NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
This vehicle has a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor and/or an issue with the engine temperature gauge. The main issue is that the design of the 2.4 ecotec engine is defective in the opinion of many mechanics and equinox/terrain owners. The engine burns off more oil than is considered safe. I was advised not to run the oil consumption test by the DEALERSHIP. My experience is, I heard a sound in the engine and upon checking the oil, discovered NO OIL present!!! I had over 1000 miles left on my oil service sticker. There was no indication other than my own observation of a sound. No temperature change, the temperature gauge should have been reading hot, but was at normal. No oil light... like literally no oil sensor light present on the console. This was pretty upsetting to find out. The damage is done and I am out a vehicle over it as the damage is caused to the ENGINE/PISTONS. The timing chain is INSIDE the engine housing and THIS is the defect in the design. Oil splashes over into places it should not be, causing corrosion and combined with the fact that it is burning off this oil and causing damage because of lack of oil as well. The solution, is a nominal offer of 10% off this KNOWN issue and bill for a new engine. This is not ok. I am at 101k miles so just out of the zone for lemon laws, but this is a serious design issue and will cause severe hardship to those who own these vehicles. The recall is for previous years than my own, the issue is the same. The vehicle is NOT SAFE TO DRIVE without the proper indications that the oil is being burned off and damaging the engine.
While driving my 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, it completely shut down. I was luckily not on a busy road, at the time, I was able to coast part way of the road. Had I been in traffic, and stopped so abruptly, I most likely would have caused an accident. I had it towed back to my house, and then I had to pay someone to haul to dealership to be looked at. Upon Inspection, was told almost completely out of oil, although no low oil, check engine oil indicator light came on. Was also told there were bent valves, and broken rocker arms. They said this is a common problem with this particular motor in similar vehicles. Burning excessive oil, causing major damage to the engine. After reading several complaints, it is easy to see the 2016 Equinox motor has major flaws. We have yet to give go ahead to fix, because price of repair is unknown. A new engine and install could be $8,000. My Equinox had 84,447 miles on it, when this happened. This should not be the life of a motor. Especially with regular oil changes, and maintenance, which it had. I would hate to see it take a fatality, for this engine to be recalled
This vehicle has no leaks and no console indicators to let me know of this issue. The vehicle burns more oil than is acceptable. Was empty with no indication and no oil change due. Dealership admits to faulty design that burns too much oil. Gm admits and agrees to pay a small amount of the cost. Nominal and honestly not acceptable either since I have on record keeping up to date with all maintenance.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed. The contact was able to pull over near to the shoulder of the roadway. The Police assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the residence and then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
I was driving on a freeway with my child in the car it was pouring down raining and my wipers stopped working almost causing up to be in a bad wreck!
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.
Excessive oil use. After 500 miles on a new oil change oil needs to be added. Usually 1 quart every 500 miles.
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.
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.
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.
Windshield wipers became inoperative during a rain storm, leaving us stranded on the highway till the rain passed.
Driving down the highway at 70mph in a downpour, when the drivers side wiper went up, and never came back down.
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.
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.
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
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.
Whiper blades suddenly stopped working while driving in a rain storm.
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.
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.
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
Was in a small accident the air bags never deployed but the seat belts locked saying that I needed to service my air bag system. As I did. The seat belts are no longer locked but the light is still on and the car is telling me to servic we the airbag system
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 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.
Exhaust Muffler/Resonator leaking causing loud exhaust. Need to replace resonator back with muffler and clamps.
Engine failure. There is a class action that has been filed for this exact make, model, and engine size. There were no lights indicating an issue and the car had recently been serviced with an oil change and oil filter change and was being regularly maintained on oil changes. When it was brought to a mechanic, they told me the entire engine had failed and there was no power to one of the spark plugs anymore. I reached out to GM regarding this and they acknowledged the failure
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 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.
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.
70,000 miles on vehicle. The engine has consistently burned excessive oil averaging 1 quart per 1,000 miles. The oil low warning light does not detect the low oil. The excessive consumption is potentially damaging to the car resulting in "bucking" at low speed, fouling of spark plugs and loss of power and efficiency.
TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR SYSTEM REPAIRED TWO YEARS AGO. CAR HAS JUST CROSSED OVER 16K MILES, SO IT IS USED VERY LITTLE. TIRE PRESSURE SENSORS KEEP GOING. INTERESTINGLY, MY NEIGHBOR HAS JUST BOUGHT THE SAME YEAR VEHICLE AND SHE HAS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY
Driving in heavy rain and turned the wipers on to hi position and they completely stopped working while in passing lane of highway. Limited visibility caused me to pull of on left side in dangerous position of traffic coming from behind. Dangerous situation to get off the highway.
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.
the PCV is popping out which is causing all the oil to drain out and causing expensive repairs and leaving the car dead on the road ther needs to be a recall on this
Without any notification, alert, or code, the engine started making a ticking/knocking noise. When starting the vehicle later that day it completely stalled. Mechanic has said it was very low on oil and that is common with this year/model. The engine has failed and needs replacing/rebuilding.
Vehicle has an ongoing extreme oil leak, to the point where it will dump out oil and soak the undercarriage of the car. The position of this oil leak bleeds on to the alternator. Car is currently in the shop getting estimates for repairs, but there are 96 god damn engine complaints on this year of the vehicle alone. NINETY. SIX. The way the SUV froze up and completely failed during the drive, it's miraculous that nobody hit the car as it failed in the middle of the road. Everyone on the road is at risk, drivers and passers-by, in the presence of this monstrosity, because there are NO warning signs when it finally decides to fail. It just does. I am just angry enough with enough momentum to pursue legal action and I believe every other driver of these SUVs should as well.
