Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Chevrolet Equinox owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
the camshaft actuators continue creating difficultdriving conditions. The POO11 and POO13 Codes continually show Faulty even after replacement. the Vehicle {2012 Chevrolet Equinox} Lurches and Bucks,creating difficulty for the safe operations of this vehicle. This creates Adverse reactions from other motorists by just acting up ,even after repairs. This is my 3rd time replacing these components to no avail. The OBD does kick out the engine light, but its Definately Manufacturer POOR DESIGNing. This problem while driving in traffic is Concerning. Is there any remedy? [email] August 18,2022 Thank You B A Parry
the abs light came on the dash and traction control.i was driving in a rain storm and went around a corner and front end started to slide.was only going 35 mph so I didn't lose control.this happened on.04/15/2025 .if I would have been going any faster I would have lost control.this is very dangerous as I realized. it should be fixed by GM for safety concerns.
The night sandy hit on the east coast, it was windy in michigan. Our city was doing leaf pickup around that time so leaves were accumulated at the edges of the roads. The car was being driven through a subdivision on a paved road and it just caught on fire. GM will take no responsibility for the fire. They say leaves blew up under the car and they are what caught on fire. How can vulnerable areas not be shielded from this? The car was about a month old!!! The fire burnt for about 7 minutes. The dealership says that there is nothing they can do. A team from GM inspected the car and they will not even let us see their report. We haven't had a car for over a month and I for one am furious! They tell us if we have the car repaired we lose any right to pursue legal proceedings.... …
On 3/31/15, Chevy dealer that sold us the car replaced the steering gear subject to bulletin 14232, because we got a letter from GM advising us to get it done. On 10/17/16, power steering failed during a turn on city street, causing emergency braking and near miss. The power steering froze up, and the wheel would not turn. This happened near the end of a 10-mile commute. On 10/18/16, this scenario was repeated near the end of a 10-mile commute. The car was towed at this time to the same dealer. On 10/25/16, dealer returned car to us un-repaired, saying they could not duplicate the problem, the car is out of warranty, and that the problem is a new one. They offered to repair the car for $400. We told the dealer this is a known problem, that they replaced the steering gear that is currently failing, and that there is a ten year non-warranty window on this type of safety repair. …
After 36K miles, the car steering would stick and slip. Pa dealer could not replicate as this would happen at higher speed 65mph. But, under extended warranty, the dealer replaced the steering rack due to a technical bulletin report about steering sticking/slipping. The problem went away and came back after 36K more miles on the new steering rack. Car is at va dealer today for diagnostic test as I moved. Car also hesitates and jerks back when accelerating and has done that since a year after owned vehicle. Love the car design but I am afraid to drive it as I feel like I don't have control over steering. At times steering feels loose car has slipped on ice and cannot control steering. I'm very disappointed and feel the steering design is poor. Steering rack design is a simple concept and don't understand why this is a poor design. …
While towing 4 wheels down behind motor home...traveling north bound on I-75 in tennessee within 100 miles of the tennessee georgia border I hit a very rough patch of the interstate going 64 MPH. My 2012 4 cylinder Chevrolet Equinox started to violently shake my motorhome, when I glanced at my rearview monitor the steering wheel on the car was whipping back and forth. Forcing me to make an emergency stop on the outside berm, this was around 3:00 am there was little traffic at the time, so I was lucky. When my speed dropped to 5 to 10 MPH it stopped and it never happened again. After some thought this was the 2nd time this happened and around the part of I-75 north bound about 2 years ago.
I was out and about drive the vehicle to destination, turned off as I do before going in to any place. I can out and the vehicle would not start. After adjusting the steering wheel and messing with the gear shifter it started. Acted as if the battery was dead. It standed me for about 45 mins. Now the car acts as if it doesn't want to start and while driving if I turn to the right the radio goes out and power steering cuts out then once out of the turn it works. This is very dangerous while turning, now in either direction this vehicle has been nothing but problems.
First one week ago, the car was slow to turn on when turning the ignition and all the lights on the instrument panel lite up with the message check power steering. Tonight 8/11/17 the car will not turn over, but it still has a working horn, lights. And radio. Check engine light comes on followed by service power steering, service stabiltrack message, electric windows would not roll up, speedometer and RPM gauges move all the way over and back, and all the lights on the electric panel are on. Engine will not turn on.
When in-motion at my power steering fails, the wheel seems to grab and my control of the vehicle is momentarily not in my control. It happens on straight aways and most often in slow speed turns. My concerns are the incidents that might happens in busy traffic and on wet & iced roadways. This has been happening in the last 1000plus miles and my service power steering notice has flashed at least 2 times. I am scheduled for service today.
Driving normally about 35 MPH on suburban road when dashboard suddenly indicated "service power steering." the steering wheel seemed to lose all power assistance and was strenuous, even dangerously resistant, especially when needing to turn in front of oncoming traffic. Arrived home and check the power steering fuse, which was okay. Next day steering was back to normal power-assist and dashboard indicator message was gone.
NHTSA investigations
Momentary Increased Steering Effort
On June 1, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE20-009 to investigate instances of a momentary increase in steering effort after the vehicle is driven in a straight line for a period of time due to an issue with the steering gear in model year (MY) 2010 through 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain SUVs.If the electric power steering system fails to operate as intended, the driver will…
Steering complaints in other Equinox years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, 5% of the model year's 685 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Chevrolet Equinox steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Equinox steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 36,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.