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2016 Chevrolet Equinox

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 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

172 reports with mileage · 223 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 201 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 113 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports3 fire reports14 injury reports

What owners actually said

395 reports
102,000 miles · Jan 2, 2020
Engine

ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2019, AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON INTERSTATE 694 IN ARDEN HILLS MN, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE, AND THEN EVENTUALLY STALLED. NO WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING A PROBLEM EVER CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST CHEVROLET DEALERSSHIP, AND 2 DAYS LATER WAS INFORMED BY THEM THAT THE ENGINE HAD …

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ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2019, AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON INTERSTATE 694 IN ARDEN HILLS MN, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE, AND THEN EVENTUALLY STALLED. NO WARNING LIGHTS INDICATING A PROBLEM EVER CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST CHEVROLET DEALERSSHIP, AND 2 DAYS LATER WAS INFORMED BY THEM THAT THE ENGINE HAD RUN OUT OF OIL, AND I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE THAT WOULD COST ME $8500. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I DISCOVERED THAT EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MOTOR, THE 2.4L ECOTEC. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ON THE INTERNET. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST GM RESULTED IN A $42 MILLION JUDGEMENT AGAINST GM, BUT IT ONLY COVERED MODEL YEARS 2010-2013. A 2ND CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST GM TO COVER MODEL YEARS 2014-2017, THIS LAWSUIT IS STILL WORKING IT'S WAY THROUGH THE COURTS. GM HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE AT THEIR EXPENSE, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. INFORMATION ON THESE LAWSUITS CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.CLASSACTION.ORG, AND WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. I AM ASKING THAT GM REPAIR MY VEHICLE AT THEIR EXPENSE, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS.

NHTSA ODI #11296620

69,000 miles · Dec 30, 2019
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

VEHICLE WAS PARKED,STARTED FINE BACKED UP OUT OF SPACE. WHEN PULLING FORWARD THE WARNING BUSSER CAME ON AND DISPLAY READ STABIL TRACK. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND TURNED OFF ENGINE AFTER 2MIN. I RESTARTED ENGINE, THE WARNING STAYED ON. DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO DEALERSHIP,WAS TOLD TO DRIVE IT AS APPT NOT AVAILBLE TILL TUES. ENGINE S…

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VEHICLE WAS PARKED,STARTED FINE BACKED UP OUT OF SPACE. WHEN PULLING FORWARD THE WARNING BUSSER CAME ON AND DISPLAY READ STABIL TRACK. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND TURNED OFF ENGINE AFTER 2MIN. I RESTARTED ENGINE, THE WARNING STAYED ON. DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO DEALERSHIP,WAS TOLD TO DRIVE IT AS APPT NOT AVAILBLE TILL TUES. ENGINE SLOWED DOWN COULD ONLY GET TO 35MPH. AFTER ANOTHER 5MILES IT STARTED WORKING SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET HOME. I HAVE DONE ALL REQUIRED MATENIACE HAVE 69,000 MILES ON IT, NOW. IF THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WHEN I REACH THIS MILAGE, WHAT IS MY RECOURSE?

NHTSA ODI #11292010

20 miles · Dec 13, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WIPERS SUDDENLY STOP WORKING WHEN DRIVING

NHTSA ODI #11288968

61,000 miles · Dec 11, 2019
Power Train

THE TRANSFER CASE FAILED WHILE THE SUV WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET WITHIN A WEEK AFTER AN OIL CHANGE / TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSH & FILL SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO ASK ABOUT THE PART AND IT IS ON BACK ORDER SO, THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11288531

83,000 miles · Nov 1, 2019
EngineVehicle Speed Control

I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND IT'S BEEN CAUSING ISSUES FROM DAY ONE. AT FIRST, IT WAS THE BLUETOOTH, THEN IT WAS MY WINDSHIELD WIPER, THEN MY CAMSHAFT, AND NOW MY CA FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT. I HAVE DONE ALL THE REPAIRS WITH THE DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER MY LAST SERVICE MADE ME NOT TRUST THEM NO MOR…

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I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND IT'S BEEN CAUSING ISSUES FROM DAY ONE. AT FIRST, IT WAS THE BLUETOOTH, THEN IT WAS MY WINDSHIELD WIPER, THEN MY CAMSHAFT, AND NOW MY CA FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT. I HAVE DONE ALL THE REPAIRS WITH THE DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER MY LAST SERVICE MADE ME NOT TRUST THEM NO MORE. THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE REPLACED THE CAMSHAFT, BUT MY CAR STILL DRIVES THE SAME WAY AND EVEN WORSE NOW.

