FaultScore

2021 Chevrolet Equinox transmission problems

17 of the 128 complaints about the 2021 Chevrolet Equinox are about the transmission — 13% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 64,500 miles.

B

17

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Power Train 17 100.0%

Transmission & Drivetrain across every Chevrolet Equinox year

2005 117 10.8%
2006 35 3.2%
2007 31 2.9%
2008 16 1.5%
2009 10 0.9%
2010 182 16.8%
2011 145 13.4%
2012 84 7.8%
2013 80 7.4%
2014 40 3.7%
2015 63 5.8%
2016 26 2.4%
2017 32 3.0%
2018 65 6.0%
2019 35 3.2%
2020 39 3.6%
2021 17 1.6%
2022 10 0.9%
2024 11 1.0%
2025 30 2.8%
2026 13 1.2%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

Watervliet, NY

POWER TRAIN

The high pressure fuel pump seized, shattering the camshaft, dropping metal fragments into the cylinders causing total engine failure. GM issued a safety recall for certain 2021-2022 Chevy equinox due to a defective fuel pump modules but it was not accurate. GM is currently facing major class action lawsuits alleging that their equinox fuel pumps are fundamentally defective. The lawsuits highlight that the component fails, causing catastrophic damage and GMs initial recall fixes were inadequate.

NHTSA complaint #11751317 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Hinton, WV

POWER TRAIN

The electronic brake control module causes the car to no start and goes into limp mode. Cuts off the power to every system in the entire dashboard including the transmission making the car very dangerous to drive.

NHTSA complaint #11748322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Menomonie, WI

POWER TRAIN

My car only has 60,000 miles and it shifts hard. Also my drivers seat belt has issues latching

NHTSA complaint #11742225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Brownwood, TX

POWER TRAIN

On way to [XXX] car started hesitating stop at Oreily’s they hooked up said 3rd cylinder was misfiring took to Bruner Chevrolet I told them what the read out said on the 3rd cylinder misfiring they said catalytic converter was messed up and changed it out drove car home still hesitating went back to Bruner Chevrolet I asked them about the recall on the fuel injector module they said my car was not on the recall said it needed the spark plugs and fuel injectors maintenance they did all that then they test drove the car engine light came on said the fuel injector needed to be replaced cost me 866.33 for all this what I want to know if the fuel injector module wasn’t working properly would it cause all of this my car only has 40,800 miles on it INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11740881 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Edmeston, NY

POWER TRAIN

REPLACED A PROPELLOR SHAFT AT 59,000 MILES 8/23/2025. PAID $859.00. UNAWARE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AND COVORERD BY A MANUFACTURERS WARRANTEE. SIX MONTHS LATER MY MECHANIC(1) AND CAR DEALER(2) RECOMMEND A BODY CONTROL MODULE AND POSSIBLE REAR DIFFERENTIAL REPLACEMENT ESTIMATED BETWEEN $1500-$3500. THIS VEHICLE STILL HAS LESS THAN 69000. THIS HAS BEEN A HARDSHIP AFTER PURCHASING A NEWER VEHICLE SO I COULD HAVE FEWER REPAIRS TO MY BUDGET.

NHTSA complaint #11724768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 80,000 miles Bel Air, MD

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at speeds between 30 and 50 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started wobbling and vibrating severely. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front half shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed of a TSB related to the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA complaint #11693524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Aurora, CO

POWER TRAIN

My vehicle has 75,607 miles and the transmission gave out randomly started stalling and jumping and it won’t switch gears correctly and this has been a problem for a lot of other equinox’s as well

NHTSA complaint #11682987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Franklin Park, IL

POWER TRAIN

Spline worn out and disconnected from differential.

NHTSA complaint #11679964 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lisbon, NY

POWER TRAIN

There is a vibration and wobble upon acceleration. This issue has been confirmed by an independent service center. It is not an issue with the tires. GM has a service bulletin on the front axles.

NHTSA complaint #11616126 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 60,371 miles Belleville, IL

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 MPH. The contact stated that the engine power reduced message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,371.

NHTSA complaint #11608081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 62,000 miles Warwick, NY

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the front of the vehicle shuddered significantly, and the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 20-NA-227. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the same assessment was made. The dealer contacted the manufacturer, who advised that they would partially cover the repair because the TSB was not a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

NHTSA complaint #11544483 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sandy Creek, NY

POWER TRAIN

On 2/18/23 our equinox failed to go into park. We couldn’t shut the car off, nor start it back up. Everything electrical was on basically idle mode. ESC - brake control module came across the dash. The dash also kept saying to put the car in park. It wouldn’t go into park. We called for a tow truck to have it taken back to the dealership. When it was taken to the dealership the car was ON. It still wouldn’t shut off. As of 2/21/23 they want $550 for a diagnostics and a dead battery. Of course my battery would die after 2 days of sitting and being on. This is a major safety issue with GM and chevy vehicles. We have 48,653 miles so we’re out of warranty. The dealership didn’t bother to call and ask what happened nor want to listen to what occurred.

NHTSA complaint #11508853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sandusky, OH

POWER TRAIN

Chevy Equinox turned off while in the turn lane. Car would not turn back on. No warning was shown prior to the incident but now there is a solid check engine light. upon googling it seems other chevy's have a fuel pump flow issue causing cars to stall and not turn on. chevy upon inquiring if our equinox has a recall they said no even though other 2021 equinox's have this issue. i believe this is a safety issue, if it is a fuel pump issue how do we know it can't cause the engines to catch fire from improper fueling. this needs to be looked into.

NHTSA complaint #11506709 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 67,000 miles Westville, IN

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking and wobbling. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the four tires were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then inspected again, and the contact was informed that the failure could be related to the driveshaft or the drive train. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

NHTSA complaint #11501254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Eight Mile, AL

POWER TRAIN

2021 Chevy equinox vacuum pump failed causing the breaking to become impossible to use while operating.

NHTSA complaint #11495225 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Palmer, AK

POWER TRAIN

It was a dark cold (minus 18) morning driving to work. All of the sudden a warning came on. The engine power is reduced mode came on and I went from highway speed to 30 mph instantly. I barely got home. I was terrified and the car would hardly go. Very dangerous. After much research because no dealer could get us in ( three week wait) we figured out what was causing it. Code P0234 turbocharge overboost. The dealer said I was safe to drive it. Still reduced power. After one week it warmed up to 17 degrees and the check engine light came off. I still have reduced engine power. New turbocharge feature for the 1.5 lt equinox. This should have been tested in cold climates. We regularly have 20 below temps and it’s a brand name car. I see a recall coming.

NHTSA complaint #11442734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Buffalo, NY

POWER TRAIN

I feel the transmission is defective on this car. There are only 800+ miles on the car. In the morning I pulled the car out of the garage and the car did not feel smooth. I said that seemed awfully odd. I drove the car but nothing else happened. In the evening I parked the car in a parking lot up against a curb and a fence. I turned the engine off and placed it in park and I am positive about that. All of a sudden the car lurched forward jumped the curb knocked the fence down and stopped against a tree. Needless to say I was traumatized.

NHTSA complaint #11422780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2021 Chevrolet Equinox problems

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