2025 Chevrolet Equinox Driver assistance Problems

when using adaptive cruse control the car senses a car coming at me and breaks. there was nothing ahead of me nor any oncoming traffic in the other lane. It was a straight road with clear and open lanes. this has happened two times. it takes the car down from 55 to 40 right now. Lucky there wasn't anyone behind me. My second issue the car breaks when backing out of the garage with no obstructions. no safety issue but frustrating.

NHTSA ID

11776225

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

Blindspot warning indicator (driver's side) sporadically lights up any where from a blink to approx. 10seconds along with corresponding seat vibrations. Also, forward obstruction light and seat vibration will also activate with nothing in sight. All occur while driving. Which can lead to anxiety about human error. I've had my vehicle to Auburn Chevrolet 4 times for this problem. They tell me that both modules connected to this problem have been replaced. And all software is up to date. Chevy admits this is a problem and states that they are working on a solution. When I asked the service manager if any other equinox's have this problem he stated that they did...but not as consistently as my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11775874

Incident

Nov 5, 2026

Multiple phantom braking events have occurred since we purchased this vehicle, but traveling forward and reverse. We have been forced to turn this automatic emergency braking off and set to alert only.

NHTSA ID

11773245

Incident

Aug 30, 2026

INCIDENT DESCRIPTION: On October 20, 2026, at approximately 11:15 AM, I was driving my Chevrolet Equinox EV and was stopped at a red traffic signal. When the light turned green, I began accelerating normally into the intersection. Suddenly and without warning, the vehicle experienced a severe "phantom braking" / false Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) event. The vehicle’s emergency braking system engaged violently, bringing the car to an abrupt, full stop in the middle of the intersection. There were NO vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles in front of my car or anywhere in my path. A vehicle traveling directly behind me was forced to slam on their brakes and narrowly avoided a rear-end collision. This unexpected hard deceleration caused severe panic and created an immediate, life-threatening traffic hazard. Had this sudden stopping occurred at highway speeds or above 25 MPH rather than starting from a green light, it would have resulted in a severe crash. CRUCIAL CONTEXT / RECENT SERVICE HISTORY: This life-threatening failure occurred directly after taking my vehicle to Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues (Jacksonville, FL), where technicians performed software servicing under Open Recall N262545360 ("Early ABS engagement on slippery road surfaces"). The dealership verified completion of this recall update. This phantom braking event occurred immediately after this recall software was flashed to the vehicle's brake control module. I suspect this software recalibration introduced a critical bug or miscalibration affecting the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM), regenerative braking system, or Forward Collision Avoidance system on dry pavement. I am requesting an immediate investigation by GM Engineering and NHTSA regarding the safety of Recall N262545360 software calibration.

NHTSA ID

11772597

Incident

Oct 20, 2026

Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV, Front-Wheel Drive Incident date: [XXX] Approximate time: [XXX] CDT Location: Residential garage, Houston, Texas Safety Complaint — Unexpected Severe Automatic Braking On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] p.m., I was slowly driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV forward into my residential garage. My foot was on the accelerator pedal, and I was moving at very low speed. I was still well away from the back wall of the garage, with no apparent obstacle requiring emergency braking. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly braked extremely hard and came to an abrupt, complete stop. I did not apply the brakes and did not notice any audible collision warning or visual alert before the event. The deceleration was sufficiently violent that, despite wearing my seat belt, my head lurched forward and struck the vehicle's headliner. I subsequently experienced neck soreness, which has since subsided. I did not experience a headache, and my head currently feels normal. I intend to consult my primary care physician's office about the incident. I have no explanation for why the vehicle initiated such severe braking under these circumstances. The vehicle has automatic emergency braking and other driver-assistance systems, but I cannot determine which system caused the stop. Google Maps Timeline independently documents my arrival home at approximately [XXX] p.m., providing a useful timestamp for diagnostic investigation. The vehicle previously received an over-the-air software update while I was in Lakewood, Colorado. I do not know whether that update has any relationship to this incident. I am concerned that an unexplained, extremely forceful braking event at low speed could result in serious injuries, particularly if it occurs in traffic or at higher speeds. I request that NHTSA investigate whether the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV has a defect involving unintended automatic braking or other electronic braking-control. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.

