2011 Chevrolet Equinox Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 782 owner complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox.

Recalled components: electrical system, seats, and seat belts. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off (159 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: engine (386 complaints, 49%; median mileage when it happened: 87,500).

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

Best year

Excludes the Equinox EV.

3 safety recalls for the 2011 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 2011 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 782 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 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

• Stalling or shutting off159 · 20%
  Median 79,800 miles at failure, from 138 reports with mileage
• Excessive oil consumption135 · 17%
  Median 99,000 miles at failure, from 102 reports with mileage
• Check engine light118 · 15%
  Median 82,000 miles at failure, from 103 reports with mileage
• Timing chain or belt problems86 · 11%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 75 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode78 · 10%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 70 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement61 · 8%
  Median 99,500 miles at failure, from 50 reports with mileage
• Wiper failures59 · 8%
  Median 116,800 miles at failure, from 50 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration44 · 6%
  Median 70,000 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

• Engine386 · 49%
  Median 87,500 miles at failure, from 308 reports with mileage
• Powertrain145 · 19%
  Most named: automatic transmission (6) · Median 76,000 miles at failure, from 121 reports with mileage
• Electrical system74 · 9%
  Median 60,500 miles at failure, from 55 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper69 · 9%
  Median 112,000 miles at failure, from 61 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system61 · 8%
  Median 80,600 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
• Stability control55 · 7%
  Median 77,500 miles at failure, from 46 reports with mileage
• Air bags52 · 7%
  Median 61,000 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other57 · 7%
  Median 95,000 miles at failure, from 39 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 2011 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 2011 drew 110.

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.

2011 Equinox MPG

Questions