← New search

2017 Chevrolet Equinox

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

94 reports with mileage · 178 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports4 fire reports7 injury reports

Engine complaints

178 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · May 8, 2025
Engine

PVC port plugged during freezing weather caused excessive crankcase pressure causing the rear main seal to blow out resulting in the loss of engine oil. Went to 2 different repair shops who confirmed each other’s diagnosis. At minimal mileage for a 2017 year car, the engine had to be replaced at considerable cost. The car was co…

Read full complaint

PVC port plugged during freezing weather caused excessive crankcase pressure causing the rear main seal to blow out resulting in the loss of engine oil. Went to 2 different repair shops who confirmed each other’s diagnosis. At minimal mileage for a 2017 year car, the engine had to be replaced at considerable cost. The car was continuously maintained by a Chevrolet dealership, with records to support that maintenance.

NHTSA ODI #11659762

Mileage unknown · May 7, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine

Rear mail oil leak Engine gone timing chain failure allowed the engine pistons to contact the engine valves thereby damaging the valves and pistons.

NHTSA ODI #11659430

Mileage unknown · Apr 30, 2025
Engine

I was driving down the highway and as I was going up a hill my car made a loud noise and then shut down. I had to coast to the side of the highway. I was stranded on the side of the highway with my two year old for 3 hours while I waited for a tow truck. I had to have my car towed and it was confirmed that my engine had locked u…

Read full complaint

I was driving down the highway and as I was going up a hill my car made a loud noise and then shut down. I had to coast to the side of the highway. I was stranded on the side of the highway with my two year old for 3 hours while I waited for a tow truck. I had to have my car towed and it was confirmed that my engine had locked up. My car has 106,000K miles on it and has had all routine maintenance completed on it. There were no warning lights before this happened and the mechanics do not know why the engine locked up.

NHTSA ODI #11658049

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2025
Engine

Engine oil consumption is bad to the point that it consumes 5 quarts of oil a week to the point that the engine seized from lack of oil and went into maintenance mode shutting down while driving leaving me stranded in the side of the road

NHTSA ODI #11657086

Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2025
Engine

Excessive oil consumption causing failed engine at 60k miles. This was regularly maintained.

NHTSA ODI #11656003

Mileage unknown · Apr 15, 2025
Engine

Timing chain going bad. Vehicle burning oil excessively.

NHTSA ODI #11654843

Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2025
Engine

Driving to work, my car decided to die upon stopping at a stop light. I managed to get it to start again and coast to work, but upon reaching the parking lot, it died yet again. I allowed it to stay parked while at work, when leaving it seemed normal, mind you it hasn't made any noises. I went to leave; it died yet again at the …

Read full complaint

Driving to work, my car decided to die upon stopping at a stop light. I managed to get it to start again and coast to work, but upon reaching the parking lot, it died yet again. I allowed it to stay parked while at work, when leaving it seemed normal, mind you it hasn't made any noises. I went to leave; it died yet again at the stop sign. I just put a brand-new battery in it, so I knew that wasn't the issue. I took it maybe 200 feet down the road and it died again. This time, I noticed a bunch of oil on the ground. Since this traumatic event, I took it to my local dealership to have it diagnosed. They found that the timing chain and guide broke, and this pressure caused the seals to also blow. I spent $3,600 to fix those in hopes this would bring my car back to normal use. Unfortunately, there was more damage than expected and the bearings at the bottom of the engine went out, which the mechanic then explained to me would cause them to replace the pistons and other parts and it would be more feasible to get a new engine. They said this was due to the engine overconsuming oil and causing the oil levels to be much lower than they needed to be even with normal maintenance and tops offs in between routine oil changes. This could have caused an accident as when the vehicle would die, I had no time to get to a safe spot on the road. This did not cause any warning lights, notices, messages or signs that something was wrong. I have reached out to the dealership and GM for further assistance to look into this matter as the ECOtec engines have been known for this same issue in the 2013-2016 models but have refused to speak further about the 2017 to current models. GM customer service informed me that due to the engine stating it had too low oil, they were refusing to assist me in anyway.

NHTSA ODI #11650128

Mileage unknown · Mar 7, 2025
Engine

EGR valve froze cause the rear main seal to blow, has timing chain fixes. Now having more issues again.

NHTSA ODI #11647083

Mileage unknown · Mar 6, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

After very cold winter weather, car started to smell. PCV valve blew and car was seizing causing it to blow out the rear systems. It had spilled oil onto the garage floor and had a bad emissions smell. Dealership said they added 3 quarts of Oil and that within 30 minutes two quarts leaked out. No warning lights on dashboard, no …

Read full complaint

After very cold winter weather, car started to smell. PCV valve blew and car was seizing causing it to blow out the rear systems. It had spilled oil onto the garage floor and had a bad emissions smell. Dealership said they added 3 quarts of Oil and that within 30 minutes two quarts leaked out. No warning lights on dashboard, no affected cautions through the equinox app (which still shows that I have 80% of my oil still remaining). While driving the car started making a ticking sound during acceleration and a bad smell. I am now left with a $3700 bill. Numerous others have detailed exact experiences with their equinox after the last February, cold spell in Chicagoland. I was very fearful driving the car and my safety was compromised. The car was shaking, and the smell was pungent Right now my car is at the dealership so I do not have the invoice

NHTSA ODI #11646867

Mileage unknown · Mar 2, 2025
Engine

When my car failed while driving to work, I had it towed to a repair facility. The technician reported that the rear main was leaking and the motor had no oil in it. I have always had the oil changed every 2000 miles. There was also engine metal in the oil filter. It was deemed that the motor was ruined. I was told by the techni…

Read full complaint

When my car failed while driving to work, I had it towed to a repair facility. The technician reported that the rear main was leaking and the motor had no oil in it. I have always had the oil changed every 2000 miles. There was also engine metal in the oil filter. It was deemed that the motor was ruined. I was told by the technician that this was a common problem for this make/model of car. I researched and there are many of the same complaints. This does pose safety concerns and I wish for this to be addressed/recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11645861

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Chevrolet Equinox problems