Body Problems of Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

Discovered water underneath passenger footwell carpet, causing a musty and mildewy smell. Many reports of similar discoveries online prompted the initial search. Safety concern is mold growth and rust. Dealer was unable to replicate issue after two attempts (ran through car wash, hose over windshield, ran a/c for extended period, checked ac condensate drainage). Dealer dried up water and carpet and told owner to monitor. Owner pulled up carpet to do own investigation after the second failed attempt by the dealer. Confirmed dry before starting investigation on warm sunny day (no rain). Owner found leak in passenger footwell underneath black access plate that only appeared with a/c usage and during/after driving, not while car was stationary. Owner brought vehicle back to dealer. Dealer removed black access plate and confirmed leak was coming from a compromised body seam weld. Dealer repaired the failed body seam and no water intrusion has been seen by owner since repair was completed. Owner still has concerns about underlying cause of where water was coming from - theory is that condensation is forming on the the a/c lines and is pooling somewhere in the body then sloshing around while the car is moving, causing further potential for water related issues, including rust.

The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the a/c had failed to work as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a cold diagnosis was made. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the frame on the front passenger side near the radiator had been put together with bondo and was not welded. The bottom part of the radiator was fractured and not intact and the a/c lines were damaged, and the front bumper was damaged. The mechanic refused to repair the vehicle due to the liability and informed the contact to stop driving the vehicle.  the contact took the vehicle back to the private dealer where she purchased the vehicle and the company agreed to do the repairs; the repairs are pending. The contact stated that when she purchased the vehicle she was shown a carfax report where it stated that the vehicle had been in an accident prior to the purchase. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,100.  .

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Report of dangerous rental vehicle and serious safety incident – rental agreement #289216922 I am submitting this report to formally document a serious safety issue involving a rental vehicle I received from avis in may 2024. Several safety components malfunctioned and put the safety of my and my passenger in a life threatening situation. At the time of pickup, the vehicle had a visible dent near the front right tire, which was acknowledged by the rental agent and dismissed as cosmetic. I also noted a faulty rear hatch, which opened unpredictably and struck occupants in the head on multiple occasions as it behaved erratically. Over the course of the rental, the vehicle displayed additional signs of mechanical failure — including instability at highway speeds, loud squealing, and parts of the bumper physically falling off during the trip. On may 30th, while driving at highway speed, the vehicle suffered a sudden tire blowout. Critically, the onboard system misidentified the location of the blown tire, indicating the front right tire had failed when it was actually the rear right. This misinformation delayed proper response and nearly resulted in a rollover. We were stranded on the roadside for over an hour, narrowly avoiding several collisions. A critical system failure. A responding tow truck driver observed signs that the vehicle may have previously been involved in a collision — which aligns with the visible damage present when the vehicle was picked up. Avis has, despite multiple attempts, refused to confirm whether the vehicle was removed from service after the incident or whether any safety inspection was conducted -- we remain severely concerned for the safety of anyone else using this vehicle. This vehicle should not have been rented in its condition. The failure of safety systems, mechanical instability, prior collision damage, and the loss of exterior components created a serious and unacceptable risk to the driver, passenger, and others on the road.

On may 8,2025 the lift gate failed and crashed down on my head, vehicle is available for inspection and only a gm inspector has looked at it so far. The dealership told me because I filed a complaint with gm they can't touch it unless directed by gm now. It almost knocked me out, I saw black and was hard to see for at first within a few hours it was a huge goose egg on my head. It put me and my 6yr old at risk as she was with me but luckily in the car already. When approaching my car I used the liftgate remote to open it ahead of time, got my daughter in car and went to put our backpacks in the back when it crashed on my head full force no warning. It was extremely painful and caused a concussion with multiple symptoms. Headaches, painful bump, ear ringing, feeling so hot, major brain fog, forgetfulness, watery eyes, feeling really tired and hard to wake up in the morning. It has been about 3 weeks and the symptoms are mostly gone except bad ear ringing, light sensativity, on and off headaches easily, can't put my hair in ponytail as it hurts still. I still have a small dent in my head. The doc says these lasting concussion symptoms could last for months. I don't understand why this has problem has not been fixed when research shows it has been a problem since 2010. The only other issue I had with the car was my instrument panel going black while I was driving a few weeks prior.

Driving into sun, very strong glare off the dashboard that is lined (not solid), so visibility is highly reduced. Nearly crashed into a pedestrian in a crosswalk because they were not visible through the windshield.