NHTSA ID

11771323

Incident

Oct 14, 2026

This car locks up sometimes while driving in normal traffic which is very dangerous, resulting in a whiplash for me the driver and almost causing rear end collisions to my car from the abrupt stop in moving traffic. All five abrupt stops happened with all the collision warning systems on. Three happened between 2/1/25 and 8/1/25. I called GM onstar to report two of them. After the third event I switched all braking systems to alert only from brake and alert. Two recent events happened between 10/8/26 and 10/13/26 after I had my car serviced for a GM safety recall N25252824 Brake System Control Module on 10/7/26. I switched all brake systems to brake and alert assuming that GM had fixed this issue. Both recent events were during light rain. I called Onstar to report the second event and brought my car back to the Chevy dealer on 10/15 for review. This issue is abrupt, with no warning. The car simply locks up no matter the speed. The issue is well documented and is all over the Equinox EV forum. I am speaking to a law firm as well about the issue. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11771306

Incident

Oct 13, 2026

1. The telematics control module failed and was replaced by the dealer under recall N262547330, along with the battery. The vehicle is available for inspection. The original module was kept by the dealer when it was replaced. 2. The vehicle went completely dead without warning — it could not be unlocked or started. It happened at home, but had it happened on the road I would have been stranded. The keyless entry also no longer works, so I cannot reliably get into the vehicle. 3. Yes. The dealer confirmed the telematics module failure and replaced it, and replaced the battery. The ongoing problems — failed software updates, "no cellular signal" message, check engine light, and keyless entry failure — have not been diagnosed yet. 4. The vehicle was inspected and repaired by [XXX] Chevrolet GMC in [XXX]. GM's customer resolution team is involved in the case but has not physically inspected the vehicle. No police or insurance inspection. 5. The navigation/GPS was glitching intermittently before the vehicle went dead in August 2026. The last successful software update was XXX — every update since then has failed. The check engine light came on at pickup on XXX. The "no cellular signal" message appears every time an update is attempted. The keyless entry stopped working recently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11769397

Incident

Aug 13, 2026

The car was stopped fortunately. When i got back in the car the power steering was dead.it said 3 things on the sceen.FORWARD collision system unavailable - service power steering drive with care - Service ESC. Had the car towed to VALENCIA CHEVROLET. Got the car down off the tow truck. The problem went away. Was driving fine. The service guy said i should just drive it.

NHTSA ID

11769110

Incident

Sep 12, 2026

The driver pulled into a parking space at a local pharmacy. The space directly faced the building and was separated from the building by a sidewalk that was approximately 6 feet wide. After pulling into the parking space and releasing the accelerator (the vehicle was in the single pedal driving mode, so the motor braking should have been activated) the vehicle instead experienced three problems/failures. (1) Sudden Unintended Acceleration - The vehicle suddenly lurched forward without driver input. (2) The Automatic Emergency Braking System failed to activate or to override the acceleration command, even though the vehicle was directly facing the wall of the building, which was only a few feet away. (3) The Collision Warning System failed to activate. The system should have displayed a large red box with an X through it in the Heads Up Display to warn of the pending building impact. No warning was received.

NHTSA ID

11768859

Incident

Oct 3, 2026

Car acclerated and steering pulled right, which pulled me off the road doing damage to steering gear and linkage, wheels, front suspension, exhaust system and slight body damage. Could be defect in car causing safety issue. With dealer, GM is involved but have been unable to determine why it happened. Insurance involved to cover damage. no warning lamps or failures appeared.

