143 of the
12,688 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Equinox
are about the lighting —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2008.
Front turn indicator lights have gone out. Unfortunately, due to Chevy's vehicle design, the bulbs can only be replaced by pulling the bumper off in total and replacing bulbs. Then, putting entire bumper system back. This information was given to me by Chevrolet of Issaquah AND confirmed by Bonita Point Repair in Chula Vista California.
NHTSA complaint #11741594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Between XXX, a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox RS experienced repeated sudden loss of engine power, throttle control, and steering control at highway speeds. Fuel management system, turbocharger, and catalytic converter failed repeatedly. GM-authorized dealer confirmed defects on multiple warranty repair orders. Breakdown 1: Nov 2024, interstate, rain, nighttime. Vehicle lost power and steering surrounded by semi-trucks on three sides with a ditch on the right. Towed to GM dealer. Breakdown 2: Dec 2024, [XXX], 2 miles from home. Same failure. Semi on driver side, vehicles fast approaching from rear, ditch on right. Crawled under 35 mph for 5 miles to next exit. GM OnStar app confirmed Engine/Transmission and Emissions System warnings. Independent scan confirmed P0299, P0171, P00C6. Check Engine FAIL, Emission Ready NO. Breakdown 3: XXX, [XXX] , 1 AM, winter storm. Same failure. Driver stranded. Sustained burns from superheated hood mechanism and fall injuries on wet pavement. Dealer confirmed turbocharger damage, blocked catalytic converter, and fuel rail pressure failures across multiple visits. On fourth repair attempt, dealer technician documented a component from a prior repair had fallen out and was not caught, directly causing the next breakdown. GM Technical Assistance Center was engaged. Same fault codes recurred across all four repair attempts. MyChevrolet app diagnostics, independent AutoZone scans, and dealer warranty repair orders confirm the recurring defect pattern. Vehicle was repossessed by lender in June 2025 following loan delinquency caused directly by extended repair periods and income loss from recurring defects. Vehicle no longer in owner's possession. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11741382 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The back lighting for the controls does not work the check engine light is on the dealer said there is no fix for either one of these items at this time
NHTSA complaint #11738168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When attempting to engage the Left turn signal, the lever has to be pushed down several times to "catch or engage" and stay engaged. Frequently it won't stay engaged and turns off before the turn is completed. (The Right turn signal works properly). This happens 8 out of 10 times on a consistent basis. The dealer shop supervisor and tech test drove it as well as another brand new lot vehicle and both did the same thing. They said that that's what they all do, and I should push down more firmly, which doesn't help. I'm in my late [XXX] , have driven new GM vehicles for decades and know how to use a turn signal. I have been in the middle of LH turns and the turn signal was not flashing to advise other drivers of my intent to turn. I believe that this is a significant and dangerous safety issue. I bought the vehicle new a little over a year ago and it currently has about 2500 miles on it. I am not sure when this started happening, but I started to notice it at about 1700 miles, 6 months ago when I started driving it regularly in place of my 2024 Chevrolet 1500 pickup. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11729182 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There are two issues with the headlights as it relates to the instrument panel and controls. First, the symbol on the instrument panel is the same for both headlights and running lights. This means at dusk, I cannot know whether my auto-headlights have turned or if I need to override the auto-feature to turn them on manually. Second, the headlight controls are buried in a menu, hidden behind the steering wheel. The "quick menu" is inconvenient, but the fact that it is hidden bedding the steering wheel means that I have to lean forward and around to fiddle with it, which has led to me drifting into another lane as I am distracted. From the driver's perspective, the "quick menus" are all hidden behind the wheel, and the control panel is just far enough out of reach that the driver must adjust and lean forward to reach for any controls not on the steering column.
NHTSA complaint #11727846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The illuminated dashboard, center control console, and headlights suddenly turned off while the vehicle was in motion during a dark night. The blackout lasted approximately 10 seconds and I was unable to see to keep the vehicle on the roadway. After running onto the unpaved shoulder, I was able to fully stop the vehicle without hitting anything. All of the lights came back on and the dashboard showed a message that said "Auto shutoff". Then everything returned to normal. This problem hasn't been reported to the dealer yet, but will be discussed during an upcoming service to correct one of the other problems that keep occurring with this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11724232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Intella beam system turns off while driving. Radio and lights won't shut off when car is turned off. Crash detection comes on when nothing is in front of you. Dash is blank when starting the vehicle. On star not connecting and then won't turn off.
NHTSA complaint #11722420 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the turn signal flashed two or three times and then stopped. In addition, the doors independently locked and unlocked, and the TPMS sensors were inoperable. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the front headlights flashed off and came back on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,050.
NHTSA complaint #11714012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the turn signal flashed two or three times and then stopped. In addition, the doors independently locked and unlocked, and the TPMS sensors were inoperable. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the front headlights flashed off and came back on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,050.
NHTSA complaint #11714012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
IN THE EQUINOX LT, VIN [XXX] , THE TELEMETRY MODULE HAS AN ISSUE PER THE DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER DUE TO THE TELEMETRY MODULE ISSUE. THE PART IS ON ORDER AND AS OF JANUARY 16, 2026. IT WILL TAKE 4 TO 6 WEEKS TO ARRIVE. IN THE MEAN TIME I HAVE HAD TO CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TWICE IN TWO WEEKS, AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN JUMPED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES. ONCE PRIOR TO THE DIAGNOSIS, AND THREE TIMES SINCE THE DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 16, 600 MILES, AND IS DRIVEN TO AND FROM WORK. THE TELEMETRY MODULE IS THE CAUSE OF THE OVER ALL ISSUE, PER THE DEALERSHIP. THE BATTERY CONTINUES TO GO DEAD ON VEHICLE [XXX] , 2025 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11713013 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Light from recessed LED headlights becomes obscured by packed snow when traveling in a snowstorm. LED lamp does not emit enough heat to keep clear. Loss of light is gradual and can reach an unsafe level almost without notice.