Water leaks into the rear of the vehicle from the shark fin (I am told from the dealership gm I purchased the car from). It has however now entered into the fuse box and is getting fuses wet which is a safety issue if they were to short while driving in a rainstorm. This is a major issue with multiple reports online on forums and complaint boards.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Severe oil consumption which could lead to damage to engine and vehicle failure when driving, which could cause an accident or worse. The dealer stated that the rear main seal could blow out and cause the vehicle failure. Defective parts that gm is aware of, but not addressing to the owners. There is a service bulletin (14882) that dealers are aware of concerning this issue, for an extended warranty of 120,000 or 10 years, no charge to customers to repair. Part#12591866. Crankshaft real oil seal. The dealer refuses to honor it.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

When washing the vehicle through a standard car wash (mister) in minnetonka, mn 55345. The vehicle takes on gallons of water. This seems completely inappropriate. A car built in 2018 should be able to be washed. Taking on gallons of water on all areas of the floor board is unacceptable and ultimately a quality concern for mold and rust longer term.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The sunroof drains on my vehicle keep getting clogged with debris even though I don't open the sunroof. I have had to get the drains blown out every 1 to 2 months when I find water in the rear cargo area. Attached are invoices from the dealership showing the work done and how often. An engineer from gm has determined on April 10th that if these drains are frequently clogged, then it is a "vehicle concern". Gm says that this is a maintenance issue. However, they have been doing this "maintenance" ever 1 to 2 months and the drains keep getting blocked. This can't be right! I don't want mold to grow in my car. A prior Equinox that I owned was "totaled" by my insurance company because water leaked into that car and mold grew in the interior.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Purchased car from dealer on 7/1, car seemed fine at dealer and then died. Took car to oil change place, discovered underneath frame completely rotted out. Called dealer, dealer unwilling to fix, replace or refund vehicle. Had car further inspected to find complete engine, transmission, frame, axle, steering, brake issues. There were no signs of anything wrong at the dealership.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The sun roof shade is inoperable. The sunshade retracts, but does not go back into the roof so the whole shade hangs down. This completely blocks the view of the driver out the back window and is a severe safety risk. Even when the sunshade is "closed" the material hangs down, continuing to block the drivers view out of the back window. The shade has come off the tracks and unglued. The issue has been confirmed as inoperable and an internal fault in the roof shade assembly by a Chevrolet dealership and needing to be replaced completely. I have taken it to several other shops around my city, and have been informed that this is a common problem that is being referred back to dealerships for fixing. There was no prior warning sign, and my car has been experiencing this issue since July 2023.

At 12pm on June 11, 2023 I was parked in a church sparking lot in east rochester and was facing the church's stone wall. My vehicle was only 2 feet from the was when the car accelerated toward the wall and all of the airbags opened and the hood and side panels were affected causing the vehicle was considered totaled by my insurance. My foot was on the brake and I was preparing to put the car in park when the car lurched forward and hit the wall at a high rate of speed. Gm examined the car and gave me a report I could not understand but their report indicated that there was not a vehicle defect. I find this highly improbable. I can send the report and perhaps your organization can read it or do your own inspection of my vehicle. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter. This same thing has happened to 2 other people I know who drive Equinoxes. Best regards, sheila burdick 315 699 0643 cell 315 247 7365.

I took the chevy Equinox to the chevy dealership to have the oil changed. The house technician said it was unsafe to put it on a lift. The entire frame was corroded. On 02/28/2023, I had the dealership do a multi-point vehicle inspection. This is their findings: #1-1010: inspections inspect/check inspect due to customer request inspected unit due to customers request found excessive rear under body rust and left rear upper control arm is held on by two bolts, but structure is unstable due to corrosion. The rear drive shaft has been removed for unknown reasons. This assessment is visual and at this time. Unit looks unsafe and unstable to drive due to rear under vehicle rust. L would recommend to park the unit and get alternative transportation and replacing the vehicle due to rust. Customer has been advised of our findings. I called gm and reported the problem. They couldn't do a buyback on the Equinox. I filed a complaint with bbb auto-line, they closed the case said the vehicle was to old. Gm said the Equinox came from up north, and since I live in arkansas the climate change made the vehicles frame rust rapidly due to the moisture. The emergency brake cable, and control arm is rusted into. The vehicle went from excellent condition to unsafe to drive in one day. Their was no visibility of rust in december2022.

See all problems of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

We have had this issue for going on two years. When we bought the car, we immediately started having problems. When we were driving the car, it would start popping in the steering column. We then started having rattles within the body, that are still going, to this day. We have had 4 radios put in due to electrical, still having the same issues with it, to this day. There is some kind of leak inside the body that is causing water to get into the doorframe and slosh around. Chevrolet is not wanting to take accountability and lemon this car, as we’ve had it in the shop right at 10 times for the same issues.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The front uni body to front engine/ transmission subframe mount area on left front and right front has rusted away the front 2 subframe mounting points are not connected to the uni body structure anymore due to corrosion damage causing a clunking noise while driving.

