NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
223 reportsMileage unknown · Jan 8, 2026
Back Over PreventionElectrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance
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 mi…
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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 ODI #11709731
Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
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 th…
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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 ODI #11709621
Mileage unknown · Jan 7, 2026
Power Train
Transmission fluid leaking from the bolts
NHTSA ODI #11709487
Mileage unknown · Jan 7, 2026
Suspension
My 2025 Chevrolet Equinox (VIN: [XXX] ) was at Island Chevrolet from Thursday, June 26, 2025, through Monday, July 14, 2025, due to the transmission seizing. The vehicle was not even a year old at the time, as I purchased it in April 2025. Today, [XXX], my Equinox is at Freehold Buick because the OnStar hardware has failed. The…
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My 2025 Chevrolet Equinox (VIN: [XXX] ) was at Island Chevrolet from Thursday, June 26, 2025, through Monday, July 14, 2025, due to the transmission seizing. The vehicle was not even a year old at the time, as I purchased it in April 2025. Today, [XXX], my Equinox is at Freehold Buick because the OnStar hardware has failed. There is currently no estimated time of arrival for the replacement parts. The OnStar hardware controls critical vehicle functions, including diagnostics, automatic crash response, navigation, and remote commands such as remote start and door locking. A known issue with this OnStar failure is that the vehicle’s battery can drain as the system continuously attempts to reconnect. These types of major issues should not be occurring within the first year of ownership. At this time, there is still no date for when the OnStar hardware will be available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11709398
Mileage unknown · Jan 7, 2026
Lane DepartureUnknown Or Other
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 intenti…
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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 ODI #11709391
Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Power TrainService BrakesSteering
The car automatically brakes when nothing is in front of you and all of sudden it slams on its breaks. This is going to cause someone to rear end you. The steering is all over the road and does. It feels safe to drive. Transmission gets stuck and revs really high until it catches and they say nothing is wrong. Safety sensor…
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The car automatically brakes when nothing is in front of you and all of sudden it slams on its breaks. This is going to cause someone to rear end you. The steering is all over the road and does. It feels safe to drive. Transmission gets stuck and revs really high until it catches and they say nothing is wrong. Safety sensors go off all the time and nothing is near you. Key fob not detected, multiple awd issues
NHTSA ODI #11709271
Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Lane DepartureVisibility/wiper
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 ODI #11709140
Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes
I am on 20 service calls.Mine is currently having onstar issues screens glitching, Apple CarPlay won’t connect, sensors on mirrors are going off nothing beside me, when I hit my breaks it keeps turning my emergency brake on and engine power reduced keeps coming on dash but the dealership is saying GM said my warranty is voided d…
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I am on 20 service calls.Mine is currently having onstar issues screens glitching, Apple CarPlay won’t connect, sensors on mirrors are going off nothing beside me, when I hit my breaks it keeps turning my emergency brake on and engine power reduced keeps coming on dash but the dealership is saying GM said my warranty is voided due to a aftermarket part
NHTSA ODI #11709129
Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidancePower Train
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 …
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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 ODI #11709087
Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Unknown Or Other
I am submitting this letter to formally notify the NHTSA of a safety critical defect in my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Activ starting on 12/9/25 involving the Telematics Control Module (TCM), GM part number 85669062. This defect results in intermittent or complete failure of essential OnStar safety functions, including Automatic Cras…
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I am submitting this letter to formally notify the NHTSA of a safety critical defect in my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Activ starting on 12/9/25 involving the Telematics Control Module (TCM), GM part number 85669062. This defect results in intermittent or complete failure of essential OnStar safety functions, including Automatic Crash Response, emergency communication, and accurate GPS location reporting. During normal driving, the vehicle experiences the following failures: •Loss of telematics connectivity •Inability of OnStar services to initialize or maintain a connection •GPS location drift or inaccurate positioning •Failure to reliably transmit vehicle location or contact emergency services These failures occur without user action and under normal operating conditions. The defect directly impairs systems intended to provide crash detection and emergency communication. If a collision occurs, the vehicle may not contact emergency services or may transmit an incorrect location. This represents a loss of a safety system that General Motors advertises as part of the vehicle’s crash response capability. On December 9, 2025, my Chevrolet dealer confirmed that the Telematics Control Module had failed and requires replacement. General Motors has placed this part on national backorder with no estimated availability, leaving the vehicle in an unsafe condition with no available remedy. General Motors has not issued a recall, service bulletin, or customer satisfaction program addressing this defect. The absence of available replacement parts suggests a potential supplier level issue affecting multiple vehicles. Given the safety implications, part unavailability, and potential for a broader pattern of failures, I respectfully request that NHTSA: •Review this defect as a potential systemic issue •Evaluate whether similar failures are occurring in other GM vehicles •Consider opening a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) if warranted. Thank you.
NHTSA ODI #11709086