2012 Chevrolet Equinox Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 70 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, 10% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 65,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “goes off” (7% of reports).
- 70electrical system complaints
- 65,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Goes off: mentioned in 5 of 70 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 51 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 70 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Equinox electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Equinox | 12 | 16% | 5,900 |
| 2025 Equinox | 78 | 33% | 4,333 |
| 2024 Equinox | 17 | 21% | 16,989 |
| 2023 Equinox | 12 | 12% | 5,161 |
| 2022 Equinox | 22 | 12% | — |
| 2021 Equinox | 18 | 18% | 55,000 |
| 2020 Equinox | 42 | 13% | 4,857 |
| 2019 Equinox | 44 | 14% | 8,500 |
| 2018 Equinox | 61 | 15% | 36,955 |
| 2017 Equinox | 19 | 7% | 61,500 |
| 2016 Equinox | 24 | 6% | 30,000 |
| 2015 Equinox | 45 | 7% | 38,929 |
| 2014 Equinox | 46 | 8% | 63,556 |
| 2013 Equinox | 69 | 9% | 35,264 |
| 2012 Equinox | 70 | 10% | 65,000 |
| 2011 Equinox | 74 | 9% | 60,500 |
| 2010 Equinox | 81 | 10% | 59,000 |
| 2009 Equinox | 23 | 24% | 85,600 |
| 2008 Equinox | 65 | 18% | 75,000 |
| 2007 Equinox | 102 | 15% | 62,000 |
| 2006 Equinox | 141 | 20% | 81,300 |
| 2005 Equinox | 159 | 25% | 67,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system:ignition; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: 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."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
See attached document for complaint.
Rear tailgate. Borrowed vehicle from a friend for a trip. When opening the tailgate with the external switch it opens all the way and immediately comes back down about 12 inches or so then it immediately goes back up and immediately comes all the way down. My wife was almost trapped between the…
2012 Chevrolet equinox burns/leaks oil which cause the serpentine belt to pop off & I had to replace it. Having problems with the MAT & IAT codes, just replaced the fuel pump, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, & spark plugs... Car still will not crank. They're saying there's no recall but why are…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Chevrolet Equinoxs have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 70 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox (10% of the 685 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox electrical system?
Yes: 1 safety recall list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 65,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
The most frequent phrase is “goes off”, in 5 of 70 complaints.
Other 2012 Chevrolet Equinox problems
See all 2012 Chevrolet Equinox problems or electrical system problems across all Equinox years.