Some Chevy Equinox EV owners are reporting an obstructive glare from their crossover’s dashboard that can cause visibility issues. Some owners have even taken it upon themselves to report the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As GM Authority covered previously, at least one aftermarket company is already offering a possible solution. Now, General Motors has responded to queries regarding the issue.
Dash glare in the Chevy Equinox EV
We reached out to GM asking if the company was working on a solution to the Chevy Equinox EV dashboard glare issue, as reported by owners. In response, a Chevy spokesperson provided the following statement:
“We cooperate closely with NHTSA and value customer feedback shared with them. The safety of our vehicles is the highest priority for the entire GM team, and we’re confident in the performance of Equinox EV that has earned a 5-Star overall rating from NHTSA’s comprehensive New Car Assessment Program.”
Unfortunately, the statement doesn’t provide any clear answer as to what GM might actually be doing to address this issue, either for current owners or in future versions of the Chevy Equinox EV.
“The dashboard glare on the windshield is unsafe in this vehicle – unable to see pedestrians crossing the road,” one NHTSA complaint states. Another NHTSA complaint states, “Windshield glare from ribbed dashboard reflection under sunlight is distracting and often obstructs visibility so severely that it’s impossible to drive safely without wearing polarized sunglasses or placing a dark colored dash mat.”
As GM Authority reported previously, aftermarket parts supplier VoltStuff has stepped in with one possible solution, offering a custom-fit Chevy Equinox EV DashPad. Constructed from automotive carpet, the DashPad is designed to minimize or completely eliminate glare when installed. The pad is offered in black, which VoltStuff claims fully blocks the reflection, as well as a gray “Graphite” color that reportedly reduces glare by 90 percent.
However, the lack of a specific remedy from GM is likely to leave many owners frustrated, especially as they must now consider aftermarket fixes for what some could view as a factory design flaw.
Comments
Blazer ev pretty bad too I got one compared to my past gm cars
Wouldn’t happen with a 3.6L
Rick, how is the interior dashboard related to propulsion system? This could be an issue on any vehicle.
Love the sarcasm! If it had a V8 the dashtop would be so dark it would be like a black hole and pull in all light, negative glare!
Told ya all these EVs that GM has been rushing out are all half-baked. They didn’t catch this before regular production? Pathetic.
Losing with mediocrity strikes again.
While 100% GM should not have let this dashboard get to production, buyers should have also caught this on their test drives and not purchased the vehicle.
That was a major factor why I ended up not buying one. Every test drive was so fun of issues that many would (and have) call trivial, but you shouldn’t have to compromise when you’re paying $50,000 for a new car.
Even my Toyota Yaris has a textured dash so there is no glare.
Looking at the ICE and BEV together, it seems the windshield is slightly more raked on the EV for aero purposes. My guess is that contributes more to the glare shown. I had a similar issue with my Malibu when I used ArmorAll on the dash, which I don’t do anymore 🙂
I drove a 2024 Chevy Equinox EV last week in Florida, and I did not see that glare. But all savy car owners will put in a dash cover to protect the dash from aging effects. I have one in my present 2009 Chevy Equinox. It is over 15 years old and it works!
I started driving in 1963 the first of my 11 Chevy’s and they all had windshield glare to some degree. My first Chevy was a ’62 full size Chevy. The dashboards were all steel and painted. The windshields had a steep angle for the day not tinted and had horrible glare. All cars have glare to some extent depending on the time of day, sun angle and slope of the windshield. Buy one of the dash mats and install it. It will reduce the glare but not totally get rid of it. I flew for the USAF for 27 years and we had to fight glare in the cockpit also. Even though the tops of the instrument panels and top of the nose in front of the windshield were flat black you still get a certain amount of glare.
It would be interesting to drive a car with a textured dash back-to-back with one that’s smooth to see if that makes any difference. I agree that the reflection in the Equinox EV is better than the Blazer EV. The highly raked windshields on newer cars seem to make this almost unavoidable. I think it’s a tradeoff for efficiency, just like thicker A-pillars reduce visibility but make rollover crashes safer. I wear polarized sunglasses anyway, so maybe that helps a little, but the reflection is certainly not bad enough to be worth complaining to NHTSA.
I could answer the Equinox EV question about whether if it did not have the ribbed design on the dash. I owned a 2024 Equinox 2LT for six months and yes the glare at certain times of daylight made your vision somewhat obstructed, distracting at the least. One week ago I purchased a 2025 Optiq Sport 1 EV, which essentially is an upgraded Equinox EV. And no, I do not have the same glare. Interestingly for those that purchase an Optiq Sport 2 or Luxury 2, there is some glare from the square depression in the dash that projects the windshield heads-up display. If there is a Cadillac Optiq Sport 2 or Luxury 2 owner reading this blog perhaps you could let us know if it is distracting?
I have a 2024 gas nox which is my 5th one on lease and the problem started when they change the look. The rake of the front windshield changed and the glare started. I complained but to no avail. And btw, there is also a sun glare on the driver side window for those that have chrome trim on the door, with sunlight bouncing off the side mirror.
I have 2025 EQEV with heads up display and have not noticed this to be an issue with or without sunglasses. HUD has less dash lines.
I have the same problem with my ’06 Z06 Corvette. I use a small piece of black carpet just behind the steering wheel only when it is sunny.
I just bought and Equinox 6 weeks ago and been driving in sunny Los Angeles and don’t know what people are talking about. I don’t know see any problem.
I think the very low angle of the windshield is the primary reason for this. If these vehicles were extensively road tested, it’s hard to understand how this was missed. The actual testing was probably so late in the process that it was too late to economically change it or the road tests were performed on cloudy days?
Tint your windows and call it a day. You’re an adult who test drove and bought the Equinox EV using your own free will. I love my Equinox EV 2RS it’s awesome! (“Don’t be overheard complaining… Not even to yourself.”
— Marcus Aurelius)