2019 Chevrolet Equinox Owner Complaints

In May 2026 while driving home from her job in downtown St. Louis, my daughter was driving my equinox. While traveling on the highway at the speed limit of 55 miles an hour her brakes failed and she came within a few feet of rear ending a full gas tanker truck. She was able to maneuver to the shoulder of the highway and avoid an accident. After a few moments of the engine, idling the engine completely stopped working and shut down. After having the car towed to my local mechanic at a Midas shop, they began the diagnosis. I began similar research online to find cases of similar things happening. What was diagnosed is that the vacuum pump on the brake line was faulty and broke. Pieces of this pump made their way into my engine and ruined two of the cylinders in my engine. The car is now not drivable and needs a replacement engine. Chevy knew about this faulty, vacuum pump part and they did issue recalls on other vehicles using the same part. They have also issued technical bulletins to their technicians for a diagnosing this failed vacuum pump. I have tried to contact Chevy and they have offered me no assistance. I know a class action suit has been filed for this very same issue. Chevy is aware of this issue. Chevy‘s choice to use a part they knew was faulty. Almost led to the death of my daughter.

NHTSA ID

11755541

Incident

May 11, 2026

Car fails to move while in reverse, the rpm’s accelerate but the car doesn’t move the transmission seems to not be griping when in reverse i get a reading from diagnostic saying P2723

NHTSA ID

11753369

Incident

Jul 23, 2026

I was driving and the suv moved forward with a jump like that scared myself, this happened several times. I just had my oil changed at the dealership of which I been working with for 20 years. A few of my sensors went out at the same time. On June 19-26 my suv refused to change gears. I pulled over and tried again. Made it home and towed it to the dealership June 22. I noticed that there are two car factories having the same issue and had a repull, so I thought that my suv would be included. Well, Not, my suv is from another factory that has no recalls. Dealership wasn’t working with me until July 17th after I reported them to BBB-and General Consumer. I met with the dealership July 24, and offered me 11600.00 just for fixing the transmission. I can’t get an answer if anyone else from factory number three has had the same problem as myself and the other two factories. My SUV is seven years and 81,000. Dealership offered to buy my car for 500.00 as is.. and after the transmission only 1000.00. This is crazy!!! I bought new and they are the only dealership that has worked on my car. I only put premium gas. Why does it matter what factory if they all have the same problems. Thank you..

NHTSA ID

11752619

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this formal complaint regarding my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox and the repeated failure of its brake vacuum pump. This is not an isolated repair issue. I have had the brake vacuum pump replaced or repaired three separate times, and each failure has placed my safety, and the safety of others, at serious risk. The first failure was the most terrifying. While driving approximately 65 miles per hour on my way to work, I suddenly applied the brakes and discovered that I had almost no braking assistance. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and the vehicle failed to slow down as expected. I was fortunate that traffic conditions allowed me to avoid a catastrophic accident. Had another vehicle stopped suddenly in front of me, or had a pedestrian entered the roadway, the outcome could have been fatal. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated event. The brake vacuum pump has failed two additional times, resulting in similar symptoms, including the sudden loss of brake assist and an extremely hard brake pedal. Each occurrence has left me questioning whether my vehicle is safe to operate. I recently learned that General Motors is facing a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit alleging that certain Chevrolet Equinox vehicles suffer from a defective brake vacuum pump that can fail without warning. According to the lawsuit, this defect causes a sudden loss of power brake assist, significantly increasing stopping distances and creating a serious safety hazard. The lawsuit also alleges that GM was aware of brake vacuum pump issues through technical service bulletins and customer complaints dating back several years. My personal experience mirrors these allegations exactly. The failures on my vehicle occurred without warning and created an immediate safety emergency. The fact that I have experienced this same dangerous failure three separate times strongly suggests that replacing the component alone has not corrected the underlying defect.

NHTSA ID

11750577

Incident

Oct 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the brake assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed but was stiff. The brake pedal was pressed with force to slow the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the mechanical vacuum pump had exploded and there were metal shards inside the engine oil, camshaft, and the timing jump, and that the engine was blown and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11750245

Incident

Jul 8, 2026

I was driving on the freeway at 64 MPH when my Brake Assist alert appeared on my dashboard. At that time I lost assisted braking capability. I was able to steer and stop my vehicle on the shoulder of the freeway. I turned the car off and was unable to start the car again. The car was towed to the dealership where they stated “ Hi Erika, the vacuum pump on your engine seized and broke the shaft and damaged the tone ring on the camshaft, there are quite a bit of metal pieced in the engine due that that failure. Unfortunately, the solution is a remanufactured engine at the cost of $11500.00 parts and labor plus tax. How would you like to proceed?” Currently we are opting to not replace the motor. It is apparent that this is a common issue with this year/make/model of vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11748925

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

The Fuel Pump Control Module (FPCM) connector corroded and disabled the fuel pump system. My car's fuel system failed while driving, and I had to pull over. After further research, I found that this particular FPCM and connector are located by the rear passenger axle and are exposed to the weather elements. This makes corrosion highly likely and poses a significant security threat for drivers, as there was no warning or engine light indication until moments before the failure. This is a design flaw and should be recalled by the manufacturer immediately.

