2026 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Complaints

Updated May 30, 2026
Ryan Davis
2026 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Complaints

Complaint Summary

The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox has 19 reported complaints.

  • Top issues involve power train and forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control.

Reliability Score

Reliability Score

Based on 19 complaints

Most Frequent Issues

POWER TRAIN

4 21.1%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

3 15.8%

VISIBILITY/WIPER

2 10.5%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 10.5%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

2 10.5%

Quick Insights

  • The top category is POWER TRAIN, accounting for 21.1% of all complaints.

  • Owners have reported issues across 11 distinct vehicle systems.

  • Note: Complaint data reflects owner reports and may not always indicate a verified defect. Compare with Recalls and TSBs for a complete picture.

Subscribe to Recall Alerts

Get notified when a new recall or important ownership update lands for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox.

Free alerts based on U.S. recall data. Unsubscribe anytime.

Complaint Summary

What owners keep reporting on the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox

The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox has 19 owner complaints in this dataset. POWER TRAIN is the most common complaint category, representing about 21% of the reports shown here.

Most common complaint categories

The top complaint groups for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox are POWER TRAIN (4), FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (3), VISIBILITY/WIPER (2).

Are these complaints a serious red flag?

Potentially. 4 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems like brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection.

What should buyers inspect on a used 2026 Chevrolet Equinox?

Start with the top complaint systems, compare them against the recall report, then inspect service records for evidence that those same areas were already repaired or monitored.

Detailed Complaint Log

Showing 11 of 11 systems

POWER TRAIN

4 Reports21% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

The gear selection is on the steering column and to change from Park to Reverse or Drive takes usually over six attempts to get in the right gear. When your entering traffic and you get delayed trying to put the car into the proper gear this becomes a very dangerous safety issue. General Motors refuses to advise me how to deal with this problem unless I give them the name of an attorney who will represent me.

7/7/2025

I purchased this vehicle in June 2025 and the gear selection lever is constant problems. It will never go into or go out of gear on the first attempt. This has caused some near accidents on two occassions as I backed out of a parking space trying to get in gear and proceed timely to avoid on-coming traffic but the lever will constantly bounce to another gear or park which was not selected. The car also has a seat problem in which the seat will start a quiver motion which does startle me as the driver. As an 82 year old driver this becomes a safety issue since is very disruptive and unexpected which makes the driver panic. I notified Chevrolet of these problems but that communication was ignored. The vehicle now has 1400 miles, the selling dealer is 320 miles away. I was told by Chevrolet that to return the vehicle to the dealer would require that I pay $6 per mile charge. This is simply malicious treatment to a senior. There is one GM dealer in my county but they do not want to address another dealers problem. Yes this safety issue has put other drivers at risk because I pull into traffic and cannot get going with traffic flow with a defective gear selector. Anyone can come to my home to inspect this problem

8/21/2025

2 more complaints are available in this category.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

3 Reports16% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

My 2026 Chevrolet Equinox has been having problems; when cruise control is set it randomly puts itself into emergency park mode, the infotainment system loves to shut down which affects the entire vehicle. When this happens I can’t see my speed, every screen goes black and I have to pull over and reset the entire thing which takes a good 30 minutes, sometimes more. I have taken it to a shop which they said it was electrical and module issues, never told me exactly what or where and I’m having to struggle just to get the invoices. The problems are not currently resolved, it would’ve had to been in the shop for over a month and I can’t afford to be without a car that long with zero option of a rental. I have children. I got my car in May of this year with only 4 miles on it, been having the issues ever since.

9/10/2025

When trying to disengage cruise control, with button on steering wheel, brakes locked up going 75mph on the interstate. Would not unlock until I physically pressed brake pedal. If I had not been able to control the car, we would have been sent head first into the concrete barrier wall. Also, when trying to start car or put in into gear, it tells me to "press brake" when the brake pedal is pressed as far as it can go. Radio will randomly cut off and screen goes blank. Trunk button on drivers door does not open trunk without pushing it minimum of 5 times. Sometimes it takes more.

10/16/2025

1 more complaint is available in this category.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

2 Reports11% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

Faulty windshield. Replaced with two additional windshields (1GM, 1 Aftermarket) which were both defective. All Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles on the lot had defective (Warped) windshields. These windshields distort images, cause dizziness and motion sickness. The Dealer purchased the vehicle back.

8/5/2025

After I purchased my vehicle, 2026 chevy equinox rs, I noticed severe distortion on the front windshield. I had it replaced once, with the same problem. They were going to put another windshield in but we wanted to see it first, which was worse than the first two. I do not like the feeling of being car sick. Also, the transmission slipped once, while driving. It felt like it went into neutral and then back into gear. The dealer looked at it and could not find anything wrong. It was good for a few weeks and then it did it again.

10/27/2025

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 Reports11% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

My 2026 Chevrolet Equinox has been having problems; when cruise control is set it randomly puts itself into emergency park mode, the infotainment system loves to shut down which affects the entire vehicle. When this happens I can’t see my speed, every screen goes black and I have to pull over and reset the entire thing which takes a good 30 minutes, sometimes more. I have taken it to a shop which they said it was electrical and module issues, never told me exactly what or where and I’m having to struggle just to get the invoices. The problems are not currently resolved, it would’ve had to been in the shop for over a month and I can’t afford to be without a car that long with zero option of a rental. I have children. I got my car in May of this year with only 4 miles on it, been having the issues ever since.

