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2018 Chevrolet Equinox

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

187 reports with mileage · 220 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 118 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

23 crash reports4 fire reports17 injury reports

What owners actually said

407 reports
64,000 miles · Aug 21, 2024
Electrical SystemService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50–60 MPH, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact stated that the infotainment screen was blank. The contact made a right turn and coasted the vehicle to the residence. The veh…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50–60 MPH, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact stated that the infotainment screen was blank. The contact made a right turn and coasted the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the electrical system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

NHTSA ODI #11609966

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2024
EngineService Brakes

Vacuum pump failed and broke with no warning signs at all. After replacement now it will not start well and when it does I have lose off power. Lost brakes while driving on a country road and had to have it towed.

NHTSA ODI #11608090

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2024
Service BrakesCrash

Driving towards to an address in Orlando, FL, tried to stop at a red light and the vehicle didn't stop, the car driver in front stop short my vehicle just ran behind the car causing a crash. Three additional cars were involved in the accident. My 2018 Chevy Equinox was purchased from Carmax back in 2021 and a recall of breaks w…

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Driving towards to an address in Orlando, FL, tried to stop at a red light and the vehicle didn't stop, the car driver in front stop short my vehicle just ran behind the car causing a crash. Three additional cars were involved in the accident. My 2018 Chevy Equinox was purchased from Carmax back in 2021 and a recall of breaks was released in August 2018. I just learn about those safety problems or system failed or malfunctioned. My insurance call me and confirm a total loss for the vehicle. Now I still have to pay for a vehicle that I dont have anymore since the market value is much less than what I owe to Carmax Auto Finance. What should I do? This is a safety problem that affected me financially and emotionally. Please your help! (Recall # 18V576000) Service brake assist Breaks failure

NHTSA ODI #11605750

159,000 miles · Jul 29, 2024
Electrical SystemService Brakes

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Service Battery Charger" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the alternator, but the failure persisted. Additionally, while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal felt spongy, and the ve…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Service Battery Charger" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the alternator, but the failure persisted. Additionally, while depressing the brake pedal, the pedal felt spongy, and the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

NHTSA ODI #11605113

Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2024
EngineService Brakes

Brake assist light went on, had the brake pads and rotors replaced, light went off. 6 months later the light came back on but this time the brake pedal was hard. I did not drive it after that. After looking online and seeing dozens of people with the same issue, I took a chance and bought the brake booster and had my friend, w…

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Brake assist light went on, had the brake pads and rotors replaced, light went off. 6 months later the light came back on but this time the brake pedal was hard. I did not drive it after that. After looking online and seeing dozens of people with the same issue, I took a chance and bought the brake booster and had my friend, who is a certified mechanic, replace the part. The old vacuum pump had frozen up and broken along with the gears, which had fallen into the engine, just like what I was seeing all over the Internet. People are getting hurt and lives are at risk, this should have been recalled!!!!

NHTSA ODI #11603937

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

There's a leak by the rear fuse box. Moisture and water gets on the fuses. My sunroof and sunshade have stopped working. I noticed the Julian date on my sunroof motor falls with in the date range that it needs to be replaced cause it could be a faulty one.

NHTSA ODI #11597823

Mileage unknown · Jun 17, 2024
Service Brakes

Driving interstate without difficulty. Made stop at rest area, got out with children, turned vehicle off. Returned to vehicle to leave, cranked vehicle put in reverse but had no brakes. Brakes in down position. Brakes would not return to normal position. Turned vehicle off and Looked under vehicle and noticed oil on the ground.…

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Driving interstate without difficulty. Made stop at rest area, got out with children, turned vehicle off. Returned to vehicle to leave, cranked vehicle put in reverse but had no brakes. Brakes in down position. Brakes would not return to normal position. Turned vehicle off and Looked under vehicle and noticed oil on the ground. No indicator lights on dash to alert of any issues. Tried to crank vehicle all power came on but motor would not turn over (long crank) Brakes remained in down position. Had vehicle towed home and upon inspection, oil was seen leaking out of the side of motor where brake vacuum pump is housed and noticed a crack in the brake vacuum pump housing. Oil leaking onto ground.

NHTSA ODI #11594933

Mileage unknown · Jun 17, 2024
Service Brakes

My son was driving our 2018 Equinox on the interstate when he went to brake while turning to an off-ramp. He discovered he had almost no ability to brake and narrowly avoided an accident. We discovered later that the vacuum pump responsible for the brake assist failed in catastrophic fashion. It not only failed but deposited num…

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My son was driving our 2018 Equinox on the interstate when he went to brake while turning to an off-ramp. He discovered he had almost no ability to brake and narrowly avoided an accident. We discovered later that the vacuum pump responsible for the brake assist failed in catastrophic fashion. It not only failed but deposited numerous metal fragments in the crank case.

NHTSA ODI #11594775

Mileage unknown · Jun 10, 2024
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance

Driver side mirror sets itself to non useable position even when auto mirror option is not turned on. Everytime I shift gears the mirror positions itself to an unuasable position making it impossible to safely pull out from a parked position. It happens wether pulling forward or backing out. I can not seem to find any informatio…

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Driver side mirror sets itself to non useable position even when auto mirror option is not turned on. Everytime I shift gears the mirror positions itself to an unuasable position making it impossible to safely pull out from a parked position. It happens wether pulling forward or backing out. I can not seem to find any information on how to correct the issue. Other owners have reported the same issue but Chevrolet refuses to address the issue. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11593460

Mileage unknown · Jun 4, 2024
Service Brakes

Service brake light comes on. Can hardly push brake pedal down.

NHTSA ODI #11592366

Official recalls

5

20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Oct 29, 2020

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

18V576000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Aug 30, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

18V252000 · Structure:emergency:escape/egress/exit; Visibility

Apr 19, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. The driver and front passenger door window glass may not be properly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 205, "Glazing Materials."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the glass in the front doors, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18136.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Structure:emergency:escape/egress/exit

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. The driver and front passenger door window glass may not be properly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 205, "Glazing Materials."

Consequence: If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the glass in the front doors, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18136.

Visibility

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. The driver and front passenger door window glass may not be properly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 205, "Glazing Materials."

Consequence: If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the glass in the front doors, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18136.

17V516000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Aug 22, 2017

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Chevrolet Equinox problems