Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest Oct 2, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
3%
of 392 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
6
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
7
What this page shows
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Chevrolet Equinox submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Owner reports naming airbag
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Airbags
Filed Oct 2, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The warning light remained illuminated constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the weight sensor on the front passenger’s seat had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA ID
11690993
Incident
Sep 2, 2025
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Nov 8, 2023
Crash reported
Was in a small accident the air bags never deployed but the seat belts locked saying that I needed to service my air bag system. As I did. The seat belts are no longer locked but the light is still on and the car is telling me to servic we the airbag system
NHTSA ID
11554109
Incident
Jun 14, 2023
AirbagsEngine
Filed Oct 2, 2021
The air bag light keeps coming on intermittently as I’m driving saying service airbag but when you check the code nothing specific comes up. I’ve had mechanics look at the car and for them to guess it will cost me Thousands. And I noticed my truck is also hesitating to drive and almost feels like it’s going to shut down as I’m driving with a constant check engine light the light came on about a day after the service air bag light
NHTSA ID
11435217
Incident
Sep 27, 2021
Airbags
Filed Sep 23, 2021
Crash reported2 injuries reported
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that his vehicle had been involved in two accidents and that the airbags failed to deploy as needed in both accidents. In the first accident, the contact stated that while driving at a low rate of speed, a tree had fallen right in front of his vehicle. The contact was not able to stop the vehicle in time which caused him to run over the tree. The contact stated that the airbags did not deploy. The contact did not suffer any injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer where they repaired the damage to the vehicle. The second failure occurred while the contact was at a stoplight and another vehicle on the opposite side of traffic had hit his vehicle's driver side at a high rate of speed. The air bags again did not deploy upon impact. The contact and his wife were both taken to the hospital where he was treated for whiplash to his neck and arms. After months of chronic pain, the contact also had back surgery. The contact's wife was treated for injuries to her left knee and stomach, as well as whiplash to her neck. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent body shop for repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
NHTSA ID
11434042
Incident
Oct 1, 2016
Mileage
1,000 mi
AirbagsEngine
Filed Oct 6, 2019
PASSENGER AIR BAG ALARM GOES OFF WHEN SEAT IS EMPTY AND OCCASIONALLY THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TURNS OFF WHILE AN ADULT PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT DUE TO A FAULTY CONNECTOR. THIS HAPPENS SPORADICALLY DURING ALL TYPES OF DRIVING, IDLING OR WHILE PARKED. THE CONCERN THAT DURING AN IMPACT THE FAULTY CONNECTOR WILL CAUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG TO NOT DEPLOY WHILE A PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT IS HIGHLY WORRY SOME AND EVEN THOUGH CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE CONDITION, THEY WON'T RECALL OR FIX THE ISSUE. TIMING CHAIN FAILURE CAN CAUSE SUDDEN UNEXPECTED ENGINE SHUTOFF WHILE DRIVING CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND SUDDEN STALLING DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION LEADING TO POSSIBLE COLLISIONS AS THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITH NO WARNING. CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE TIMING CHAIN ISSUES IN THEIR 2.4L ENGINES AND YET HASN'T ISSUED A RECALL EVEN THOUGH CATROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE AND PROBABLY LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL COLLISIONS. ENGINE SHUTOFF DUE TO CHAIN STRETCH OR FAILURE CAN OCCUR AS ANY TIME DURING DRIVING OR ENGINE RUNNING CONDITIONS.
NHTSA ID
11266665
Incident
Apr 15, 2018
Mileage
62,000 mi
Airbags
Filed May 21, 2019
Crash reported1 injury reported
TAKATA RECALL, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY OR INFLATE IN FRONT COLLISION.
NHTSA ID
11208955
Incident
May 20, 2019
Mileage
22,500 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 12, 2018
Crash reported
DRIVING SOUTHBOUND GOING 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY. 5X4 BUCK STRUCK HEAD-ON WITH EQUINOX AND NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS RESTRAINED BY HER SEATBELT, HOWEVER, WITH THE SPEEDS AND IMPACT THERE WAS FAILURE OF THE AIRBAG SYSTEM TO DEPLOY.
NHTSA ID
11151000
Incident
Nov 11, 2018
Mileage
108,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 7, 2018
Crash reported1 injury reported
NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ALTHOUGH HEAD ON COLLISION INTO 2 PARKED CARS
NHTSA ID
11149921
Incident
Oct 25, 2018
Mileage
45,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 2, 2018
Crash reported3 injuries reported
I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT WHERE THE OTHER DRIVER RAN A STOP SIGN AND I RAN INTO THE SIDE OF HIS CAR HEAD ON, I WAS GOING BETWEEN 35-40MILES PER HOUR. I WAS DRIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, MY AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED, THE CAR CENTER CONSOLE STATED THAT THE AIRBAG MALFUNCTION. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN LITTLETON COLORADO.
NHTSA ID
11144924
Incident
Nov 15, 2017
Mileage
29,274 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 17, 2018
THE CHECK AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON.
NHTSA ID
11129925
Incident
Sep 15, 2018
Mileage
1 mi
Airbags
Filed Aug 2, 2018
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (WESELOH CHEVROLET, 5335 PASEO DEL NORTE, CARLSBAD, CA 92008) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
NHTSA ID
11115365
Incident
Aug 1, 2018
Mileage
65,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Oct 6, 2015
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR WILL NOT ACTIVATE SAFETY SYSTEM WHEN I, AS A 120 LB ADULT,PLACE A MEDICALLY NECESSARY CUSHION (TO ALLEVIATE BACK AND HIP PAIN) BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE SEAT, THUS CANCELLING OUT THE BENEFITS OF THIS SAFETY SYSTEM WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. I AM AT RISK WHEN RIDING IN THIS GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLE. PLEASE REQUIRE GM TO RECALL AND CORRECT THIS DEFECT SOONEST AND ASSOCIATE MY COMPLAINT WITH ALL OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON FILE WITH YOUR AGENCY.
NHTSA ID
10780205
Incident
Oct 6, 2015
Mileage
788 mi
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own