2019 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 302 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 22 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 9 people were injured.
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
Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assemblySep 19, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Equinox all-wheel drive vehicles. The fuel tanks may have been manufactured with an improperly sealed seam, possibly allowing fuel to leak along the seam near the fuel inlet.
A fuel leak in the presence of the ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N192271870.
Campaign 19V667000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsMar 7, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The rear-right seat may have insufficient welds on the head-restraint bracket.
In the event of a crash, the insufficient welds may result in an increased risk of injury for an occupant seated in the rear-right position.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear-right seatback frame, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192209550.
Campaign 19V184000 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
Representative owner complaints
302 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Engine, Feb 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake assists, and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed oil valve. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was informed that when the check engine warning light illuminated, other warning lights would sometimes become illuminate. The contact stated that a day later, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes were inoperable. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the contact noticed that the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The brake assists warning light illuminated and then disappeared. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
Seat belts, Feb 8, 2024
My wife drove her car to Arizona from Idaho in January 2024. I flew down from Idaho with my 6 year old grandson last week and when she picked us up from the airport, I attempted to buckle my grandson into the rear seats and found both seat belts, left and right rear to be broken and unusable. The seat belts would not retract at all when pulled out of the normal position. We had to buckle my grandson in the middle position since it was the only working rear belt. Prior to January 2024 we routinely used these seat belts to fasten two car seats in the back seat so I know that they were in good working condition prior to that time. It appears to me that there must be a defect in these belts since they both stopped working at the same time. We had it checked out at Friendly Auto Center in Mesa, Arizona and they said that the seat belt mechanisms both needed to be replaced.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 50 MPH, upon attempting to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, the brake pedal was firm, requiring excessive force to depress. The service brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.
Service brakes, Jan 30, 2024
Vacuum pump failure resulted in greatly reduced braking ability
Fuel system, Gasoline, Jan 29, 2024, fire
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, he observed flames emanating from underneath the vehicle, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the vehicle, the contact observed that the fire originated in the fuel tank. Local emergency fire services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. A police and fire report was filed, with no injuries reported. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, awaiting investigation by the manufacturer. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V667000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 93,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Jan 25, 2024
My 2019 Chevy Equinox with 30,000 miles will not start due to a "Shift to Park" error. This is a common issue with other models of Chevrolet in that same time frame 2017 - 2019 Malibu, Traverse, and Volt. The dealer wants to charge over $1500.00 for an issue that appears to be related to a failing sensor. The vehicle will turn on (power) but will not start. Once power is on, you can not shut off the power as it believes that the vehicle is in gear. This causes the battery to drain. This should be a recall by GM as this is a common issue that the manufacture chooses to ignore.
Service brakes, Jan 18, 2024
Failure of Brake Vacuum Pump. Oil intake screen of brake vacuum pump became clogged. (Have been diligent in regular oil changes) clogged intake caused pump to not receive lubrication, which resulting in it seizing. Pump is mechanically driven by exhaust cam shaft. Failure caused brakes to become almost impossible to engage. Even worse. The metal parts that were connected to the cam shaft were shattered, and the pieces ended up directly in the crankcase. This seems like a dangerous and potentially very expensive design flaw Pieces in picture had to be removed from crankcase..
Service brakes, Engine, Dec 25, 2023
I was at a stop light, the light turned green and I proceeded to lift my foot off of the break giving the vehicle a moment to autostart, I pressed the accelerator, and the car started to make a sputtering sound and tremble terribly. The vehicle's engine shut down in the middle of traffic, no warning lights appeared on my dash board. The power of the vehicle was still on. I placed the car in park, then I turned the power off. I tried to restart the vehicle this time the vehicle continued to shake and sputter but it did not move when I placed the gear in Drive. I had to be pushed put of the road by the Police and then towed to the dealer. The service engineer at the Chevy Dealership was able to start the engine and take it for a test drive, the vehicle also shut done on him but also left him with no ability to use the breaks. He was unable to stop. Thankfully no one was in front of him or behind him he was able to have the vehicle towed back to the service bay. I was told that the break vacuum pump disintegrated and went into the engine cam shaft. That caused the engine to completely shut down. I believe this is a safety issue as no sensor or engine codes ever displayed and the dealership took 2weeks to diagnose what was wrong because they were not getting any codes displayed on their diagnostic equipment. There was no way for me to know this break vacuum pump was failing to be able to proactively replace it to prevent this serious malfunction from occurring. I could have been seriously injured and cause a horrible accident as I was headed to the highway that morning. I would like to be contacted in regard to this.
