Problem Lookup › Chevrolet › Equinox › 2012
Car problem report
2012 Chevrolet Equinox problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 3safety recalls
- 685owner complaints
- 16crash reports
- 6fire reports
- 13injuries reported
685 complaints, against an average of 339 for the other 14 Chevrolet Equinox model years.
Every Chevrolet Equinox model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
The components named most often in the 685 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2012 Chevrolet Equinox owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 685 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
- Why is my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox burning or losing oil?153 owners · 22.3%
- Why do the windshield wipers stop working on my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?112 owners · 16.4%
- Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox stall, lose power or shut off while driving?107 owners · 15.6%
- Why is the check engine light on in my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?67 owners · 9.8%
- What causes a knocking, ticking or rattling noise in the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox engine?57 owners · 8.3%
- Has the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox had engine failures?44 owners · 6.4%
- Does the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox have rust or paint problems?25 owners · 3.6%
- Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox smell of burning or smoke?24 owners · 3.5%
- Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox idle rough, misfire or hesitate?22 owners · 3.2%
Has the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox been recalled?
3 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Electrical System: Ignition General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Seats: Front Assembly: Power Adjust General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
Tires: Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems GENERAL MOTORS (GM) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND GMC TERRAIN VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 18, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 6, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM" (TPMS). THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO ILLUMINATE THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT WHEN THE PRESSURE IN A TIRE IS 25% BELOW THE RECOMMENDED COLD TIRE PRESSURE. ON THESE VEHICLES, THE LIGHT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL THE TIRE PRESSURE IS MORE THAN 25% BELOW THE RECOMMENDED COLD TIRE PRESSURE.
Risk: UNDERINFLATED TIRES CAN RESULT IN TIRE OVERLOADING AND OVERHEATING, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A BLOWOUT AND POSSIBLE CRASH. THE RESULTING CRASH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. UNDERINFLATED TIRES CAN ALSO RESULT IN PREMATURE OR IRREGULAR WEAR, POOR HANDLING, AND POOR FUEL ECONOMY.
Fix: GM DEALERS WILL UPDATE THE BODY CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 9, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
What do 2012 Chevrolet Equinox owners report?
12 of the 685 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. While the contact's daughter was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine shut off. The contact's daughter attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started. There was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The contact stated that the oil was topped off every two days. The failure occurred while minor children were inside the vehicle. The failure was a persistent failure. The dealer was contacted…
Wipers do not work Seems to not recognize when idling and starts to shake if stopped at a red light. Randomly will go through 2 quarts of oil in one day
The abs braking and stability control light came on and has stayed on and took to mechanic shop and was told to repair would be 4000 .that's more than what the car is worth!changed motor oil many times since I owned the car and it uses oil quite much.ihe oil gauge can say I have 70 percent oil and the dipstick reads no oil so I must put 2 -3 quarts of oil in car because I can hear lifters rattle due to lack of oil.the abs stability control keeps car steady especially in i snow or rain weather and can lose control of the 2012 Chevy equinox.if I was to drive vehicle on long trip the motor could…
ABS stabilizer light on dash shows ABS malfunction.took it to certified mechanic to check the problem and was told the system had to be replaced at the cost of $4000.
Recently got an oil change, and in a month I’ve had to “top-off” my oil. Constantly have to make sure I carry a few quarts of oil to make sure my oil is filled. One day, I forgot to check the oil and my car was stalling on a busy road. Had to pull over to make sure I put the oil in there. Everyone that I’ve asked said they have the same issue. I stopped asking people after the 10th person. My uncle is a mechanic and he said the same thing about the oil. He said he wasn’t sure where is goes but it just disappears.
Rear tailgate. Borrowed vehicle from a friend for a trip. When opening the tailgate with the external switch it opens all the way and immediately comes back down about 12 inches or so then it immediately goes back up and immediately comes all the way down. My wife was almost trapped between the bottom of the tailgate and the floor of the storage compartment. When I tried it, I tried to hold it up when it started down for the second time and it was impossible for me to stop the tailgate from closing. It substantially overpowered me. There is a PROBABILITY that it could have broken her back or…
Its iz using 2 or 3 courts of oil every 200 miles
My drivers side wiper blade stopped working while the passenger side is still working. I saw a recall for this linkage on the site but it’s not for my specific VIN. Additionally, my catalytic converter has damage due to excessive oil consumption. Halfway through my regular oil changes the oil is almost completely empty. Again, there’s a recall on this for my specific make, model and year but not for my VIN. I feel these should be covered to be fixed by manufacture due to symptoms equivalent to recall.
2012 Chevrolet equinox burns/leaks oil which cause the serpentine belt to pop off & I had to replace it. Having problems with the MAT & IAT codes, just replaced the fuel pump, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, & spark plugs... Car still will not crank. They're saying there's no recall but why are all the Chevrolet equinox malfunctioning with the same problems with no help from the manufacturer?
