NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
My vehicle has been at the dealership for over a month for an issue with the HVAC system. The technician and GM engineering support believe the problem is related to a faulty acuator, which requires the entire dash to be removed for repair. (See pictures) This is extremely concerning for a new vehicle with very low mileage. An HVAC acuator failure in a brand new car should not occur, and the repair is invasive- involving disassembly of the major interior components. I am worried this will lead to creaks, rattles, or compromised fit and finish afterward, as well as potential damage to electronics, airbags, and trim panels. In addition, this problem appears to be widespread among other 2025 Equinox owners, based on multiple reports in owner forums describing identical HVAC noise or clicking problems linked to acuators. GM has not yet issued a recall or service bulletin addressing it. Given the scope of disassembly required and the frequency of similar reports, this should be reviewed as potential design or component defect affecting vehicle reliability and safety systems (defrosting performance and interior air management).
The dashboard causes a serious glare that prevents visibility. GM has only offered a cheap dash mat as a fix and my local dealer says they don’t know anything about it. They should really replace the dash pad with the updated model and not just lay a piece of cheap carpet over the dashboard of my 50k dollar car. The attached photo dosent even do the problem justice. Due to the way camera lenses work it looks less severe in photos.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that during a heatwave, the vehicle was parked, and the contact became aware of a "S" shape crack starting from the driver’s side upper windshield. The contact observed multiple reports with other consumers with identical cracks. The vehicle was repaired by a mobile technician. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The contact stated that while looking out of the passenger’s side windshield, the view was distorted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 21,000.
The vehicle had a fault in its GPS and it also had no communication with emergency assistance. This also caused battery problems that generated on two occasions that the vehicle did not start
Vehicle rolls back very often when in drive. Even holding down the brake at a hill then hitting the accelerator it still rolls back. When in cruise control and I take over it also tends to make the vehicle jump when the vehicle takes back over. Overall harsh riding. Feels like it’s all coming from that CVT. Dealer says that it may be an issue but can’t replicate it unless it stays there with them for a while until they can replicate the issue. There have been incidents where I’ve almost rolled back and hit other vehicles due to this cause. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps or anything on the vehicle
The vehicle has ongoing and worsening electronic and safety-related issues. The fuel range and fuel economy fluctuate abnormally and frequently, sometimes even while the vehicle is stopped. The infotainment screen has experienced intermittent black areas/partial blackout while driving, affecting system reliability. Recently, the automatic transmission began hesitating during the initial gears, behaving abnormally and requiring me to reduce speed for the vehicle to respond properly. This occurs consistently. These issues have been reported multiple times to the dealership and GM with no resolution, and communication has stopped. I am concerned the vehicle is unsafe to drive and could fail unexpectedly.
they have the gear shift stick near the wheel like older models. you have to brake to move the gear shift and push a button in on the gear shift to park. However, when driving you can move the gear shift, which I have done accidentally. The gear shift does not lock while driving. Twice the gear switched to L2, which I do not know what that is but it causes my engine to over work. This is dangerous especially trying to switch the gear back to D when at a speed of over 50mph.
I leased this vehicle brand new. At around 500 miles, the vehicle had occasionally a humming noice, at 1900 miles the humming noice is loud with vibration. My suspicion is a structural defect, my fear is to end up with half a vehicle on one lane, the other half in the other lane at the expressway. I have recorded several of the occurrences, provided a GM dealership with the recordings, contacted GM Executive offices, and have not been able to resolve or advance, meanwhile my household is without a vehicle. Neither GM nor the dealership is willing to provide a courtesy vehicle. The dealership was unable to duplicate my complaint, GM executive office agent recommended me to take the vehicle to a different dealership for a "second opinion". This is depriving me of work, transportation and giving me additional work.
The onstar module installed originally from manufacturer was faulty, causing electrical issues. This ended up draining the battery unexpectedly. No warning that the battery was low. Only had .03 volts left when tested at dealership. The onstar button was experiencing issues such as blinking and loss of connection. Onstar Support was no help, and the car manufacturer ignored issues as my phones software problem, until new battery was drained and issues persisted while driving. Ultimately this left the OnStar not working for weeks leading up to the drained battery which was unsafe in case of accident as well.
