2009 Chevrolet Equinox — Known Issues & Recalls

Every time you start your car, a warning message appears on the dashboard indicating a Takata recall-related airbag service issue. This suggests your vehicle's airbag system needs attention related to the known Takata recall. You should contact your Chevrolet dealer to have the airbag system inspected and serviced as part of the recall.

Your passenger seat airbag system is showing a fault — the service airbag warning light is on while the airbag itself is off. This started happening while the car was parked with a passenger in the seat. This is a Takata recall issue that needs immediate attention from a dealer.

Your passenger-side airbag light intermittently shows 'OFF' even when an adult is sitting in that seat, and this has been occurring for over a year. Additionally, the dashboard around the passenger airbag is cracking in a pattern that outlines where the airbag would deploy, which raises safety concerns. The issue may require professional diagnostic testing of the airbag system and replacement of the dashboard or airbag components.

Your airbag warning light is turning on and off intermittently. You've found many online complaints about this same problem on other vehicles, but no recall has been issued. Your dealer says replacing the airbag sensor will cost around $1,200, which seems like an unreasonable expense for a critical safety component. The fix will likely involve replacing the faulty airbag sensor that's causing the warning light to malfunction.

Your steering wheel becomes extremely difficult to turn, sometimes without warning, making it hard to steer right or left. This makes driving feel unsafe and unpredictable. The issue likely involves the power steering system and may require inspection of the pump, hoses, or fluid levels.

Your power steering intermittently loses assist when turning left or right at normal speeds, making the steering wheel very hard to turn before suddenly recovering. This happens multiple times per day in various weather conditions and tends to recover when you accelerate into the turn. The issue appears to be related to an electrical voltage problem, and may be resolved with a software update to the steering system.

Your car's ignition key won't release immediately after you turn off the engine. Sometimes it takes several minutes before the key comes out of the ignition, and this has happened many times. The ignition lock mechanism may need adjustment or replacement to ensure the key releases properly when the engine is off.

You noticed a strong fuel smell coming from your vehicle, and found a leak coming from the gas tank. While driving up a hill, your check engine light came on briefly, then turned off. The dealer checked for recalls but found none, and the vehicle was never repaired. Fixing this will likely involve inspecting the gas tank for cracks or damage and replacing any faulty fuel system components.

You noticed a strong gasoline smell inside your cabin when starting the vehicle, and found a fuel leak underneath. Your check engine light came on, and a mechanic diagnosed a cracked fuel pump as the cause. The fuel pump was replaced to fix the leak.

Your engine stalled and shut off completely while you were driving on the road, and the car caught fire. This is an extremely dangerous situation, especially with passengers in the vehicle. The issue may involve fuel system or engine components that need professional inspection and repair to prevent this from happening again.

Your timing chain and guides failed at 110,000 miles, causing your engine to throw multiple error codes (P0008, P0018, P0017) that suggest timing problems. Your transmission is also showing fault codes (P0752, P0700), which may indicate transmission damage as a result of the engine issue. The owner notes that a similar 2009 Chevy Traverse with the same 3.6L engine was recalled for this problem, but this Equinox was not. Fixing this will likely require timing chain replacement and possibly transmission repair or replacement.

Your car's computer system caused it to stall while you were driving on the highway, leaving you stranded. Additionally, your airbag warning light has been on continuously since you purchased the vehicle. These issues suggest problems with the engine control computer and the airbag system that need immediate professional diagnosis and repair.

Your traction control warning light comes on while driving at various speeds, and when it does, your vehicle loses power and won't accelerate properly. This happens unexpectedly and makes the car difficult to drive. The issue likely involves the traction control system or related engine sensors that need to be diagnosed and repaired.

You noticed a strong fuel smell in your vehicle and discovered the gas tank needed replacement. The repair facility mentioned Chevy had replacement tanks readily available, suggesting this was a known issue. Additionally, the paint on the driver's side of your car is peeling off from the door to the rear, with visible bubbles forming underneath the paint surface. Addressing this will likely require gas tank replacement and paint restoration work.

Your transmission is stuck in second gear and won't shift to other gears, making it difficult to drive. This happened right after you had the timing chain replaced, even though your car only has 110,000 miles. The transmission may need to be serviced or repaired, possibly including a fluid and filter change or internal transmission work.

Your airbag warning light comes on and off intermittently, and when it does, your passenger airbag displays as "OFF" with a "SERVICE PASSENGER AIRBAG" message. Multiple shops have found no problems, but a dealer inspection is needed to diagnose the issue. Additionally, your electronic stability control (traction control) occasionally stops working before resuming normal operation. The fix will likely involve diagnosing the airbag sensor circuit and stability control system, which may require dealer-level diagnostic equipment and possible sensor or wiring replacement.

Your engine's timing chain failed and needs to be replaced. The timing chain synchronizes your engine's internal components, so when it breaks, your engine won't run properly. Replacing the timing chain is a major repair that requires significant engine work.

Multiple warning lights came on in your vehicle including the airbag light, ABS light, and stability control light, and they stayed on for about 6 months. A repair shop replaced a brake sensor module under the driver's seat for $580, which fixed the ABS and stability control lights. The dealer then replaced the airbag module under the passenger seat for $1,070 to fix the airbag warning lights. Fixing this issue likely involved replacing faulty sensor modules and possibly reprogramming the vehicle's safety system computer.

Your steering pump has failed, causing a loss of power steering assistance. At the same time, your engine warning light is flashing and the engine is misfiring, which means some cylinders aren't firing properly. Both issues need immediate attention before driving, as the combination of failed power steering and engine misfires creates a safety concern. Repairs will likely involve replacing the steering pump and diagnosing the engine misfire, which could be caused by spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors, or other ignition system components.

Your car is experiencing several issues: antifreeze smell coming through the vents and a leaking heater core dripping fluid underneath, the front passenger window won't roll down, the driver's turn signal won't stay engaged while in use, and the rear brake light bulb has failed repeatedly (four times in one year). The heater core leak will likely need to be replaced, the window regulator may need repair or replacement, the turn signal stalk may need adjustment or replacement, and the brake light bulb socket may have a defect causing repeated failures.