2012 Chevrolet Equinox Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 685 owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox.

Recalled components: electrical system, seats, and tires. Most-described problem: excessive oil consumption (157 complaints, 23%). Most-reported area: engine (355 complaints, 52%; median mileage when it happened: 89,000).

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

Best year

Excludes the Equinox EV.

3 safety recalls for the 2012 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 2012 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 685 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 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

• Excessive oil consumption157 · 23%
  Median 91,000 miles at failure, from 104 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off121 · 18%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 94 reports with mileage
• Wiper failures119 · 17%
  Median 94,500 miles at failure, from 94 reports with mileage
• Check engine light76 · 11%
  Median 93,800 miles at failure, from 56 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement62 · 9%
  Median 88,200 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Timing chain or belt problems57 · 8%
  Median 85,600 miles at failure, from 45 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration39 · 6%
  Median 76,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode38 · 6%
  Median 103,700 miles at failure, from 34 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

• Engine355 · 52%
  Median 89,000 miles at failure, from 246 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper121 · 18%
  Median 94,000 miles at failure, from 97 reports with mileage
• Powertrain84 · 12%
  Median 75,300 miles at failure, from 58 reports with mileage
• Electrical system70 · 10%
  Median 65,000 miles at failure, from 51 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system54 · 8%
  Median 69,000 miles at failure, from 35 reports with mileage
• Steering36 · 5%
  Median 36,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Body structure26 · 4%
  Most named: body (22) · Median 68,900 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other53 · 8%
  Median 83,300 miles at failure, from 30 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 2012 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 2012 drew 66.

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.

2012 Equinox MPG

Questions