Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Chevrolet Equinox owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
"tamara recall" I'm writing reguarding an accident that totaled out my vehicle but none of my air bags deployed ? I hit a deer at 75-80 MPH on a hwy it hit my drivers side headlight and continued up over my hood and actually dented part of my passenger side fender I couldn't even open the door all the way! None of my air bags went off. Luckily I had my seat belt on which something in the seat belt blew when it locked me in place due to the impact of the deer hitting jumping out at me a warning popped up on my dash believe said "locked" but all happened so fast , it pushed & cracked just about everything under my hood. I had smoke coming from my vehicle, fluids on the ground no fire thankfully ! My SUV was totaled and many have questioned me about the air bags. I'm now wondering the same thing. Why in the world did none of these go off ? …
I have taken my car to Chevrolet multiple times because it cuts out when idling and sometimes driving. The dealership I purchased it from told me around 40000 miles that sometimes 'you just get a bad Apple.' they replaced my motor under warranty about 20,000 miles ago with a brand new motor and now my car is doing the exact same thing. I contacted customer care at Chevrolet and they told me to take it to the closest dealer to get a diagnostic test run at my expense because my warranty is out... Mind you I have been dealing with the same issue since I bought my car... And when I called the dealership, they told me that they couldn't service my vehicle because I didn't have the warranty work done at that location. I can't even drive my car because we've almost been rear ended multiple times and I have very small children. …
My Equinox reduced engine power while driving. Prior to this there were no warning lights of any kind. I was told it was down 3 quarts of oil and that there was a leak from rear seal. My mechanic advised towing to the dealership as there are known problems of this in the Equinox's as well as a "14882 special coverage adjustment" offered by general motors. This special adjustment are for those Equinox's that experience high oil consumption and May experience a frozen or plugged positive crankcase ventilation system. This causes increase crankcase pressure leading to a rear crankshaft seal oil leak. If the oil leak is not noticed and condition is not corrected, continued driving can cause damage to the engine. GM stated on my receipt the cause of my problem was, "moisture froze in the pcv system causing the crankcase to overpressurize". …
Our daughter and I were driving down the highway doing 55 in a 65 MPH zone when all off a sudden the cars stabilizing teak and traction control lights came on as well as the check engine light. We also lost instant power and had to try and get over to the side of the road off the highway to avoid getting hit. It was a high of 25 that day and I have multiple sclerosis so we had to sit and wait in the cold car until we could get some help. We have had to have the car towed and have been told it will probably cost a minimum of $4800 and could be as much over $10,000. With my medical costs , still owing several years on the car, this is a major financial situation. Not to mention that there has been numerous complaints just like ours and to even the same make, model and even year. Why!!!! Is there not a recall before some gets seriously hurt or killed. …
On a cold winter day approximately 20 degrees, I exited off of the highway. Upon coming to a stop at the toll plaza, the car began making a horrible clanking noise, the 'engine reduced power' notification appeared as well as the traction activation. The car died but started back up to get it off the road to safety. Had it towed to the nearest Chevrolet dealership and discovered the pcv system froze up and blew the rear main seal. The car had 103K miles on it at the time and was purchased new. Never had a single problem with it and always we'll maintained. Ended up having to replace the motor to the tune of $5,575. Less than 24 hours after picking it up from the dealership, it would not start. The stabilitrack and power steering lights came on and had to be towed back to the dealership.
I purched a 2013 Chevy Equinox brand new. Two years after having it the center console for my radio and heat/air control would not work. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it. I was told that it was a module switch. Then in April 2017 it did it again! Took it to the dealer and was told it was the air HVAC. Then August 2018 it happened again. This time I am told it is the radio HVAC and that now it is not covered on warranty and that I have to pay $650 to have it fixed. I believe this has been a major problem from the first time it happened and just keep getting told something different everytime. The same thing happens but have been told a different problem by the Chevy dealer with the expense going up each time.
Engine light came on, had it serviced. Engine light came on again on the way to store and we lost power of car, steering locked. We were able to barely get it to the side of the highway almost getting rear ended by a semi. Car completely died and a huge pool of oil came out from under the car. Paid over $6,000 for a new engine and wiring and other parts because of the oil, because we were told there was not a recall. Guess what... Drinking oil, oil leak, service engine light on. This was a new engine. Spent a bunch of money on car in 2014 have had major trouble with it!!! We are not made of money, but this 2013 is the worst car and dangerous too, despite what they say!!!!
I have a 2013 Chevy Equinox I have already changed the camshaft sensor. A year later my car started to cut off while idle at stop lights. I took it to auto zone and was told from the test it was my camshaft sensor. While changing it I noticed a large amount of oil in the sensor area. The mechanic told me that is not good. From this we discovered the sensor is not the issue. I started to do research online and found many user from 2011 to 2013 who are all having this issue word for word. Chevy needs to do something about this. Https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-t37952_ds622117
Bought the car used 8 months ago with 55K miles. I have driven it 20K miles, and it burns oil, with the oil light not being illuminated, yet the computer tells me I have a higher % of oil life left. Timing chain is going out, I had to replace the battery, and the stabilitrak system turns off. When starting the vehicle everything appears fine, but between 0-20mph with AWD on the break system seems to be failing; then when stabilitrak is turned off the vehicle performs normal. I feel very unsafe driving my car. Most of these issues occured while the vehicle was in motion.
Engine is burning oil at an alarming rate. Every 1,000 miles there will be no oil on the dip stick. No warning light has came on stating my oil is low. I could have blown my engine multiple times if I didn't check my oil regularly. This is not safe. I bought this car from a dealership 5 months ago and have already had to get 3 oil changes bc of the excessive amount of oil loss plus have had to add oil in between.
Traction Control complaints in other Equinox years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, 3% of the model year's 751 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Chevrolet Equinox traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, though it has 2 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 2013 Chevrolet Equinox traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.