Selling a worn-out or junk Chevrolet Equinox

Check two things before you decide: open recalls on your VIN, and GM's coverage programs below. One wiper program still reaches some 2012 cars.

Four generations, side by side

Figures here are from NHTSA's complaint and recall flat files, pulled October 10, 2026, for Equinox model years 2005 through 2026.

No campaign spans two generations, so the recalls add up to the file's 32.

2010-2013: the 2.4 and its oil

The second generation collects the most complaints, and the engine is why. NHTSA lists 1,215 engine complaints on the 2010-2013 cars: 212, 323, 305 and 375, year by year. One 2013 owner reported "excessive oil loss without warning," which they said ended in engine and timing failure.

GM set up special coverage for the 2.4 four. Each program runs from the car's first in-service date, whoever owns it now:

• 2010 (LAF engine), program 14159: four new piston assemblies when the engine uses a quart in under 2,000 miles. 10 years or 120,000 miles.
• 2010-2011 (LAF), program 12313C: balance chain pins that lose their chrome, letting the chain stretch. GM warns an ignored chain "could cause the chain to break." 10 years or 120,000 miles.
• 2012 and 2013 (LEA), programs 16118 and N192291100: the same ring wear, for 7 years 6 months or 120,000 miles. The 2012 bulletin mentions a rattle or knock.
• 2012-2013, program N192287100: catalytic converters and oxygen sensors worn out by the oil use, about 327,328 vehicles counting the GMC Terrain. 10 years or 150,000 miles.

On a car sold new on schedule, every one of those windows has closed. We found no oil-use program for the 2011.

2010-2016: wipers that stop mid-storm

The wiper module's ball joints corrode, wear and pull out of their sockets, and one or both blades stop. NHTSA files 926 visibility and wiper complaints on the 2010-2016 cars, 240 of them on the 2015. A 2015 owner lost the wiper "while driving on the highway in heavy down pour."

• 2013: recall 16V582 (August 2016). The campaign counted 367,808 vehicles with the Terrain.
• 2014-2015: recall 22V165 (March 2022), 681,509 vehicles with the Terrain.
• 2010-2012: Special Coverage N192266181 (July 2022), 15 years or 200,000 miles from first service. A 2012 first put in service after October 10, 2011, and still under 200,000 miles, qualifies.

2005-2009: fuel, air bags and glass

The first generation's busiest years are the 2006 (695 complaints, 216 filed under visibility) and the 2007 (685, led by fuel and propulsion at 141 and air bags at 136). The 2007 carries four recalls:

• 12V459: leaking fuel pump modules on 2007s first sold or now registered in Arizona, California, Nevada or Texas, in a 49,768-vehicle campaign that included Pontiac Torrents.
• 07V242: the wrong primer may have gone on the windshield of 6,213 vehicles, Torrents included. The remedy called for new windshield, liftgate and side stationary glass.
• 07V344: 437 cars whose seat sensor may leave the passenger air bag off for a small adult.
• 07V520: 2007s without the optional roof rail air bags or sunroof fail the interior head-impact standard. Dealers were to fit a foam piece inside each A-pillar trim. The 57,100 count includes Torrents.

2018 on: brakes, a transmission end cap and fuel pumps

Brakes lead the 2018 (106 of 409 complaints) and the 2020 (77), with 63 more on the 2019. GM's tip PIP5835 traces a hard pedal on 2018-2022 cars with the 1.5 turbo to a vacuum pump "broken internally." Recalls from these years:

• 18V576: rear caliper pistons short on coating, 2018-2019; a brake bleed fixes it. The 210,628 count spans several GM models.
• 20V668: on 2018-2020 cars, bolts can be absent from the start/stop accumulator's end cap, so transmission fluid can leak and power can drop. The 194,105 count also covers other GM models.
• 23V013: fuel pump modules that can stall 2021-2022 cars, 23,323 with the 2022 Terrain.
• 23V339: excess coating on the rear child seat anchor bars, 2020-2023, 668,187 with the Terrain. Until it's fixed, GM says to install child seats with the seat belts.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Each campaign appears under every Equinox year it touches. The 2022's six include 24V839, whose text describes Express and Savana vans.

Repair it or let it go?

1. Run the Equinox's VIN through nhtsa.gov/recalls. Dealers do listed recall repairs at no charge.
2. Dead wipers on a 2010-2012? Ask a Chevrolet dealer about N192266181 before paying anyone.
3. A 2.4 burning oil? The coverage is gone, and GM's converter program shows the oil can take the catalytic converter too. Weigh the quote against what a running Equinox of that year brings; blown engine helps with that call.
4. Hard pedal on a 2018-2022? Have the vacuum pump checked, and don't drive it until then.

How to sell your Equinox as it sits

1. Jot down the VIN and odometer reading, the fault as you understand it, and whether the wheels turn and the steering moves.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe the spot: your driveway, an apartment lot, the curb, or a repair shop's yard.
4. Keep it complete. The converter, wheels and battery stay on; mention anything already gone.
5. At pickup, the Equinox's title and keys go with the driver once your ID checks out. Keeping or surrendering the Equinox's plates is a state-by-state rule, listed in after you sell.

Lost the title? Read the no-title guide. Comparing Chevys? See the Traverse, Trax and Blazer, or every Chevrolet model.