2023 Chevrolet Equinox Brakes Problems

Entering a freeway off-ramp at about 65 mph, I depressed the brakes and the brake pedal went to the floor with little resistance. Two error messages were displayed on the dashboard: "Brake System Failure - 62 MPH Top Speed" and "Service ESC". The following dashboard lights came on: Check Engine, Brake, ESC, ABS. I held the brake pedal to the floor and coasted to a complete stop at the intersection, then proceeded slowly into a nearby parking lot and stopped. Braking effort did not become difficult, rather it was reduced to a small fraction of normal braking power. An online search indicated that disconnecting/reconnecting the negative battery terminal might resolve the problem, and it did, allowing me to carefully drive home with full braking. The local Chevrolet dealer replaced the brake system control module based on GM document 5081450.

NHTSA ID

11631695

Incident

Dec 6, 2024

Multiple problems since vehicle was bought brand new 2023 with 9 miles on it. 1st time - high pressure fuel pump died doing 70mph on high way. Took them 3 months to repair it. 2nd time- breaks completely stopped working while driving, all lights came on. They cleared the code and said to drive it. 3rd time- 2 days later breaks keep pushing through. They will not address it. 4th time- broke down with check engine light on high way. Turned off then on again light goes away, never saved a code. 5th time- will not shift out of 4th gear on high way. Dealer said they could not replicate this. It has not stopped doing this along with throttle response being dangerously poor.

NHTSA ID

11629740

Incident

Jan 22, 2023

TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES. PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR ON DOWN HILL GRADE. GOT VEHICLE STOPPED. 8600 MILES ON VEHICLE. WE ARE WAITING FOR BACK ORDERED PART. A MONTH WAIT TILL AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

11566977

Incident

Jan 17, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard and the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. The check engine, ABS, and traction control warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. Despite the failure, the contact managed to coast the vehicle home and used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed from the residence to the dealer. The contact was informed that the ABS valve kit was defective and needed to be replaced; however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was on backorder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 10,002.

NHTSA ID

11563792

Incident

Oct 29, 2023

Mileage

10,002 mi

I intended to pull the vehicle behind my RV using a tow dolly. I loaded the vehicle on the tow dolly per the owner’s manual and left the key fob in my RV. After about 15 mins, we began our trip and the vehicle pulled behind without issue. About 10 miles down the road, I stopped to check the securement straps to make sure they were still tight and I also needed to check the steering strap to make sure it was still tight as well. After doing so, we proceeded down the road for a very short distance (approx 100 feet or so) when we noticed smoke behind us. We immediately pulled over and observed that the rear tires were locked up by the emergency brake setting on the vehicle. We tried several times to get the vehicle to release the emergency brakes, only to have the emergency brake reset on its own after pulling the vehicle forward only a couple of feet. We ended up taking the vehicle off the dolly only to discover that the two rear tires had already been ruined by flat spots on them. Come to find later, by reading on the vehicle forums of our particular year and model, that others were experiencing the same issue. It was discovered through reading the forums the vehicles electronics need to go to sleep (approx 10-15 minutes) before you can safely tow the vehicle. This makes sense to me now, because we had no issue when we first started on our trip. The issue didn’t occur until we had to get into the vehicle using the key fob. My main concern here is that this should be included in the owner’s manual as part of the steps or at least a cautionary to tow on a dolly. This is definitely a safety issue, as the tires could have blown or started a fire if I continued down the road without notice.As it stands, I will be required to purchase two new tires to replace the rear tires that only had 2,000 miles on them. I made contact with Chevrolet customer service on 11/13/2023 to advise them of the issue and they should consider including more detail in the owner’s manual.

NHTSA ID

11554842

Incident

Nov 6, 2023

While Dinghy Towing the vehicle behind a motor home the tires lock up, skid and screech when going through tight turns such as cloverleaf on or off-ramps. After turns are made the vehicle handling returns to normal. Posted/suggested speeds or less are followed for the turns. The issue has occurred on numerous occasions and could be easily reproduced under actual towing conditions. The written Owners Manual that came with the vehicle when purchased new states clearly the that dinghy towing is allowed. We purchased specifically with that in mind and talked to the dealer at length about our intention of dinghy towing it. A case has been opened with GM and the vehicle has been assessed by 2 different Chevrolet dealers. No obvious defects have been found by the dealers. The issue is unresolved and offers to reproduce the problem under actual towing conditions has not been accepted by the dealers or GM. This should be viewed a significant safety issue with possible damage risks to the tow and towed vehicles, towing equipment as well as safety of those driving/riding in the RV and also for other drivers around us.

NHTSA ID

11552998

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

We bought a 2023 Chevy Equinox AWD specifically because it said it can be flat towed behind an RV. When towing it, we have noticed that when going around certain turns such as a cloverleaf on or off ramp, as you are in the turn, the tires start screeching loudly, you can smell burning rubber, and the RV feels like it's being tugged on by the car. As soon as the RV goes straight again, the screeching and tugging stop. This does not happen when turning a corner at a stop sign or stop light. We did not notice any warning lights on in the car after stopping to check on the vehicle. I feel this is a big safety issue for those driving/riding in the RV and also for other drivers around us as we do not know the stress this is putting on our Equinox tow connection setup, the frame of the Equinox or the RV hitch system. This issue is happening to other 2023 Equinox owners and we all have different RV's and various tow equipment setups. The common factor is the Equinox. I have not reported this to the dealer yet but plan to do so today.