Service brakes, Engine, Dec 9, 2023
2019 Equinox LT. 1.5 litre Vacuum pump clogged and exploded internally. Almost killed my wife and I when brakes failed. There appears to be TSB’s dating as far back as 2015. Chevy has been aware of this issue yet continued to produce vehicles with this defective and dangerous design. It sounds as if piston rings are prem The pump connects to and is powered by intake cam. Dumb. Micheal Bates dealership say I’m responsible for the parts and repairs, because is no warranty, which are about the car used repairs, all internal damage to engine.
Power train, Nov 18, 2023
The vacuum pump blew apart and sent shrapnel into the cam shaft and valve cover. Yes it is available for inspection because it’s still down. Our safety was put at risk because we were coming off the freeway and our brakes basically went out. We have an estimate from the dealer for $1,926.87. No warning at all!!
Service brakes, Engine, Nov 17, 2023
The vacuum pump failed, which left me without power brakes while slowing down on an interstate exit ramp. There were no warnings or indications of failure in advance. The brakes were fine as I got on the interstate, then I became aware of the problem as I exited about 30 minutes later. I nearly rear-ended the car in front of me as we approached the stoplight. Without power brakes, much more force than usual was necessary to come to a stop safely. This is a very dangerous situation as elderly or physically disabled drivers may find it very challenging to apply enough force to come to a stop, especially when slowing down from 70+ MPH interstate speeds. Metal pieces broke off from the vacuum pump and caused damage to the cam shaft. While reviewing some YouTube videos on the topic, I discovered I'm not the only Equinox owner to experience this type of failure around 5x,xxx to 6x,xxx miles for the 2019 or similar model years. Here is the link to one representative video, and the comments indicate there are others who have experienced something similar... 2018 Chevy Equinox Vacuum Pump Catostrophic Failure! [XXX] Here's another: 2020 chevy equinox brake pedal really hard or no brakes fix [XXX] --F One more example: 2018 -2019 and up chevy equinox brake pedal Hard easy fix [XXX] Unfortunately, my vehicle was subsequently totaled in an unrelated accident, so it is unavailable for inspection. I believe public safety is at risk, however, so I have decided to submit this report anyway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2023
LCD screen as part of the infotainment system blanks out then repeatedly restarts. This goes for the entire drive. The GPS is not picking up the correct temperature and reports in Celsius not Fahrenheit. I'm not able to use any of the infotainment features including not being able to use the phone feature. Also the radio volume increases and decreases on its own. All of this is very distracting as I drive.
Exterior lighting, Nov 10, 2023
Headlight aim is too high, blinding oncoming drivers. Dealer says that the headlight aim on this vehicle is not adjustable. When I am driving at night oncoming drivers are constantly flashing their lights at me, but my lights are on low beam.
Power train, Nov 8, 2023
I bought my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox brand new from Chevrolet dealership. I was driving to pick up passengers. As I drove on too the customers property I pick up my passenger in a wooded area I had to drive up a steep hill. Then I backed up into the next drive path, as I was making my turn to go forward to leave, I tried to backup to make a clear turn but my reverse gave out on me. Something got lodged under my vehicle as I was going forward I got stuck in a ditch on there property. I called me wife and she came to pick me up, I contacted my insurance to request a tow truck and waited 45 minutes but no one showed up. Two of the customer neighbor pulled me out using their tow strap attacked to their 4×4 truck.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 16, 2023
My car is leaking oil they can’t find leak I have oil In my drive way. I have oil leaking when I park my car on street or in parking lots too
Engine, Oct 12, 2023
Car wouldn't start 6 months ago, replaced with new battery. Few months after, car wouldn't start again, replaced starter August 23. October 23, car wouldn't start again, made odd whirring noise. Replaced starter. Have had 3 new starters, now told its the flywheel and again will have to put in another new starter? Starter has to be replaced again, probably tried to start car & burnout out starter, I was told. Need a new starter 2 days after this 3rd new one was replaced? All seems to be consistent with the start/stop feature in the car, always made noise when trying to drive after being stopped at a light.
