2025 Chevrolet Equinox Driver assistance Problems

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

The vehicle’s high-voltage battery system and propulsion system appear to have failed, causing a complete loss of power while driving. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for inspection, The vehicle completely shut down while I was driving on Florida’s Turnpike, creating an extremely dangerous situation on a high-speed highway. There was no warning prior to the shutdown, and I am currently pregnant, which made the situation especially traumatic and heightened the risk to both myself and my unborn child, as well as other drivers on the road. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership for inspection. As of now, the problem has not been reproduced, but the shutdown event is confirmed and documented by the dealer during the incident report and intake process. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for inspection. General Motors engineers or technical assistance center (TAC) may review the vehicle once the dealership reports the incident. No police or insurance representatives have inspected the vehicle for this issue. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms appeared prior to the sudden battery drop and complete loss of propulsion. The failure occurred without any prior indication while driving on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11723474

Incident

Mar 9, 2026

The onstar telematics module has stopped functioning. That means I am not receiving any systems updates, cannot use onstar, and cannot use the my Chevrolet app for remote start or remote unlock. I took it to the dealer 2 weeks ago and they said the telematics module is backordered. They did do a number of system updates. After those updates my adaptive cruise control has completely stopped working. When I called about that, the service department said that one module could have caused the other module to fail and that they won’t try to look at my cruise control until after they can replace the telematics. There is currently no ETA to receive the part.

NHTSA ID

11719407

Incident

Jan 6, 2026

VEHICLE INFORMATION Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox (Gas) Purchase Price: $46,000 In-Service Date: January 28, 2026 Current Mileage: 2,433 miles First Repair Attempt: Approximately 200 miles DEFECT DESCRIPTION (SAFETY-CRITICAL) The vehicle experiences intermittent but recurring safety system failures while driving, including: • Complete instrument cluster blackout (all gauges dark) • All warning lights and alerts disappear • ADAS / driver-assist systems shut down • System appears to reboot for approximately 15 seconds while in motion • Vehicle settings reset to default (vehicle systems, not radio) • Brake pedal becomes hard during these events • Stopping distance feels increased during braking events This behavior indicates a brake assist interruption and a loss of critical driver information while the vehicle is moving. REPAIR HISTORY SUMMARY • Vehicle has been in the dealership approximately 4–5 times for the same or substantially similar defect • Dealership has performed software updates • Dealership has replaced computer modules controlling the information center and related systems • The defect persists SAFETY ASSESSMENT Loss of braking assist (hard pedal with increased stopping distance) combined with full instrument cluster blackout while driving constitutes a substantial impairment of vehicle safety. This is not an infotainment issue.

NHTSA ID

11718263

Incident

Feb 15, 2026

Blind spot indicator lights ( both left and right side) randomly alert when there is nothing beside me. Also when I’m backing into a parking spot it also randomly blinks fast.

NHTSA ID

11717325

Incident

Dec 31, 2024

SEE NHTSA Safety Recall Report 25V-12- It appears it should apply to both 2025 FRONT WHEEL DRIVE Chevy Equinox EVs with ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (and without Super Cruise) in addition to 2025 ALL WHEEL DRIVE Equinox EVs with ACC (also without Super Cruise). This is very dangerous. Here's what happened: My 8 month old 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV FRONT WHEEL DRIVE w/ACC(no Super Cruise) has had 2 instances where a very large "thunk" sound and vibration emanating from the rear of the car while stopped at an intersection, was immediately followed with sudden brake failure and sudden forward acceleration. The ACC was on in both instances. The first time this happened was alarming but since the was nothing in front of me there was no damage and the problem seemed to resolve itself thereafter. The second time was while waiting at a red light about 10 feet behind another vehicle. My car shot forward and into the other car, which was then pushed into the car ahead of it. Both my car and the car ahead of me had very expensive damages, but fortunately, no injuries. What I experienced sounds exactly like the recall problem described in NHTSA Safety Recall Report 25V-12 which has thus far only been applied to the AWD version of the 2025 Equinox EV, not the FWD version that I have. I believe this needs rapid consideration due to the danger of of sudden acceleration resulting in serious property damage, injury, or death. It appears to me that other instances of this problem have been described in various online forums and YouTubes.

