2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Service brakes is the leading concern among 408 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 10th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 23 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 30 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, automatic transmissionOct 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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V668000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperAug 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.
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 18V576000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMay 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.
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
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.
Campaign 18V358000 on NHTSA.gov
VisibilityApr 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."
If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 18V252000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, driveline, driveshaftAug 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.
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.
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.
Campaign 17V516000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
94 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Service brakes, Engine, Dec 30, 2023
the vacumm pump grenaded and sent metal chunks into the camshaft knocking the reluctant wheel out of position causing the car to shut down and lose brakes and power steering. There were no prior engine codes or warning. multiple mechanics verified this and it is a known issue. Gm needs to deal with this and should put out a recall. such a new vehicle should not need motor work at 70k miles!!
Service brakes, Engine, Dec 28, 2023
Vacuum pump for brake booster failed. Lost braking power. Caused debris to be injected in to engine. Caused camshaft failure. Dealership confirmed, and inspected. Check Engine light and Reduced Engine Power message at time of failure. Slight rear brake pulsation 1/2 hour before. I thought it was just moisture/rust on the rotor as the car had been in the body shop for 2 months following a deer collision.
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to remain running after being started. While depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle was slow to respond. The contact stated that his brother used an ODB scanner and retrieved DTC codes: P0017 (Crank shaft Phaser, Exhaust Camshaft, Valve Cover Gasket), P1556 (Variable-Solenoid), P0011 (Camshaft), PO0014 (Engine), and P2227 (Turbo Charger). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was related to the timing chain, cam shaft, brake booster, and vacuum pump. The contact called the local dealer, who stated that there was no coverage for the repair under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.
Engine, Aug 21, 2023
Car stopped working at 72K miles. sputtered, stopped, cranked but no start. P0017 error - which has a TSB on it. Camshaft position error. Chevy knows about the issue but just hopes it happens outside of warranty, which is not acceptable. Vacuum pump also had catastrophic failure.
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 15, 2023
The vacuum pump that controls the power brakes broke/went tight, causing the brake pedal to get extremely hard and almost caused us to crash on the interstate. It turns out that this vacuum pump is attached to the camshaft on the 2018 Equinox and it doesn't have a shear pin, so when it goes tight, it destroys the camshaft and timining chain as well. It will cost over $4k to repair. This is a huge safety concern, not to mention the unexcpected costs to the consumer. GM is well aware of this issue, and has issued recalls on the same vacuum pump on different models of Chevrolets/GMCs
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Mar 27, 2023
Service brake assist
Electrical system, Engine, Dec 8, 2022
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.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 8, 2022
Has had 2 codes come up for bad fuel injectors maybe more before it hit 50,000 miles dealer can't recreate cases a bad miss fire really surprised it runs
Engine, May 30, 2022
When backing into my drive way moving the gear from d to r the car will jump. This has made it to where I fear to park where I have to reverse. As well as when I started driving down the road the auto stop start kicked on while doing 30 when the car powered back on in the busy intersection the car was clunking I pulled over asap and took a look under the car to make sure nothing was leaking when started back up it went away. It’s very unsafe to have a car that you can’t disable the auto stop feature from coming on as if the intersection was not a safe place for this to happen
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, May 1, 2022
When my cats gets turned on my radio doesn’t turn on so I have to reset it until it turns on meaning I have to press and hold for 20sec to get the volume knob lite but my radio doesn’t work and on top of it the auto stop is tripping when I do auto stop the car turns off and restarts on its own and shows light on dash saying traction control on or off and then it will say brake release and than brake check my steering wheel controls don’t work meaning my auto control isn’t working to set and one day out of nowhere it will all work like nothing happen radio will turn on but I can’t turn volume on or change station and it’s a frozen screen and sometimes it goes all blank black but I can hear music with no screen
Power train, Engine, Apr 21, 2022
The “Check Engine” light is still on regardless of the maintenance done on the vehicle. The oil pump is possibly damaged after pieces from broken vacuum pump may have entered into engine.
