2010 Chevrolet Equinox Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report engine oil consumption, sometimes with stalling or loss of power while driving. Defroster and heater controls that stop working, and windshield wipers that stop during rain, are also common. Transmission failures appear less often, usually described as sudden loss of drive.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine oil consumption between oil changes

   • 149 complaints (19%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (109 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,850 (median of 22 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2025

   Owners describe the engine using a large amount of oil, often needing oil added between changes, in some cases about a quart every 1,000 miles. Some report low-oil or oil-pressure warnings that did not appear on the gauge, and others describe oil leaking internally. Some owners say the dealer replaced parts such as coils or the catalytic converter, but oil use continued. Some say they were not told about the issue when buying the vehicle. Reports range from about 15,000 to 170,000 miles, with most between about 50,000 and 120,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the oil level on a cold engine and ask for the oil-change and top-up history. Ask whether the oil consumption service bulletins and any class-action reimbursement repairs were completed on this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I've taken my Equinox to multiple mechanics and no one ever told me anything about it . My vehicle uses an excessive amount of engine oil after . My oil changes have to be every 3 weeks. . When turning on my vehicle it sounds like a tractor is ready to go. I have a small SUV that I know never made that loud noise.”

   NHTSA complaint #11399503, filed 2021-03, 100,000 miles

   “I have spent more than 10k on repairs on my car due to the excessive oil consumption problems. That includes a replacement of engine and catalytic converter, plus other repairs while they tried to find out what was wrong with the engine. I am part of the class-action lawsuit and I have provided all documents to the settler and my claim has been denied. Never buying a GM vehicle again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11383428, filed 2020-12, 85,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Sudden loss of engine power or stalling

   • 258 complaints (33%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (221 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,465 (median of 31 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2026

   Owners describe the engine losing power or stalling while driving, sometimes at highway speed, with the check engine light or a reduced-power message displayed. Some describe a rough idle, dying at stop lights, or the car not restarting after it stopped. Some complaints name a camshaft timing or high-pressure fuel pump problem as a possible explanation for the stall. Most reports are at about 95,000 to 200,000 miles, and several describe the stall happening with no warning.

   What to check: Ask for any engine diagnostic codes and check-engine-light history, and ask whether the fuel pump and camshaft timing were inspected. On a test drive, watch for rough idle, hesitation, or power loss under acceleration.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle leaks a lot of oil internally. I was told by my mechanic that my intake valves are covered in oil and my pistons are also containing oil. The mechanism to control/drain that oil doesn't work. Because of this the car is knocking and stalling at idle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11373127, filed 2020-11, 120,000 miles

   “Car was dying when I tried to pull out onto the road, city street from a stop sign.was almost hit. My grandaughter is just learning to drive and I am scared to death to let her drive it . Running after key taken out, running very ruff. Check engine light kept going on & off as well as stabli trac warning.smelled like catalytic convertor burning took to dealer to have diagosed and they said high pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11246535, filed 2019-08, 125,000 miles
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Defroster and heater controls stop working

   • 77 complaints (10%)
   • median 67,500 mi at 6.9 yrs old (62 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $600 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2024

   Owners describe the defroster and heat failing intermittently, with the blower cutting out or the climate control switching from heat to cold air. Some report popping noises from the dash, or a blend door actuator stuck in a cooling position that prevented defrosting. Several say the dealer found a faulty part, and one owner was told that a recall did not cover their VIN. Reports range from about 15,000 to 235,000 miles, with several around 30,000 miles.

   Recall 09V489000

   What to check: Test the defroster and heat at each fan speed and in both defrost and floor modes. Ask whether the climate control panel, blower, or blend door actuator was repaired, and check whether the defroster recall 09V489000 was completed on this VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Hello on a few different occasions my center console as stopped functioning making it impossible to turn on/off defroster, heat, etc. I have called Chevrolet about this problem but they told me it is not included in recall 09v489000. Can someone please explain why my vehicle does not qualify for this recall when I am experiencing the same problems? Thank you”

   NHTSA complaint #10484929, filed 2012-11, 36,000 miles

   “I recently found my son's defrost was not working on his 2010 Equinox. As I was searching for troubleshooting information, I found there was a recall for this exact issue however my VIN was not covered in the recall. My assumption is they did nto accurately bookend this issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11396168, filed 2021-02, 115,000 miles
4. 4
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers stop working during rain

   • 96 complaints (12%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 8.8 yrs old (83 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $432 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2011–2024

   Owners describe the windshield wipers stopping while driving in rain or hail, sometimes with the motor running but the arms not moving. Some describe a corroded or worn wiper linkage ball joint. Owners say the wiper motor or linkage was repaired, but the wipers failed again later. One owner said that losing the wipers in heavy rain made it hard to see the road and led to a collision. Most reports are at about 50,000 to 125,000 miles, with one near 186,500 miles.

   What to check: Run the wipers at several speeds, including in rain or with the washer, and check the linkage for corrosion or looseness. Ask whether a wiper motor or linkage repair was completed and whether it has recurred.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While traveling at 65 MPH during a rain storm, the windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. After getting the vehicle home, we discovered the wiper linkage had failed. The ball jointsin the linkage were severely corroded and worn. Seems.to.be the exact failure that was recalled on the 2013 Equinox models (16v582000). When ordering repair parts I noted the wiper linkage is common to all Equinox models from 2010-2017. Vehicle has roughly 80,000 miles at time.of failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #11162811, filed 2018-12, 80,000 miles

   “The other day it was raining slightly and I was at my friends house. Later when I left it was raining harder so I was using my wipers and when I had gotten 5 mins down the road my windshield wipers stopped working and it caused me to lose control because I could not see a thing. When that happened I hit something and was in the grass a bit. Now I have a chunk of my bumper gone and a headlight out cause of what I hit. Which I really don't know what it was I hit. Now my wipers don't work, a chunk of my bumper is gone, as well as some plastic under my car came off.”

   NHTSA complaint #11325917, filed 2020-05, 186,500 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission failure or loss of drive

   Mentioned in 5 of 80 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the transmission failing with little or no warning, sometimes after surging or bucking when stopping, followed by the engine dying. Some report no reverse, failure to shift past second gear, or a car that would not restart after stalling. One teardown reported dark fluid with metal shavings, and some say the dealer could not reproduce the surging. Reports range from about 41,000 to 200,000 miles, with several describing a sudden failure.

   What to check: Ask for transmission service records and check the fluid condition if possible. On a test drive, check shifting from a stop, the reverse gear, and shifts past second gear, and ask whether the transmission was inspected for surging.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle just reached the 100k mile mark. Without any warning the transmission went fully out of commission. Always had our changed and all repairs done at dealership. Brakes replaced and oil changed at 104,976 with multipoint inspection done at dealership. No problems reported at this time. Transmission failed at 105,638.”

   NHTSA complaint #11353759, filed 2020-09, 105,638 miles

   “11/13/13 first report of transmission surging/bucking when coming to stop then engine dies, happened twice. Dealer could not duplicate. 12/21/13 transmission failure: no reverse, won't shift past 2nd, trans fluid ok but dark w/ metal shavings. Found 3,5,r wave plate fibers & steels damaged along w/ clutch housing assembly, low reverse spring retainer & housing. 1,2,3,4,piston, low reverse 1,2,3,4 clutch, low reverse piston. Clean case, rebuilt valve body, replaced seals, installed overhaul kit. 2/24/14: reported transmission problem recurred, dealer drove for 2 weeks could not duplicate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10576835, filed 2014-04, 75,200 miles

Buying note. Ask for oil-consumption, engine, and transmission service records, and check the oil level after a drive. Confirm that the defroster and wipers work at every setting, and ask whether the defroster recall was completed on the VIN.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 80 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.