Service brakes, Sep 24, 2023
While driving from a short trip when we got back home we stopped to get something to eat and when backing out of our parking space I put on the brakes but the peddle was really hard and it was very hard to stop. I went the next day to a parts store and used their scanner and came up with code for brake assist vacuum pump. I had a very hard time finding a replacement and it had to come from Kansas city. I replaced it myself and had problems with it too. The original one the drive connector disintegrated where it connects to the cam shaft. The replacement one went on fine but oil ran from it due to the outer faceplate being warped. Every part store in town says they can't get it.
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Sep 22, 2023
While traveling a message appear "power reduced" a noise was heard like whistle (air whooshing). The time Car was started the engine light was on. The car was serviced by GM/Chevrolet dealership service. They found water in the spare tire compartment, but didn't not agree that it was the cause of malfunction. The asked if the car had been in a flood. I did my own research and found that this water leak problem is a known issue in litigation.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 21, 2023
The car has constantly been stalling. The engine light comes on and goes off. These lights has come back on. This has been a reoccurring issue since the car was purchased in 2019. I just got the battery fixed this tear from them saying it was the battery. GM keeps offering me $2500 dollars but saying if I take it I can’t take action against them. That further let’s me know that they know something is wrong with the car.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 10, 2023
My vehicle beginning idling and check engine light came on while at red light. So I decided to head to nearest auto parts to see what the code was. The light turned green and my truck didn’t want to go forward. Once it started to pull off it went slow and then gain a little more speed. This could’ve caused an accident. The people from the opposite side of rode would’ve hit and probably killed my son and I. This is not okay and needs to be checked on all vehicles because that’s a very late warning sign and can cause a huge issue. I’m reaching out to Chevrolet tomorrow morning since today is Sunday.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Air bags, Sep 5, 2023, crash
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, he depressed the brake pedal however, the brakes were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into the rear of a truck, striking the truck three times before coming to a stop. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The contact stated that a Police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,150.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 26, 2023
Outside mirrors keep changing position. Almost got into crash because suddenly could not see while merging. This issue has been ongoing and many people are discussing the same issue on an Equinox forum.
Service brakes, Aug 23, 2023, crash, fire
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, she began to smell a burnt odor inside the vehicle. The contact saw white smoke entering from the windshield defroster and decided to continue driving to her destination. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated and black smoke began to enter the windshield defroster. The contact depressed the brake pedal but failed to stop the vehicle and caused her to crash into a guard rail on the front driver side. No air bags deployed. The contact was not able to open the front driver side door due to being blocked by the guard rail. The contact climbed into the back of the vehicle and exited the rear driver side door, while the flames were inside the front of the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was not filed. The police report was filed. The contact did not sustain any injuries but sought medical attention the following day. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle to be a total loss. The vehicle was towed to the towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Structure, Engine, Aug 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear of the vehicle started to sway from side to side. The contact then became aware that the sway bar had fractured. The contact stated that her fiancé was able to tighten the bolts and the contact was able to safely drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the service engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel for more than two months. Additionally, the air conditioner was inoperable, and there were wires hanging down underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 10, 2023
Twice the vehicle has gone into limp mode (15 mph max) on busy highway in last month. Diesel particulate filter clogged both times. Currently has been in Chevy dealer shop for over two weeks. Emission system failure and dealer cannot figure out cause. They are currently replacing many parts and cannot assure us this problem will not reoccur. 47,000 miles. Maintenance has been better than recommended for oil changes and filters. Currently awaiting second repair invoice.