NHTSA ID

11552322

Incident

Sep 30, 2023

MY 2023 Equinox owner's manual states that the Equinox can be safely flat towed behind a motorhome with all four wheels on the ground. I bought the vehicle based on this statement in the owners manual. However, when flat towing the Equinox behind a motorhome through turns such as cloverleaf offramp of freeways that have a banked side to the turn the brakes on the car lock and the car loses traction and slides. The Equinox tires make a loud screeching noise and the smell of burning rubber is noticed. This condition begins shortly after the Equinox enters the turn and ends once the Equinox completes the turn. This happens at or below the posted speed limit on these off-ramps. The loss of controlled traction of the Equinox in a freeway offramp presents a safety hazard because I can no longer ensure that the Equinox is moving in a controlled path. I am also concerned that the stresses being applied to the hitch of the motorhome and the structure of the Equinox from being dragged around a freeway curve may result in damage to structural elements of both vehicles that are designed to prevent disconnection of the car from the motorhome. This might result in a failure of the hitch connection resulting in a runaway vehicle. I brought this issue to GM's attention and there has been no fix to date.

NHTSA ID

11550805

Incident

Sep 1, 2023

The 2023 Equinox owner's manual states that the Equinox can be flat towed behind a motorhome with all four wheels on the ground. I bought the vehicle based on this representation for towing behind our motorhome. When towing thorough turns at certain speeds and of certain radius and duration, the Equinox tires make a loud screeching noise and the smell of burning rubber is noticed. This condition begins shortly after the Equinox enters the turn and ends once the Equinox completes the turn. A video camera inside the Equinox shows the steering wheel vibrating strongly left/right accompanied by the screeching noise, and the degree to which the steering wheel rotates during the turn is LESS than when the Equinox is driven through the same turn. (See video at https://youtu.be/vEMAQiKWW64?t=14). The driver of the motorhome feels a lagging or pulling sensation against the motorhome, as if the Equinox is applying its brakes throughout the turn. I am concerned that a vehicle that applies its brakes while being towed through a turn is a safety hazard to those in the motorhome and to other drivers on the road. It may be causing unknown damage to components of the Equinox, its towing base plate, as well as to the motorhome towing equipment, tow hitch, and chassis. I brought this issue to GM's attention and there has been no fix to date.

NHTSA ID

11550237

Incident

Apr 13, 2023

While four wheel down towing my 2023 Equinox behind my motorhome, under certain road conditions, the tires can be heard squealing and burnt rubber can be seen and smelt. I put a camera in the car to record the event and during the described events the steering wheel can be seen shaking violently. This type of event occurs consistently on cloverleaf type on and off ramps and other roads that have somewhat tight turns that are banked. I am correctly towing the car per GM's published dingy towing instructions for the 2023 Equinox. I have ten years experience towing a 2011 Equinox with the same set up that have been trouble free. In May of 2023 I reported the issue to my dealer and sent the videos. GM opened a case, 9-9951144997, but to date no resolution for the problem. This is a serious safety concern for me and my family travelling in the motorhome and my concern extends to others on the highway. When you can hear the tires squealing from inside a diesel pusher motorhome and view on video how violent the event is, the safety of towing the 2023 Equinox has to be questioned.

NHTSA ID

11550019

Incident

May 2, 2023

While towing my equinox behind my motorhome, with properly installed equipment, I experience tire screeching when taking off ramps from the highway. From extensive research, I've found that many 2023 Equinox owners are having the same issue and many have started GM case numbers. This issue is happening with many different tow systems installed and the only constant denominator is the 2023 Equinox. I've read that GM is fully aware of the issue and is working on a fix. I just wanted to get my involvement documented to potentially show the scope of this problem.

NHTSA ID

11546232

Incident

Sep 19, 2023

On Aug 6, I started my car and tried to apply the brakes. My foot went all the way to the floorboards. The Brake warning lamp and stability warning lamps came on and would not go away. I tried restarting the car and the problem remained. The brakes were not properly functioning. On August 7, I took my car to the dealership. They saw the warning lamps, but the brakes were working. GM told them to just clear the codes and let me drive it. The service manager would not and is waiting for a part (5 weeks later). I will also include the information from OnStar with the codes.

NHTSA ID

11543494

Incident

Aug 6, 2023

Vehicle was set up per manual to be flat towed behind our motorhome. We followed the set-up steps according to the manual exactly. When driving and applying the brakes for more than a few seconds the front tires would lock up and squeal. This same situation happened when making a hard curve like a cloverleaf exit ramp.

NHTSA ID

11537336

Incident

Aug 6, 2023

was traveling about 45mph when warning lights come on engine light, brake light, abs light and "P" light and traction light. When brake petal was applied the petal went to the floor. Emergency brake would not work.

NHTSA ID

11531937

Incident

Jul 9, 2023

I went to the gas station to fill the car with gas. I pulled along the pumps and put on the brakes but they failed and I applied again failed again so I put into netural and ran into a pole. I called GM and they checked the brakes could not find any problem. I ask if they checked the computer but they didn't know. the Equinox only had 170 miles on it. That is my problem.

NHTSA ID

11503877

Incident

Nov 17, 2022