NHTSA ODI #11277623

18 miles · Oct 31, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WHILE DRIVING EARLY IN THE MORNING TO WORK IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE AS TIME HAS NOT CHANGED YET ABOUT 45 DEGREES. I DROPPED MY DAUGHTER TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ABOUT 10 MINUTES PRIOR AND IT WAS RAINING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHEN I TURNED THE CORNER ONTO TWO WAY HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATED ABOUT 25-30 MPH. THE WINDSHIELD WAS …

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WHILE DRIVING EARLY IN THE MORNING TO WORK IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE AS TIME HAS NOT CHANGED YET ABOUT 45 DEGREES. I DROPPED MY DAUGHTER TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ABOUT 10 MINUTES PRIOR AND IT WAS RAINING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHEN I TURNED THE CORNER ONTO TWO WAY HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATED ABOUT 25-30 MPH. THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT VISIBLE AND I WAS UNABLE TO GET OFF OF ROAD FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES, NEARLY CAUSED HEAD ON COLLISION AND SIDE SWIPED CARS. I HAD TO DRIVE AND STOP OR PULL OVER IN A MEDIAN TO CLEAR WINDSHIELD AND EVEN HANG OUT DRIVER WINDOW TO PULL THE WIPERS IN ORDER TO GET TO A SECURE PLACE. CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP STATED WINDSHIELD WIPER TRANSMISSION, LATER CALLED TO SEE IF IT WOULD BE COVERED AND HE TOLD THEM IT WAS FASTENER OR BALL JOINT TO KEEP IN PLACE CORRODED AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE COST IS ABOUT $565 TO BE REPLACED. THEN THE CHEVY SERVICE REP STATED THEY DONT HAVE THE PART TO BE REPLACED, WOULD TAKE ABOUT A COUPLE OF DAYS BECAUSE OF GM ISSUES WITH STRIKE. AS WELL AS CHEVY DOESN'T HAVE ANY LOANER CARS WHILE MY EQUINOX STAYED AT THE DEALER. IT WAS ALSO RAIN EXPECTED AGAIN DURING THE DAY. TRULY UNACCEPTABLE WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN PRECIOUS ISSUES WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS.

NHTSA ODI #11277239

50,000 miles · Oct 8, 2019
Visibility/wiper

ON 10/7/19 WHILE DRIVING MY 2016 CHEVY EQUINOX HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY, IT BEGAN TO RAIN TORRENTIALLY. I TURNED MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON HIGH. SUDDENLY THE LEFT DRIVERS SIDE WIPER FLUNG TO THE LEFT RIGHT OFF OF THE WINDOW HANGING BY THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW AND MIRROR. I WAS LEFT WITH JUST ONE WIPER IN NEAR DARKNESS AND P…

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ON 10/7/19 WHILE DRIVING MY 2016 CHEVY EQUINOX HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY, IT BEGAN TO RAIN TORRENTIALLY. I TURNED MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON HIGH. SUDDENLY THE LEFT DRIVERS SIDE WIPER FLUNG TO THE LEFT RIGHT OFF OF THE WINDOW HANGING BY THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW AND MIRROR. I WAS LEFT WITH JUST ONE WIPER IN NEAR DARKNESS AND POURING RAIN 10 MILES FROM HOME. IT WAS PRETTY SCARY. ONCE HOME, MY HUSBAND AN ELECTRICIAN LOOKED AND ADVISED ME THAT ONE OF THE PLASTIC CONNECTORS ON THE WIPER TRANSMISSION JUST CAME APART. HE FEELS IT WAS POORLY ENGINEERED. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT MY SAFETY IN JEOPARDY AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE AROUND ME. NOTE: I ONLY HAVE A LITTLE OVER 50,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11267184

62,000 miles · Oct 6, 2019
Air BagsEngine

PASSENGER AIR BAG ALARM GOES OFF WHEN SEAT IS EMPTY AND OCCASIONALLY THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TURNS OFF WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT DUE TO A FAULTY CONNECTOR. THIS HAPPENS SPORADICALLY DURING ALL TYPES OF DRIVING, IDLING OR WHILE PARKED. THE CONCERN THAT DURING AN IMPACT THE FAULTY CONNECTOR WILL CAUSE THE PASSENGER SID…

