2006 Chevrolet Equinox problems
NHTSA has received 950 complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox, and 30% of them involve wipers, windshield & visibility. After that come electrical system (15%) and engine (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 950 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 26 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 32 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 73,000 miles 799 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 57 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 77 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 148 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 161 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 120 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 85 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 57 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 50 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 25 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 12 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Among the 799 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 73,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 66,000 miles (250 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 26 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 32 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 22 model years of the Chevrolet Equinox with enough data (504 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
This vehicle was involved in a rollover accident and the air bags didn't come out and the seat belt on driver side had no give. This accident resulted in a death and two serious emergencies to the front passenger and the rear passenger located behind the passenger...updated 09-25-14
Four car pileup on hwy 41 nb. We were veh.#3 and hit forward and were hit from behind. Our seat belts did not restrain us and the air bags did not deploy. My husband , ernst, flew into the dashboard and I slammed into the steering wheel.
I took my 2006 chevy equinox to dealership for power steering failure. We were losing steering functionality while driving. Dealer did not find anything wrong. Problem continued and after 2nd visit I was informed the entire steering column and motor needs to be replaced. I see from internet message boards this is a common problem with this vehicle. Dealer and GM does not consider this a safety issue and requires auto owners to repair the vehicle at our cost.
My 2006 chevy equinox has now had three separate incidences of spontaneous engine turn over. The first was in may of 2012, next in april 2013, followed by august 2013. On each occasion; the car was parked and locked at the time that it spontaneously started. With each event I had to put the key in the ignition, put the car in reverse, move it a couple feet, followed by shifting to drive and moving forward. It was only then that I was then able return the car to park and turn off the engine.