NHTSA ID

11762325

Incident

Aug 12, 2026

On 3 occasions, the last happening today (XXX) traveling north on XXX toward [XXX] at approximately 14:05, the vehicle has stopped abruptly and hard, and will then release. Today, it took it longer to release. When it occurred this time, it braked just as hard but longer, so I had to cross two lanes so the cars behind me would not hit me. The cars swerved around me and the car eventually let go and I was able to accelerate from that dangerous position on the side of the highway. The first time it happened, someone was pretty close behind me. The car stopped hard, real hard, but let go quickly enough to accelerate before a collision. The second time, there was no one in front or behind us, and we were safe. It hadn’t happened in a while, today. We’ve downloaded 2 or 3 software update, and I was hoping it fixed the issue. It did not. Today the car stumbled and the rpm’s jumped. I feel like the car momentarily braked while I was accelerating. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11761939

Incident

Sep 3, 2026

I was going about 65 and the car suddenly brakes for no reason and dropped to about 50. Thought I was going to be rear ended

NHTSA ID

11760809

Incident

Aug 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes locked up, and the vehicle accelerated independently, causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact had not sustained any injuries. Medical attention was not required. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The vehicle was still drivable. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a callback would be provided. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ID

11759717

Incident

Aug 25, 2026

Mileage

72,000 mi

After taking a long drive, our phone suddenly stopped connecting via Apple car play, all of a sudden the screen went black while we were doing 80 miles an hour on the highway using GPS and then the phones wouldn’t connect again at all. Multiple attempted to restart the car and display did nothing. This has now become an intermittent error on the vehicle. I was told by a Chevy dealership there was nothing they could do & I just needed to wait for an update to come out. Fast forward two months and countless hours of research I attempted to call onstar to have our connection reset to onstar because I saw that helped out. I found out our vehicle had not been connected for over 6 months while I was paying for the service and the telematics unit was likely the issue. 3 visits to the dealership, 3 modules later & the problem is still persistent. GM will not cover my rental, will not give me a loaner vehicle and will not accommodate my schedule to have the 4th module attempted to be replaced. This is an extremely scary and frustrating concern. I fear for my safety when I’m on the road and my dashboard goes black for several minutes at highway speeds. the issue has been confirmed and is widespread in this model and should be recalled - GM should be forced into a lemon law for anyone who has had this many problems as most of us have.

NHTSA ID

11757907

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

My 2025 Chevrolet Equinox RS is experiencing critical active safety and electronic malfunctions. While reversing out of my driveway, the vehicle unexpectedly executed an aggressive "phantom braking" event, violently slamming on the brakes with no actual physical hazards or cross-traffic behind the vehicle. The Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) and Rear Cross-Traffic Braking systems are hypersensitive and falsely triggering mechanical emergency stops, creating an immediate physical hazard and whiplash risk. Additionally, the Google Built-in infotainment system constantly suffers from communication freezes with Apple CarPlay and media apps like Pandora. Commands to select or play audio tracks freeze and fail to execute on the 11.3-inch screen, indicating a systemic software architecture defect affecting the vehicle's dashboard modules. The vehicle has previously been out of service for an extended duration (30+ days)due to a broken telematics module causing parasitic battery drain down to 3 volts, along with multiple dashboard error messages. The manufacturer has been unable to permanently resolve these electronic and active safety failures.

NHTSA ID

11756326

Incident

Aug 8, 2026

My telematics module for onstar is draining power from the car's battery which has been not allowing me to start after I turn it off without having to jumpstart it. Also when I do jump start it, the cruise control don't work and service messages pop up on my HUD. The dealership said it's undrivable due to safety concerns and the part is backordered for an unknown ETA.

NHTSA ID

11745373

Incident

Jun 12, 2026

The Chevrolet Equinox EV has a large blind spot because of the size of the front window pillars and the adjacent side view mirror. To quote from an Internet search, "This creates a significant blind spot when preparing to make left at intersections, making it difficult to spot pedestrians cyclists, or oncoming traffic." My vehicle was involved in an accident during a left turn in which I believe the blind spot was a significant factor. The Chevrolet Equinox EV is supposed to be equipped with "enhanced automatic emergency braking" which, if so, did not function to prevent an accident.

NHTSA ID

11744882

Incident

Apr 16, 2026

While driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, the vehicle experienced a sudden power and drivability issue. The vehicle began to decelerate on its own while in motion, even though I was actively driving. A warning notification appeared on the driver dashboard, and shortly after, the vehicle power shut off. This creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose speed and/or power while driving in traffic. The issue appears to involve the transmission, powertrain, or vehicle electrical/power management system. The loss of acceleration and sudden deceleration could increase the risk of a crash, especially at highway speeds or in heavy traffic. This incident occurred while the vehicle was being driven, not while parked. The warning message appeared on the dash before or during the power loss. I am reporting this because the vehicle’s sudden deceleration and power shutdown while driving could be a safety defect. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether this issue is related to a known defect, recall, transmission issue, powertrain control issue, or electrical system failure affecting the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox.