NHTSA complaint #11711902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving in snowy conditions the headlights become packed with snow and slush. Lights become dim and I’ve had to pull over in unsafe conditions to clear them.
NHTSA complaint #11707031 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlights are recessed. When driving in the snow they catch the snow and block the light from coming out. I was driving home last night in a snow storm and couldn’t see very far ahead of me because my headlights were packed full of snow. The LED lights don’t produce heat to melt the snow, and there’s nowhere for the snow to fall out from so the snow and road grime just keeps getting packed into the recessed light. Very poor design.
NHTSA complaint #11702014 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a button on the top of the steering wheel that puts the car in low gear. We have been going down the interstate twice and my husband accidentally hit the button slowing down the car immediately. This is very dangerous and could cause a rear end collision. We have reported it to Chevrolet several times, to the service department twice and the corporation also. Low gear has normally been on the gear shift with all the other gears, but for some reason, they put it on the top left side of the steering wheel. That is a very strange place to have that since the steering wheel also has buttons for cruise control, Bluetooth, stereo, etc. We think this button needs to be disengaged and put else where, but Chevrolet offered us $150 for the inconvenience. We are not concerned with convenience, but with safety. Also, the vertical buttons on the dash below the navigation screen are not visible during the day. At night, when it is dark, the light illuminate the buttons so they can be seen, but they are not visible during the day. However, you do need to be able to see the buttons. My husband used a label maker to put the names on the buttons just to prevent a wreck, but Chevrolet needs to address the issue. We have mentioned this to the service department and corporate office, but they do no seem to be concerned. We consider both items to be an issue that needs to be corrected, but no one seems to care. Hope you can help get these items addressed before something serious happens. If you nee to contact us, our names are [XXX] and [XXX] , [XXX] . Email is: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11700530 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and pushing down the turn signal lever, the lever rose back unintendedly, causing the turn signal to unintendedly disengage. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
NHTSA complaint #11700644 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On August 3rd, while driving on the freeway at 55mph, my vehicle's brakes became extremely stiff, and I could not press them down to engage the braking system. I was about to collide with the vehicle in front of me, so I quickly veered right without looking because I had no time. After moving to the right, the brakes finally slowed the vehicle to around 40mph. Luckily, the traffic light turned green, allowing me to continue moving with the remaining momentum. As I attempted to take a turn on a bridge above the freeway, the steering wheel became stiff. At this point, I was unsure whether I could turn the car at that speed with the steering not responding. I need General Motors and Chevrolet to take action on the severity of the situation and make the necessary and appropriate restitution to me for the traumatic and physical injuries sustained during the incident. For the amount of time I've been without a vehicle, I am now running high risk of loosing my job. $3,700. is what they are charging me, which is conveniently not under warranty. When consistently stating that no one really sure what's covered and what's not covered.
NHTSA complaint #11684972 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When activating the blinker to make a right turn, after completing the turn the blinker turns off, but the force causes the lever to drop far enough that the left blinker activates. Since I've had the vehicle (about 8 months total), I notice this happen more than half the time I use the right blinker. From a quick Google search, this seems like a common problem which may lead to confusion when driving. The dealership I went to doesn't seem to have a fix for it.
NHTSA complaint #11667197 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Center screen went black and is completely inoperational. Cannot utilize any center screen functions including headlights and rear backup camera. Took vehicle to dealer and they diagnosed as a bad display control unit, which is on backorder.
NHTSA complaint #11655995 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Started off with my computer on my dashboard randomly turning off I called the dealership they told me it was because I was not using an iPhone Apple chord. Another instance I was driving down the road close to home and my car started stalling and flashing engine codes on my dashboard, I managed to make it home and park. The next day I tried to start my vehicle and it sounded like the battery was dead. I called a tow truck. The car had enough power for me to put it into neutral and get it onto the flatbed. My mechanic is less than 10 minutes away by the time they got it there they couldn’t do anything to move the vehicle. It had to be jacked up on the flatbed and rolled off because the car would not do anything My mechanic spent two weeks going through the computer system only to find out that I needed a software update and that my computer software had major glitches and electrical issues. Sometimes when I get into my vehicle to start it, it won’t start. I’ve learned that I need to put both feet on the brake. Push it all the way to the floor wait a second and then it will start otherwise my break seizes up and I’m locked out of my vehicle for at least an hour. This has happened to me on the side of highways in public parking lots in front of my home at the grocery stor. This past week I’ve had to get my car jumped 2 different times because when I turn my car off and lock it, my brake lights do not turn off and it killed my battery. I’ve had nothing but issues with the computer since day one from what I’ve googled this is a known issue with my make and model of vehicle. I contacted the dealership and they want to charge me thousands of dollars for something that was a factory defect.
NHTSA complaint #11647614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Modern white LED Headlights too bright, even on Equinox (constantly flashed with low beams on). My son (20), wife (56), and I (52) are dazzled by new LED headlights. It's actually a huge problem, headlights are too dazzling. I know we're not the only ones dazzled.
NHTSA complaint #11633254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.