See all problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

There have been 4 radios in the car installed and it has continually cause multiple issues with the electrical system. We’ve had the car in the shop for 7 different times and there is no correction as of now. Additionally, we’re continuing to have a constant rattling sound and it has been looked at and ‘corrected’ multiple times and there is still not a fix. We’ve had this car in the shop 10 different times over the two issues and still no correction nor any assistance from the manufacturer. Something has to give.

I purchased my 2018 Chevrolet Equinox on july3rd, 2018 with 2 miles on it. Current mileage 67,900 stop/start system design defect. I have had to have my vehicle battery replaced 4 times in 4 years of ownership. The battery has failed again at 67,900 miles on 12/13/2022 which will be the 5th battery in its lifetime. My dealership said that due to the climate and road conditions where I live my stop/start system has been killing my battery cell every 16,975 miles causing my battery to fail. Chevrolet originally extended my warranty for 6months/ or 60k miles. They said they can no longer extend my warranty and that I’d be responsible for the next battery and future battery’s.

The clip at the bottom of the piston for the lift gate broke which caused the lift gate to fall. The strut got wedged between the body of the car and the rear reverse light so the lift gate didn’t end up falling on me but causing damage. Upon further inspection, the other strut’s clip is also cracked.

See attached document for complaint.

Rear liftgate will only open most of the time it will not close when using the buttons on vehicle or on key fob, ongoing issue since.

The paint on my truck is defective, it is bubbling and falling off on the drivers side.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The trailing arm bracket rotten through the frame. This is due to premature rusting/rotting of the frame. Apparently chevy has had this problem, every I spoke to kept saying "check with chevy for recall" the dealer tried to fix the problem by (modifying the trailer arm? not sure what that means) but approximately two weeks later it went through the frame again. Took it back to dealer but they were unable to fix this problem and sent me on my way. It was a very good thing that while driving this vehicle nothing major happened. I found a body shop that tackled this and fixed the frame. It was very expensive and I feel chevy should be responsible. I have attached pictures that the r&m auto body gave us.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The vehicle first started having a cigarette residual smoke smell in it during the summer of 2019. It was right after a good rainfall, but we didn't know what to attribute it to. We called the local Chevrolet dealership and they weren't sure what it might be either. The odor would come and go over the last couple of years, but we couldn't figure out what it was from as none of my family members smoke. Then my husband went to run errands in my vehicle during a heavy downpour and heard water running inside of the car. He found water coming out of the fuse panel on the driver's side in the rear hatch (video available). He started removing the wet stuff in the rear hatch & when he got down to the spare tire compartment, he found it was filled with water. He also smelled the cigarette smoke-like odor like 10 times stronger than before & realized that it was due to the felt-like pad in the spare tire compartment being soaked in water. We again called the local dealership & they weren't sure what the problem might have been. My husband & stepfather did research and found out a lot of Equinox owners were experiencing the same issue & it had been determined that it was due to the sunroof water drainage system being clogged. The provided solution was to run air through the water drainage pipes, which my husband did. However, the vehicle still had some water appearing behind the driver's side seat during the lighter rainfalls afterwards. As well, the odor that smelled like cigarette smoke had now been replaced with a strong mildew/mold smell. This poses two major safety issues - water going into fuse boxes (water & electrical don't mix), as well as the mold/mildew being inhaled - especially of concern since we have two toddlers sitting in the backseat of this family vehicle. One dealership was unable to duplicate water inside the vehicle, but found the water drain pipes partially clogged. Other dealership noted mold/mildew smell and did an ozone detailing.

Aluminum hood corrosion on front hood lip on many Equinox models. I thought mine was a 1 off but after researching it, a ton of people are having this issue. Even other chevys like the colorado and the traverse.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the rocker panel of the vehicle had been rusting. The vehicle was taking to an independent mechanic , where is was diagnosed with driver and passenger side outer and inner rocker panel needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide assistance. The approximate failure mileage is 98,000.

My 2015 Equinox has about 90k miles. Today the lift gate (automatic) started to not stay open. It would open fully and slowly fall. After a few minutes, it would close. About 1 hour later, the tail gate will open, start to close, try to open and then closed quickly. I was under the door and could not hold the door open. If I hadn't moved, I would have lost an arm.

