IllustrationPOWER STEERING WAS MAKING WHINING SOUND WHEN TURNING AND HAD A FLUID LEAK. WATER LEAKED INTO TRUNK AND FILLED UP AREA WHERE SPARE TIRE IS LOCATED, DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW MOTOR BROKE AND STOPPED WORKING, ONE OF THE BACK SEAT BELTS DOES NOT ALWAYS STAY CLICKED, SOME PAINT CHIPPING, AND TRANSMISSION WENT AT 76,000 MILES
2008 Chevrolet Equinox
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2008 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Equinox years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
180–25K
5825–50K
7050–75K
6975–100K
62100–150K
21150K+
298 reports with mileage · 72 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 110 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports
What owners actually said
370 reportsI WAS COMING HOME AND MY HEAD LIGHTS GO OUT COMPLETELY OUT NO FUSE IS OUT NOT SURE WHAT IS WRONG . I AM DISABLE AND I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS . NEED SOME ANSWERS . SEEMS LIKE A ON GOING PROBLEM FROM THE COMPLAINTS I READ . THANK YOU *TR
THE STABILLITRAK LIGHT AND WARNING SYSTEM SUDDENLY CAME ON MY CAR AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. I LOST POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY. THE EQUINOX HAS 67, 363 MILES ON IT. I HAD THE ENTIRE CAR SERVICED AND THE SYSTEMS PUT ON A MONITOR IN DECEMBER WITH NO PROBLEMS APPEARING. LUCKILY , I SLOWED DOWN AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECH…
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THE STABILLITRAK LIGHT AND WARNING SYSTEM SUDDENLY CAME ON MY CAR AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. I LOST POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY. THE EQUINOX HAS 67, 363 MILES ON IT. I HAD THE ENTIRE CAR SERVICED AND THE SYSTEMS PUT ON A MONITOR IN DECEMBER WITH NO PROBLEMS APPEARING. LUCKILY , I SLOWED DOWN AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC THAT TOLD ME THE PROBLEM.
BOTH HEADLIGHTS CONTAIN MOISTURE DUE TO FAULTY SEALS. BOTH HEADLIGHTS NEED REPLACING ON A MINIMUM OF TWICE A YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, BREAK AND/OR TAIL LIGHTS SEEM TO FAIL AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR AS WELL.
BAD WIRING HARNESS.
PASSENGER AIR BAG CONSTANTLY COMING ON SAYING IT IS NOT WORKING. ALL OTHERS RECALLED BY 2008. NOW SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND SERVICE STABILITRAK SENSOR ON. I'VE READ ABOUT BOTH OF THESE ISSUES ONLINE HERE SO WHY NO RECALLS WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REACURRING FOR OTHERS.
THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND PARK AT LOW SPEEDS. I'VE SEVERAL FORUMS WITH THIS PROBLEM OCCURRING A LOT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS VEHICLE IS NOT PART OF THE POWER STEERING RECALLS. IT'S NEARLY $1,000 TO HAVE THIS PART REPLACED!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD A CRACK AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT REFER…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAD A CRACK AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 12V459000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 78,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO EMIT A FUEL ODOR FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO REPAIRED…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO EMIT A FUEL ODOR FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO REPAIRED THE FUEL PUMP MODULE UNDER A COVERAGE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. WHEN DIAGNOSING THE VEHICLE, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WAS STRETCHED AND HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,050.
I HAVE A WATER SOUND UNDER MY DASH. POSSIBLE COOLANT THAT MAY DROP INSIDE THE CAR.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.