Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2013 Chevrolet Equinox has 751 owner complaints, most often about the engine (412). It is rated 19 to 26 mpg combined, with a 5-year fuel cost of $12,490 to $17,100 at U.S. average prices, based on 15,000 miles per year. NHTSA gives it 4 overall stars. There are 2 recall campaigns, covering windows, mirrors and wipers; electrical system; and transmission and drivetrain. These campaigns may apply to this car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
19–26 mpgcombined; city 16–22, highway 23–31; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$12,490–$17,100U.S. average; Ohio $11,160–$15,280 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2013 Equinox. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 751 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Equinox. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
412
1
4
8
Visibility/wiper
144
0
0
0
Power train
80
1
0
1
Electrical system
69
1
3
0
Unknown or other
63
1
0
1
Fuel/propulsion system
43
0
0
0
Air bags
25
11
0
8
Electronic stability control (ESC)
20
1
0
0
Steering
19
2
0
0
Visibility
19
0
0
0
Service brakes
12
1
0
1
Vehicle speed control
12
0
0
0
13 more parts
Structure
11
3
2
2
Engine and engine cooling
10
0
0
0
Suspension
9
0
0
0
Tires
8
2
0
0
Exterior lighting
7
1
0
1
Seat belts
7
3
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
5
0
0
0
Wheels
5
0
1
0
Fuel system, gasoline
2
0
0
0
Seats
2
1
0
1
Back over prevention
1
0
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2013 Equinox over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear over time, possibly resulting in one or both of the windshield wipers becoming inoperative.
Risk: Inoperative windshield wipers may reduce the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, dealers will repair the AIP-hole, inspect and, if necessary, replace the front wiper module, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 25302.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 1,944 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2013 Equinox, the latest on Sep 26, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (809), electrical system (385), engine and engine cooling (215), engine (170), power train (124).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2013 Equinox.
See used 2013 Chevrolet Equinoxs for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Equinox Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
22 / 31 / 26
Equinox Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
22 / 31 / 26
Equinox All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
20 / 28 / 23
Equinox All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
20 / 28 / 23
Equinox Front-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
17 / 24 / 20
Equinox Front-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 24 / 20
Equinox All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 23 / 19
Equinox All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
16 / 23 / 19
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data