What breaks most · 2005 to 2019 model years
Chevrolet Equinox problems by year
Owners have filed 4,844 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Equinox across model years 2005 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for visibility complaints, 2007 for fuel system complaints and 2005 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 2016 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 2016, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 48442005 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006672 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 20444 fires · 216 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 29Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 612 | 54 | 1 | Electrical system (150) | |
| 672 | 16 | 0 | Visibility (247) | |
| 644 | 9 | 4 | Fuel system (149) | |
| 336 | 9 | 0 | Air bags (102) | |
| 80 | 5 | 0 | Air bags (23) | |
| 601 | 13 | 3 | Engine (185) | |
| 535 | 23 | 3 | Engine (247) | |
| 400 | 13 | 3 | Engine (201) | |
| 423 | 14 | 2 | Engine (162) | |
| 193 | 13 | 1 | Wipers and visibility (61) | |
| 168 | 12 | 2 | Wipers and visibility (64) | |
| 56 | 8 | 1 | Engine (13) | |
| 21 | 5 | 0 | Air bags (5) | |
| 83 | 9 | 5 | Engine (13) | |
| 20 | 1 | 4 | Engine (8) |
What fails on the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 37% |
247 | 1 | Shop visibility parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 20% |
137 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
63 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
60 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 9% |
59 | 3 | Shop brakes parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox |
| Unknown or other | 8% |
51 | 0 | — |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 5% |
32 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
30 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The heater blend door is broken. The cost of replacing the door is $1000 +. I cannot afford to get this problem fixed. This seems to be a very common problem in this model vehicle. I am so disappointed.
-
The car began to smell of gas after running and started to cut out. Took it to a mechanic and they report a crack in the fuel pump.
-
My key comes out of the ignition no matter what gear it is in. The vehicle just suddenly stopped running as i was accelerating from a stop sign on a city street. I am now unable to start the vehicle. The key is also tough to pull out sometimes.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Equinox years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2005 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Equinox. The 2006 alone has 672 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Chevrolet Equinox problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 247 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Equinox problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Equinox complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.