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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
Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other

Was driving down the road and had just hit about 50mph at 4k rpms when suddenly the car started shaking and the check engine light started flashing, i knew immediately it was just a misfire, HOWEVER then the car immediately locked up brakes on full blast and engine cut off. Almost caused a mass accident let alone launching all m…

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Was driving down the road and had just hit about 50mph at 4k rpms when suddenly the car started shaking and the check engine light started flashing, i knew immediately it was just a misfire, HOWEVER then the car immediately locked up brakes on full blast and engine cut off. Almost caused a mass accident let alone launching all my stuff. Then i turned the car back on and it drove fine for 20 miles. Just before i got home i am starting to try and stop at a stop sign. Hit the brake and the brake went all the way in with no pressure. A car is coming my car wont stop and im laying on my horn. Car finally got brakes again and boom the car stopped. Got home and ran the codes and it was Abs, t/c, stability lignts all on, airbag system, stability trac, anti lock + braking system, engine and tranny on my chevy app all said “service immediately” rear differential clutch control, electronic brake control module all showed up when i ran the code reader. Was extremely terrifying!! Im going into the dealership tomorrow to get it looked at

NHTSA ODI #11500961

Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2023
Service Brakes

Vaccum pump brake failure while coming to a red-light. Lucky to avoid serious injury. Definitely put my children at risk! No warning lights or dash notices until after the incident. Vehicle was inspected two days prior.

NHTSA ODI #11499760

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesUnknown Or Other

I constantly get error messages When the ambient (outside) temperature exceeds 100 degrees. The lane keeping assist, the forward collision sensors, etc. When it gets below freezing, the forward collision sensors, the brake assist and the service indicators go bonkers.

NHTSA ODI #11499645

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainStructure

I purchased my 2018 Chevrolet equinox on July3rd, 2018 with 2 miles on it. Current mileage 67,900 Stop/start system design defect. I have had to have my vehicle battery replaced 4 times in 4 years of ownership. The battery has failed again at 67,900 miles on 12/13/2022 which will be the 5th battery in its lifetime. My dealership…

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I purchased my 2018 Chevrolet equinox on July3rd, 2018 with 2 miles on it. Current mileage 67,900 Stop/start system design defect. I have had to have my vehicle battery replaced 4 times in 4 years of ownership. The battery has failed again at 67,900 miles on 12/13/2022 which will be the 5th battery in its lifetime. My dealership said that due to the climate and road conditions where I live my stop/start system has been killing my battery cell every 16,975 miles causing my battery to fail. Chevrolet originally extended my warranty for 6months/ or 60k miles. They said they can no longer extend my warranty and that I’d be responsible for the next battery and future battery’s.

NHTSA ODI #11497355

Mileage unknown · Dec 11, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Transmission is leaking fluid, I saw a recall for loose screws causing the leak of fluid

NHTSA ODI #11496976

99,400 miles · Dec 8, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while at a stop light and releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle shutdown before the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. The electrical systems in the vehicle turned on and off and the doors were …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while at a stop light and releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle shutdown before the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact turned off the vehicle and the vehicle failed to restart. The electrical systems in the vehicle turned on and off and the doors were locking and unlocking independently. Additionally, the instrument cluster warning lights were turning on and off. The contact also stated that the parking brake and traction control functions were engaged. The contact released the brake pedal and the vehicle jolted and turned on and restarted. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred her to the NHTSA hotline, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,400.

NHTSA ODI #11496563

Mileage unknown · Dec 2, 2022
Service Brakes

I have never experienced an issue prior to today, no warning lights on, no symptoms. While driving down the highway I had to slow for traffic and my brake pedal would not push down, a terrible noise was heard and it took everything in my body to stop my vehicle. I thought I was going to kill everyone in front of me. Had to swerv…

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I have never experienced an issue prior to today, no warning lights on, no symptoms. While driving down the highway I had to slow for traffic and my brake pedal would not push down, a terrible noise was heard and it took everything in my body to stop my vehicle. I thought I was going to kill everyone in front of me. Had to swerve to the right to prevent this. I then see the words, “service brake assist”. Then the check engine light came on. In researching I see there is a history of brake issues. I haven’t taken it to a repair shop because it literally just occurred and I can’t stop shaking to take it or tow it

NHTSA ODI #11495816

Mileage unknown · Dec 1, 2022
Structure

The clip at the bottom of the piston for the lift gate broke which caused the lift gate to fall. The strut got wedged between the body of the car and the rear reverse light so the lift gate didn’t end up falling on me but causing damage. Upon further inspection, the other strut’s clip is also cracked.

NHTSA ODI #11495635

Mileage unknown · Nov 29, 2022
Forward Collision Avoidance

ABS or assistant brake system has been checked and fixed however the light continues to come on and does not want to Drive it has a delay and then there's a sensor on the battery that is good but it keeps saying that is not getting enough voltage when the sensor has changed these are the issues that I have fixed and because of t…

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ABS or assistant brake system has been checked and fixed however the light continues to come on and does not want to Drive it has a delay and then there's a sensor on the battery that is good but it keeps saying that is not getting enough voltage when the sensor has changed these are the issues that I have fixed and because of this I can't drive my car through emissions in the state of Arizona because it's saying I need to get these things fixed when they are fixed so my problem or concern is is this a defect do I have bad sensors am I getting back parts I'm not for sure what the issue is but I cannot continue to spend money to continue to fix these sensors and they're new and they're hard to find where the shops that are fixing to my vehicle

NHTSA ODI #11495263

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2022
Seats

While driving, my driver's side power seat will automatically go to the "exit position". Because of my short stature, this causes me to not be able to reach the gas and brake pedals until I move the seat back up. It first occurred when I was in 5 lanes if traffic during rush hour traffic. There was no warning or indication of a …

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While driving, my driver's side power seat will automatically go to the "exit position". Because of my short stature, this causes me to not be able to reach the gas and brake pedals until I move the seat back up. It first occurred when I was in 5 lanes if traffic during rush hour traffic. There was no warning or indication of a problem before it happened. Scary, as momentarily I couldn't brake. I took it to the dealership for repair. They we able to reproduce the issue and diagnosed it as the power seat memory switch in the door panel. They replaced the part but it did not fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI #11492199

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