2021 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 95 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 19th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 6 involved a crash. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Child seat, vehicle latch anchorMay 11, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The four rear-seat lower child seat LATCH anchorage bars may have excessive powder coating, which could prevent a child seat from being installed with the anchorage bars. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
The inability to install a child seat with the LATCH anchorage bars could result in an unsecured child seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Owners are advised to install child seats using the vehicle's rear seat belts until the remedy is complete. Dealers will inspect the latch anchorage bars, and remove and replace the finish, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. 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 N232403240.
Campaign 23V339000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pump, control/drive moduleJan 19, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Equinox and 2022 GMC Terrain vehicles. The fuel pump module may not consistently provide sufficient fuel to the engine, resulting in an engine stall.
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 5, 2023. 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 N222372310.
Campaign 23V013000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresAug 5, 2021
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles equipped with certain Hankook tires. The tires may have been manufactured with an insufficient amount of curative agent, which could cause tread separation.
Tread separation can result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the tire DOT numbers, and replace any affected tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 31, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782; and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212343560.
Campaign 21V612000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat beltsDec 23, 2020
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Campaign 20V811000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
17 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 18, 2026
The high pressure fuel pump seized, shattering the camshaft, dropping metal fragments into the cylinders causing total engine failure. GM issued a safety recall for certain 2021-2022 Chevy equinox due to a defective fuel pump modules but it was not accurate. GM is currently facing major class action lawsuits alleging that their equinox fuel pumps are fundamentally defective. The lawsuits highlight that the component fails, causing catastrophic damage and GMs initial recall fixes were inadequate.
Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 5, 2026
The electronic brake control module causes the car to no start and goes into limp mode. Cuts off the power to every system in the entire dashboard including the transmission making the car very dangerous to drive.
Power train, Seat belts, Jun 4, 2026
My car only has 60,000 miles and it shifts hard. Also my drivers seat belt has issues latching
Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, May 29, 2026
On way to [XXX] car started hesitating stop at Oreily’s they hooked up said 3rd cylinder was misfiring took to Bruner Chevrolet I told them what the read out said on the 3rd cylinder misfiring they said catalytic converter was messed up and changed it out drove car home still hesitating went back to Bruner Chevrolet I asked them about the recall on the fuel injector module they said my car was not on the recall said it needed the spark plugs and fuel injectors maintenance they did all that then they test drove the car engine light came on said the fuel injector needed to be replaced cost me 866.33 for all this what I want to know if the fuel injector module wasn’t working properly would it cause all of this my car only has 40,800 miles on it INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Mar 16, 2026
REPLACED A PROPELLOR SHAFT AT 59,000 MILES 8/23/2025. PAID 859.00. UNAWARE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND COVORERD BY A MANUFACTURERS WARRANTEE. SIX MONTHS LATER MY MECHANIC(1) AND CAR DEALER(2) RECOMMEND A BODY CONTROL MODULE AND POSSIBLE REAR DIFFERENTIAL REPLACEMENT ESTIMATED BETWEEN 1500-3500. THIS VEHICLE STILL HAS LESS THAN 69000. THIS HAS BEEN A HARDSHIP AFTER PURCHASING A NEWER VEHICLE SO I COULD HAVE FEWER REPAIRS TO MY BUDGET.
Power train, Oct 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at speeds between 30 and 50 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started wobbling and vibrating severely. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front half shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed of a TSB related to the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 25, 2025
My vehicle has 75,607 miles and the transmission gave out randomly started stalling and jumping and it won’t switch gears correctly and this has been a problem for a lot of other equinox’s as well
Power train, Aug 11, 2025
Spline worn out and disconnected from differential.
Steering, Power train, Sep 24, 2024
There is a vibration and wobble upon acceleration. This issue has been confirmed by an independent service center. It is not an issue with the tires. GM has a service bulletin on the front axles.
Power train, Aug 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 MPH. The contact stated that the engine power reduced message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,371.
Power train, Sep 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the front of the vehicle shuddered significantly, and the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 20-NA-227. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. The dealer contacted the manufacturer, who advised that they would partially cover the repair because the TSB was not a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Feb 24, 2023
On 2/18/23 our equinox failed to go into park. We couldn’t shut the car off, nor start it back up. Everything electrical was on basically idle mode. ESC - brake control module came across the dash. The dash also kept saying to put the car in park. It wouldn’t go into park. We called for a tow truck to have it taken back to the dealership. When it was taken to the dealership the car was ON. It still wouldn’t shut off. As of 2/21/23 they want $550 for a diagnostics and a dead battery. Of course my battery would die after 2 days of sitting and being on. This is a major safety issue with GM and chevy vehicles. We have 48,653 miles so we’re out of warranty. The dealership didn’t bother to call and ask what happened nor want to listen to what occurred.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 10, 2023
Chevy Equinox turned off while in the turn lane. Car would not turn back on. No warning was shown prior to the incident but now there is a solid check engine light. upon googling it seems other chevy's have a fuel pump flow issue causing cars to stall and not turn on. chevy upon inquiring if our equinox has a recall they said no even though other 2021 equinox's have this issue. i believe this is a safety issue, if it is a fuel pump issue how do we know it can't cause the engines to catch fire from improper fueling. this needs to be looked into.
Power train, Jan 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking and wobbling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the four tires were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then inspected again, and the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the driveshaft or the drive train. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Nov 28, 2022
2021 Chevy equinox vacuum pump failed causing the breaking to become impossible to use while operating.
Power train, Dec 5, 2021
It was a dark cold (minus 18) morning driving to work. All of the sudden a warning came on. The engine power is reduced mode came on and I went from highway speed to 30 mph instantly. I barely got home. I was terrified and the car would hardly go. Very dangerous. After much research because no dealer could get us in ( three week wait) we figured out what was causing it. Code P0234 turbocharge overboost. The dealer said I was safe to drive it. Still reduced power. After one week it warmed up to 17 degrees and the check engine light came off. I still have reduced engine power. New turbocharge feature for the 1.5 lt equinox. This should have been tested in cold climates. We regularly have 20 below temps and it’s a brand name car. I see a recall coming.
Power train, Jun 29, 2021
I feel the transmission is defective on this car. There are only 800+ miles on the car. In the morning I pulled the car out of the garage and the car did not feel smooth. I said that seemed awfully odd. I drove the car but nothing else happened. In the evening I parked the car in a parking lot up against a curb and a fence. I turned the engine off and placed it in park and I am positive about that. All of a sudden the car lurched forward jumped the curb knocked the fence down and stopped against a tree. Needless to say I was traumatized.