2016 Chevrolet Equinox visibility and wiper problems
120 of the 396 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox name the wipers, glass and mirrors (NHTSA’s “Visibility/Wiper” heading — windshields, wipers, washers, mirrors and defrosters). Filed under the same heading: 2 NHTSA investigations. 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 wipers, glass and mirrors
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 of the 120 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 18 · 2020: 16 · 2021: 15 · 2022: 21 · 2023: 19 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 5
Half of the 49 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the visibility and wiper problem between 54,000 and 90,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
396 complaints in all about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, 5 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 “Visibility/Wiper” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Equinox visibility and wiper problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the wipers, glass and mirrors. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
The windshield wipers for our company vehicle (2016 Chevrolet Equinox) had partially failed one day prior to both windshield wipers failing. You cannot use them at all, even when trying to run them, nothing happens. No other previous issue has occurred to cause the wipers from failing
Windshield wipers abruptly became inoperable through no fault of my own. Nothing stuck it/them, there was no accident, etc. one minute they were working and the next the minute completely stopped moving and haven't worked since. Sounds similar to current investigation/complaint opened in 11/2018
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. When the contact attempted to open the driver's door, he heard a loud noise and the rear window exploded and glass shattered. The dealer stated that because the failure had not happened in a couple of years, there was no way that the contact would be able to prove that this was a failure.
I was driving on the interstate, in the pouring down rain. Then my windshield wipers quit working. They were making a sound, but would not move. I could have wrecked and gotten hurt. I have only had this vehicle for one month, when this happened. It only had 80,000 miles on it.
Wipers just stopped working during rain storm. Internet shows 1000's of the same issue going back to 2010 at least. Wiper module is what they call it.$325.00 per car to fix. ?? Bushings that hold arm break. Why if this many people for this many years have this problem does Chevrolet not change the part. Or buy better parts.
What is on file about the wipers, glass and mirrors
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigations
- EA19005 Front Wiper Transmission Inoperativeopened Dec 13, 2019 · closed Nov 28, 2022
- 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 …
- RQ18002 Windshield Wiper Transmission Failureopened Nov 2, 2018 · closed Dec 19, 2019
- 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 j…
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox
Source: the same files- engine problems 210 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre visibility and wiper problems common on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 120 owner complaints naming the wipers, glass and mirrors on this model year (30% of everything owners filed about it), and 2 NHTSA investigations 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 wipers, glass and mirrors 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 visibility and wiper problems show up on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 74,000 miles; half of them between 54,000 and 90,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Visibility/Wiper" heading cover?
Windshields, wipers, washers, mirrors and defrosters. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.