Service brakes, Engine, Apr 18, 2022
The vacuum pump in my 2018 Chevrolet Equinox no longer works. I have a “hard brake” and when I attempt to stop At low speeds there is a grinding sound with my vehicle.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 9, 2022
Winter 2020/2021 I had to replace my exhaust manifold and now winter 2021/2022 I am having issues with my turbo/super charger but same code of P0299 for both incidents. Wondering what is going on with my vehicle. I bought it at 42,000 miles and now has 88,000 on it
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 25, 2021
engine problems
Engine, Dec 8, 2021
On approximately 11/18/21 3:30 pm I drove my car and the engine just died. Busy street. It took me 30 minutes to restart and pull safely into the first parking lot I could get to. every time I went to start vehicle it would take 3-4 minutes each time, I had to turn car completely to stop the car from trying to start. When it finally started it would only go 10 feet before the engine stopped running. I had to have my car towed to the dealership. On 12/8/21 the dealership called me and said the the pump which is inside the engine failed and that the engine would have to be replaced for $8,500.00 HELP!
Steering, Power train, Engine, Jul 26, 2021
62 k Miles car completely shut down and power steering became useless making it extremely hard to even move out of traffic. There were no warning lights Car has always been fully serviced at dealership. Vac pump failed causing camshaft to break , bending pistons New engine required. Car at dealership going into 3 weeks now
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 19, 2021
CHECK ENGINGE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. CODE SAYS DEALER SPECIFIC, WENT TO GO TO DEALER, LIGHT WENT OFF. TWO WEEKS LATER, LIGHT COMES BACK ON FOR A FEW DAYS, GOES BACK OFF. HAD THE DIESEL SYSTEM CLEANED BY DEALER, LIGHT STILL COMES ON AND OFF. CAR HAS 42K MILES, EXPERTLY MAINTAINED. DEALER WANTS $135 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM THAT THEIR OWN DOCUMENTS SAY THERE IS NO SOLUTION FOR. ON STAR DIAGNOSES FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND DIDN'T EVEN SHOW THE 'CHECK ENGINE LIGHT' AS BEING ON. SIMILAR REPORTS FROM OTHERS ONLINE INVOLVING THE 1.6L DIESEL. NO PERFORMANCE ISSUES WITH THE LIGHT ON, BUT CHEVROLET SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE - EVEN IF THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. A TWO YEAR OLD CAR SHOULDN'T BE HAVING RANDOM CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISSUES.
Engine, Sep 16, 2020
THE OIL PLUG IS WEAK AND DAMAGED
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 11, 2020
WHILE DRIVING ON A COUNTY HIGHWAY, THE SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST LIGHT APPEARED. UPON BRAKING, BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HARD (LIKE PUSHING ON A BRICK) TO STOP. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE SEVERAL TIMES AND FINALLY GETTING STOPPED, I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. UPON ATTEMPTING TO RESTART, CAR FAILED TO START. TOWED FROM HOLSTEIN IOWA TO MILFORD, IOWA LATE ON A FRIDAY. NEXT MORNING, DEALER IN SPIRIT LAKE IOWA WAS CONTACTED. A 2ND TOW TO THE DEALER HAPPENED ON SATURDAY. DEALER BRIEFLY LOOKED AT IT AND STATED IT WAS A CAMSHAFT ACTUATOR OR SENSOR AND THEY WOULD GET TO IT AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE GAVE ME A RENTAL TO GET HOME (5 HRS SOUTH) HOWEVER, I AM STILL PAYING ON A UHAUL TRAILER RENTAL AS THE RENTAL VAN DID NOT HAVE TOWING CAPABILITIES. TOW 1 WAS $250 AND TOW 2 WAS $125. RENTAL IS $50 PER DAY. PARTS/LABOR IS EXPECTED TO BE A LITTLE OVER $2200 PLUS THE VAN RENTAL, PLUS THE UHAUL TRAILER EXTRA DAYS RENTAL, PLUS THE GAS TO GO BACK AND GET THE VEHICLE AND BRING IT HOME WITH THE UHAUL TRAILER. DEALER WAS ADVISED BY ME TO LOOK AT THE VACUUM PUMP ON TUE A.M. TUE P.M. DEALER CALLED BACK. VERIFIED VACUUM PUMP ISSUE AND STATED IT WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT IT DISINTEGRATED. IT WAS ALSO SITTING ON THE FRONT DUAL OVERHEAD EXHAUST AND THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE CAMSHAFT EXHAUST. BOTH OF THOSE BROKE AWAY AS WELL. NEED TO REPLACE THOSE AND THE TIMING CHAIN WITH AN OIL CHANGE TO ENSURE NO METAL REMAINS IN THE ENGINE. GM/CHEVY SHOULD BE FIXING THIS AT NO COST PLUS PAYING FOR THE TOWING CHARGES, EXTRA RENTALS, AND GAS. NOT HAVING BRAKES IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND PUTTING MY LIFE, MY FAMILY'S LIFE AND THE LIFE OF PEOPLE ON THE ROAD AROUND US IS NOT WHAT I CONSIDER A GOOD PRODUCT. PHOTOS FROM THE DEALER WILL BE ASKED FOR, ESPECIALLY THE VACUUM PUMP. I WILL PROMPTLY FORWARD BILLS AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVE.
