Wheel bearing or hub failure on the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
When wheel bearing or hub failure gets reported
Owners of the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox report wheel bearing or hub failure at a median of 80,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 80,000 miles and a quarter after 110,000 miles, from 9 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 102,000 miles. It is the 27th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 35,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 120,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 88,471 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
11% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32,632 miles | 82,000 miles | 82,000 miles | 108,000 miles | 121,103 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $350–$1,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 3 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2005, at a median of 80,000 miles, and latest on the 2010 at 115,000 miles.
By volume the 2006 carries the most reports, with 13; the 2005 has 9. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Dt*: the contact stated there were numerous problems with the vehicle. First, the engine would intermittently not crank. The dealer replaced the battery however, this did not correct the problem. Second, while depressing the brake pedal the vehicle intermittently did not slow down. The brake pedal was pumped several times to get the brakes to activate correctly. Third, the transmission revved high and intermittently did not change gears correctly while driving. Fourth, the ABS lamp illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the ABS lamp was reset. Lastly, the front passenger window was rolled down and would not rise back up. The dealer replaced the window regulator and the window was repaired. The vehicle was repeatedly taken to the dealer and addressed the problems that could be duplicated and made appropriate repairs. Hard start/hesitation and almost stalling. Also, determined speed sensor was causing reduced power. *ak
37000 miles the brakes were grinding and car shimmied when the were applied. Took car to dealer stated needed new pads, put on new pads. Worked fine for 800 miles, started grinding again dealer stated needed new rotors and calipers now. Took car to different dealer and they stated that the cars front wheel bearing was defective and was warping the rotors and calipers. The parts are not under warranty over 36000 miles. This is a major defect in the front end of the vehicles!!! *tr
My 2005 chevy equinox's brakes started vibrating when I would try to stop and then the ABS and tc lights would come on. Replaced front brakes, was told back brakes were okay. Still had the same problem and after awhile the brakes would vibrate even when not breaking and sometimes have trouble stopping until the ABS and tc light comes on. 1st diagnostic determined I needed a right front wheel speed sensor. Replaced it and 2 days later had the same problem. Next I was told it needed the left wheel speed sensor. Replaced it. 2 days later starting having the same problem. Then I was told it needed the right front wheel bearing. Replaced both front wheel bearings. Still have a problem only now the brakes only vibrate and lights come on hills, when turning or going at higher speeds. *tr
Also reported on the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
Other engine problem
Other electrical problem
Head gasket failure
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Other powertrain problem
CV axle or driveshaft failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 9 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does wheel bearing or hub failure happen on the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox?
Across 9 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 80,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 80,000 miles and a quarter after 110,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is wheel bearing or hub failure on the 2005 Chevrolet Equinox?
9 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 136 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed