RoadVitals

2020 Chevrolet Equinox Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
33
Latest Feb 26, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
11%
of 299 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
7
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
2

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 33 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

The 25 most recent of 33, in the owner's own words

Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 26, 2026

Infotainment center is not operable. Had a diagnostic test completed by certified dealership and it is found that the infotainment center and radio is not operable. Contacted General motors corporate office. $47 was offered to go towards the $950 to fix it It. They did not offer any reimbursement for the $204 paid out of pocket for diagnostics fee that I they advised me to get after filing complaint. Due to the malfunction of the infotainment center and radio other safety issues have stopped working. Such as the onstar safety feature, the phone In case of emergency, the turn signals and also the safety features on the rear and side view mirrors, car length warning, and back up camera. Was advised from the dealership that all of these functions have ceased working due to the failure of the infotainment center and the radio. Unable to hear any warnings. Made a complaint with Ohio Attorney General's office and General motors' response was only to provide me 5%, which is the $47 towards the dealership invoice. There reason was that due to the mileage they cannot assist further than that. Its not about entertainment of the radio. I feel this is a safety hazard on so many levels, and it is not caused by simple wear and tear or any fault of the driver. This is a safety issue that I want addressed. This should not be a financial burden that the consumer should carry by themselves.

NHTSA ID
11720833
Incident
Nov 1, 2025
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 18, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID
11718839
Incident
Dec 30, 2025
Driver assistancePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 12, 2026

I keep loosing power and get the message "Engine Power Reduced" and the car stops while driving down the road, sometimes it just stutters and won't maintain speed without the warning. I've had 2 shops check it out and can't find anything wrong. This vehicle has had all required maintenance done by the dealer since it was new.

NHTSA ID
11717644
Incident
Feb 12, 2026
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Jan 30, 2026

I would like to formally file a safety complaint regarding my Chevrolet vehicle and to express concern over Chevrolet’s handling of a known defect. On January 22, while driving to work in cold weather conditions, my vehicle experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction. The engine unexpectedly revved to approximately 4,500 RPM, the check engine light illuminated, and the dashboard displayed an “Engine Power Reduced” message. Despite removing my foot from the accelerator, the vehicle did not slow down as expected. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and bring the vehicle to a stop. I immediately contacted my local Chevrolet service department and was advised to bring the vehicle in six days later, the following Friday. Due to the safety risk, we did not use the vehicle during this time out of concern for a potential accident. When the vehicle was inspected by the Chevrolet dealership, we were informed that Chevrolet had identified this issue as being related to cold weather operation and that a custom shield had been designed to address the problem. We were also told that Chevrolet vehicles were not adequately designed for cold weather conditions, which led to this failure. Despite this acknowledgment and the fact that Chevrolet has engineered a corrective part, we were informed that the repair—costing approximately $1,600—is not covered under our extended warranty, as the shield was not installed on the vehicle at the time of purchase. The vehicle remains unsafe to drive. When accelerating, engine RPMs surge from approximately 2,500 to 4,000 RPM, and the vehicle can suddenly decelerate, creating a serious risk of rear-end collisions if a following driver is forced to brake abruptly. This issue represents a significant safety hazard. Chevrolet has acknowledged the defect by creating a corrective part, yet is declining to cover the repair cost, leaving the responsibility with the customer for a known design issue. Please let me know my next step

NHTSA ID
11714534
Incident
Jan 22, 2026
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Jan 29, 2026

turbo/superchargers malfunctioned, and I had to have it replaced back up sensors do not work properly. Say backup, assistant, malfunction.

NHTSA ID
11714370
Incident
Jan 23, 2026
AirbagsDriver assistancePowertrain (other)
Filed Dec 8, 2025
Crash reported

Forward collision system dint notify of an object infront , also breaks locked up when used .Air bags didn’t go off while a forward collision with a bus happened

NHTSA ID
11703653
Incident
Dec 5, 2025
Driver assistanceEngineOther / unspecified
Filed Jul 18, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine, traction control, and stability control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Advance Auto Store and was diagnosed with a fuel injector failure. The fuel injectors were replaced, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,080.

