The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 - 70 MPH, the display went blank approximately every five minutes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the battery was disconnected and the wiring and cables were inspected. The mechanic stated that the issue presented a safety concern. During a test drive, the mechanic experienced the screen going blank. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
The worst 2016 Chevrolet Equinox problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine211
- Visibility120
- Transmission27
- Electrical25
- Fuel system21
- Airbags12
- Acceleration9
- Driver assistance8
- Steering7
- Body6
- Brakes6
- Wheels5
- Suspension3
- Lights2
- Seat belts2
- Seats1
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Wipers 112Oil consumption 59Engine failure 53Stalling 53Check engine light 49Knocking 16Loss of power 14Won't start 11Ball joint 8Fire or smoke 8Misfire 8No deployment 7Fuel smell 6Hesitation 5Jerking 5Won't shift 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox mention
P0010 3P0016 2P0017 2
Recalls 1
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- 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."
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 16V449000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Defect investigations
Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative
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). the federal safety agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.
EA19005
Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure
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.
RQ18002
Technical service bulletins for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox 1,245
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- Unknown or other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- This document provides the technician with a diagnostic tip if the vehicle stalls and set diagnostic...
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- Unknown or other
- This service bulletin provides information on Tire Sidewall Irregularities.
2016 Chevrolet Equinox fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4‑cyl | FWD | 22 | 31 | 26 |
| 2.4L 4‑cyl | AWD | 20 | 28 | 23 |
| 3.6L 6‑cyl | FWD | 17 | 24 | 20 |
| 3.6L 6‑cyl | AWD | 16 | 23 | 18 |
What 2016 Chevrolet Equinox owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The drivers' side front seatbelt will not retract back into the b pillar when taken off. It will get caught in the door when closing it and prevent the driver's door from closing. The transmission slips out of gear when decelerating and accelerating in traffic. This causes the transmission to slam back into gear.
I am filing this complaint regarding a safety-related engine problem with my 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. My vehicle is currently experiencing excessive crankcase pressure associated with the PCV system. The vehicle requires PCV service, and I have been advised that the excessive crankcase pressure has contributed to multiple engine oil leaks, including a timing cover leak and front main seal leak. I am concerned that the underlying PCV/crankcase-pressure problem is causing or contributing to these failures rather than these being isolated gasket or seal failures. Excessive crankcase pressure can force engine oil past seals and gaskets, resulting in significant oil loss. This creates a safety concern because an engine oil leak can worsen suddenly and result in substantial loss of engine oil, potentially causing engine damage or engine failure while the vehicle is being driven. Oil contamination of the serpentine belt is also concerning because it can affect the belt's ability to operate properly and may result in belt failure and loss of engine-driven components. I believe the PCV/crankcase ventilation issue should be investigated as a potential underlying defect in the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether there is a recurring safety defect involving the PCV system, excessive crankcase pressure, resulting oil-seal/gasket failures, and associated oil contamination in these vehicles. I am also concerned that owners may be required to pay for multiple repairs to correct the consequences of an underlying PCV/crankcase pressure problem. The vehicle is currently in need of repair for the PCV system, excessive crankcase pressure, front main seal, timing cover gasket, and oil-contaminated serpentine belt. The timing chain may also require replacement depending on the inspection and extent of damage. Documents are included.
Timing chain guide broke and caused catastropic engine failure while driving 70 miles an hour on the highway causing steering, brakes etc to lock up putting me and my family at risk of accident and great bodily harm. Vehicle is available for inspection. No prior knowledge of mechanic problems due to only having purchased the vehicle from Mac's Chevrolet 4 months prior. Have since learned of the oil consumption issue associated with this year equinox which likely contributed to the timing chain failure. Vehicle has been inspected by two independent mechanics. This vehicle completely locking up on the highway at this speed could have killed us all if near another vehicle or semi.
Wipers just stopped working on the highway in a very bad rain storm, when I was taking my daughter to school. We could not see and had to put our hazards on and somehow carefully pull off to the side of the road. We could have easily been rear ended or worse “Killed”. There was no warning given. This was very scary for me and my child. Why isn’t there a recall for the 2016 Equinox??
In February of 2025, while driving my 2016 Chevy Equinox home from work, I heard a loud pop and loss of engine power a block from home. The weather conditions at the time were below freezing and light snow. After getting my vehicle home, my neighbor, who works for GM looked under my Equinox and discovered the rear main oil seal had blown and informed me this was a known issue with the GM 2.4L Ecotec engine. The GM 2.4L Ecotec engine contains a non‑serviceable Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system that uses a fixed orifice built into the intake manifold instead of a replaceable PCV valve. In cold weather, moisture and vapor inside the crankcase can freeze or accumulate as sludge within this orifice. When the orifice becomes obstructed, the PCV system can no longer vent crankcase gases properly, causing internal pressure to rise significantly. This condition is most common in sub‑freezing temperatures and is documented in multiple GM technical bulletins. When crankcase pressure increases beyond normal operating limits, the pressure seeks the weakest escape point, which is often the rear main seal. As pressure builds, the rear main seal can rupture suddenly, resulting in an immediate and severe oil leak. This failure can occur without warning and may lead to rapid oil loss, environmental contamination, and potential engine damage if the vehicle continues to operate. The defect is inherent to the PCV system design and is not related to owner maintenance practices. General Motors has been aware of PCV system obstruction issues in the 2.4L Ecotec engine since at least 2013, when internal service bulletins first documented rear main seal failures caused by crankcase over‑pressurization in cold weather. GM issued additional bulletins in 2014, 2016, and 2019, each reiterating the same failure mechanism. In 2014, GM created Special Coverage Adjustment 14882 but many vehicles equipped with the same engine and PCV design were not added, including mine.
Wipers stopped working while driving in the rain
Wipers stopped working in the pouring down rain. Couldn’t see anything
: "I live in my car. The 2016 Equinox 2.4L burned all its oil in 2 weeks with no leaks, failed to give a dashboard warning, and the engine is now knocking, threatening to leave me unsheltered." This ties my vehicle's specific failure to the federal database for future legal payouts.
right front wheel assembly is bad.
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Other model years
20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027
Questions about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?
Owners have filed 400 complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, close to a typical Equinox model year.
What is the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox year score?
The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox scores 75 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Chevrolet Equinox: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
Engine and cooling, with 211 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles. Next is visibility (120).
How many recalls does the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox have?
1 recall, covering equipment.
What year does the Chevrolet Equinox have bad engine?
The Chevrolet Equinox model years with the most engine complaints are 2013 (420 complaints), 2011 (419 complaints) and 2012 (361 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox get?
Official estimates for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox range from 18 to 26 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.4L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 22 city and 31 highway.
VIN decoder
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