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2013 Chevrolet Equinox

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

515 reports with mileage · 236 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.

  • Engine. Review the 412 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 144 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 80 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

20 crash reports5 fire reports13 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

63 reports
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Mileage unknown · May 11, 2026
Unknown Or Other

There is corrosion and rust that is underneith my car! This is a very poor constuction of Chevy! This should never happen as long as the car is driving. When this corrosion happened there are a brake cable that is dangling under my car which is going on because of the rust and corrision underneith my car! I want answers and Chev…

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There is corrosion and rust that is underneith my car! This is a very poor constuction of Chevy! This should never happen as long as the car is driving. When this corrosion happened there are a brake cable that is dangling under my car which is going on because of the rust and corrision underneith my car! I want answers and Chevy to do something about fixing the hanging brake cable under my car! I don't want any risks of saftey because of Chevy's very poor designing of my Equinox! I am not the only owner complaining about the structure of this car! I will take legal action!

NHTSA ODI #11736975

Mileage unknown · Nov 17, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Dashboard display does not work so I'm unable to see my speed or odometer.

NHTSA ODI #11699944

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Air conditioner stops working intermittently

NHTSA ODI #11682667

Mileage unknown · Jun 5, 2025
Unknown Or Other

I have a crack in the manifold leading to an exhaust leak. This is apparently a very, very common and known issue with the equinox but there's no recall on the 2013 model. Sounds like there should be.

NHTSA ODI #11665022

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2025
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

It failed inspection after repairs secondary air injection pump TCM PMC . Check engine light came back on after it passed .

NHTSA ODI #11646364

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2024
Unknown Or Other

I need to no more abut this car

NHTSA ODI #11617759

Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2024
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other

No estoy segura

NHTSA ODI #11614036

Mileage unknown · May 21, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

The car was completely empty of oil even though it wasn’t time for an oil change and there were no leaks or holes. It end up destroying the motor on the vehicle as well. The oil light came on and then the car stop work while driving on the highway. The car was towed to AAmco Transmission and Total Car Care 15282 Veterans Memo…

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The car was completely empty of oil even though it wasn’t time for an oil change and there were no leaks or holes. It end up destroying the motor on the vehicle as well. The oil light came on and then the car stop work while driving on the highway. The car was towed to AAmco Transmission and Total Car Care 15282 Veterans Memorial Pkwy Wentzville, MO 63385. 636-223-5113. That’s where the car was assessed at and we found out at that time what the issues was. I then found out this exact issue was on recall for another vin numbers. I call the manufacturer to make them aware of what had taken place with this particular vehicle and was told it wasn’t part of the recall. I then asked even though I have proof that it is the same issues. I was just given a claim number for the call and nothing else happened. So if this happened to our car and thankfully my husband was driving and not my daughter that day it could have been a different situation and she would have not knew how to get it off to the side of the highway while waiting for a tow truck. There was no warning until that day because we were keeping up with our car maintenance.

NHTSA ODI #11590018

Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2023
EngineUnknown Or Other

On Wednesday 10/18/23, the "check engine" light on our 2013 Equinox came on. My husband had been noticing a rattling sound for a few days prior and planned to take the car in on the upcoming Saturday. On Thursday evening10/19/23, he was about to leave for his 2nd job when the car died as he prepared to back out of the driv…

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On Wednesday 10/18/23, the "check engine" light on our 2013 Equinox came on. My husband had been noticing a rattling sound for a few days prior and planned to take the car in on the upcoming Saturday. On Thursday evening10/19/23, he was about to leave for his 2nd job when the car died as he prepared to back out of the driveway. He took my Pilot to work. On Friday 10/20/23, the Equinox was towed to our mechanic who, after running a diagnostic, recommended having it towed to a Chevy dealer and we did so. Hours later, the dealer's service manager called to say the key fob key has become detached in the transfer and they would have to order a new one before assessment could begin. A $350-estimate for that portion was begrudgingly agreed to with the understanding that auto workers are on strike and ... On Tuesday 10/24, the Chevy service manager called to say their department went ahead and used needle-nosed pliers to try to diagnose it w/o waiting. It was late determined that the system was "out of time" which I later learned meant that the timing belt was skipping or something asking other technical things. Bottom line: a new engine is the only fix at a cost of $12k for a car we've only had 8 years. It's KBB value is far, far less. We are now stuck with a worthless car and no way to fix it. Please advise.

NHTSA ODI #11551913

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2023
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

As I was coming to a red light, I heard a pop from underneath the front. About 3/4 miles down the road, I started smelling rotten eggs and hearing a rubbing noise. At the next red light, with my foot on the brake, the noise went away but the smell got stronger. When the light changed, the noise came back louder so I safely pulle…

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As I was coming to a red light, I heard a pop from underneath the front. About 3/4 miles down the road, I started smelling rotten eggs and hearing a rubbing noise. At the next red light, with my foot on the brake, the noise went away but the smell got stronger. When the light changed, the noise came back louder so I safely pulled off the road and had it towed to a dealership. No warning lights came on to indicate a problem. The dealership would not look at it because of a dispute with my repair service. So it was towed to a mechanic that took a picture of the transfer case blow-out. He does not do this type of repair. So I had it towed to a 2nd dealership. This dealership visually confirmed the transfer case issue but indicated he would not let his mechanics work on it because "it is too rusted and the chassis is bent." So I have a 3rd dealership that says they will do the repair. I am currently waiting for their inspection report.

NHTSA ODI #11550931

Official recalls

2

16V582000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:motor

Aug 4, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear over time, possibly resulting in one or both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Inoperative windshield wipers may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, dealers will repair the AIP-hole, inspect and, if necessary, replace the front wiper module, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 25302.

16V502000 · Electrical System:ignition; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Jul 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Chevrolet Equinox problems