NHTSA ID

11716025

Incident

Dec 10, 2025

Just after Thanksgiving, my vehicle displayed a “Service Emergency Calling” message. I brought it to the dealership and they documented the concern, referencing GM bulletin PIP6077B, but no repairs were performed. On December 30th, while parking, I shifted into reverse and the vehicle would not reverse and instead moved forward. A “Service Transmission” warning appeared and the vehicle was towed. The dealer cleared the codes and released the vehicle without performing any diagnostics. About two weeks later, when starting the vehicle after work, several warnings appeared, including “Service Safety Restraint System,” “Forward Collision System Unavailable,” and a rear-seat alert despite no passengers. While driving, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and blind zone steering assist were not functioning. The next morning, the vehicle suffered a complete electrical failure. It would not start, the screens stayed off, and the doors would not lock or unlock. The vehicle was towed again. The dealer replaced the battery, claimed it had simply died, and attempted to return the vehicle to me. I refused because none of the prior warnings were diagnosed, and I was told the codes “erase when the battery is changed.” After I demanded full electrical and transmission diagnostics, including a parasitic draw test, the dealership informed me the vehicle was unsafe to drive. They stated the OnStar/telematics module was draining the battery and the replacement part was backordered with no estimated arrival date. I was told multiple customers are waiting for the same part, which means this is NOT an isolated event and needs way more attention than it's being given. This defect results in loss of essential safety systems and complete vehicle shutdown, creating a significant safety risk.

NHTSA ID

11715427

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

On three occasions, gas pedal went limp, and required restarting engine to reset controls to get gas pedal working again. On one occasion, brakes failed to operate leading to a collision. And forward collision warning did not activate.

NHTSA ID

11710319

Incident

Jan 7, 2026

The Equinox is detecting objects in the rear camera that are not there and automatically applying the automatic emergency breaking. This is causing the car to completely stop and has now caused me to injury my back due to the force of the stop. There is no warning given that the breaks are being applied. I was backing up at 7 miles an hour and the Equinox just stopped dead and there was absolutely nothing near the car. The car was in for an oil change and they said nothing was wrong with it. This latest incident of 4 now happened today and caused me to almost be hit in the parking lot of my child’s school while backing into a parking spot.

NHTSA ID

11709731

Incident

Jan 8, 2026

On 3 separate occasions now, my vehicle has slammed on the brakes abruptly when there were no other cars around me in close proximity. The sensors vibrated the driver seat each time right before slamming brakes on, even though no other cars were even close to me. The sensors often go off when they shouldn’t be. The first time this happened, there were no cars ahead of me or beside me on the highway but there was one car behind me about 50 feet I’d say. Thankfully he was paying attention or he would have rear ended me. The 2nd time my husband was getting off an exit ramp so he was only going about 25mph and the car slammed the brakes on. There were no cars ahead of him or behind him. The 3rd time I was pulling out of a plaza entering a stop light and when I saw no cars coming, I started to pull out and it slammed on the brakes. There was a car behind me, but none beside me, and since I was turning left to approach the stop light, there were a few cars in each lane but they were about 20 feet away from me. None of these incidents should have activated the emergency braking. It has to be faulty sensors as they go off often when they shouldn’t. My husband and I both felt like we had bruised ribs and we thank God that nobody hit us, but at some point, we won’t be so lucky! And I am forced to drive this death trap because it’s not showing any codes for the dealership AND I still have to pay on my loan to drive an unsafe car!

