Chevrolet Equinox reliability by year
31 recall campaigns and 9,079 owner complaints across 22 model years. Best year to buy: 2026. Year to avoid: 2015.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 6 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2009, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 22 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 47, more than the 31 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Equinox aggregated across 22 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chevrolet Equinox?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox scores 9.8/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2026 range. 58 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chevrolet Equinox year should I avoid?
The 2015 Chevrolet Equinox scores 6.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 679 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2015 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chevrolet Equinox should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2016 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 25 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 48,000–89,000 mi); 2005 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2020 (high-risk ownership — brakes: 77 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 48,800–100,000 mi); 2019 (high-risk ownership — brakes: 68 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 25,000–100,000 mi); 2011 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 55 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 48,000–119,000 mi); 2008 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 58 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 55,000–91,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2026, 2024, 2009, 2025, 2023, 2022. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Chevrolet Equinox are tracked?
22 model years (2005 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 31 distinct recall campaigns and 9,079 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 47 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chevrolet Equinox?
engine is the most-reported category — 2,140 complaints across 21 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.