There is a button on the top of the steering wheel that puts the car in low gear. We have been going down the interstate twice and my husband accidentally hit the button slowing down the car immediately. This is very dangerous and could cause a rear end collision. We have reported it to Chevrolet several times, to the service department twice and the corporation also. Low gear has normally been on the gear shift with all the other gears, but for some reason, they put it on the top left side of the steering wheel. That is a very strange place to have that since the steering wheel also has buttons for cruise control, Bluetooth, stereo, etc. We think this button needs to be disengaged and put else where, but Chevrolet offered us $150 for the inconvenience. We are not concerned with convenience, but with safety. Also, the vertical buttons on the dash below the navigation screen are not visible during the day. At night, when it is dark, the light illuminate the buttons so they can be seen, but they are not visible during the day. However, you do need to be able to see the buttons. My husband used a label maker to put the names on the buttons just to prevent a wreck, but Chevrolet needs to address the issue. We have mentioned this to the service department and corporate office, but they do no seem to be concerned. We consider both items to be an issue that needs to be corrected, but no one seems to care. Hope you can help get these items addressed before something serious happens. If you nee to contact us, our names are [XXX] and [XXX] , [XXX] . Email is: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Telematics module stopped working out of nowhere and drains my battery to my vehicle. Had to have the vehicle towed to nearby dealship. Huge safety hazard as it is essentially the brains to my computer. App doesn't work without it, battery doesn't work and can't even get inside vehicle with key fob. Please issue recall.
This complaint is to clarify and supplement a previous report. The issues began in August 2025, not September. Initially, the vehicle presented abnormal fuel range fluctuations, including while stationary, as well as intermittent “Key Missing” warnings while driving and display black spots. These issues were reported to dealerships and GM without resolution. Over time, the condition has progressively worsened, and additional symptoms have developed, including abnormal noises and, more recently, transmission hesitation during the initial gears, requiring me to reduce speed for the vehicle to respond properly. The escalation of these issues over time raises ongoing safety concerns.
FIRST INCIDENT: On uncertain date between 10/10/2024 (vehicle purchase date) and 04/22/2024 (initial service date), on a Sunday, 6:30 a.m., Infotainment and dash display went blank/dark on Sawyer County Highway B. Recovery within 30 seconds. Dark conditions, operating at recommended speed of 55 MPH. Fortunately no surrounding traffic at the time. Issue brought to attention of Don Johnson Motors Service Department at initial oil/filter/tire rotation on 04/22/2025. Mileage at time was 3287. SECOND INCIDENT: 07/15/2025 at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Sawyer County Highway N, Infotainment and dash display went blank/dark. Recovery within 15-20 seconds. Operating at recommended speed of 55 MPH. Fortunately no surrounding traffic at the time. Mileage at time of incident just over 7200. Have not contacted above dealership, but will do so shortly. This defect renders the vehicle out of the driver's control similar to a pilot losing engine power on an aircraft. Checked online to locate possible sources for the problem. Determined this is a known issue.
Factory installed module for ONSTAR went out.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved to a higher RPM unexpectedly. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions, and the brake pedal needed to be depressed very hard while attempting to stop the vehicle. The contact stated the vehicle had started independently two to four times in a row. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,417.
You can't see clearly out the windshield while driving during the day or night due to dashboard reflection on the windshield. The defect is highly publicised on the internet and on Equinox EV forums. I was told it is an engineering defect due to the windshield's angle and cannot be fixed. I have asked Chevrolet to do a buyback because, even with the TSB fix for the dash cover, it doesn't fully address the safety issue. Chevrolet should not be selling vehicles with window glare that makes it impossible for the driver to see the driving field clearly 30-50% of the time, as it is for me when driving the Chevrolet Equinox EV. I don't feel safe.
The angle of the windshield reflects the dashboard so much that you can't see out the windshield when heading anywhere towards the sun. It also reflects the dash at night inside the car. It's a significant safety hazard and a driving hazard the car creates for itself. This is a design defect, according to all service departments at GM I have visited to address the issue. Update: The dash cover remedy GM provided did not help; in fact, it's more annoying now than before and distracting.