I purchased the vehicle from a dealership in lexington ky 6k and under. I had to change the breaks and I was unable to jack the car up. After taking it to the auto shop the frame and rocker panels are rusted out. The vehicle was made in canada and I seen there was a recall on the vehicle. It is dangerous to drive because the frame is weak. What should I do and is the recall still valid?.

Front frame rusted out beneath the engine cradle engine lost support loud noises when turning wheels or going over bumps had welding shop cut out rust and weld in new frame areas.

See all problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

I was in the driveway at my home getting ready to leave for church, I was pulling forward before I backed up thinking I might be too close to the gates. When I moved forward with my foot on the brake to just creep along, the engine revved up to an astromical speed. I was head toward my son's truck. I steered away but caught the bumper of an f350 . My car is totally destroyed. I knocked the truck over two feet from where it was sitting and pushed it within one or two inches of going through my house where my son was asleep in the recliner. Before I hit the brick post holding up one end of my car port, I was able to move the car into park and stop it. The hill assist light was on when I got out of the car. I was going down a slight incline and not up a hill. My drive is only about 20-25 feet and the car was going at an alarming rate. Fortunately, I was just bruised and sore from the impact.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

On Dec 31, 2020 I struck a deer on a county rd going approx 45mph. The impact was so hard the drive train was shoved into the car and the radiator exploded and the entire front passenger side was destroyed. Neither pass. Nor drivers side doors would open. The car is a total loss yet the airbags never deployed throughout the entire vehicle but you could see a white powdery smoke and it smell as if they did and the car now says service airbags. Also the driver and passenger side seat belt never retracted back and my daughter and I were both injured as I was slammed into the steering wheel suffering damage to my chest and face and her head/ face bounced off the dash due to the air bags not deploying and the seatbelts not working. We are lucky we weren't killed as the entire front end of the vehicle, engine included was pushed to the inside of the car. We were going to look into getting us another Equinox as I had just had this one for about seven months but I absolutely loved it but after reading all these reports that are identical to ours as far as seatbelts and airbags go and realizing this is a very common thing with 2015 Equinox and after this happening to us it's obvious this vehicle is not safe to drive or at least not safe to get into an accident with and it sounds like there needs to be a recall but yet that hasn't happened. I have read hundreds of reports exactly like this one. I'm very disappointed in chevy for letting this continually happen with no recall or warning to your customers. . A police report was filed on this and injuries did occur. The police officer and the wrecker driver said they've never seen a deer do so much damage to a vehicle before and the officer could not believe that the airbags did not deploy on us and said that we most definitely need to check into it because he would assume that they were recalled but here we are and they're not.

I was involved in a car accident on November 16, 2020 and neither of my airbags deployed.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

As this car was being driven down the highway, about 10 minutes into my drive, smoke started coming from the vehicle, I pulled over, a passer by ran over to me telling me to get out of the vehicle that flames were shooting out of the bottom. As soon as I exited the car, the entire car was engulfed in flames. The entire car was burned to the ground. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. Gm refused to recall this vehicle or to take any responsibility.

Airbags did't depoly with front end cfrash going about 25to30hmph hwy 278 west cullman.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Pulling out of carwash. Turning left in carwash lot. Car engine reved up, car lunged forward at high speed. Slammed on brake but brake pedal went right to the floor. Car then side swiped carwash vacuum system on passenger side scraping and denting both passenger side doors. Threw car into park and shut off engine to stop waited 5 minutes. Turned car back on put car in drive. Slowly moved and put brake on. Brakes worked. Drove 5 miles to get home. Now afraid to drive car.

Air bags did not deploy or come out upon extremely high impact: the air bags in my 2017 Equinox did not deploy out or come out when we where hit at a extremely high impact from the hit and run driver and the impact caused us to hit head on into an white SUV that was in front of us on the opposite side of the street going south on laramie. My fianc� was driving and I was on the passenger side in we was going west on expressway and we had exited of laramie and harrison. Fianc� lashanti scott that's on my insurance on the my 2017 Equinox was driving so we made an right turn on laramie going north towards laramie and harrison. As we where approaching and crossings the light that was green at the next light, as we proceeded crossing the green light, an ss black SUV was coming from west of harrison towards us at an extremely high speed 60-65 miles per hour. There was no time to adjust and recover to avoid the SUV that hit us at such a high rate of speed. The ss black SUV that hit us in the front passenger side of my 2017 Equinox in which caused my 2017 Equinox from the impact to crash head onto an white SUV that was driving the opposite side going south of laramie towards harrison. And from the high impact of the ss black SUV that hit us spent around and hit us again on the back rear passenger side of my 2017 Equinox also.