NHTSA ID

11740469

Incident

May 27, 2026

While driving on the freeway, my vehicle displayed a “Service All-Wheel Drive System” warning and unexpectedly switched into two-wheel drive. This created a serious safety concern due to sudden loss of traction and control. Additionally, on multiple occasions while reversing, the vehicle abruptly applied the brakes without any obstruction present, displaying a message that automatic braking had engaged. My foot was on the accelerator at the time, and this created a sudden and unsafe situation. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership for repair, but due to the unpredictable nature of these issues, I no longer feel safe operating the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11734692

Incident

Apr 25, 2026

Occasionally, the vehicle will jerk the steering wheel when going around a curve (almost like its trying to center the line while driving in a curve) and sometimes it steers out of the lane or simply won’t function correctly at all.

NHTSA ID

11733721

Incident

Apr 15, 2026

Sometimes when I am backing up, the breaks will slam on. Back in 2025 first I noticed, but thought it was human error, just wasn’t sure. After it happened more than a couple of times in 2026, I realized it wasn’t me and must the safety warning system? I googled after it happened this month and (phantom breaking) popped up for the Chevy equinox. I Have an appt. With Chevrolet to check it out in 2 weeks. Scary when it happens. I’ve only noticed it so far when backing up. If it were to happen other than in a parking lot, that could be dangerous, especially if I am going faster.

NHTSA ID

11732990

Incident

Apr 17, 2026

Braking issues Sensors go off when nothing aroung Slow backing car engages brakes Bad smell like a strong BO persists after cabin an oil fulter changed Battery / alternator drain 12-07 2025 to 01-17 2026 in auto shop I was told wainting for part ( Onstar ) Prior brake issues early April 2025 the week of having auto brakes and steering lock up during 45mph drive it was documented as a camera issue No power as if brakes applied while, Car has felt when turning like it skips while in a turn during driving all 8 visited on document other 4 not documented System dignostic or dealer service doesn't show issues. Issues have been on going without success other issues possible related or newer Miles first reported brake and steering lockup 145 miles most recent 7750

NHTSA ID

11729813

Incident

Mar 21, 2026

The lane keep assist never works properly, it vehicle doesn’t stay in lane, also gps has never worked properly, it’s been to the dealers several times and parts have been replaced with out any success

NHTSA ID

11726265

Incident

Mar 23, 2026

While pulling into a parking spot of a business and approximately 6 feet from the curb, the automatic emergency brake engaged forcing my whole body forward, slamming my head on the visor/roof of the car very forcefully/painfully. I was not in traffic, I was getting ready to park. My front seat passenger slammed against her seatbelt and I had a child in the back seat who slammed forward as well. No dash indicators or seat rumbling occurred, it was just an immediate jolt/hard stop that I was not braced for. At risk of concussion or TBI.

NHTSA ID

11724460

Incident

Mar 15, 2026

I purchased a 2025 Chevy Equinox EV last year out of the local Chevy dealership It is my first brand new vehicle and I’m the only owner, I have only had this vehicle for a few months and it has already showed me significant issues with the Electronic components Main issues I’ve experienced are: Randomly shutting off Randomly phantom braking On star capabilities not working No access to WiFi or any apps on the touch screen I.e. maps, music, settings, volume, radio etc. A/C/heating unit not working won’t get cold or hot just blowing air Issues with charging (almost left me stranded multiple times) not fast charging Issues with my Chevy app Took the vehicle to the dealership to get looked at they have had it for a week already and have not given me any update except that I will need a new onstar module. The vehicle is not safe to drive and I’m afraid that it will shut off while I’m driving at a higher speed I.e. on the freeway or that it will phantom brake while I’m on the highway which can cause a life threatening injury This vehicle has not been in any accident No warning lights came on except one message that said service emergency calling No warning messages prior to any of these events

NHTSA ID

11724010

Incident

Dec 1, 2025