I have owned this car for over 3 years. I have ALWAYS started the car, closed the doors, gotten the kids in the car, and then got in the car myself and went on with my day. On [XXX], I put my 6 month old baby in the car, closed the door, and when I tried to get into the car, all the doors were locked. NEVER in my time of owning this car have the locks EVER locked itself after just starting it and letting it "warm up". Needless to say, thank God my air was already on so my baby was at least "safe" until the police could arrive and get the car opened. But they unfortunately broke my driver side…
The trailing arm bracket rotten through the frame. This is due to premature rusting/rotting of the frame. Apparently Chevy has had this problem, every I spoke to kept saying "check with Chevy for recall" The dealer tried to fix the problem by (modifying the trailer arm? not sure what that means) but approximately two weeks later it went through the frame again. Took it back to dealer but they were unable to fix this problem and sent me on my way. It was a very good thing that while driving this vehicle nothing major happened. I found a body shop that tackled this and fixed the frame. It was…
MY VEHICLES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN THE STABILITY LIGHT CAME ON THE VEHICLE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS CHOKING. WHEN WE GOT IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP IT STALLED OUT AND WHEN THE SHOP DID SHOVE INVESTIGATION THERE WAS NO OIL IN THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO WARNING ABOUT OIL BEING LOW OR LIGHTS ON. AS WE WERE BRINGING VEHICLE TO SHOP IT SMELLED OF BURNING. VEHICLE STARTED MALFUNCTIONING WHEN STATIONARY AND BECAME WORSE WHEN IN MOTION.
2012 Chevrolet Equinox: questions owners ask
Is the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 685 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox; the most common categories were engine (355, 51.8%), visibility/wiper (121, 17.7%), power train (84, 12.3%). There are 3 safety recalls. 16 complaints mention a crash, 6 mention a fire, 13 injuries were reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
Across 685 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are engine (51.8% of complaints), visibility/wiper (17.7% of complaints), power train (12.3% of complaints), electrical system (10.2% of complaints), fuel/propulsion system (7.9% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox; the most recent (campaign 16V502000, 2016-07-05) concerns Electrical System: Ignition. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why is my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox burning or losing oil?
153 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (22.3%) describe excessive oil consumption or oil leaks. One owner wrote: "The vehicles oil needs to be checked every day to make sure the levels are not low. The vehicle has no visible oil leaks on the ground or inside, but the oil levels will drop." (NHTSA complaint 11714384, January 2026). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why do the windshield wipers stop working on my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
112 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (16.4%) describe windshield wipers stopping or failing. One owner wrote: "Wipers do not work Seems to not recognize when idling and starts to shake if stopped at a red light. Randomly will go through 2 quarts of oil in one day" (NHTSA complaint 11735335, May 2026). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
107 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (15.6%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "Recently got an oil change, and in a month I’ve had to “top-off” my oil. Constantly have to make sure I carry a few quarts of oil to make sure my oil is filled. One day, I forgot to check the oil and my car was stalling on a busy road." (NHTSA complaint 11699902, November 2025). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why is the check engine light on in my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
67 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (9.8%) describe the check engine light coming on. One owner wrote: "My check engine light has been on and I've had people with machines to turn it off. It came back on each time. It is available for inspection. I don't feel totally safe as I don't know when or where it might fail and what that would look like." (NHTSA complaint 11645277, February 2025). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
What causes a knocking, ticking or rattling noise in the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox engine?
57 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (8.3%) describe a knocking, ticking or rattling engine noise. One owner wrote: "Chevy sold the Equinox knowing full well that it had engine problems. The oil system fails, using oil at an excessive rate and oil dumping from engine. They were aware that around 80,000 miles the car would need over $4000 in repairs." (NHTSA complaint 11571122, February 2024). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Has the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox had engine failures?
44 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (6.4%) describe complete engine failure or a replaced engine. One owner wrote: "Driving to work at 6:30 am. I slowed down at a stop light. Heard a weird noise I've never heard before from under the hood, headlights dimmed and became bright again, started to accelerate as stop light changed to green." (NHTSA complaint 11555367, November 2023). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Does the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox have rust or paint problems?
25 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (3.6%) describe rust, corrosion or peeling paint. One owner wrote: "The underbody of my 2012 Equinox is completely rusted and now not drivable. The KFrame is rotten and the car is not safe to drive. The engine consumes a great amount of oil. I've been told the engine needs to be replaced. I've only had the car for 2 years." (NHTSA complaint 11612063, September 2024). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox smell of burning or smoke?
24 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (3.5%) describe a burning smell or smoke. One owner wrote: "Oil consumption excessive burning oil TIMING Chain has been replaced unfortunately problem still occurs..Car was calculated by mileage driven 2000 miles Heavy Excessive Oil Consumption When removing key from ignition to turn off vehicle." (NHTSA complaint 11506901, February 2023). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does my 2012 Chevrolet Equinox idle rough, misfire or hesitate?
22 of the 685 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (3.2%) describe rough idling, misfires or hesitation when accelerating. One owner wrote: "Engine makes rough idle noise when stopped or going slow. Took in for an oil change(I assumed it was way over due) I was then told, I still had over 3k miles to go. When they checked my fluid they found it was 3.5 liters short." (NHTSA complaint 11432470, September 2021). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Equinox
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2012 only.