NHTSA ID

11742004

Incident

May 31, 2026

Vacuum pump went out while driving down the interstate causing hard breaking. Break pedal was extremely hard to push down putting us at risk of not being able to break in time. There were on and off alerts to service breaks assist, however it was not consistently an alert. We replaced the vacuum pump and the issue seems to be resolved. The pump is not available as we tossed it in the trash.

NHTSA ID

11738065

Incident

May 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the braking system became inoperable, and the brakes unexpectedly locked up with no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved trouble code TSB-21NA268. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump connected to the crankshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ID

11738048

Incident

May 15, 2026

Mileage

61,000 mi

Vacuum pump failed: On May 28th, 2025 the brake pedal on our 2019 Chevrolet Equinox became very hard along with check engine light, a "Reduced Power" notification, and "Brake Assist Failure" notification. After a mechanic inspected the engine, he found that the vacuum pump had shattered. The mechanic replaced the pump with an OEM replacement from GM. On May 11th, 2026 the same exact issue happened again. 1. The vehicle and/or part is available for inspection. 2. Anyone driving or riding in the vehicle is at risk due to the difficulty of braking. 3. The vehicle/component has not been inspected by the manufacturer since the 2nd incident.

NHTSA ID

11737135

Incident

May 11, 2026

The transmission system failed abruptly. I pulled away from a stoplight, had accelerated to 20-25 mph, and then the car came to a sudden stop, as if someone had put on an emergency brake. It continued to act as if the brake was on when I tried to go forward or reverse. I put it into neutral so that I could push it off the road. I realized it would drive slowly in neutral, so I drove it less than a mile back to my workplace. Regarding safety, I nearly got rear-ended when the car stopped suddenly. This endangered me and the other driver. I was headed to the freeway, then would have been crossing a bridge, to get home, so the danger could have been amplified. The dealership's service manager told me that something internally had failed in the transmission. As far as I know they haven't taken it apart to find out what internally failed. They told me that the transmission needed to be replaced. As far as I know, no one has inspected the internal components of the transmission. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to this incident.

NHTSA ID

11736777

Incident

May 6, 2026

I was trying to stop at a light and the brakes wouldn't work. I almost crashed into the car in front of me but I had to step on it really hard to stop. Then the brakes were stiff and it was hard to stop. I brought it to a Chevy dealer yesterday and they said the vacuum pump exploded and pieces were in the engine, and it messed up the cam shaft. This is 5l worth of damage. When I looked it up online it seems this has been an issue with GM cars and the equinox was left out of the recall which could have prevented this. I have 95k miles on this car and never had an issue until now. However it is not worth spending 5k on a car that is high in mileage.

NHTSA ID

11736352

Incident

May 3, 2026

Air bags did not deploy at all on passenger side after collision with a utility pole. Once vehicle stopped drivers side air bag was release but did not deploy the way it should to prevent injury. SUV was totaled per insurance company due to extensive damage on passenger side

NHTSA ID

11734827

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the brakes failed to operate properly while the brake pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the brake pump had exploded, causing damage to the camshaft sensors and several other parts inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched the failure and became aware of a recall associated with the failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11734133

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Mileage

102,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while reversing from a complete stop, the rearview camera and beeping sound were inoperable, causing the vehicle to crash into an electrical grid. The liftgate and the rear bumpers were damaged. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a related recall, and the vehicle was not covered under warranty due to the mileage and age. The vehicle was taken to Ronco's Autobody Tire & Wheel, where it was determined that the liftgate, the rear bumpers, and the cameras needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle would need to be repaired at the owner's expense. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ID

11732337

Incident

Apr 17, 2026

Mileage

94,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 45 MPH and exiting the parkway, the brake pedal was depressed but remained depressed to the floorboard. The contact's husband attempted to pump the brake pedal, but the vehicle was unresponsive and failed to slow down as intended. The contact's husband then shifted to neutral(N), and the parking brake was activated until the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake booster pump or vacuum pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA ID

