2016 Chevrolet Equinox problems & reliability
392 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
14 complaints report injuries (22 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles were involved in 127 fatal crashes with 62 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 200 | 51% |
| Visibility/wiper | 111 | 28% |
| Unknown OR Other | 32 | 8% |
| Power Train | 26 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 24 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 19 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 12 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 2% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 2% |
| Steering | 7 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 67,903 miles (middle 50% between 36,161 and 94,516 miles), based on 166 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“: "I live in my car. The 2016 Equinox 2.4L burned all its oil in 2 weeks with no leaks, failed to give a dashboard warning, and the engine is now knocking, threatening to leave me unsheltered." This ties my vehicle's specific failure to the federal database for future legal payouts.”
Engine · filed Jul 14, 2026
“I started up my car on a cold winter morning and I heard a loud popping noise. I backed up my car minutes later and discovered puddles of oil in front of me in my driveway. I asked my husband to come out and look. He got under the car and said my oil blew out of the rear seal. I was unable to drive my car as the seal…”
Engine · filed May 15, 2026
“Around 100,000 miles car started burning through oil. Have to check oil weekly. No warning lights come up when the oil is low. Patiently waiting for them to put a recall on it.”
Engine · filed May 1, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative
Engineering Analysis EA19005 · opened Dec 13, 2019 · closed Nov 28, 2022 · led to recall 22V165000
- Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure
Recall Query RQ18002 · opened Nov 2, 2018 · closed Dec 19, 2019
Technical service bulletins
1,243 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The 10 most recent:
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This document provides the technician with a diagnostic tip if the vehicle stalls and set diagnostic trouble code P0191 and may also set P0172. The diagnostic tip has the technician inspect the high pressure fuel pump…
PIP6113 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
13598 · Other · issued Sep 9, 2025
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902T · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may…
PIC5650M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 67,903 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.