Vehicle may be involved in GM Service Update N252494220 , Reduced Brake Performance. I cannot get a response from Chevrolet if the vehicle is part of the brake problem issue. Based on the information provided, this should be escalated to a recall. I also have not been able to get an answer from the selling dealer. Per the information in the Service Update bulletin, the vehicle was not to be sold until it was inspected for the problem.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle independently activated the brakes. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer. The dealer was unable to detect any fault codes and was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and had first occurred in a parking lot while driving at approximately 10 MPH during the failure. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
OnStar telematics unit stopped working with no notification in the infotainment system. The LED light remained GREEN in color advising me that the OnStar system was working. Hundreds of people reporting the same issue across multiple GM vehicles. My vehicle has been at the dealership for almost two weeks and there is no ETA on when the replacement part will be received from GM. This is a known problem component that should have initiated a safety recall. Due to the non operation of the OnStar system, we no longer have access to the emergency notification if involved a traffic collision. We also no longer have access to the stolen vehicle tracking system. NHTSA needs to investigate this issue, especially since GM is taking their time with getting replacement parts to dealerships.
2025 Chevy Equinox - beginning of July, i got back to my car at the airport and it would not turn on. nothing happened and i had to call onstar with my cell phone. a tow truck was sent and my 2025 Equinox (which i bought end of Oct 2024) with only 8000 miles, was towed to Chevy dealership. the next day the dealership said it was a faulty battery and they replaced it. i went to pick up my car and then a couple weeks later i tried to autostart my car and it did not respond. I called Onstar from my phone to talk with them and then they asked me to go to my car and push the button. it was green however it was not responding. i was told to take it into the dealership and tell them i am having an onstar issue and it wasn't responding. I took my car 3 weeks ago (Aug 11th) sat for 4 hours waiting on my car only to be told that they were not able to fix it. that my entire onstar system needs to be replaced. they said they ordered it but that it was back ordered and do not know when it will be in. and to call in 2 weeks to see if there were any changes. i called 3 weeks later and still they had nothing new to tell me except that they don't know anything. from reading online i see that this onstar module issue had contributed to other issues with the car. i knew that there was an issue that triggered the battery to completely die. and with all the other people that have said they have had issues , it is very apparent that this caused my battery to die. Now i am still paying for onstar but not able to use it. i am obviously paying my payment on my car without being able to use all functions of the car. I am at a total loss on what to do next.
Sunroof is throwing a code that there is an obstruction. Sunroof will not close. Chevrolet could not fix. I was sent home with out any answers and was told they would contact me. That was over a week ago.
Telematic Module System is malfunctions with a nationwide recall on the part. Chevy representatives have no date for when the part will be in. The computer system in the car is not working. I can't reach OnStar the internet I pay for doesn't work. My car has been in the service department for a month this year for the same problem and it's out again. Engineers from Chevy have worked on it as well. I need help with this situation. It's possible that the this failure could drain my battery causing it stop while driving. The service department and Chevy customer service just keep apologizing with no real dates on when this part will be in.
When activating the blinker to make a right turn, after completing the turn the blinker turns off, but the force causes the lever to drop far enough that the left blinker activates. Since I've had the vehicle (about 8 months total), I notice this happen more than half the time I use the right blinker. From a quick Google search, this seems like a common problem which may lead to confusion when driving. The dealership I went to doesn't seem to have a fix for it.
We purchased the vehicle New. Within approx. 300 miles started to hear a bearing noise intermittently while driving. We returned to the dealership to have it diagnosed. We were advised that the could not duplicate it. A few days later the noise was brominate while driving at highway speeds. Returned to the dealer. We were told that it was caused by the Active Noise Cancelling system and that they performed an update(per GM service bulletin) to the control module to correct it. Picked up the vehicle. Driving around town no issue. Driving at highway speeds the noise would come and go. On June 14, 2025. while driving on the highway at 70 MPH the engine shut down. My wife and daughter were in the vehicle in the middle lane of a busy highway. The dash displayed "Automatic Braking Engaged! WHILE TRYING TO GET OFF THE ROAD. The vehicle brought itself to a COMPLETE STOP. On The HIGHWAY and Engaged the Parking Brake Automatically. This is unbelievable and extremely Dangerous. How or why did some engineer think this was good idea for the vehicle to Lock Itself down ON THE ROAD!
