Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Chevrolet Equinox owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while the vehicle gear was in park; he switched from the driver's seat to the passenger seat with his wife. His wife was taking over to become the driver. While attempting to change drivers, the vehicle inadvertently reversed. The wife was trying to stop the vehicle while being partially in and partially out of the vehicle. The vehicle dragged the wife into an area of bushes. The contact stated while the passenger door was still open, when it accidentally hit him and knocked him over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The police and medical team arrived on the scene. The contact believed a police report was filed. There was no medical treatment on the scene. The contact stated the wife was bruised from the waist to both feet. The contact believed he cracked his rib. …
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormal sounds and then stalled. The warning message "Low Engine Pressure" was displayed. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact's husband, a Ford mechanic diagnosed that the PCM valve had frozen, built-up pressure in the engine, and blew out the pressure which ruptured the rear main seal. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact's husband that it was a known failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
Coming home from a trip without any warning our 2016 equinox scared me when it made a terrible sound lost power and stopped working. We're 100's miles away from home on the side of a road in the dark. We called for towing to a dealer payed for a hotel waited till the next day for it to be looked at. Told the engine was blown that the timing belt and everything in there was bent and in pieces 10,000-12,000 dollars to replace. Mind you this car is a ltz and very well talking care of. Without fixing it it's worth 1000.00. Shame on gmc we should have been notified about issues. This happens at 80,000miles No warranty. I actually thought it caught on fire. Gm step up and take care of your life long customer that have owned Chevy always.
My 2016 Chevy Equinox started running rough and when the codes were run it came back with P0335, P0016 and P0017. We then replaced both the camshaft, crankshaft and vvt solenoids. The codes were then cleared, and no further issues or engine lights were on. Then I brought the car home the weather was extremely cold, and the vehicle would not start. Tried to jump the vehicle would not start. Towed the vehicle to the shop, where it was determined that the PVC was frozen which caused all the oil to drain from the engine, the timing belt seized up and caused total engine failure. The mechanic has stated that it needs a whole new engine as all the oil had drained from the vehicle and cause damage that cannot be repaired. These vehicles have faulty piston rings in them and also it is common for the vehicles to be useless and have to have a total engine replacement. …
Driving vehicle on two days 1/21-1/22/25 both days had a high of zero degrees, vehicle say for 4 hours at work outside and then was driven the 1 mile home. As pulling down my street car started running rough. Pulled into my garage looked and there was a oil steak up my driveway . My wife called me and when I got home I looked under car and looked like several quarts of oil on floor under car. She said no warning lights came on. I had it towed the next day to a local garage. He inspected the vehicle and said rear seal was blown and that there is knock in engine , so basically shot. We bought the car new in 2016 and it has less the. 90k miles. I contacted Chevy and they said nothing is out about that year. I contacted local Chevy dealer and was told this is a known pvc freeze issue with equinoxes and this engine but it has not been recalled. …
My car has had multiple safety issues but the latest one is my car shut off while driving! I was able to start it again and get to a dealer when they said that there was no oil. I get my oil changed every 3,000 miles and the dealer said there is a known oil consumption issue with my car. It gave me no warning of low oil or anything. The dealer said I probably would have known it consumes alarming amounts of oil if I had followed the 5k miles suggested. They said I need to do a oil consumption test well before I even got to 3200 miles on the last oil change there is now oil on the floor of my garage.. this is a death trap and it's known. I have never had a vehicle only last 6 years.. please help! When my car stopped while driving there was a near miss of getting slammed from behind from another vehicle behind me.
My car blew out the rear main oil seal due to a faulty pcv valve that froze over in zero degree weather. The car lost all of its engine oil. There were no engine warning lights on before or after this happened. It has been diagnosed at the used dealer ship I got the vehicle from. It's currently at the shop but can be inspected if need be. My personal safety was at risk because it happened on the way to work and could have left me stranded. I also have had to rent a car for the last few weeks due to this issue. The car showed no warning signs of having prior issues of any sort before this happened.
Engine lost power while exiting highway. Engine noise and loss of oil and oil pressure. Glided car into repair shop off the highway exit. Repair facility was aware of the GM 2.4 liter frozen PCV valve issue. Car was taken to a Chevrolet dealership where a fix with no guarantee that the engine was good was over $3000.00 to repair. Suggested new engine at approx. $9000.00 was quoted. This is a safety issue as the problem occurs in very cold weather and when the engine stops, it can very well leave the occupants stranded in freezing weather.
Severe oil consumption which could lead to damage to engine and vehicle failure when driving, which could cause an accident or worse. The dealer stated that the rear main seal could blow out and cause the vehicle failure. Defective parts that GM is aware of, but not addressing to the owners. There is a service bulletin (14882) that dealers are aware of concerning this issue, for an extended warranty of 120,000 or 10 years, no charge to customers to repair. Part#12591866.crankshaft real oil seal. The dealer refuses to honor it.
no lights came on my car just became sluggish and I continued to drive up the road trying to get to safe spot to stop and it completely shut off on me I had to push out of road thankfully no one was behind me. I had towed to mechanic and he said my timing belt skipped and it had no oil has bent valves and piston damage and that I need a new engine
Transmission complaints in other Equinox years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, 7% of the model year's 399 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission › control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Chevrolet Equinox transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, though it has 1 recall 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 2016 Chevrolet Equinox transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 7 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.