Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure on the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
When ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure gets reported
Owners of the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox report ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure at a median of 65,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles, from 20 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 9th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 60,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 145,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 88,000 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
0% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59,000 miles | 60,000 miles | 65,000 miles | 90,759 miles | 147,000 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 $250–$1,500 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 12 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2020, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 2009 at 150,000 miles.
By volume the 2005 carries the most reports, with 54; the 2006 has 24. 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.
I purchased this vehicle used from a local mazda dealership in august of 2010. At the time of the purchase I noticed the ignition switch would partially jammed when trying to start. I took it back to the dealership and they put graphite in the switch. It still jams to this day. I was curious if this could be related to the recall I recently read about. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. The contact stated that the ignition switch was replaced in 2010. Most recently, the vehicle stalled sporadically and lost steering. Additionally, the vehicle would intermittently fail to start and the contact would have to turn the key continuously. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 88,859 and the approximate mileage was 130,000. Updated 04/29/14 ma the consumer stated the back lock cylinder intermittently turned freely. Updated 05/2/2014 *js
I am a owner of a 2006 equinox, I have noticed the change in shifts when I am driving. It's like the transmission is shifting and jerks the car this has been an on going problem for a few weeks now. It stalled out on me one while I was in traffic and the key was stuck in the ignition hard for me to turn key to restart. I took it to a local dealership numerous times and they said nothing was wrong. Finally this past weekend I almost wrecked someone in front of me because of the jerking and I took it to the dealership once again, they finally gave me a diagnosis said I need to get my ignition switch replaced which is a large amount to fix. This is very unsafe for families and I can see accidents happening. This vehicle should definitely be recalled as well ! I have contacted gm but no replies. *tr
Also reported on the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
Blower motor or climate control failure
Other visibility problem
Other electrical problem
Other engine problem
Other brake problem
Other body or interior problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 24 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 ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure happen on the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox?
Across 20 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 65,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure on the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox?
24 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 1.1 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