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
After the car is parked, the gears will not allow shifting, they are jammed, the vehicle can not move. This has been happening on and off and started in 2022. Our son, is a new driver and he has been stranded in locations for over 2 hours unable to put the car in gear. This problem has been confirmed by a Chevrolet dealership and we were quoted approximately $2,000 to have this part completely replaced. In addition, we have had several mechanics attempt to fix this unsuccessfully. This happens on occasion, but continues to happen enough and prohibit us from driving longer distances. This is a safety concern, as it will take up to 3 hours or longer to get the gears to shift. The vehicle will turn on, the main problem is that we are unable to shift and get out of park.
Ongoing problems with oil consumption despite repairs and frequent checking of oil and oil changes. The check engine light appeared shortly after purchase in 3/2019. I've visited at least 3 different service centers since purchasing and they have all identified issues with the engine/oil. My vehicle became inoperable on 3/10/2023 and would not start; it had to be towed to an independent service center. The most recent repair estimate started at $2,900 for a remanufactured engine, labor not included. The center I had my vehicle towed to reported this was the third vehicle (another 2016 Equinox and a 2015 GMC Terrain) they've encountered within the past few months that had the same issue. My vehicle is available for inspection as I cannot make any more costly repairs for a vehicle with a known issue.
Vehicle requires excessive amounts of oil. Which cause the engine to lock up and engine block.
Check engine light comes on. Extremely low oil in car. No alerts of oil pressure problems. Oil replaced by mechanic x 2. Thorough engine diagnostics run. This has happened x2 in 6 weeks.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while inspecting under the hood, it was discovered that oil had leaked into the engine compartment. The contact discovered that the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption and extra quarts of oil were required and added to the engine every two days. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced a faulty sensor, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Battery drain
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. Upon inspecting the hood of the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was oil on the ground. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
During my recent travel after a few short miles, oil began to leak and the engine began to knock. After the engine stalled, I was able to restart and begin to drive around 20 miles per hour when the engine stalled and cut off again as I was on my way to the repair shop. I noticed during this time that the car was leaking oil. The following was revealed after receiving a diagnostic test performed by the repair shop that the engine suffers from internal damage/massive oil leak and it is not recommended attempting to repair. Repairs are estimated to be due more than $6K without guarantee that the vehicle will not repeat the same problematic performance. Upon some investigation, it has been revealed that my vehicle is among the many 2014-2017 Chevy Equinox models that are plagued with the same 2.4L engine/oil consumption defect. Coupled with the fact that these vehicles are extremely dangerous as there is no set warning when itay choose to stop working during operation, therefore running the risk of causing a catastrophic accident/s. The failure mileage was at 126,277.
Drivers side windshield wiper stopped working and will not wipe.
Windshield wipers quit working during transport during a heavy rain storm. Visibility 0.
On January 25, 2023 there was snowfall in my area. While driving as snow was falling, while the wipers were engaged, the wipers suddenly stopped moving. I tried my best to safely pull over to the side of the road and sat for hours until the weather conditions improved and I could see through the windshield before I could drive off. My child was in the vehicle after being picked up from school. I could barely see anything around us, putting our lives at risk. On 1/30/23 i was advised the wiper transmission/linkage part failed costing me close to $500 to repair.
I was driving in heavy downpour at 8pm when my windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. They would not respond to the steering wheel mechanism and became inoperable making visibility incredibly difficult if not impossible to see. It put my life at risk on a busy route that was already exacerbated from the darkness and rain. I was extremely lucky in that only 3 other cards were around me at the time as I immediately put on my hazards and these cars went around me. Luckily, I was somewhat familiar with my surroundings and was able to pull over into a safe parking lot and wait for assistance. In fact, I was unable to drive my car for a day and half because it rained the next day, and I could not retrieve my car. My issue was confirmed by the Chevrolet dealership on 1/24/23 after inspection that there was an issue with my 'windshield wiper transmission,' and that it would need to be replaced. Right now, this will cost me $614 to replace the windshield wiper transmission. No warnings, messages or other symptoms were provided prior to this issue. It was a sudden and very abrupt malfunction.
Driving on a major highway with pouring down rain, wiper blades suddenly stopped. I couldn't see anything, it was very dangerous and nerve racking, especially with a 5 year old. Luckily I was in the right lane and able to maneuver over. Had I been in the left lane, I'm not sure how I would have safely handled the situation. There was no warning or indication they were about to give out. They stopped on the driver's side, I've noticed this is common in the forums. This should already be a recall. They are putting a lot of lives in danger. I replaced the fuse, that did not solve the issue. I'm having the motor replaced tomorrow.
My 2016 Chevy Equinox started running rough and when the codes were run it came back with P0335, P0016 and P0017. We then replaced both the camshaft, crankshaft and vvt solenoids. The codes were then cleared, and no further issues or engine lights were on. Then I brought the car home the weather was extremely cold, and the vehicle would not start. Tried to jump the vehicle would not start. Towed the vehicle to the shop, where it was determined that the PVC was frozen which caused all the oil to drain from the engine, the timing belt seized up and caused total engine failure. The mechanic has stated that it needs a whole new engine as all the oil had drained from the vehicle and cause damage that cannot be repaired. These vehicles have faulty piston rings in them and also it is common for the vehicles to be useless and have to have a total engine replacement. The cost for the engine replacement and vehicle repair is 9000 to 11000 dollars. Chevy intentionally has been mass producing vehicles that can and will kill someone. This is a known issue that they need to make right for all the owners of these vehicles. Please do a full investigation as to why these vehicles are still on the road and Chevy has not been made to recall and fix these vehicles correctly.