2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Gas Compact SUV
The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Equinox FWD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 395 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equinox FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 22 | 31 | 26 | $2,400 |
| Equinox FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 22 | 31 | 26 | $2,400 |
| Equinox AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 20 | 28 | 23 | $2,700 |
| Equinox AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 20 | 28 | 23 | $2,700 |
| Equinox FWD | Gas | FWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 17 | 24 | 20 | $3,100 |
| Equinox AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 16 | 23 | 18 | $3,450 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2016 Chevrolet Equinox is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (1)
Tires
highProblem: 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.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA investigations
Visibility/Wiper — Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative (closed)
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 wa
Opened Dec 13, 2019 · closed Nov 28, 2022 · action EA19005
Visibility/Wiper — Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure (closed)
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
Opened Nov 2, 2018 · closed Dec 19, 2019 · action RQ18002
Owner complaints
395 complaints filed
14 involved a crash, 3 a fire, 22 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2015: 1 · 2016: 14 · 2017: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2019: 38 · 2020: 43 · 2021: 30 · 2022: 53 · 2023: 74 · 2024: 54 · 2025: 43 · 2026: 14
Most-cited components
- Engine — 201
- Visibility/Wiper — 113
- Unknown Or Other — 32
- Power Train — 26
- Electrical System — 24
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 19% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2016 Equinox with
Other Equinox model years
2027 Equinox
0 recalls · 0 complaints
B2026 Equinox
3 recalls · 80 complaints
D2025 Equinox
6 recalls · 384 complaints
B2024 Equinox
2 recalls · 182 complaints
C2023 Equinox
3 recalls · 95 complaints
D2022 Equinox
5 recalls · 165 complaints
D2021 Equinox
4 recalls · 91 complaints
F2020 Equinox
4 recalls · 304 complaints
F2019 Equinox
4 recalls · 301 complaints
F2018 Equinox
5 recalls · 403 complaints
A2017 Equinox
0 recalls · 272 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36491, 36492, 36330, 36331, 36601, 36506). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.