NHTSA ID
11674455
Incident
Jun 23, 2025
Mileage
92,080 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jul 8, 2025

My car won’t stay started as if the gas is not going through the engine. I was told it might be the fuel control module or fuel pump

NHTSA ID
11672084
Incident
Jul 8, 2025
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Mar 14, 2025

Our car has just around 77,000 miles and the brakes stopped working while driving. To our luck my husband quickly thought to use the e brake to prevent a car crash. We took it into our mechanic who diagnosed a brake pump failure. It looks as though the 2020 equinox has recalls for brake issues but our vin number was not listed. This is very dangerous and could have caused a deadly or serious injury crash. We had no prior warning to this happening. The shop owner is fixing the issue and we are holding onto receipts if this becomes a recall available on our vehicle. Very unsafe and according to my research has happened to alot of GM owners.

NHTSA ID
11648275
Incident
Mar 12, 2025
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Mar 1, 2025

ABS and breaks exploded at 67k miles and at 78k miles car shut off in middle of the street with no warning. Electric issues confirmed by mechanic.

NHTSA ID
11645766
Incident
Feb 27, 2025
Driver assistanceEngineFuel system
Filed Dec 29, 2024

I was driving the car and suddenly the car started accelerating on it's own. No cruise control was on . My wife was in the passenger seat and it was lucky as I did not panic , just taped on the brakes to slow down. This happened many times until we got home and it is dangerous and scary, also this is a know problem with this model car. No lights or warnings came on. We could have easily crashed into a vehicle in front of us, run a red light , etc. No inspections by anyone, maybe it was inspected by the dealer?

NHTSA ID
11633010
Incident
Dec 29, 2024
BrakesDriver assistanceEngine
Filed Sep 2, 2024

I have 149,000 miles in this car. In my lifetime of being the one owner and purchasing this car brand new the vacuum pump has failed five times. Twice now resulting in blown engines. And still no recalls.

NHTSA ID
11612080
Incident
Aug 31, 2024
Driver assistanceFuel systemPowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 21, 2024

When pressing the gas pedal, my Equinox does not accelerate and move forward. It takes approximately 2-3 seconds for the vehicle to react to the pressing of the pedal and that reaction is slow despite applying full pedal movement. This happens intermittently and appears to be most notable during extreme high temperatures. It also has been noticed while trying to accelerate to pass in addition to trying to go from a stop. I was almost hit by another vehicle because my Equinox didn't go. When it did go, it took roughly another 5-7 seconds to get up to the 45 MPH speed limit.

NHTSA ID
11609905
Incident
Aug 20, 2024
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 23, 2024

Adaptive cruise turn off and vehicle immediately decelerates. When traveling at highway speed with someone following closely behind you there is no warning that you’re decelerating. Also when this happens all cameras are off.

NHTSA ID
11584751
Incident
Apr 10, 2024
BrakesDriver assistanceOther / unspecified
Filed Sep 16, 2023
Crash reportedFire reported

Got hit at 40 miles an hour in a parking lot while a running dog came through and it was caotic

NHTSA ID
11544909
Incident
May 5, 2023
Driver assistance
Filed May 24, 2023

All Wheel Drive System - 3/20/23 I was on a County maintained dirt road where adjacent property owner had put fencing, tires, & other trash in the road to stop public use. As I had all wheel drive I went up on a 3' +/- side berm to get around. When the front end was approximately at the top, car started to slip & rear passenger tire "tried" to correct slip & car switched into low without my touching gear shift (I looked). From having a 2005 Equinox with AWD, I knew this was AWD going into action. When car did not change drive wheels like my 2005, I let off on the gas; turned nose downhill, slide/roll down hill. At bottom, I applied gas & car was still in low - it shouldn't have been with the emergency over. It stayed in low even as I applied more gas. I stopped car, put it in park; waited 2 +/- minutes for a reset. When I accelerated again, it was still in low. I put it into park & turn it off. Only after 2 +/- minutes off did car finally automatically switch gears as I accelerated. As I had 60,000 miles on the car & was advised by Victorville Chevy to have transmission service & did at Diamond Chevy, San Bernardino as Victorville Chevy would not even write up a work order after the "electronic check" device inserted into car failed to note a problem sitting in the parking lot. After "the check" at VV, I made an appointment at Diamond Chevy in San Bernardino. This car while having nothing on the CarFax had a broken rear bumper cover which was "repair" after I reported it just after purchase 5/21. Bumper then, didn't hold when I backed into wire gate. At the very least, styrofoam, was collapsed/broken in the prior to purchase accident and not repaired when the bumper cover was glued & painted. I was told my car was "safe" after the bumper "repair." My guess that a more than 3 mph rear collision would total the car. That is not safe in my opinion. PLEASE NOTE THESE WERE NOT THE ONLY TWO PROBLEMS. MY OPINION IS THAT IT IS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
11523740
Incident
Mar 20, 2023
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Apr 5, 2023

The brakes stop working

NHTSA ID
11515697
Incident
Apr 5, 2023
Driver assistanceEngineFuel system
Filed Jan 4, 2023

Vehicle had 3 warning go off while driving. Vehicle engine is shaking. It decelerate and I couldn’t go over 35. No power going up hill. Traction controls shut off, check engine, and SEC service came on. Now messages of braking system and emission from on star. Had a similar incident over thanksgiving and I was told I needed an oil change because there was low oil. My car was at 58% for oil change. Now I’m at 83% and it shouldn’t need oil. There have been multiple issues with lag time from pushing the gas to engaging. This vehicle has had more issue than any other Chevy I have owned. Transmission seals off the lot. This is not building confidence in safety at all.

NHTSA ID
11500053
Incident
Jan 4, 2023
Driver assistance
Filed Oct 10, 2022

Adaptive Cruise control, and Automatic emergency Braking intermittently fail to function.

NHTSA ID
11488703
Incident
Sep 30, 2022
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jul 12, 2021
Crash reportedFire reported1 injury reported

Back in early October 2020, vehicle had about 2000 miles on it. I noticed that when I started up the vehicle The Brake Assist Service message came on the brakes were spongy and had vibrating feel. I drove about a half of a mile and the problem stopped. The engine light came on and stayed on but then went out. Everything was ok for about two weeks when it did it again light came on took it a dealer but light went off. They serviced the vehicle and seem that the problem had stopped. Then in Early April of 2021 it happened again. Took it to the same dealership, they replace some more parts. Week or two weeks later same issue. Took it back to the dealership. They replaced the engine control module. During all these times, an engine light would soon follow after the message about the brake assist message. Thought it was fixed. On June 14 2021 at 1:14PM started my vehicle up the SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST message came on called the dealership. The brakes were vibrating and were not smooth. I stopped and turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle message went away brakes appeared to be fine. This time however no engine came on. Dealership was willing to service the vehicle but if the engine light wasn't on it would hard to diagnosed. I took a picture of the message before it had clear. On July 8th 2021, at 2:08PM, I started my vehicle and the SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST message came on. I took a photo of it. I tested the brakes appear to be ok. Turned the vehicle off the message didn't show again. My son borrow the vehicle and he got into an accident the same day approximately 6 hours. He swerved to avoid hitting a deer. He said that brakes appeared not to slow him down. He left roadway and struck a tree head on. The vehicle caught fire and he was lucky to escape. The vehicle was destroyed by the fire and crash. Not putting blame on anyone because I know there were other contributing factors to the accident . I just wanted to report this because of past problems with GM.

NHTSA ID
11424523
Incident
Jul 8, 2021
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Mar 22, 2021

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, RECEIVED "SERVICE ESC" WARNING ON THE DASHBOARD WITH 4 "LIGHTS" ON THE DASHBOARD. ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, STABILITY CONTROL, AND PARKING BRAKE LIGHT. LANE KEEP ASSIST HAS BEEN DISABLED, FRONT COLLISION WARNING HAS BEEN DISABLED, AND FRONT PEDESTRIAN BRAKING HAS BEEN DISABLED. ALL OF THESE LIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF CONTINUOUSLY WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES WILL TURN OFF FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND TURN BACK ON.

NHTSA ID
11404169
Incident
Mar 19, 2021
Mileage
29,133 mi
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Mar 9, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE ABOVE 30 MPH WITH THE RPMS REVVING UP WITHOUT THE VEHICLE RESPONDING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE GEARS FAILED TO SHIFT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO JIM BROWNE CHEVROLET, INC. 11300 N FLORIDA AVE, TAMPA, FL 33612 WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE COMPUTER NEEDED TO RELEARN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THREE MONTHS LATER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,500.

NHTSA ID
11399886
Incident
Apr 8, 2020
Mileage
9,500 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 25, 2021

COMPLAINT: OWNER STATES ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE. OWNER BROUGHT VEHICLE TO LOCAL GM SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO CUSTOMER AS AN UNFOUNDED COMPLAINT. REPORTER FOUND THE FOLLOWING; ALL IPC INDICATORS ARE FUNCTIONING DURING SELF TEST, NO IPC WARNING LIGHTS/MESSAGES PRESENT, DISTANCE FOLLOWING SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED AND RECOGNIZES VEHICLES IN ITS ZONE OF INFLUENCE. REPORTER TEST DROVE VEHICLE WITH CUSTOMERS ADAS SETTINGS AS DROPPED OFF. ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL DID MALFUNCTION AS CUSTOMER INDICATED. ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ON ENGAGEMENT FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED AND THEN UNEXPECTEDLY WITHOUT WARNING FAILED. THE MOST DISTURBING PART OF THIS FAULT IS THE ONLY WARNING THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED IS FORWARD COLLISION ALARMS. SECONDLY, THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE UPON THIS WARNING. IF THE PRIOR WERE NOT ENOUGH, NO IPC WARNINGS OR HARD FAULTS WERE RECORDED. THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURS UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGHWAY AND LOCAL SPEEDS. THIS FAULT, ALL THE MORE WORRISOME, APPEARS ALSO TO BE EITHER A PROGRAMMING ERROR OR TRANSIENT. NO OTHER DIAGNOSTICS WERE CONDUCTED. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ATTACHED. HAVING PERSONALLY OWNED ADAS EQUIPPED VEHICLES FOR OVER EIGHT YEARS AND THE CONFIDENCE OF USING THEM WITHOUT A PROBLEM THIS WAS A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND VERY CONCERNING.

NHTSA ID
11389747
Incident
Oct 5, 2020
Mileage
8,500 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceEngine
Filed Jan 15, 2021

ROUGH IDLE WHEN VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP AND RPMS WILL FLUCTUATE. RATTLE NOISE FROM THE EXHAUST WHEN TURNING ON OR ON REVERSE. BRAKES RESPONDING LATE.

NHTSA ID
11388377
Incident
Jun 2, 2020
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 24, 2020

DRIVING 75 MILES PER HOUR ON INTERSTATE WHILE PASSING TWO VEHICLES AND ONE CAR BEHIND ME THE CAR MADE A DINGING NOISE, THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE NOT AVAILABLE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE CAR DECELERATED CAUSING THE CAR BEHIND ME TO HAVE TO BRAKE. IF I HAD NOT STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR BEHIND MAY HAVE HIT ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON FOUR DIFFERENT DATES AND ON ONE TRIP IT HAPPENED 8 TIMES IN 80 MILES. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT COULD CAUSE REAR END COLLISION AT HIGH SPEED. THE REPAIR SHOP AT MY CHEVY DEALER IN TOWN SAYS THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES AND THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE IS WORKING AS DESIGNED. IS I GET HIT FROM BEHIND AT HIGH SPEED THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE A DEVASTATING CRASH. I DO NOT TRUST THIS CAR OR THE RESPONSES I AM GETTING FROM THE DEALER. THEY SAY NO ONE HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS BUT I KIND FIND SITES WHERE PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
11384814
Incident
Dec 22, 2020
Mileage
4,900 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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