KnownCarProblemsHome › Chevrolet › Equinox › 2011
2011 Chevrolet Equinox Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 782 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox, most often about the engine (54% of complaints, typically around 85,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Equinox model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2011 Chevrolet Equinox problems
Engine
419 complaints · 54%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine, cooling system.
I have had problems with my 2011 Chevrolet Equinox since the day I got it but yesterday was the worst. The engine all of a sudden stalled on the highway and I had to pull off the road. I just had it in the shop last week and had the fuel pump and timing chain replaced. I was able to get my car home only able to drive…
Cruising along at 65 MPH on highway when service stabilitrak light along with reduce engine power came up on the dash. I lost engine power and went from 65 MPH to 15 MPH. I was able to pull onto an exit ramp. I quickly pulled over & parked the car. Shut the car off & waited about 1 min & turned the car back on. The…
Transmission
145 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Cruising along at 65 MPH on highway when service stabilitrak light along with reduce engine power came up on the dash. I lost engine power and went from 65 MPH to 15 MPH. I was able to pull onto an exit ramp. I quickly pulled over & parked the car. Shut the car off & waited about 1 min & turned the car back on. The…
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving 65 MPH, a loud banging noise was heard under the hood of the vehicle when the gears were shifted. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission, catalytic converter, and engine chain failed…
Visibility and wipers
76 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 109,500 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, windshield wiper/washer, glass, side/rear.
The windshield wiper transmission failed while driving in heavy rain. A plastic bushing broke and caused the failure. After researching problem, I found this to be a common problem in several model years of the Chevrolet equniox.
I was driving to work and the front windshield wipers shut off while they were on. I had to slow down because of this because it was raining when it happened.
Fuel system
75 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Lately every time I have been turning on my vehicle and going in drive or reverse it stalls on me and I bought my car the end of may 2017 and its only august 2017 from a certified chevy dealership.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving at low speeds, the brake pedal was applied; however, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the fuel pump, camshaft, and battery needed to be replaced. The local…
Electrical
74 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 60,500 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, integrated trailer brake control, instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Equinox. After the ignition key was turned to the on position, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts and having the battery recharged. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure…
Upon driving my car to work with my two kids in the car, my car suddenly lost power without warning, the dashboard lit up "engine power reduced" as well as stabilitrac and traction control. The car would not accelerate to more than 20mph and then died on me. I contacted gm, received a claim number and they never…
Other or unspecified
57 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 95,000 miles.
At about 88,000 miles, while starting from a stop, and also while climbing a hill, the transmission started to slip into a neutral position instead of a higher or lower gear. I had to take my foot off the accelerator and let it idle down before it would go into a gear.02
I bought a 2011 Equinox in may a couple of days after having the car I was hearing clicking noises took back to the dealership they told me it was just the air condition. A couple of weeks later my car started to rock back in fourth when at a light and shutting off while driving. I took it again to the dealership when…
Stability control
55 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 77,500 miles.
Cruising along at 65 MPH on highway when service stabilitrak light along with reduce engine power came up on the dash. I lost engine power and went from 65 MPH to 15 MPH. I was able to pull onto an exit ramp. I quickly pulled over & parked the car. Shut the car off & waited about 1 min & turned the car back on. The…
Car will throw codes p0700/u0073/u1000 - looses engine power, check stabilitrak lights up, check engine light comes on. Car will buck, odometer/RPM gauge/temp gauge will become erratic. Took to the chevy dealership, unable to replicate problem. Unsafe to drive. Doesn't happen daily - sometimes car will not…
Air bags
52 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles.
Service airbag light came on after passenger seat and airbag light turned off. The side 2 passenger airbag kept going on and off until finally it shut down. Have never been in an accident nor has the airbags had a problem before. Safety issue here needs fixing. Multiple things started happening after I hit 50k miles.…
Service airbag has been on for about 6 months; currently the passenger airbag "off" is illuminated. I am going to assume that means the passengeer airbag will not deploy during an accident. I have been reading online and it seems like this is a common problem with the Chevrolet Equinox and chevy nor general motors…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Chevrolet Equinox recalls
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in park, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on october 14, 2016. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, buick 1-800-521-7300, and gmc 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 buick verano and 2016 chevrolet malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in park. Also, certain 2013 buick encore, 2011 buick regal, 2013-2014 buick verano, 2011-2016 chevrolet cruze, 2010-2013 chevrolet equinox 2013-2015 chevrolet malibu, and 2011-2013 gmc terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention."
Seats: power adjust
Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on september 11, 2014. The recall began on december 26, 2014. Owners may contact gm customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (buick), 1-800-458-8006 (cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (gmc). Gm's number for this recall is 14271.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 buick lacrosse, regal and chevrolet camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 cadillac srx, chevrolet equinox and gmc terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Seat belts: buckle assembly
Risk: The safety belt system may not restrain the occupant(s) as designed and could increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will modify the passenger and/or the driver safety belt buckles as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before january 18, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2011 cadillac srx, chevrolet equinox and gmc terrain vehicles. The driver and /or front passenger safety belt buckle anchor may fracture and separate near the seat attachment in a vehicle crash.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Momentary increased steering effort
Summary
On june 1, 2020, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened pe20-009 to investigate instances of a momentary increase in steering effort after the vehicle is driven in a straight line for a period of time due to an issue with the steering gear in model year (my) 2010 through 2012 chevrolet equinox and gmc terrain suvs.if the electric power steering system fails to operate as intended, the driver will experience momentary increased effort when attempting to turn the steering wheel from the straight-ahead position. For this condition to occur, the driver would need to have traveled in a straight line at a sustained high speed, without turning the steering wheel, for approximately 30 min
Front wiper transmission inoperative
Summary
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
Windshield wiper transmission failure
Summary
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
Questions about the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (419 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles); transmission (145 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles); visibility and wipers (76 complaints, typically around 109,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Chevrolet Equinox have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 5, 2016 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Chevrolet Equinox?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Equinox model year since 2000, with 782 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.