What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation Equinox?

Front 3/4 view of a Chevrolet Equinox

The 2nd generation Equinox spans the 2010 to 2017 model years.

It has accumulated 1254 owner complaints over those year and ranks 78th in reliability out of 80 eligible Chevrolet generations.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Chevrolet score is 10.56 while this generation comes in at 40.41.

Compare With Other Equinox Generations

The Worst 2010-2017 Equinox Problems

  1. 2.4L Ecotec Oil Consumption

    A series of unfortunate design decisions allow oil to end up in the combustion chamber of the 2.4L Ecotec engine. And a less-than-impressive oil monitoring system doesn't do anything to warn owners about dangerously low oil levels until it'…

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  2. Takata Recalls

    A large number of Chevy vehicles have been recalled because they contain dangerous airbag inflators made by Takata. The shrapnel-hurling inflators have been recalled in over 37 million vehicles (and counting).

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What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

2nd Generation Equinox Key Numbers

  1. 8 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 1,254 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 78th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 80 eligible generations.

Recent 2nd Generation Equinox News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. A lawsuit says the 2.4L Ecotec engine in the 2010-2017 Equinox burns too much oil, knocks incessantly, has defective spark plugs, and is pre-disposed to timing chain issues that can lead to complete engine failure

    . But wait, there’s more…

    All of these problems are allegedly masked by an inadequate warning system that gives owners a false sense of security as their engine rips itself apart from the inside.

    Should I go on?…

    keep reading

  2. A lawsuit says defective piston rings have been causing overheating and oil consumption issues in Equinox and Terrain vehicles since 2010.

    The allegedly faulty engines cause too much oil to enter the combustion chambers, something General Motors has allegedly known about since before 2010. The plaintiffs claim defective piston rings, including both “compression” and “oil” rings, can't handle the high compression ratios of the engines.

    The EcoTec’s 2.4-liter piston rings can’t maintain a good seal within the crankcase. That means more oil and more engines hitting the scrapheap.

    Guess it isn’t very eco-friendly after all.

    keep reading

  3. It's no secret that the Equinox's 2.4-liter EcoTech engine has problems with excessive oil consumption.

    Now there's a lawsuit that wants Chevy to do something about it.

    In the end, the plaintiffs claim the EcoTec 2.4-liter piston rings can't maintain a sufficient seal within the crankcase. The engines also contribute to the oil consumption due to spray jets that spray oil onto the piston skirts and cylinder walls.…

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