11731024

Incident

Apr 9, 2026

Mileage

81,000 mi

On Monday 12/22 at around 10:30am, I was driving back from Stanford CA where I have been taking my mom to her radiation therapy appointments. All of a sudden my brakes got super hard (Service Brake Assist appeared) and when pressing the brake pedal it continued to accelerate, I was able to swerve to my right hand side went over a curved side wall and pulled over before almost crashing the car in front of me and scaring my mom that was resting her head on the side seat. Vehicle has OnStar but prior to this it had not given me any alerts that is what caused such concern as it directly affects braking performance and Vehicle safety specially about this happend 8 months after purchase and No recalls are listed for my VIN. I had to call my brother to pick up mom because she has been delicate of health with cancer pain and couldn't wait long for towing truck to arrive since I used my insurance AAA to tow my car. After doing research this is a known malfunction and they are still selling the vehicles with a high price. My car has been in repair for over 3 months and still waiting.

NHTSA ID

11729213

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

My brakes stopped working while driving on highway I80 West. I had to have AAA tow my car to nearby shop. The mechanic said my vacuum pump needed to be replaced and he sees this happen often with Chevrolets.

NHTSA ID

11728311

Incident

Mar 29, 2026

On multiple occasions my vehicle (2019 equinox LT) that I bought just over 30 days ago has falsely activated the forward collision feature and slammed on its own brakes followed by “service ESC” and “service brake assist” with traction control lights and stability control lights illuminating. Dealership has confirmed that 4 computer modules are out of date on programming/updates. This is a critical safety issue and I am unsure why it hasn’t been recalled as I have read multiple instances of this. Unfortunately because it has not it is a hefty repair bill. When this happened the last time before heading into the dealership, there was a vehicle behind me that could’ve rammed into my rear due to the sudden and excessive braking at highway speeds when I was pressing on the gas.

NHTSA ID

11722202

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

The instrument cluster and driver information center is completely blank, and none of the steering wheel controls are operating. Vehicle starts and runs normally, but no indication of speed, turn signals, headlights, gas level, etc.

NHTSA ID

11720907

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

Air filter box housing top came off. Loss of power. Found that screws are used instead of a latch system. They had been wrenched down after last oil change and cracked the screw housing which is plastic. Filter housing came loose allowed more air and dirt to come into the housing box. Loss of fuel economy.

NHTSA ID

11719397

Incident

Sep 11, 2025

My wife and I were in our car driving on [XXX] on [XXX] at about 4:30 in the afternoon. I was about three car lengths behind the car in front of me and I was doing 30-32 miles per hour. The brake lights in front of me went to red and I immediately stepped on my brakes but my car would not stop nor slow down causing me to hit the person in front of me. It was a matter of seconds passing but when I hit the back of that car in front of me I had both feet on the brake pedal. My car would not stop. My wife was injured, the young lady that I hit hurt her leg and the back end of her car was destroyed. Our car was totaled. The vehicle is now in possession of AAA auto insurance where I was told the brakes would be looked in to. I will be placing a call to the General Motors customer service to lodge a complaint. There were no warning signs of any type prior to this accident. This car is a 2019 model with only 30,200 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11716995

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

This issue presents a serious safety concern. During the initial occurrence, the vehicle was unable to sustain highway speeds for extended periods (approximately 10 minutes or more). When coming to a stop, the vehicle would shake, rev unexpectedly, lose power, and shut off completely. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate, creating a hazardous situation, especially in traffic. The condition has since worsened. The same symptoms now occur upon starting the vehicle and during the warm-up period, increasing the risk of sudden engine shutdown without warning. Additionally, a distinct “gulping” sound is coming from the rear of the vehicle, raising concern that the fuel system may be compromised. No diagnostic or pending fault codes are present, and the local dealership has been unable to identify the cause. The vehicle has fewer than 100,000 miles. Due to the unpredictable loss of power and engine shutdown, this issue poses an immediate safety risk to the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists.

NHTSA ID

11716345

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

My 2019 Chevy Equinox, LT model has experienced issues where the seat will no longer recline. Seat that raises but won't recline is likely caused by a faulty seat control switch, a jammed recline actuator/gear, or a broken wire, rather than a blown fuse.

NHTSA ID

11716011

Incident

Jan 8, 2026

A "Reduced Engine Power" warning in a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT usually indicates the car has entered "limp mode" to protect the engine, most commonly caused by a dirty/faulty throttle body, loose Charge Air Cooler (CAC) tube, or sensor issues (MAF/TPS). Common codes include P0299 (turbo underboost). When this occurs, I cannot utilize my remote starter. I purchased an Innova OBD2 Code Reader, connected it to the vehicle and this code P0299 populated. There has been a few times that the engine light would go off, then I was able to use the remote starter to start the engine.

NHTSA ID

11716010

Incident

Oct 4, 2025