2018 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Complaints

I own a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving at highway speed, the brake pedal suddenly became completely rigid and could not be depressed. The engine continued running normally, there were no warning lights, and I had to coast into a parking lot because I was unable to brake normally. The vehicle was towed to a Chevrolet dealership. The dealership diagnosed a failed vacuum brake booster and replaced the brake booster at my expense. After the repair, the exact same safety issue occurred again while I was driving at approximately 25 mph. The engine was running normally, there were again no warning lights, and the brake pedal instantly became rock hard and would not depress. The repair did not resolve the condition, and I no longer believe the vehicle is safe to operate. I am reporting this because the same loss of brake assist occurred before and after the dealership’s repair.

NHTSA ID

11755192

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

My granddaughter was driving the vehicle and experienced a catastrophic engine failure while driving down the road. Warning messages and audible sounds began and said to turn off the vehicle immediately. The brakes completely stopped working at that point. She pulled over immediately and called to ask what she should do. She was approximately 1/2 mile from home and she drove approximately 10mph to her driveway, pumping the brakes helped get the vehicle to her driveway. The vehicle was then towed to the dealership.

NHTSA ID

11754341

Incident

Mar 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping and shifted hard. Additionally, while on an incline, the vehicle failed to get up to speed. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V668000 (Power Train). The vehicle was driven in LIMP Mode back to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,381.

NHTSA ID

11753336

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

Mileage

112,381 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake vacuum pump failed to operate as needed and caused the brake pedal to become firm. The message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed and determined to have the brake vacuum pump had disintegrated, and a part had fallen into the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,876.

NHTSA ID

11753331

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

Mileage

118,876 mi

On a steep gravel road in a remote area, I pressed the accelerator and the vehicle stopped climbing. I inferred that traction control had intervened, but there was no immediate, obvious indication explaining why the car wasn’t responding. The most frightening part was not knowing what the vehicle was doing. A clear, immediate indication that traction control was actively limiting power would have reduced uncertainty.

NHTSA ID

11752810

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

While turning right at a red light my vehicle started making knocking noises, loss of acceleration then the ECM (limp mode) and ESC code happened. Protecting the vehicle from damage due to transmission fluid loss. Looked under the car and Transmission fluid was pouring out between the transmission and drive shaft. Car will no longer start due to codes being present from the computer shutting the car down during fluid loss.

NHTSA ID

11752207

Incident

Jul 2, 2025

The brake vacuum pump has gone out four times now. While driving the brakes suddenly become hard as a rock to push. Of the four times two of them have been close calls to having a serious collision. This is a known issue with these vehicles so it blows my mind there isn't a recall for this.

NHTSA ID

11751761

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

About 3 weeks ago my battery completely died and I had to get 3 jump starts in one day. Upon replacing my battery I continued to experience a drained battery. Then my in-car wifi stopped working. I contacted onstar and they attempted to reset it which didn't work. So they escalated the issue to the highest department. I also had the battery and alternator tested and it showed that the battery and alternator were not the issue. It was decided that the problem was electrical. So I had all the electrical connections tested and it was determined that the issue was with the oem module.

NHTSA ID

11749883

Incident

Jun 27, 2026

My 2018 Equinox is failing California Smog due to an incorrect CVN error code, which is covered under Emissions Recall N212345540 or N202298780 and the dealership is refusing to reflash it and asking me to pay for a full diagnostics when there is no check engine light on. I also had a full diagnostic run on June 2nd $289.99 which confirmed this code and referred me to the BAR Referee who also confirmed this is causing the issue.

NHTSA ID

11745632

Incident

Jun 2, 2026

I was driving and the brake vacuum pump failed and the metal shards went up into the engine. The service light went on as they failed and I lost the ability to brake. Yes, we still have the part and the shards that came out of the engine, but there are still pieces in the engine. my safety was at risk and everyone else's on the road because I had no brakes and was driving 45 mph. The vehicle has not been looked at yet by any professional because so far no mechanic will touch it.

NHTSA ID

11744682

Incident

May 28, 2026

The car cut off on the street with no warning. Once I crank the car back up and pulled over, it was leaking fuel and coolant with no warning lights on the dash boatd

NHTSA ID

11741675

Incident

May 23, 2026

Early this year I traveled to Mobile AL. While I was driving my car made this sound and it lost acceleration but no warning light appeared on my dashboard. My car eventually lost power and I had to get a tow. I went to a repair shop and they explained to me that it was the turbo that’s why I lost acceleration they said a lot of equinox with turbos are having this problem but it only goes out around 100000 mile but I only had 67000+ miles on my car at the time. The mechanic explain it shouldn’t have gone out so soon as it did. Also the vehicle makes a sudden jerk or jolt while driving this maybe an engine or transmission problem without any warning sign signaling there’s a problem with the vehicle. I’ve researched this and learned that this model vehicle has transmission problem while driving

NHTSA ID

11741187

Incident

Jan 10, 2026

We purchased our car new. Around 70,000 miles or so the brakes went out and were barely usable. We had it towed to Moses in Charleston and it was apparently an issue with brake booster or vacuum pump. I don’t have the specifics at the moment but they fixed it and we drove it home and it did the same thing again with the brakes going out. Had it towed again back to them and they did something else and it was fixed. Fast forward to today and there are 155000 miles in it and it did the same thing. Clearly this is extremely dangerous! Every time it occurred my husband was driving and was able to handle it. If I was driving, it could be a totally different story. Upon a google search it appears there is a lawsuit in Michigan over this because it is clearly a problem and a dangerous one at that. I will also note that my sister in law also has about the same model equinox and hers did it as well.

