Diagsheet

Compact SUVs · 8 model years, 2014 to 2026

Chevrolet Equinox vs GMC Terrain: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Terrain looks better on 2 and the Equinox on 0, with 5 too close to call.

Chevrolet Equinox

Chevrolet Equinox

2,966 complaints · 13 recalls

GMC Terrain

GMC Terrain

1,499 complaints · 12 recalls

Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Sep 27, 2026

Counts are not adjusted for sales. The more cars of a model there are on the road, the more complaints it draws, so the raw totals above say a lot about sales. Everything below compares shares of each model's own complaints, the mileage problems start at, recalls per model year and each model's years against its own median.

Scorecard

Measure, 2014 to 2026EquinoxTerrain
Complaints that report a crash5.0%4.3%
Complaints that report a fire1.1%0.9%
Complaints that report an injury2.6%2.9%
Median miles when problems are reported68,00063,000
Recall campaigns per model year1.61.5
Do-not-drive recalls00
NHTSA investigations22

The shaded side is lower (for miles, higher). Values within about a tenth of each other count as too close to call.

What owners complain about

The system Equinox owners complain about most is engine, and it is the same for the Terrain. Complaints citing engine make up 37% of all Equinox complaints, against 34% on the Terrain. The Terrain leans the other way on brakes: 15% of its complaints, against 11% for the Equinox.

Chevrolet EquinoxGMC Terrain

Engine37%34%
Windshield and wipers19%16%
Brakes11%15%
Transmission and drivetrain11%14%
Electrical9.5%12%
Fuel and propulsion7.8%5.2%
Airbags4.3%4.4%
Speed control2.9%2.7%
Exterior Lighting1.0%4.1%
Visibility2.3%2.8%

Share of each model's complaints that cite each system, from NHTSA's own component codes. One complaint can cite several systems, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

The most reported problems

The most reported problem on the Equinox is wiper failure (17% of its complaints). On the Terrain it is brake wear (16% of its complaints), against 13% on the Equinox.

ProblemEquinoxTerrain
Windshield wipers stop working17% 512most in 2015 · 79k mi14% 215most in 2015 · 73k mi
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early13% 379most in 2018 · 64k mi16% 246most in 2018 · 66k mi
Engine stalls or loses power while driving15% 432most in 2015 · 73k mi14% 207most in 2014 · 65k mi
Windshield cracks or distorts13% 380most in 2015 · 78k mi11% 158most in 2015 · 75k mi
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing11% 314most in 2016 · 89k mi8.6% 129most in 2017 · 85k mi
Check engine light or misfire10% 305most in 2015 · 73k mi8.4% 126most in 2014 · 80k mi
Burns oil or oil level rises9.2% 274most in 2015 · 89k mi5.9% 88most in 2014 · 83k mi
Timing chain or cam phaser rattles4.8% 143most in 2015 · 95k mi4.9% 73most in 2014 · 85k mi

Share of each model's own complaints, with the count beside it. "Most in" links to the symptom sheet for the model year with the most reports of it, and the mileage is the median from reports that gave one.

When problems start

Problems show up at about the same mileage on both. Half the Equinox complaints that give a mileage come before 68,000 miles, and half the Terrain complaints before 63,000. 34% of Equinox reports and 38% of Terrain reports come before 50,000 miles. Older model years have had longer to reach high mileage, so a window that runs to recent years pulls both medians down.

Chevrolet EquinoxGMC Terrain

Under 25k21%20%
25k to 50k14%17%
50k to 75k22%23%
75k to 100k21%19%
100k to 150k19%17%
Over 150k3.7%3.9%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 1,606 for the Equinox and 753 for the Terrain.

Worst and best years

The 2015 Equinox draws 1.6 times the complaints of a typical Equinox year for its age. The 2020 Terrain draws 1.7 times the complaints of a typical Terrain year for its age.

