Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 273 safety complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox with the US government. Of those, 18 describe a crash, 4 mention a fire, 14 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 178 complaints, 65% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 68,500 miles, the median across the 94 complaints that gave an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2017 to September 2026 · How this is counted
273
Complaints
18
Describe a crash
4
Mention fire
14
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 273.
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 59.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2017 Chevrolet EQUINOX, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.
| Test | SUV AWD | SUV FWD |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Frontal crash | ||
| Frontal, driver | ||
| Frontal, passenger | ||
| Side crash | ||
| Side barrier | ||
| Side pole | ||
| Rollover | ||
| Chance of rollover | 17.4% | 19.1% |
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
5 injured
The exhaust is coming into the cab. Was told that Chevy is allowed to kill people slowly with carbon dioxide poisoning. Also was told NHTSA is paid by Chevy to keep the information of the exhaust issue under wrapps. I understand killing babies is no crime in the liberal world but I am not an ugly liberal.
NHTSA complaint 11500693. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
3 injured · crash · towed · 28,590 miles
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH WHERE ANOTHER CAR HIT ME IN THE PASSENGER SIDE UP FRONT IN A HARD CRASH.THE ENTIRE FRONT END AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED FRAME RAILS WERE BENT AND AC COMPONENTS WAS IN THE MOTOR.AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY INSURANCE TOTALED THE VEHICLE 17,200 OF DAMAGES
NHTSA complaint 11129674. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
2 injured · crash · towed · 188,000 miles
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
NHTSA complaint 11360174, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
1 injured · crash · towed · 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that as his wife attempted to make a left turn at 5 MPH, another vehicle hit the front passenger side of her vehicle at approximately 40 MPH. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. His wife was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was treated for an injury to her right knee as well as chest pain. The other driver sought medical treatment after the accident; however, their injuries, if any, are unknown. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was deemed a total loss. A police report was filed. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be destroyed. The
NHTSA complaint 11465107, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
It consumes the whole tank of oil within 6 days and then damages the entire engine.
NHTSA complaint 11766746. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
128,016 miles
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. The vehicle was a private sale from Facebook Marketplace. The mileage was 98,776 miles on 1/5/26. The contact had decided that a larger vehicle was needed and brought the vehicle to the dealer to trade it. The contact received a Carfax report from the dealer indicating an odometer discrepancy. The report indicated that the third owner had rolled back the odometer and that the actual mileage was 111,112. The contact stated that the private seller from whom the vehicle was purchased believed there was only one other owner, but after research, found that there were three prior owners before him, making the contact the 5th owner.
NHTSA complaint 11762161, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
My car was in Clarksburg Crown, Mitsubishi, and a lot that had no monitoring, and it was a sticker saying the car was not ready to be sold, and I still went with it trusting the crown Mitsubishi Car associate however there are fuses added to my car weather from them or from car auto tunes in Morgantown I’m not sure but my car has the ability to run without my foot on the gas or things happening to my to my acceleration
NHTSA complaint 11753998. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced oil consumption failures. While examine the vehicle he contact discover very little oil was present although oil was recently added to the engine. The oil light warning light did not display and no oil leaks were present. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determined the cause of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. . The failure mileage was 130,000.
NHTSA complaint 11736946. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
2017 Chevrolet Equinox Premier certified pre-owned vehicle experienced multiple safety-related defects. 1. REPEATED STARTING FAILURES (electrical/battery/starter system): - March 17, 2026: Complete battery failure, vehicle would not start. AAA/GM Roadside Assistance called. Dealer inspected but could not diagnose root cause or explain battery drain. Preceded by unusually loud windshield wiper motor and engine noise (March 15). - April 13, 2026 (4:01pm): Engine failed to turn over twice in parking lot before starting on third attempt. SAFETY RISK: Sudden starting failures create stranding hazard and risk of being rear-ended in traffic. 2. WATER INTRUSION THROUGH HEADLINER
NHTSA complaint 11732611, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
MY CAR STARTED TO USE A LOT OF OIL, AND UPON MY REGULAR OIL CHANGES IT WOULD ALWAYS BE VERY LOW, BUT OIL WAS NOT LEAKING OUT OF THE CAR. IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT I HAD TO PUT OIL IN OFTEN TO OPERATE THE CAR. IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT IT WOULD CUT OFF ON ME IN SCHOOL LINES. AFTER DEALING WITH THIS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME IT SOUNDED SO BAD THAT THE EXPRESS OIL CHANGE FACILITIES REFUSED TO CHANGE MY OIL BECAUSE THEY SAID IT WAS AN ENGINE PROBLEM. SO I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE 2 MONTHS AFTER TOWING IT HOME. I HAVE 2 VEHICLE PAYMENTS, MY 2017 EQUINOX BEEN DOWN OVER A YEAR NOW. PLEASE ADD MY VIN # TO THE RECALL. IM EXPERIENCES THE SAME SYMPTOMS
NHTSA complaint 11729639. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 71 | 1 | — |
| 2025 | 228 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 79 | 1 | — |
| 2023 | 95 | 3 | — |
| 2022 | 177 | 5 | — |
| 2021 | 96 | 4 | — |
| 2020 | 309 | 4 | 1 |
| 2019 | 302 | 4 | — |
| 2018 | 408 | 5 | 1 |
| 2016 | 396 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 680 | 2 | — |
| 2014 | 548 | 1 | — |
| 2013 | 751 | 2 | — |
| 2012 | 685 | 3 | — |
| 2011 | 782 | 3 | 2 |
| 2010 | 784 | 3 | — |
Complaints on file, same model year.
Every Chevrolet on this site — 304 vehicles.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst