Problems · by component
2006 Chevrolet Equinox engine and engine cooling problems
60 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox cite engine and engine cooling, 9% of all 695 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
60
9% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“EVER SINCE I GOT THIS VEHICLE I HAVE ALWAYS HEARD WHAT SOUNDS LIKE WATER IN THE DASH, I'VE BEEN READING THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE ANTIFREEZE WHICH IN SOME CASES LEAKED OUT OF THE AIR VENTS INTO THE VEHICLE. I'VE ALSO HAD MY HEATER BLEND DOOR GO BAD AND GOT THAT REPLACED. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON ALL THE TIME BECAUSE OF THE GAS CAP. LEAKING ANTIFREEZE SOME WHERE AND FROM WHAT I READ IT GOES INTO THE ENGINE HEADS AND CAUSES DAMAGE THERE. THIS IS MY DAILY DRIVE AND I DRIVE ABOUT 50 MILES A DAY 6 OR 7 DAYS A WEEK. ALL I DO IS PUT MONEY INTO IT ON PARTS SINCE I GOT IT. *TR”
“THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO CRANK, YOU HAVE TO MANIPULATE THE STEERING COLUMN, AND REPEATEDLY TRY TO CRANK IT. KEY IS DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. ON SEPT 29, 2014, THE KEY CAME OUT OF IGNITION WHILE IN DRIVE. I REPORTED TO GM AT 18002221020 AT 8AM ON SEPT 30, TO , WHO TOOK DETAILS, AND SAID A SR. SERVICE ADVISOR WOULD CALL ME IN 24-48 HOURS. NO ONE DID. I CALLED GM BACK TODAY AND SPOKE TO A HISPANIC MAN, WHO SAID [XXX] IS THE SR. ADVISOR ASSIGNED BUT SHE IS NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. I LEFT A VOICE MAIL FOR HER. I ALSO CONTACTED RIVERSIDE CHEVROLET IN WETUMPKA ALABAMA, AND WAS TOLD A SERVICE PERSON WOULD CALL ME BACK. *TR”
“SAME AS REPORTED BELOW, ABS ISSUES, IGNITION SWITCH, OVER HEATING, WATER SOUND IN DASH, BLEND DOOR ISSUES. ONLY HAVE 80K ON CAR BUT PROBLEMS SURPASS VALUE. WHY ARE THERE NO RECALLS FOR EQUINOX? *TR”
“I HAVE AN 06 CHEVY EQUINOX. OVER THE PAST MONTH IT HAS BEEN RANDOMLY SHUTTING OFF AS YOU ARE DRIVING. THE FIRST TIME I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT AND IT SHUT OFF. AFTER A FEW TRIES TO START IT BACK UP I CALLED MY HUSBAND HE CAME TO GET ME AND IT STARTED BACK UP. WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC THAT DAY. HE SAW NOTHING WRONG. THERE WAS NO CODE THAT CAME UP TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM. SINCE THEN IT HAS SHUT OFF MULTIPLE TIME WHILE IN MOTION. THE ENGINE WILL SHUT DOWN AND THE TC LIGHT WILL COME. I FOUND THIS FORUM AND READ OTHER COMMENTS OF THIS HAPPENING. I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND HAVE TO GO OVER A BRIDGE EVERY DAY TO GO TO WORK. I AM SCARED THIS MIGHT HAPPEN WHILE ON THE BRIDGE OR HIGHWAY. GM SHOULD REALLY LOOK IN TO THIS PROBLEM IF IT IS HAPPENING TO MORE THAN A FEW PEOPLE. I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO GIVE AWAY IF NO PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN BY A MECHANIC NOR CAN I AFFORD A NEW CAR. SOME ONE PLEASE HELP OR GIVE ME AN ANSWER. *TR”
“MY 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX HAS A UN -FIXABLE [PER DEALER] A.C. PROBLEM. DRIVING IN FLORIDA WITH TEMPS IN THE HIGH NINES IN TRAFFIC THE TEMP INSIDE THE CAR IS MUCH HIGHER. BEING IN OUR SEVENTIES I NEARLY PASSED OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS PROBLEM IS RAMPART ON GOOGLE WITH HUNDREDS OF THE SAME ISSUE. TRYING TO DRIVE WITH IN-CAR TEMP. OVER 112 IS SCARY AND NOT SAFE. *TR”
“I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MPH DOWN A MAIN ROAD, WHEN I TRIED TO STOP AT A RED LIGHT. UPON PRESSING THE BRAKE, THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM LOCKED UP, AND THERE WAS RESISTANCE. I SWERVED TO AVOID THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, AND RAN INTO A MAILBOX ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. PRIOR TO THIS, MY CAR EXPERIENCED OVERHEATING AND SMOKE THAT BLOCKED MY VIEW, AND I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. I AM MENTIONING THIS BECAUSE I SEE THAT OTHERS HAD THE SAME ISSUE. GM NEEDS TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT. *TR”
Showing 6 of 60 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.