2016 Chevrolet Equinox engine problems
210 of the 396 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 287 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 of the 210 reports a crash · 3 a fire · 6 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 4 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 12 · 2020: 22 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 27 · 2023: 49 · 2024: 42 · 2025: 29 · 2026: 11
Half of the 78 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 64,000 and 115,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
396 complaints in all about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, 11 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Equinox engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Pvc tube froze cause rear seal to break causing engine to lose all oil. Luckily I was parked and noticed the oil. No warning lights or sensors lit up. When talking to dealer and others many Equinox this year have had this issue, even tho general motors is aware of the issue it was still my responsibility to pay 1800.00 to fix it
Driving down freeway. Car stopped working no warning light or warning. Barley got it off the road and out of traffice. Ends up it the rear mantle fold which in turn made the engine stop working. Vehicles needs whole new engine
Pvc tube froze cause rear seal to break causing engine to break. Happened while driving car made a noose and stopped working. No warning lights or sensors lit up. Happened on a busy freeway. When talking to dealer and others many Equinox this year have had this issue
I was driving down a highway at 65 miles per hour my engine started to flutter when noticing that I pulled over right away and my engine shut off. I had to have my vehicle towed to the dealership after the dealership took a look at it they realized it was a pcv clog from condensation getting in to the pcv valve.
After ignition started and placed in reverse the car would then shut off while in reveres. It would also shut off while in drive. But only while first taking off. Every time it happened I was on regular roads and in parking lots. Fuel tank full
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications287 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0300 P0016 P0017 P0308 P050D P015A P0008 P0009
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Source: the same files- visibility and wiper problems 120 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 210 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (53% of everything owners filed about it), and 287 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 1 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 86,000 miles; half of them between 64,000 and 115,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.