# Chevrolet Equinox 2025–2026 Pre-Purchase Checklist

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> Printable pre-purchase inspection checklist for the 2025–2026 Chevrolet Equinox: the generation-specific checks that separate a good one from someone else's problem.

Case file · CHEVROLET-EQUINOX-2025-2026 · Field document

# Chevrolet Equinox 2025–2026 · Pre-purchase checklist

Bring this to the inspection. Every check below is specific to this generation's documented failure modes, not generic used-car advice.

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Check 01

Run the VIN at recalls.nhtsa.dot.gov. The gas 4th-gen has two campaigns so far: door strikers that can break (24V-737, 2025 cars) and a missing electronic owner's manual (26V-114, 2025–2026). Both are free dealer fixes.

Check 02

Ask the selling dealer to print the service/PI history and confirm the telematics-module software update (GM PIT6411/PIT6411B) has been applied. This is the single biggest complaint cluster on the 2025.

Check 03

Check for telematics-failure symptoms: OnStar or 'Service Emergency Calling' errors, screens that boot black, and any history of jump-starts. A drained 12V battery on a 1–2-year-old car is the classic sign of a failing K73 module.

Check 04

On an AWD car, cold-start it, shift Reverse then Drive, and pull away gently. Engine revving high while the car crawls is the stuck-in-first-gear condition in GM bulletin PIP6100.

Check 05

Reverse slowly in an empty area and watch for the rear automatic brake slamming on with nothing behind you. Phantom activations are a documented NHTSA complaint cluster on this generation.

Check 06

Test-drive in bright daylight, ideally toward low sun. The sculpted dash reflects onto the windshield; decide for yourself whether the glare bothers you, because it's a design trait, not a fixable defect.

Check 07

Confirm how much factory bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty remains. On a generation this young, the warranty, not the repair budget, is what protects you.

Walk-away signals

Early-build 2025s with no record of the telematics (PIT6411B) and transmission software updates. Verify at a dealer by VIN before buying

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