NHTSA ID

11739732

Incident

May 23, 2026

While driving over the expressway, the engine light came on the vehicle started revving extremely hard but was decreasing speed to less than 20 miles per hour I had to cut on the hazards and coast into s safety lane where I could get off the expressway. I then shifted the car into park cut off the vehicle and cut it back on, the car started up but make loud noises from the engine I was able to coast my way home and park the vehicle. When I checked the app for issues it started engine and transmission service immediately. I looked up the issues on website and was given link to power train recall but it says my Vin is not added in recall....I have to look into getting my transmission serviced

NHTSA ID

11739670

Incident

May 23, 2026

The fuel management system leaked from car causing fuel to pour out of 2018 chevy equinox d2

NHTSA ID

11739653

Incident

May 22, 2026

Loss of breaks lead to calling mechanic. After diagnosis, vacuum pump had broken teeth. Metal discovered in engine oil.

NHTSA ID

11738940

Incident

May 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while taking the vehicle for a SMOG emissions inspection, the vehicle failed the inspection due to an engine-related failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Engine Control Module (ECM) required recalibration. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ID

11738565

Incident

May 18, 2026

Mileage

43,000 mi

Travelling on a highway with 70 MPH posted speed limit, the vehicle dashboard signaled the check engine light and a variety of warnings that "power reduction measure" was enabled and to "service brake assist." At the next available exit, I was able to exit from the highway and go to a gas station, where upon pulling next to a pump the brake pedal became extremely hard and nonresponsive, resulting in poor braking, nearly striking the car in front of me, even at a very low speed. Upon a quick internet search, it appeared that other vehicles were having the same issue, and it was recommended not to drive, as well as information referring to an ongoing class action lawsuit. A tow was called and brought to the nearest Chevrolet service center (Nels Gunderson Chevrolet), where they confirmed the brake booster vacuum pump failed (exploded) and sent shrapnel into the camshaft, noting that both would need to be replaced, which is the exact same repair that other vehicles similar to this one are having or have had.

NHTSA ID

11737960

Incident

May 10, 2026

The contact owns 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his wife was driving 10 MPH, while depress the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact mention she put the vehicle gear shift in park and two mins later the vehicle began to work as intended. The contact mention once his wife returned to the residence depressing the accelerator pedal attempting to reverse the vehicle and the vehicle failed to respond again causing the contact to push the vehicle into their driveway. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to dealer where they informed him, they will need to breakdown the transmission in order to diagnoses the vehicle The vehicle was not repaired. The contact search on the internet found two recalls relating to the failure NHTSA Campaign Numbers 20V668000 & 17V516000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact to call NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11737259

Incident

May 10, 2026

Mileage

117,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as needing transmission fluid. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign:20V668000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID

11736244

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

Mileage

160,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. The contact pulled over to the closest exit and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off and then restarted; however, while attempting to drive forward or reverse, the vehicle failed to move. The contact inspected the vehicle. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was fuel leaking from the side of the engine near the high-pressure fuel pump underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission intake failed, causing the transmission to fail. The transmission was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,053.

NHTSA ID

11734222

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

Mileage

168,053 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the engine Auto START/STOP system intermittently failed to restart the vehicle while at a complete stop, requiring the driver to shift to park(P) to manually restart the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor entering the vehicle from the A/C vents. The message "Reduced Engine Power" was displayed, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 10-15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the failure was associated with GM Customer Satisfaction Program: N242489010 (Possible Leak at Fuel Injector Rail Assembly). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the program. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11733511

Incident

Mar 24, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 75,000. At the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 252,000.

NHTSA ID

11732694

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

Mileage

252,000 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the odometer mileage was 60,248. The contact stated that upon applying for extended warranty services, the contact was informed that the odometer was last reported at 155,000. In addition, the contact purchased a Carfax Report, which indicated that in September 2024, the odometer mileage was 144,738. The dealer was made aware of the discrepancy.

NHTSA ID

11730173

Incident

Oct 14, 2025

Mileage

155,000 mi

The TCM went out with zero warning and I know that this is a huge problem known with many of the Chevy equinox and traverse. Recalls on my equinox have not been updated since August of 2021....that's a very long time with no updates

NHTSA ID

11729575

Incident

Feb 2, 2026