2008 Chevrolet Equinox

Typical pattern

6.2% of complaints about the 2008 Chevrolet Equinox came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2008 vehicle — around the middle of the 262 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.7 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (111 complaints), typically at 6.4 yr or about 68,000 miles.

Complaints: 531
Median age at failure: 6.7 yr
Median mileage: 73,000 n=419
Crash / fire / tow: 5.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Air bags

111 reports · 68,000 mi

6.4 yr

7.2%

Electrical system

66 reports · 75,000 mi

6.3 yr

6.1%

Electronic stability control (esc)

45 reports · 85,000 mi

6.8 yr

8.9%

Steering

42 reports · 80,000 mi

6.9 yr

11.9%

Fuel / propulsion

39 reports · 96,000 mi

8.8 yr

2.6%

Structure

34 reports · 64,000 mi

6.8 yr

2.9%

Engine

27 reports · 84,000 mi

8.4 yr

3.7%

Exterior lighting

22 reports · 52,000 mi

5.6 yr

Other

18 reports · 118,550 mi

9.8 yr

5.6%

Latches / locks

18 reports · 60,000 mi

4.8 yr

Power train

16 reports · 91,000 mi

7.8 yr

In owners’ own words

Structure 500 mi 3 mo in service

FRONT BUMPER COVER CRACKED INSIDE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WELL WHERE BUMPER WRAPS AROUND. CRACK BEGAN WHEN OBJECT IN GARAGE WAS "BUMPED". COVER MATERIAL SO THIN THAT COVER WAS DAMAGED. COST TO REPLACE WAS $888.00 AT DEALERSHIP. IF MATERIAL AND/OR DESIGN WAS BETTER, THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. MANUFACTURER WANTS NO PART IN REPLACING OR FIXING THE PROBLEM. TOLD ME TO SEND IT TO MY INSURANCE CARRIER. MY COMPLAINT IS THE POOR MATERIAL INVOLVED AND THAT GM WANTS REPAIRS FOR POOR QUALITY REPAIRED OR REPLACED ON THE BACK OF A CONSUMERS INSURANCE. *TR

Structure 35,016 mi 3.3 yr in service

LEAKING FRONT AND REAR 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, FRONT IS LEAKING INTO PASSENGER AND DRIVER WHEEL WELL AND BACK IS LEAKING INTO SPARE TIRE WELL AND RUNNING DOWN INTO SECOND ROW OF SEATS. *TR

Structure 1 mi 4 mo in service

THE 2008 EQUINOX MADE BY GENERAL MOTORS HAS BOTH REAR UNDERBASE WHEEL WATER ENTRY INTO THE SPARE TIRE COMPARTMENT. THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT ENTERS INTO THIS AREA FILLS AND RUNS FORWARD TO THE BRAKE AND GAS AREA. THE ENTIRE FLOOR BASE SUBJECT TO WATER DAMAGED AND HEADACHES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FLOOR CARPET, PLACED SOME SORT OF BLACK GLUE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ENTRY AREA. BUT, THE CAR SMELLS LIKE ROTTEN METAL. PLEASE HELP! *TR

Electrical system 100 mi 6 mo in service

I HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE 1963 AND THIS CAR HAS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST PROBLEM WITH STATIC ELECTRICITY THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. I THOUGHT AT FIRST IT WAS JUST ME, BUT AT A COMPANY MEETING (IT IS A COMPANY CAR) I DISCOVERED THAT EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THAT HAS AN EQUINOX HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. EVEN IF THE CAR ISN'T RUNNING AND YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN SHOCKED, IF YOU MOVE AROUND SLIGHTLY IN THE SEAT YOU WILL GET ANOTHER SHOCK THE NEXT TIME YOU TOUCH SOMETHING METAL. THE SHOCK IS SOMETIMES SO SEVERE THAT AT FIRST I THOUGHT THE BATTERY HAD A SHORT TO GROUND. *TR

Other Equinox model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.