No component failures at this time. My dealer stated that the continued on/off of my check engine light is that of a " GM engineering flaw/ issue" without any remedy at this time. I have been advised to continue to drive the vehicle with check engine light on as no remedy is available at this time. The flaw was disclosed by GM in 4/2025, bought my vehicle in 6/25 - No remedy as of 12/12/2025 - This is more of an FYI than formal complaint.
My car threw on the check engine light and a note flashed on the screen and car just slowed down immediately. I had to press on the brakes really hard to get it home and then the transmission wouldn’t go in reverse. I took it to the dealer and they couldn’t duplicate the problem but said the battery contacts weren’t tight.
When driving with the sun in front of me, the reflections from the front dash on the windshield makes visibility very poor.
Electrically, the time will not stay set at the correct time.Nor will the date. Other issue is there will be a loud roaring sound when driving. This happens frequently, there are no codes that pop up. No, one is sure what the loud roaring is.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and pushing down the turn signal lever, the lever rose back unintendedly, causing the turn signal to unintendedly disengage. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
The windshield has a defect on the right hand side. It seems like blurry waves. I noticed it because I got nervous thinking that there were cars riding next to me very close but it is just a glare from the defect.
My new 2025 Equinox RS AWD ran out of gas entering a 55 MPH highway. I tried to roll to the shoulder, and I came to a stop half on the right shoulder and half in the lane. When a 2025 Equinox RS AWD won't run, in this case because it is out of gas, there is no way to shift the car out of Park and into Neutral so it could be rolled out off the road, or on to a Tow truck ramp. When a 2025 Equinox RS AWD isn't running, it's locked in Park, and in order to move it needs to be jacked up and set on wheel dollies, for all four wheels.
Steering feels slightly loose and keeps drifting to the left. When I have people in the backseat and I take off from a stop, the vehicle swerves to the left. Hoping the dealership will do an alignment when I take it in.
On May 8,2025 the lift gate failed and crashed down on my head, vehicle is available for inspection and only a GM inspector has looked at it so far. The dealership told me because I filed a complaint with GM they can't touch it unless directed by GM now. It almost knocked me out, I saw black and was hard to see for at first within a few hours it was a huge goose egg on my head. It put me and my 6yr old at risk as she was with me but luckily in the car already. When approaching my car I used the liftgate remote to open it ahead of time, got my daughter in car and went to put our backpacks in the back when it crashed on my head full force no warning. It was extremely painful and caused a concussion with multiple symptoms. Headaches, painful bump, ear ringing, feeling so hot, major brain fog, forgetfulness, watery eyes, feeling really tired and hard to wake up in the morning. It has been about 3 weeks and the symptoms are mostly gone except bad ear ringing, light sensativity, on and off headaches easily, can't put my hair in ponytail as it hurts still. I still have a small dent in my head. The doc says these lasting concussion symptoms could last for months. I don't understand why this has problem has not been fixed when research shows it has been a problem since 2010. The only other issue I had with the car was my instrument panel going black while I was driving a few weeks prior.
The steering wheel seizes at highway speeds after driving for an extended period (2+ hours.) The steering seems to lock into a position so while approaching a curve you're unable to steer toward the center of the lane, requiring you to jerk the steering wheel towards the center of the lane to prevent going out of the lane. This issue was reported and taken to multiple GM dealerships to address and they keep insisting it's Lane keep assist, it is not as this issue happens when it's turned of, further more lane keep assist usually nudges a vehicle back in lane or vibrates to warn you're drifting out of a lane. It does not actively try to pull you out of a lane as We've experienced with this car. This is a deadly hazard that may cause an inattentive drive to over steer into an accident, and because of it's intermittent nature, It will be surprising and scary causing less experienced drivers to overreact to it. I'm afraid this may be a latent safety fault within the 2025 Chevy Equinox, that will eventually cost lives, and worst part, this cause may not be detected for a long time.. I hope more instances of this gets reported to force GM and it's dealerships to spend the proper effort to hunt down this safety issue and address it before it's too late
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
My Onstar module and Telematics is not working and Chevy/GM is trying to refuse to fix it and claim it's due to not having the Onstar internet plan. If that was the case it would never work, yet it works some days then other days it shows me in another city. My Google assistance will show not connected when Google maps doesn't work. I've only had this car since April 2025. This needs to become a recall. GM can't keep doing this to their customers.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that upon attempting to park their vehicle, or attempting to shift into reverse, neutral, or into drive, the shifter becomes extremely difficult to put into gear, and a message will display on the instrument panel that stated "Conditions not correct for shift", and all of the warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the valve body and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure persisted. The contact noted that this is the second occurrence of their vehicle needing to have the valve body replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 870.