Chevrolet Equinox

Every Equinox model year

GMC Terrain

  • Years to avoid: 2015 and 2020
  • Best years: 2021 and 2023

Every Terrain model year

Chevrolet EquinoxGMC Terrain

Each model year against its own model's median. Equinox: 2014 1.1, 2015 1.6, 2016 1.0, 2017 0.8, 2018 1.3, 2019 1.0, 2020 1.2, 2021 0.4, 2022 1.0, 2023 0.7, 2024 0.7. Terrain: 2014 1.3, 2015 1.5, 2016 0.8, 2017 0.8, 2018 1.5, 2019 1.4, 2020 1.7, 2021 0.4, 2022 0.7, 2023 0.6, 2024 1.0.2014 Equinox: 1.1 times its median2014 Terrain: 1.3 times its median'142015 Equinox: 1.6 times its median2015 Terrain: 1.5 times its median'152016 Equinox: 1.0 times its median2016 Terrain: 0.8 times its median'162017 Equinox: 0.8 times its median2017 Terrain: 0.8 times its median'172018 Equinox: 1.3 times its median2018 Terrain: 1.5 times its median'182019 Equinox: 1.0 times its median2019 Terrain: 1.4 times its median'192020 Equinox: 1.2 times its median2020 Terrain: 1.7 times its median'202021 Equinox: 0.4 times its median2021 Terrain: 0.4 times its median'212022 Equinox: 1.0 times its median2022 Terrain: 0.7 times its median'222023 Equinox: 0.7 times its median2023 Terrain: 0.6 times its median'232024 Equinox: 0.7 times its median2024 Terrain: 1.0 times its median'241x

Each bar is that model year's complaints for each year on the road, divided by the same figure for a typical year of the same model (the dashed line). Measuring each model against itself takes the sales gap between the two out of the picture, so they can share a scale. Years too new to judge are left out.

Recalls and investigations

The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 1.6 campaigns per model year for the Equinox and 1.5 for the Terrain. A recall counts once however many cars it covers, so this figure does not grow with sales the way complaint totals do.

Chevrolet Equinox

13 recall campaigns and 2 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: visibility (2), equipment (2) and service brakes, hydraulic (2).

  • 20V-668 (transmission and drivetrain) covers 3 model years
  • 22V-165 (visibility) covers 2 model years

Investigations

  • EA19005: Front wiper transmission inoperative (closed, led to a recall)
  • RQ18002: Windshield wiper transmission failure (closed)

GMC Terrain

12 recall campaigns and 2 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: airbags (2), equipment (2) and transmission and drivetrain (2).

  • 22V-137 (exterior lighting) covers 4 model years
  • 20V-668 (transmission and drivetrain) covers 3 model years

Investigations

  • EA19005: Front wiper transmission inoperative (closed, led to a recall)
  • RQ18002: Windshield wiper transmission failure (closed)

Whether a particular car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Crashes, fires and injuries

Crashes turn up in about the same share of complaints on both (5.0% and 4.3%). Fire reports: 34 for the Equinox and 13 for the Terrain. Complaints on file report 2 deaths in the Equinox and 0 in the Terrain for these model years.

Chevrolet EquinoxGMC Terrain

Report a crash5.0%4.3%
Report a fire1.1%0.9%
Report someone hurt2.6%2.9%

Share of each model's complaints in which the owner reported it. These are owners' own accounts as filed with NHTSA, and one report on its own doesn't prove a defect.

Questions

Is the Chevrolet Equinox or the GMC Terrain more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Terrain looks better on 2 and the Equinox on 0, with 5 too close to call. NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Equinox has 2,966 complaints and the Terrain 1,499 for the 8 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Equinox or the Terrain?

The Equinox has 13 recall campaigns and the Terrain 12 across the 8 model years from 2014 to 2026 that both have on file. The two draw recalls at about the same rate: 1.6 campaigns per model year for the Equinox and 1.5 for the Terrain.

What are the most common problems on the Equinox and the Terrain?

The most reported problem on the Equinox is wiper failure (17% of its complaints). On the Terrain it is brake wear (16% of its complaints), against 13% on the Equinox.

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