9/10/2025

When trying to disengage cruise control, with button on steering wheel, brakes locked up going 75mph on the interstate. Would not unlock until I physically pressed brake pedal. If I had not been able to control the car, we would have been sent head first into the concrete barrier wall. Also, when trying to start car or put in into gear, it tells me to "press brake" when the brake pedal is pressed as far as it can go. Radio will randomly cut off and screen goes blank. Trunk button on drivers door does not open trunk without pushing it minimum of 5 times. Sometimes it takes more.

10/16/2025

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

2 Reports11% of total

Previewing the first 2 complaint summaries.

My 2026 Chevrolet Equinox has been having problems; when cruise control is set it randomly puts itself into emergency park mode, the infotainment system loves to shut down which affects the entire vehicle. When this happens I can’t see my speed, every screen goes black and I have to pull over and reset the entire thing which takes a good 30 minutes, sometimes more. I have taken it to a shop which they said it was electrical and module issues, never told me exactly what or where and I’m having to struggle just to get the invoices. The problems are not currently resolved, it would’ve had to been in the shop for over a month and I can’t afford to be without a car that long with zero option of a rental. I have children. I got my car in May of this year with only 4 miles on it, been having the issues ever since.

9/10/2025

While driving South bound on an early morning drive in bright sun, the Forward Collision Avoidance/Alert System and Adaptive Cruise Control kept intermittently disabling itself. This continued to happen for 20 minutes.

10/31/2025

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

The gear selection is on the steering column and to change from Park to Reverse or Drive takes usually over six attempts to get in the right gear. When your entering traffic and you get delayed trying to put the car into the proper gear this becomes a very dangerous safety issue. General Motors refuses to advise me how to deal with this problem unless I give them the name of an attorney who will represent me.

7/7/2025

SEATS

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

I purchased this vehicle in June 2025 and the gear selection lever is constant problems. It will never go into or go out of gear on the first attempt. This has caused some near accidents on two occassions as I backed out of a parking space trying to get in gear and proceed timely to avoid on-coming traffic but the lever will constantly bounce to another gear or park which was not selected. The car also has a seat problem in which the seat will start a quiver motion which does startle me as the driver. As an 82 year old driver this becomes a safety issue since is very disruptive and unexpected which makes the driver panic. I notified Chevrolet of these problems but that communication was ignored. The vehicle now has 1400 miles, the selling dealer is 320 miles away. I was told by Chevrolet that to return the vehicle to the dealer would require that I pay $6 per mile charge. This is simply malicious treatment to a senior. There is one GM dealer in my county but they do not want to address another dealers problem. Yes this safety issue has put other drivers at risk because I pull into traffic and cannot get going with traffic flow with a defective gear selector. Anyone can come to my home to inspect this problem

8/21/2025

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

Car has never been aligned and pulls to the right. The dealership can not fix it, they advised me they have put in an escalation with Chevy. I have seen multiple social media posts regarding this same issue, with the same model of car.

9/16/2025

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was a crackling sound coming from the brake pedal while depressing the brake pedal, with the message a "Service All Wheel Drive System" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while the AWD feature was activated and driving up an incline, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal with the "Service All Wheel Drive System" message displayed. The dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was made for service. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150.

9/19/2025

SERVICE BRAKES

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

When trying to disengage cruise control, with button on steering wheel, brakes locked up going 75mph on the interstate. Would not unlock until I physically pressed brake pedal. If I had not been able to control the car, we would have been sent head first into the concrete barrier wall. Also, when trying to start car or put in into gear, it tells me to "press brake" when the brake pedal is pressed as far as it can go. Radio will randomly cut off and screen goes blank. Trunk button on drivers door does not open trunk without pushing it minimum of 5 times. Sometimes it takes more.

10/16/2025

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

1 Report5% of total

Previewing the first 1 complaint summaries.

While driving South bound on an early morning drive in bright sun, the Forward Collision Avoidance/Alert System and Adaptive Cruise Control kept intermittently disabling itself. This continued to happen for 20 minutes.

10/31/2025

About This Data

Data and Methodology

MethodologyHow we score →

Scores are derived from NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, normalized by vehicle segment averages.

FAQ

What are the most common owner complaints for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox?

The most reported complaint category for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox is POWER TRAIN, with 4 owner reports. That is about 21% of all complaints logged here. Other recurring themes include POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, VISIBILITY/WIPER.

Are complaints about the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox a serious warning sign?

Potentially. 4 complaint reports fall into higher-attention systems such as brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components. That does not prove every vehicle has a defect, but repeated complaints in those systems justify a more careful pre-purchase inspection.

How should buyers use complaint data for the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox?

Use complaints as an early pattern to investigate, not a standalone verdict. Start with the top complaint categories, compare those themes against the recall report and maintenance guide, then inspect service records for evidence that the same problem areas were already addressed. If the same issue appears repeatedly across complaints and recalls, treat it as a real ownership-risk flag.

Are complaints about the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox severe?

4 complaint reports involve higher-attention systems such as brakes, steering, engine, powertrain, fuel, suspension, airbags, or electrical components, which is enough to justify a focused inspection before purchase.

Complaint list entries are sourced from owner-submitted NHTSA ODI records.

Chevrolet Equinox: How should complaint data influence buying decisions?

Use complaint patterns together with recalls and maintenance guidance to estimate ownership risk and inspection priorities.

Carfocal links complaint data directly to recall and maintenance routes for the same model year.

Complaint entries
19
Top-topic view
5 grouped topics shown
Primary source
NHTSA ODI owner complaint records

We may earn a commission via links on this page.