Backup camera not working and the display on dash shows triangle and a camera crossed out. Dealer has been advised 1 month ago. The Camera is supposed to be on backorder.
When accelerating to enter a road with high speed traffic the engine dies for a few seconds resulting in on coming traffic having to brake to avoid a collision. Then, the engine suddenly accelerates wildly. This problem occurs every time the vehicle is driven. The dealer service people has "tested" by driving the vehicle for 7 miles and declared there is nothing wrong. This is dangerous because the vehicle engine dies/stalls at a critical moment and if an oncoming driver isn't paying attention this could result in a collision.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while attempting to use the vehicle, there was an automatic update alert. The contact's wife's cellphone had alerted her to the update; however, she was unable to access the vehicle for 15 minutes. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the transmission failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the reverse symbol was displayed on the instrument panel, and there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, and informed the contact that the automatic update was normal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 999.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral(N). No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to shift back to drive(D); however, the vehicle idled while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,060.
While driving, all my displays which includes speed and car warning indicators, went blank and the red light (collision warning) started flashing as if there was something in front of my car, but my car acted fine. I pulled over and then everything slowly came back on. The car continued to run just fine. It was just both displays went totally black and then the red collision warning lights were flashing. Car never turned off. Never had to restart car. No resets performed. Displays came back on after a short period of time. Interesting, the radio and volume had to be turned back on. Acted as if displays rebooted, but did not affect car mobility.
While driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, both the digital instrument cluster and infotainment screen suddenly turned off without warning. This blackout lasted for several seconds before both systems rebooted and returned to normal. This has happened multiple times and does not seem related to any specific driving condition, speed, or weather. The vehicle itself continues to operate normally during the blackout, but the sudden loss of all visual information — including speed, alerts, and navigation — poses a serious safety risk. No warning lights or error messages appeared before or during the incident. This issue started shortly after receiving an over-the-air software update labeled GM N25-F172AE. The problem has not yet been confirmed or resolved by a dealer, and the vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance.
When driving in sunny conditions, there is an intense glare reflecting from the interior trim- specifically the "chrome" trim on the middle console. The reflection is so bright that it becomes blinding at times, making it difficult to see the road clearly and creating a serious safety hazard. This issue occurs consistently whenever sunlight enters the cabin and reflects off the trim's surface. It is extremely distracting and has the potential to cause temporary vision impairment when driving.
check engine light keeps coming on for emissions system. When I take it to Bergstrom Dealership they tell me they are not sure how to fix the problem.
Center screen went black and is completely inoperational. Cannot utilize any center screen functions including headlights and rear backup camera. Took vehicle to dealer and they diagnosed as a bad display control unit, which is on backorder.
When using the factory-installed wireless charging pad, my phone becomes extremely hot within minutes of charging. The heat builds quickly, to the point that the phone must be removed immediately to prevent potential damages or safety risks. This has happened consistently, and I have not removed the phone case because I should not have to- the charging pad is designed and advertised to work safely under normal use conditions, which includes phones in standard protective cases. Regardless, the level of heat generated is excessive and concerning. This issue raises serious safety and design concerns, including the potential for battery damage, device malfunction, or even fire risk.
The windshield is a major safety issue. It is distorted, warped, and wavy. The dealership has ordered a replacement, but I’m worried it will be the same. As for the blind spot warning, it flashes when there is nothing present. The dealership cannot replicate, and I am not able to record when driving.
The car vibrates hard, like being on the rumble strip, but only while driving about 1.7 rpm to 2 rpm and only sometimes. The transmission light came on. The dealer said it was leaking and fixed it. A few days later, the vibrating is back. It's at the dealer again. Still don't know what's wrong. I only have 4,500 miles on the car so far.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026