2010 Chevrolet Equinox Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 784 owner complaints for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.

Recalled components: electrical system, seats, and visibility. Most-described problem: the check engine light coming on (90 complaints, 11%), then stalling or shutting off (89). Most-reported area: engine (271 complaints, 35%; median mileage when it happened: 87,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Best year

Excludes the Equinox EV.

3 safety recalls for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 784 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Equinox. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Check engine light90 · 11%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 73 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off89 · 11%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 77 reports with mileage
• Wiper failures89 · 11%
  Median 100,500 miles at failure, from 80 reports with mileage
• Excessive oil consumption86 · 11%
  Median 92,600 miles at failure, from 60 reports with mileage
• Transmission failure or replacement66 · 8%
  Median 79,000 miles at failure, from 62 reports with mileage
• Timing chain or belt problems59 · 8%
  Median 78,700 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement53 · 7%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 43 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode51 · 7%
  Median 87,000 miles at failure, from 41 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine271 · 35%
  Median 87,000 miles at failure, from 215 reports with mileage
• Powertrain182 · 23%
  Most named: automatic transmission (9) · Median 83,500 miles at failure, from 162 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper132 · 17%
  Median 100,000 miles at failure, from 116 reports with mileage
• Electrical system81 · 10%
  Median 59,000 miles at failure, from 59 reports with mileage
• Air bags57 · 7%
  Median 61,000 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
• Stability control49 · 6%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 41 reports with mileage
• Steering44 · 6%
  Median 44,500 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other52 · 7%
  Median 89,800 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Chevrolet Equinox recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Equinox drew the most (146) and the 2010 drew 98.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2010 Equinox MPG

Questions