UsedScore

2014 Chevrolet Equinox: Solid

Owners filed 126 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox in its first five years on the road, about 52 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Equinox year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (12% of complaints, median 28,000 miles).

Complaint index
0.8×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Equinox year
Rank
6th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
126
first five years; 52 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
1
campaign
2nd generation, 2010–2017 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2011 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ

Photo: 2011 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags12% · 15 complaints · median 28,000 miles
  2. Electrical17% · 22 complaints · median 10,000 miles
  3. Visibility27% · 34 complaints · median 70,000 miles
  4. Engine18% · 23 complaints · median 53,000 miles
  5. Brakes12% · 15 complaints · median 33,000 miles
  6. Seats and belts3% · 4 complaints
  7. Fuel and propulsion10% · 12 complaints · median 44,000 miles
  8. Powertrain8% · 10 complaints · median 57,000 miles
  9. Speed control7% · 9 complaints · median 30,000 miles
  10. Steering6% · 8 complaints · median 12,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners describe crashes in which the air bags failed to deploy, as well as warning lights indicating an air bag system problem even without a collision. Dealers sometimes couldn't pinpoint a cause, and some owners were told repairs weren't covered under warranty.

Warning signs:
Owners report the air bag or service airbag warning light flickering, cycling on and off, or chiming, sometimes with a passenger sensor failing to register an occupant.
What shops did:
Some dealers could not diagnose or repair the issue, one quoted a costly passenger airbag module replacement, and others found no covered warranty repair.
Mileage:
most between 25,000 and 70,000 miles, among 23 complaints that give it

“When a passenger was seated in the front passenger seat, the air bag system failed to function”

“Airbags fired but none ever came out. Could smell the burning charge.”

Electrical

Owners describe their Equinox suddenly losing power or shutting off while driving, sometimes with warning lights and a temporary loss of steering or braking assist. Dealers have tried various fixes like new fuses, batteries or modules, but several owners say the problem kept coming back or couldn't be reproduced in the shop.

Warning signs:
Many note warning chimes or dashboard alerts (Service StabiliTrak, Service Power Steering, Reduce Engine Power) just before the stall, along with rough idling, clicking sounds at start-up, or a hot ignition key.
What shops did:
Dealers have replaced fuses, batteries, sensors, or body control modules, and in several cases performed a customer satisfaction or software update, though some owners say the stalling returned or the shop could not duplicate the problem.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 90,000 miles, among 36 complaints that give it

“The dash reads loss of power as you feel the car drastically slow to a crawl”

“The vehicle will suddenly stall out”

Visibility

Many owners of this model year report their windshield wipers abruptly stopping or falling off during rainstorms, leaving them briefly unable to see the road. Most say shops trace it to a broken wiper transmission or linkage, and many note a similar recall existed for other model years but not theirs.

Warning signs:
Owners report wipers stopping mid-swipe or freezing upright while a motor sound is still audible, occurring almost always during heavy rain or snow.
What shops did:
Dealers or independent shops typically diagnosed a failed wiper transmission, linkage, ball joint or motor and replaced the part, often at owner expense since many say the vehicle was excluded from a related recall.
Mileage:
most between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, among 144 complaints that give it

“While driving on the highway in the rain my wipers suddenly stopped working and remained stuck in the upright position”

“Wipers had been working just fine, then all of a sudden they went completely off the driver side of the windshield”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (1)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 22V165000March 2022681,509 vehicles

    Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode, causing one or both windshield wipers to fail.

    Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will inspect the wiper module, and repair or replace it as necessary, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Chevrolet sent NHTSA 1,694 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2014 Equinox. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 25-NA-087 · April 2025This service bulletin provides information on the proper Reflective High Temperature Heat and/or Insulating Tape to use for certain repairs, such as Wiring Harness Repairs.
  • 13-08-116-001K · March 2025The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other diagnostic methods to…
  • 23-NA-001 · March 2025This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on OnStar Module 2G Sunset Information.
  • 24-NA-098 · March 2025This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492,…
  • 15-06-03-001F · March 2025This service bulletin provides information to diagnose batteries that have set for a long period of time and/or cold weather climates and testing those batteries.
  • 21-NA-043 · January 2025This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
  • 09-06-04-026Z · January 2025This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using the Tech 2 or GDS 2.
  • 20-NA-132 · January 2025This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements.

All 2014 Equinox bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?
Owners filed 126 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox in its first five years on the road, about 52 for every 100,000 sold: 0.8× the rate of a typical Equinox year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Equinox years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2014 Equinox problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (12%), the electrical system (17%) and visibility (glass, wipers, mirrors) (27%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2014 Chevrolet Equinox, the most recent in March 2022 (visibility). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Chevrolet. The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox on NHTSA.gov · How we rate