes are attributable to the high oil burning. This needs to be addressed by Chevrolet.
Engine, May 16, 2023
I purchased my vehicle in October 2022 and in April 2023 I was driving on the freeway and the SUV turned off there were no warnings no difference in any other time I was driving all that happened right before the car turned off it was a big huge noise coming from the engine like something exploded or like a loud bang so I get my vehicle towed to GMC and the mechanic described my damage as catastrophic he had stated that he pissed in out of the engine basically causing a hole in it I'm not too entirely familiar with cars but prior is happening I had just had an oil change and I mean it might have been 30 days but I don't think it has been quite 30 days there was no life that came on in my dash I have OnStar services all of my diagnostic reports were normal so I was just completely shocked not to mention I still owe $17,000 on my vehicle so I am devastated
Engine, May 15, 2023
excessive oil consumption