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 8, 2020
10/2019 - WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, COMING INTO A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, I WENT TO SLOW DOWN. WHEN I PUSHED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, THEY WERE VERY HARD AND WAS UNABLE TO PUSH THEM DOWN. ENDED UP HAVING TO DRIVE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID COLLISION. VACCUM PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED A FAILURE IN MY BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM. IT WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. 9/2020 - DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WENT TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN AND I WAS UNABLE TO SLOW DOWN. AGAIN HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID COLLISION. THIS TIME WHEN THE VACUUM PUMP FAILED, IT BROKE A GEAR CAUSING METAL PIECES TO BE SUCKED IN THE ENGINE AND NOW MY ENGINE IS NEEDING REPLACED. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR BASED ON THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE BUT MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL. I FEEL THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HAPPEN TWICE IN LESS THAN A YEAR WHILE TRAVELING HIGH SPEEDS AND BEING UNABLE TO STOP. I HAVE 2 YOUNG CHILDREN THAT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE PUTTING IN THIS VEHICLE
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 18, 2020, fire
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE CAR STARTED TO SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD AREA AND ALL I COULD SMELL WAS BURNED PLASTIC. PULLED OVER AND GOT OUT. NOT EVEN A MINUTE LATER THE CAR BURST INTO FLAMES.
Power train, Engine, May 27, 2020
WHEN I NEED TO ACCELERATE TO PASS A VEHICLE OR SPEED UP FROM A OFF OR ON RAMP, ENGINE LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, CHECK ESC LIGHT, ALL COME ON AND CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT ABLE TO BE USED. ENGINE HAS TO BE SHUT DOWN. TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AS WELL. *TR
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 22, 2020
MY CAR LITERALLY DIED OUT. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RPMS WENT UP HIGH AND IT STARTED TO SPUTTER. AT ONE POINT HAD TO PUSH FOOT ALL THE WAY DOWN ON GAS PEDDLE
Power train, Engine, Mar 13, 2020
TOOK CAR TO DEALER FOR ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE, I REPORTED TO THEM A VERY FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH CAR HESITATING TO ACCELERATE ANDJERKS AT SPEED BETWEEN 40 AND 50 MPH ALSO PASSSENGER CAN FEEL THIS RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT. TOOK TO DEALER THEY SAID NOTHING SHOWED ON COMPUTER BUT GM HAS SOFTWARE ISSUE. FOR THE PRICE OF CARS FEEL THAT THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE TO HAVE TO DRIVE AN OTHERWISE NICE CAR I NOTICES SEVERAL OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINT ON THIS WEBSITE
Engine, Mar 8, 2020
THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND AT TIMES DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED, PRIMARILY NOTED IN COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS. HESITATIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OCCASIONS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR INPUT, ONCE OCCURRING FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND ONE TIME OCCURRING WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR WITH BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRING ON CITY STREETS WITH A POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 40 MILES PER HOUR. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE DEFECT APPARENTLY IS WITH THE CHARGE AIR COOLER.