2019 Chevrolet Equinox
1 thing going for it, 3 to watch.
Cons
Official recall campaigns exist for this vehicle. See the Safety Recalls section for what failed and how it's fixed.
Why we say this — NHTSA — Safety Recalls
98 of 294 owner complaints are about the engine. Tap it in the heatmap to read the real reports.
Why we say this — NHTSA — Owner Complaints
21 complaint(s) involved a crash and 7 involved a fire.
Why we say this — NHTSA — Owner Complaints
Pros
Earned a strong overall government crash-test rating.
Why we say this — NHTSA — 5-Star Safety Ratings
Neutral
294 complaints ranks #8 of 23 popular 2019 models we track (fewest first, snapshot 2026-07-10). Raw counts partly reflect how many were sold — see "How it compares" below.
Why we say this — NHTSA — Owner Complaints
Official EPA fuel economy. We show this as a neutral fact — whether it's 'good' depends on the vehicle's class.
Why we say this — U.S. EPA / DOE — fueleconomy.gov
ℹ️ Recalls & complaints are reported per model — the same across every trim & engine. Fuel economy (and crash ratings by body style) can vary — use the pickers in those sections.
Safety Recalls
Official recall campaigns. Tap one to see the danger and the fix.
What is a recall, really?
A recall means the government made the manufacturer admit a safety defect — and the fix is free at any dealer, forever, even for used cars. Recalls range from a software update to "the steering wheel can detach," so read the danger line on each one. Buying used? Ask the seller for proof each recall was completed, or have a dealer run the VIN. Recalls also have a quieter cousin worth reading: technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Campaign 20V668000
What's wrong: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
The danger: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
The fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
NHTSA Campaign 18V576000
What's wrong: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
The danger: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
NHTSA Campaign 19V667000
What's wrong: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Equinox all-wheel drive vehicles. The fuel tanks may have been manufactured with an improperly sealed seam, possibly allowing fuel to leak along the seam near the fuel inlet.
The danger: A fuel leak in the presence of the ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N192271870.
NHTSA Campaign 19V184000
What's wrong: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.
The danger: In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.
The fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192209550.
Source: NHTSA — Safety Recalls · re-checked about every 24 hours
Where Owners Report Problems
Where owners report the most trouble — based on 294 complaints (21 involved a crash, 7 a fire). Tap a part to read the real reports.
Raw count — best-sellers naturally log more complaints than rare cars, so judge it against the peer comparison below, not on its own.
Why don't we show complaints per vehicle sold?
Because no official source publishes sales counts per model — that data is sold by private firms, and the free numbers online are guesses. A rate built on a guessed denominator is a guess wearing a lab coat, so we refuse to show one. Instead we show comparisons where fleet size cancels out or is disclosed: the same model across its own years, the crash/fire severity mix, and the peer ranking below — each with its methodology attached.
Of 98 reports about this part, 3 involved a crash and 3 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 98):
Of 78 reports about this part, 9 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 78):
Of 43 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 43):
Of 40 reports about this part, 3 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 40):
Of 36 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 36):
Of 34 reports about this part, 0 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 34):
Of 13 reports about this part, 2 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 13):
Of 12 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 12):
Of 11 reports about this part, 9 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 11):
Of 9 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 9):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 7):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 6):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 6):
Of 5 reports about this part, 0 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 5):
Of 5 reports about this part, 0 involved a crash and 1 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 5 of 5):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 4 of 4):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 3 of 3):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 3 of 3):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 3 of 3):
Of 2 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Of 2 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Of 2 reports about this part, 1 involved a crash and 0 a fire.
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 2 of 2):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 1 of 1):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 1 of 1):
Real owner reports filed with NHTSA (showing 1 of 1):
Color = how serious (crash/fire involvement) · number = how many (share of all this car's reports). Tap any part to read real owner complaints.
How it compares
Typical complaint volume — 294 complaints ranks #8 of 23 popular models from the same year (fewest first · median 361).
10% of its complaints involved a crash or fire, vs 5% typical for its year — this one is fair to compare directly, because it doesn't depend on how many were sold.
Same car, other years — complaint totals for the Chevrolet Equinox by model year (fleet size mostly cancels out here, so this is the cleanest signal for "which year should I buy?"):
Why raw complaint counts can mislead (and how we correct for it)
A best-selling car naturally collects more complaints than a rare one simply because there are more of them on the road — so a raw count alone can make a popular, reliable car look worse than a troubled niche one. That's why we show the rank alongside the crash/fire percentage (which doesn't depend on sales volume) and the same model's other years. Read all three together.
Computed by us from NHTSA complaint records for 23 popular same-year models · snapshot 2026-07-10. This comparison set is a sample, not every car sold.
Source: NHTSA — Owner Complaints · re-checked about every 24 hours
Crash-Test Safety Ratings
Official U.S. government 5-star crash-test results.
How to read these stars
These come from the government physically crash-testing this vehicle — front, side, and rollover — and scoring it 1 to 5 stars. Ratings are per body style, so a sedan and its coupe twin can differ. If a vehicle shows no rating, it usually means the government never tested that exact configuration — untested is not the same as unsafe, and we'll never blur that line.
2019 Chevrolet Equinox SUV FWD
Source: NHTSA — 5-Star Safety Ratings · re-checked about every 24 hours
Fuel Economy (MPG)
Official EPA estimates — the real numbers, not the brochure.
Across 6 official EPA configurations · Fuel: Regular, Diesel, Premium. Pick an engine/trim above for exact numbers.
Source: U.S. EPA / DOE — fueleconomy.gov · re-checked about every 24 hours