2013 Chevrolet Equinox Electrical System Problems
NHTSA lists 73 electrical system complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox, 10% of all complaints filed for the year, with a median mileage at failure of 39,110. Owners report sudden engine shutdowns while driving, screen and dash lighting failures, and several fires, though no recall specifically covers this pattern.
- Electrical System complaints
- 73
- 10% of 751
- Crashes reported
- 2
- Fires reported
- 3
- Injuries reported
- 1
- Median mileage
- 39,111 mi
- Related recalls
- 1
Typical electrical symptoms owners report
- Vehicle suddenly loses power and shuts off while driving at highway speed, sometimes requiring the driver to coast to the shoulder before it restarts on its own.
- Interior lights, dash lights, and touch-screen radio go dark or flicker intermittently, in some cases affecting the backup camera display as well.
- Owners describe fires starting near the fuse box or from an unspecified electrical issue, in some cases while the vehicle was parked and unattended.
- Collision sensor activates on its own with no object nearby, causing the vehicle to slow down or bog down without warning.
- Power steering and control panel lose power simultaneously while driving, leaving the driver unable to steer normally.
When 2013 Chevrolet Equinox electrical complaints were filed
First complaint Dec 28, 2012, latest Mar 4, 2025.
Electrical System recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox
- NHTSA 16V502000Jul 5, 2016Electrical System8,367 vehicles
Electrical system:ignition
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.
Electrical System complaints by Equinox model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How many electrical system complaints does the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox have?
- NHTSA lists 73 electrical system complaints for the 2013 Equinox, which is 10% of all 751 complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for the 2013 Chevrolet Equinox electrical system?
- The related recall on file (16V502000) covers a key-cylinder lock housing issue on 2016 Chevrolet Malibu and 2016-2017 Buick Verano models, not the 2013 Equinox, so no matching electrical recall applies to this year.
- At what mileage do electrical problems tend to show up on the 2013 Equinox?
- The median mileage at failure for electrical system complaints is 39,110 miles, though some owners reported issues within the first few hundred miles of ownership.
- Did the 2013 Equinox electrical problems cause any fires or crashes?
- NHTSA records show 3 fires, 2 crashes, and 1 injury linked to electrical system complaints for the 2013 Equinox.
- How does the 2013 Equinox compare to other years for electrical complaints?
- The 2013 model's 73 complaints and 10% share are close to 2010-2012 levels (10-11%) and higher than 2014-2017 (7-9%), though later years like 2021, 2024, and 2025 show higher percentage shares.