2010 Chevrolet Equinox: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox. The newest campaign is 16V502000. NHTSA received the report on 5 Jul 2016. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 784 complaints on file for this model year. 3 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 16V502000, in the NHTSA record

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 481,731 units in total.

16V502000Received 5 Jul 2016. 8,367 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Report filed by General Motors LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 50490, 50491. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Oct 2016.
14V447000Received 23 Jul 2014. 414,333 units.
Seats / Front Assembly / Power Adjust
Defect, in the NHTSA record
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
Report filed by General Motors LLC. Manufacturer campaign number 14271. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 26 Dec 2014.
09V489000Received 23 Dec 2009. 59,031 units.
Visibility / Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System
Defect, in the NHTSA record
General motors is recalling certain model year 2010 chevrolet equinox and GMC terrain vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging systems and with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 101, controls and displays". The software in the center instrument panel can cause the heating, air conditioning, defrost, and radio controls, as well as the panel illumination to become inoperative.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Driving without a functioning defrost system can decrease your visibility under certain driving conditions and could result in a crash without warning.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the computer module in the center instrument panel free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during january 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 090298. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Jan 2010.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

784 complaints, 1,118 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox
All 2010 vehicles

2010 Chevrolet Equinox: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2010 Equinox	All 2010 vehicles	Equinox, all years	Mentions
Engine	242.4	94.2	220.9	271
Power Train	162.8	82.3	85.6	182
Visibility/Wiper	118.1	14	86.9	132
Electrical System	73.3	115.4	96.5	82
Air Bags	51.9	119.9	49.7	58
Unknown or Other	46.5	50	61.9	52
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)	43.8	22.3	26.9	49
Steering	39.4	106.6	36.3	44
Engine and Engine Cooling	29.5	19.1	28.4	33
Vehicle Speed Control	28.6	60	22.6	32

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 26.

Complaints that report a crash: 15
Complaints that report a fire: 9
Injuries in the complaints: 23
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Mar 2026

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2019, with 107 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE20009	Preliminary evaluation	Momentary Increased Steering Effort	Steering / Electric Power Assist System	1 Jun 2020	3 Jun 2022
EA19005	Engineering analysis	Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative	Visibility	13 Dec 2019	28 Nov 2022	22V165000
RQ18002	Recall query	Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure	Visibility	2 Nov 2018	19 Dec 2019

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2010 Chevrolet EquinoxThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2010 Chevrolet Equinox: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/chevrolet/equinox/2010/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: General Motors LLC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox?: 481,731 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Chevrolet Equinox have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 32 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Equinox, model years 2005 to 2026. 3 of them name the 2010 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox name most often?: Engine: 271 of 1,118 component mentions, or 242.4 per 1,000. For all 2010 vehicles the figure is 94.2 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox open?: No. Each of the 3 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.