NHTSA ID

11709621

Incident

Sep 11, 2024

I purchased my 25 Equinox in December 2024 and immediately started having issues. I worked with multiple dealerships when the issues began and then reached out to GM for further help. After more than 6 months of GM giving me the run around, I've been left with an unsafe vehicle that even they don't want back. I had no intention of trading the vehicle within the first 3 years, but I don't feel safe in this vehicle. When I left the dealership the day I bought it, the vehicle drastically depreciated once I cleared their mailbox and to this point, GM hasn't offered any assistance with offsetting my trade difference. I also got 0% financing with GM that isn't currently being offered if I were willing to take the massive loss on my trade in. Here are just a few of the issues that I'm dealing with. The blind spot warning light stays on for no reason. Multiple updates have been done, and modules were changed and the issue remains. At night the warning light shines right in my face. I've tried adjusting the mirror completely outward and it's still an issue. I try avoiding driving at night all together because it makes it very unsafe. If I do have to drive in the dark, I have to use my arm to try blocking the light from my face, but my arm isn't big enough to block all of it. The entire dash has gone black leaving me with no speedometer or gauges. It did come back on, and the dealership ran updates. Most recently, while driving the car will slam on the brakes and put the red triangles on the windshield for no reason. I've had vehicles behind me that almost hit me because it is a drastic drop in speed. Like brake checking. Sometimes the adaptive cruise will start slowing me down like when a car is in front of you only there's nothing there. Dealership doesn't have a solution for these issues. I've also been places and come back out to the car to find that the rear hatch has opened on its own. The dealership ran updates to hopefully prevent this from reoccurring.

NHTSA ID

11709391

Incident

Jan 7, 2025

The windshield is a major safety issue. It is distorted, warped, and wavy. The dealership has ordered a replacement, but I’m worried it will be the same. As for the blind spot warning, it flashes when there is nothing present. The dealership cannot replicate, and I am not able to record when driving.

NHTSA ID

11709140

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

OnStar Module malfunctioned, has been diagnosed and awaits identification of specific type of module to determine if one is available or if it is one that will be on back order. The safety of myself and my family was put at risk, along with others, when vehicle braking system randomly activated and slammed on the brakes despite clear highways all around, almost causing us to be rear-ended more than once. This has happened prior to 12/01 several times randomly but we assumed the sensor was sensitive and was picking up something we couldn't see, however this was not the case in this situation. The battery keeps going dead and needing jumped and there are numerous warning messages/lamps. Dealer service department confirmed OnStar module failure and need for replacement, has not yet reproduced braking issues. Vehicle is currently at dealership service department for inspection and was deemed unsafe to drive at this time. Dealer stated they had no loaner vehicles to supply and instructed us GM would reimburse up to $45 daily for rental at Enterprise, so a rental vehicle was obtained and placed on waiting list at two different dealerships for loaner vehicle. WiFi and Navigation System originally quit working, then car battery started dying and requires being jumped multiple times if not driven within 8 hours, Received alerts off and on of "Lane Change Alert System Off", "Service Parking Break", "Adaptive Cruise Control Temp Unavailable", "Service Power Steering", "Service Electronic Stability Control", "Service Transmission Now, Unable to shift soon", and cruise control/Lane assist etc quit working. We became stranded in another town and had to purchase a portable jumper. Dealer currently has no anticipated repair date.

NHTSA ID

11709087

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

vehicle gives false blind side alerts on driver side. Happens when no objects are approaching. Happens when vehicles pass from opposite direction. System otherwise works as advertised.

NHTSA ID

11708908

Incident

Jan 27, 2025

My vehicle randomly turns off the foward collision system causing its supercruise system and adaptive cruise control to turn off while driving on the highway potentially causing and accident. I took it to the dealer in marlton NJ with the foward collision fault light on and they cant find anything wrong with the system as it resets itself after thr vehicle is turned off for two minutes. On our Facebook page I am not the only one who is experiencing this I will attach some documents of similar issues apparently GM has been aware of this for a while and no fix yet.

NHTSA ID

11706898

Incident

Dec 15, 2025