Owners filed 395 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. It has been recalled 1 time.
When it fails
06500065,000 milesMedian miles at failure
172 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 60,000–75,000 miles.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
180
1
2
6
Visibility/Wiper
108
0
0
0
Unknown or Other
20
1
0
1
Electrical System
17
1
1
0
Air Bags
12
6
0
7
Power Train
6
0
0
1
Fuel/Propulsion System
6
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling
5
0
0
0
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
5
0
0
0
Steering
4
1
0
1
1 safety recall
Part 573 reports
Equipment › Other › Labels16V449000
Filed Jun 21, 201617 vehiclesGeneral Motors Llc
Defect. 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."
Risk. 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.
Remedy. 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.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Engine
Filed Aug 22, 2026MI
In February of 2025, while driving my 2016 Chevy Equinox home from work, I heard a loud pop and loss of engine power a block from home. The weather conditions at the time were below freezing and light snow. After getting my vehicle home, my neighbor, who works for GM looked under my Equinox and discovered the rear main oil seal had blown and informed me this was a known issue with the GM 2.4L Ecotec engine. The GM 2.4L Ecotec engine contains a non‑serviceable Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system that uses a fixed orifice built into the intake manifold instead of a replaceable PCV valve. In cold weather, moisture and vapor inside the crankcase can freeze or accumulate as sludge within this orifice. When the orifice becomes obstructed, the PCV system can no longer vent crankcase gases properly, causing internal pressure to rise significantly. This condition is most common in sub‑freezing temperatures and is documented in multiple GM technical bulletins. When crankcase pressure increases beyond normal operating limits, the pressure seeks the weakest escape point, which is often the rear main seal. As pressure builds, the rear main seal can rupture suddenly, resulting in an immediate and severe oil leak. This failure can occur without warning and may lead to rapid oil loss, environmental contamination, and potential engine damage if the vehicle continues to operate. The defect is inherent to the PCV system design and is not related to owner maintenance practices. General M
Visibility/Wiper
Filed Aug 21, 2026OH
Wipers stopped working while driving in the rain
Visibility/Wiper
Filed Aug 14, 2026OH
Wipers stopped working in the pouring down rain. Couldn’t see anything
Engine
Filed Jul 14, 2026CA
: "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.
Wheels
Filed Jul 3, 2026RI
Right front wheel assembly is bad.
Engine
Filed May 15, 2026NY
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 was blown. After some investigating I discovered it was the PCV valve that froze and blew out the rear seal. I discovered that Basil Ford was sent this Bulletin and told to clean the PCV valve when people brought their car in. They never reached out and told me to bring the car in to have this done. It could have been an easy fix. I also discovered by researching that people had this happen to them when they were driving on the highway and it caused them accidents. I called GMC and they are telling me my 2016 isn't in the class action suit. Basil wanted way too much money so I took it to Pep Boys and it cost me $3,000 to have the PCV valve replaced with the kit that prevents it from freezing up again and I had to replace my manifold and my rear seal
Engine
Filed May 1, 2026SC
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 Apr 7, 2026MO
Excessive oil consumption with no warning light, loss of power, and stalling. Also caused the master seal to leak and plugged the PCV valve. I have records for the repairs. It continues to excessively use oil and is not a reliable vehicle. When it stalls, power steering is lost as well as the stabilitrack.
Engine
Filed Mar 9, 2026MO
Engine constantly eats oil, no oil leak
Engine
Filed Feb 20, 2026FL
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
Engine
Filed Feb 6, 2026VA
Transfer case and front differential failure. No warning lights came on beforehand
Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Feb 5, 2026113,000 milesDE
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle on a cold, snowy day, there was oil on the driveway. There was a fuel odor inside the vehicle, and the engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was related to the PCV system. The mechanic stated that the PCV valve was clogged, causing the gasket to fail. The vehicle was partially repaired. The mechanic later informed the contact that other repairs were necessary. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that there were no recalls associated with the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage associated with the VIN for the repair. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Engine
Filed Jan 15, 2026MN
I am writing to formally document a series of catastrophic mechanical failures regarding the aforementioned vehicle. Despite rigorous maintenance and significant financial investment, the car remains non-drivable, posing a severe safety risk. Chronology of Failures: October 2024: Four months post-purchase, the timing chain failed on I-94. Atwater Chevrolet replaced the component; however, this did not resolve the underlying engine instability. December 3, 2025: Following a dashboard warning light, a Northland Chevrolet dealer replaced the solenoids. At this time, the windshield wiper motor also required replacement. Late December 2025: Shortly after these repairs, the vehicle suffered a major failure of the rear main seal and engine block during sub-freezing temperatures. This caused a total loss of oil and left the driver stranded in hazardous conditions. Maintenance and Disclosure: We have invested over $4,000 in preventative maintenance, including oil changes every 2,800 miles to mitigate known oil consumption issues. At the time of sale, there was no disclosure regarding the inherent engine defects common to this model. Current Status: The vehicle is currently at a dealership and is inoperable. A $10,000 loan balance remains. Current diagnostics suggest a frost plug failure triggered the event. I have contacted GM regarding Bulletin 14882, which addresses identical issues in similar models, but was informed it does not currently attach to this VIN. Furthermore, the extend
Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jan 5, 2026MI
The wiper blade motor is gone out. The tire pressure sensor is off : the oil seems to disappear faster than the sensor
Engine
Filed Dec 29, 2025MI
Clogged PCV caused engine pressure resulting in failure of rear main seal
Visibility/Wiper
Filed Dec 25, 2025IL
While driving with windshield wipers on, they suddenly stopped working. The wipers were stuck in position in the center of my windshield. Upon inspection, it appeared that one of the arms had become disconnected from the piece it was connected to. Snapped right off during unsafe driving conditions.
Engine
Filed Dec 20, 2025WV
I just got this used car in seemingly great shape, was told it was garage kept and well cared for. Dealer had oil changed before I drove it off the lot. I only had it about one month, had driven about 1,000 miles so far, I check the oil, and dipstick was nearly dry. I threw oil in it and took it for an oil change just in case. No oil leaks, etc. No indication, no oil light, nothing to alert me to low oil level. I saw here on NHTSA that these cars burn through excessive amounts of oil, and I definitely saw that firsthand. I’m wondering why no recalls exist when this is a well-known issue with these cars, and so many of them are dead at 50-70k miles…? The last two cars I had (Ford Escapes), had over 218k or 185k miles and they were still drivable when I got a replacement vehicle. Now I buy this used Equinox with almost 70k miles and I’m wondering if it is going to break down within the first year. I expect I will be buying lots of oil and checking/changing it often. This is not just an inconvenience, it can cause major safety concerns! I will not be a repeat Chevy customer!
Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 4, 2025100,000 milesGA
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that two weeks after the vehicle was purchased, while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the engine was very low on oil. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an oil change was performed on the vehicle. Two weeks later, the contact took the vehicle back to be checked and was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. However, no cause for the failure was found. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact had to check the oil level weekly. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
EngineCrash
Filed Nov 7, 2025NY
This car used so much oil that I had to put it in constantly. Eventually the time belt broke, and the car stopped because it literally had no oil in it causing the engine to blow. This is a known problem I found out later on.
Air Bags
Filed Oct 2, 2025MI
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The warning light remained illuminated constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the weight sensor on the front passenger’s seat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Complaint volume is well above typical for a single model year.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Jun 21, 2016. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.