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PASSENGER AIR BAG ALARM GOES OFF WHEN SEAT IS EMPTY AND OCCASIONALLY THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TURNS OFF WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT DUE TO A FAULTY CONNECTOR. THIS HAPPENS SPORADICALLY DURING ALL TYPES OF DRIVING, IDLING OR WHILE PARKED. THE CONCERN THAT DURING AN IMPACT THE FAULTY CONNECTOR WILL CAUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG TO NOT DEPLOY WHILE A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT IS HIGHLY WORRY SOME AND EVEN THOUGH CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE CONDITION, THEY WON'T RECALL OR FIX THE ISSUE. TIMING CHAIN FAILURE CAN CAUSE SUDDEN UNEXPECTED ENGINE SHUTOFF WHILE DRIVING CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND SUDDEN STALLING DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION LEADING TO POSSIBLE COLLISIONS AS THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUES IN THEIR 2.4L ENGINES AND YET HASN'T ISSUED A RECALL EVEN THOUGH CATROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE AND PROBABLY LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL COLLISIONS. ENGINE SHUTOFF DUE TO CHAIN STRETCH OR FAILURE CAN OCCUR AS ANY TIME DURING DRIVING OR ENGINE RUNNING CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ODI #11266665

134,000 miles · Oct 2, 2019
Visibility/wiper

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED HANK GRAFF CHEVROLET (800 N STATE RD, DAVISON, MI 48423, (810) 412-0547), BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED HANK GRAFF CHEVROLET (800 N STATE RD, DAVISON, MI 48423, (810) 412-0547), BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

NHTSA ODI #11265714

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2019
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF. I WILL THEN HAVE TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN PARK, TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, AND RESTART IT IN ORDER TO BEGIN DRIVING AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED WHILE TURNING.

NHTSA ODI #11265492

Official recalls

1

16V449000 · Equipment:other:labels; Tires

Jun 21, 2016

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Equipment:other:labels

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."

Consequence: 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.

Tires

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."

Consequence: 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.

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

2

EA19005 · Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative

Opened Dec 13, 2019 · Closed Nov 28, 2022

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility; Visibility/wiper; Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Visibility

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

Visibility/wiper

On December 13, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) upgraded RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis (EA19-005) to further assess the MY2010-2016 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain windshield wiper failures. Due to a prior recall, 16V-582, addressing this issue in the MY2013 subject vehicles, MY2013 was not included in the analysis. To date, ODI had received 998 complaints with allegations of the front windshield wiper failing in adverse whether conditions, while the vehicle was in motion.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intruding into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint resulting in loss of windshield wiper function. ODI?s review focused on 2010-2012 and 2014-2016 Equinox and Terrain vehicles. Owners were reporting a high rate of failures of the windshield wiper system. These failures were the same as that addressed by recall 16V-582. ODI's review of data supplied by GM as well as its own confirmed a high failure rate in model years 2014 and 2015. On March 17, 2022, GM filed a defect information report recalling all MY2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles to remedy the potential failure of the front windshield wiper transmission assembly.General Motors is also conducting a special coverage program, N192266181, for MY2010-2012 and MY2016-2017 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The special coverage is for a period of 15 years or 200,000 miles, whichever comes first.Both the recall, 22V-165, and the special coverage program, N192266181, address windshield wiper system failures on the subject vehicles. The dealership will inspect the front wiper assembly for ball joint wear. Depending on the degree of wear, the wiper links will be replaced, and a water shield installed or the entire module will be replaced.In view of the recall and special coverage, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis (EA). NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

RQ18002 · Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure

Opened Nov 2, 2018 · Closed Dec 19, 2019

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility; Visibility/wiper; Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer; Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages; Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:motor

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Visibility

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:motor

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

Visibility/wiper

On November 2, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ18-002) to assess the scope of Recall 16V-582.General Motors (GM) initiated Safety Recall 16V-582 on August 3, 2016 to address windshield wiper failure in the Model Year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. Failures were attributed to water and debris intrusion into the windshield wiper assembly ball joints, leading to excessive wear and eventual detachment of the affected ball joint with an attendant loss of windshield wiper function. The recall remedy addressed these conditions with the installation of an improved windshield wiper motor/transmission assembly and the relocation of a drain hole on the Air Inlet Panel at the base of the windshield.RQ18-002 was opened to assess windshield wiper failure rates in the MY 2010-2012 and MY 2014 - 2016 Equinox and Terrain (subject vehicles).During the course of the investigation, ODI received additional consumer complaint traffic bringing its total to 602 concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. In their December 20, 2018 response to ODI's Information Request (IR) Letter, GM reported 1,303 complaints related to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. Together, these bodies of data correspond to 1,905 unique Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).GM stated the recalled vehicles exhibited double the warranty rate and five times the complaint rate of the subject vehicles and that continuing complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles stemmed from publicity surrounding Recall 16V-582.ODI's review of GM's data confirms the stated difference in failure rates between the recalled and subject vehicles. However, ODI believes that the subject vehicle failure rates are nevertheless elevated and that publicity alone cannot account for the continued consumer complaint traffic concerning the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. ODI is upgrading to RQ18-002 to an Engineering Analysis to compare subject vehicle failure rates and engineering practices to those in peer vehicles.The 602 ODI complaints cited can be viewed in a separate attachment.

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