General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
Risk: Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.
NHTSA listing: EQUINOX. Chevrolet campaign N252540430.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 71 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Equinox. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Brakes19 · 27%
Forward collision avoidance19 · 27%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (12); adaptive cruise control (7)
Powertrain16 · 23%
Electrical system12 · 17%
Engine7 · 10%
Lane departure systems7 · 10%
Most named: blind spot detection (6)
Fuel and propulsion system5 · 7%
Unknown or other12 · 17%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Chevrolet Equinox recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2026 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Equinox drew the most (146).
Owner complaints
2026: 71 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Equinox
Model year
Complaints
2016
396
2017
273
2018
408
2019
301
2020
308
2021
94
2022
174
2023
95
2024
79
2025
227
2026
71
Safety recalls
2026: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Chevrolet Equinox
Model year
Recalls
2016
1
2017
0
2018
5
2019
4
2020
4
2021
4
2022
5
2023
3
2024
1
2025
0
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
CHEVROLET EQUINOX SUV N/A AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
Not rated
Not rated
CHEVROLET EQUINOX SUV N/A FWD
Rollover risk 18.5%
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2026 Equinox problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: brakes (19), forward collision avoidance (19), powertrain (16). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
How do I check if my Equinox has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: EQUINOX.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.