2020 Chevrolet Equinox
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Service brakes is the leading concern among 308 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 21 Equinox model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 20 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 12 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Child seat, vehicle latch anchorMay 11, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles. The four rear-seat lower child seat LATCH anchorage bars may have excessive powder coating, which could prevent a child seat from being installed with the anchorage bars. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
The inability to install a child seat with the LATCH anchorage bars could result in an unsecured child seat, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Owners are advised to install child seats using the vehicle's rear seat belts until the remedy is complete. Dealers will inspect the latch anchorage bars, and remove and replace the finish, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. 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 N232403240.
Campaign 23V339000 on NHTSA.gov
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, caliperOct 3, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. The rear brake calipers may have been produced with an incorrect lubricant, potentially causing the rubber seals to swell and the brakes to drag.
Brake drag may result in overheating of the brake pads, affecting the braking ability and increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear brake calipers, including the brake hose gasket, brake fluid and wheel to hub lubricant, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192270920.
Campaign 19V704000 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
Representative owner complaints
308 reports, newest first.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 29, 2024
I was driving the car and suddenly the car started accelerating on it's own. No cruise control was on . My wife was in the passenger seat and it was lucky as I did not panic , just taped on the brakes to slow down. This happened many times until we got home and it is dangerous and scary, also this is a know problem with this model car. No lights or warnings came on. We could have easily crashed into a vehicle in front of us, run a red light , etc. No inspections by anyone, maybe it was inspected by the dealer?
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 28, 2024
The computer module for the fuel pump failed. This caused the car to not start some days. As well as turn off in the middle of intersections after coming to a stop while in traffic. The car is currently at the dealership for 2 months now with the part on back order. Many other Chevy equinox are recalling this same part but not my vehicle. This is concerning as it seems to needed to be added to the list of recalls.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 16, 2024
Car would sputter and turn over eventually but then die out. Was unable to drive at all. Luckily I was not driving with my baby in the car when it went out like I see so many others. Took it to the shop and it is a fuel pump issue. I see that other years have been recalled for this so unsure why the 2020 has not.
Electrical system, Dec 15, 2024
On december 15, 2024 my car stalled out. on the middle of the road nearly causing me a collison. My vehicle for. the last month has been - what i assume is having electrical problems , my car is only 4 years old so im uncertain as to why it would be stalling out , this is also the first time that this has happen . i called my insurance company to file a report about my vehicle stalling out on a busy traffic road and all that was said was unless im in a collison there is nothing they can. do and if the car stallls out and i am in a accident it would be me at fault . I have one car which is the chevy equinox 2020. i cant afford to die nor be in accident that can potential put me in danger for a car that is only 4 years old .
Power train, Engine, Nov 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Other or unspecified, Nov 16, 2024
Water accumulate on backseat floor boards on both sides and in the trunk's spare tire compartment. Possible electrical issues from electrical components being wet. Vehicle has mold. No warning lights. Issue first known occurance on 11/9/24. Took vehicle to the dealership for inspection and was told that I'm responsible for diagnostic and repair. This is a known issue for this year and model but this has not been recalled.
Other or unspecified, Nov 13, 2024
I was going on ramp and started to go on Interstate when my vehicle slowed down, check engine lights came on. It wouldn't pick up speed. I had vehicle checked and it was Turbocharger. I had to pay $2,820.13 for repairs. 10/
Visibility, Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for the front grille replacement after the vehicle had struck a turkey, the contact was informed that the moon roof was inoperable and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that water later entered the vehicle through the moon roof, soaking the spare tire and damaging the air compressor beneath the cargo space. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.
Service brakes, Engine, Oct 28, 2024, crash
I put the vehicle into reverse to back in into my garage when it suddenly lurched forward and hit the garage door on the garage across the alley. There was damage to the garage and the car's front end. It has never done anything like this before.
Service brakes, Oct 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was hard while depressed, and the vehicle failed to immediately stop, causing the braking distance to become extended. During the failure the message "Brake Assist" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the brake pads and brake rotors, but the failure persisted. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 71,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 7, 2024
The Fuel module and fuel pump stalled my car out on a highway causing me to have to quickly roll off the road to not get hit by cars behind me going 60 mph. This car is just at 80000 and the fuel module and pump should not have gone out yet. This seems to be such a problem no one can find the part because it is on back order everywhere, I have been without a vehicle since Sept 19th...and am fixing to go through my second hurricane here in florida with no transportation. I'm trilled with this issue.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 7, 2024
Vehicle lost power because of a faulty fuel pump control module. On highway could have caused collision. GM knows of problems but not recalling them. Problem has occurred several times. Check engine light came on.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Oct 2, 2024
I was driving my car approaching a four way intersection, to realize my brake pedal was not pressing down to the floor. This was 9/28/24. I have a 2020 Chevy Equinox. I put my car in the shop to only find out that vacuum pump has exploded and left metal inside the engine. Done some research with the repair shop and to my surprise, GM has had a lot of recalls with vehicles having this issue. Who ever the CEO is, I pray that you understand how deadly and serious this issue is. This could have ended badly for me and could have been tragic for my family. I can not afford to get the metal out of my engine. And to replace the vacuum pump alone was $700. In order for them to clean the engine would cost me an extra $1000. That's ridiculous for a car that I have only had almost 4 years and with maybe 10,000 miles when I purchased it. My voice will be heard. And I will keep advocating for people who are going through this! Our lives matter. This is very common in vehicles with 1.5 liter engines. I'm going to keep researching and hopefully GM will compensate me for this and the engine work.
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 18, 2024
We were driving on the highway and just exited. My husband hit the brakes and the pedal was hard to push. He basically had to put all his weight on the pedal in order to slow down. Once we were able to stop completely, we got the 2020 Chevy Equinox looked at and we were told that the vacuum pump that is attached the the cam shift exploded and pieces were in the engine. This has caused approx. $3000 in damage that me and my husband can't afford. The vehicle is still at Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine. We are going to have to tow it back to my brothers until we can afford the payment to fix it.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while exiting the highway at 50 MPH, the brake pedal had hardened and the contact could not depress the brake pedal. Several brake warning messages appeared on the instrument panel. The contact shifted the vehicle into neutral(N) and pulled into a parking lot to allow the vehicle to coast to a stop. Once the vehicle slowed to a complete stop, the contact shut off the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart after multiple attempts. The contact called a relative to the scene who used a code reader to determine the cause of the failure. The code reader showed that there was a defect with the vehicle's vacuum pump, brake sensor, and intake camshaft position timing. The vehicle's codes were reset and the vehicle restarted; however, the brake failure persisted. Due to the failure, the vehicle was initially towed to the relative's home and eventually to the dealer. The dealer performed a diagnostic where they discovered metal shavings in the engine camshaft which damaged several parts of the engine. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Service brakes, Sep 2, 2024
Was driving (in July) through a parking lot when brakes became hard to push. After stopping car, it would not start and went into battery save mode. Car was towed to Chevy dealership in Paducah, Ky. Vacuum pump was replaced and damage to cam shaft and timing chain. Problem was fixed after about $5800 of repairs. Now 2 months later, was driving and noticed “service brake assist” light came on, and brakes were hard to press. Luckily was at a low speed and able to pull over on the side of the road. Car was towed to the local Chevy dealership in Hopkinsville, ky. It is currently waiting for diagnosis of probably the same issue. first incident happened in July, 2nd was at the end of august.
Service brakes, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 2, 2024
I have 149,000 miles in this car. In my lifetime of being the one owner and purchasing this car brand new the vacuum pump has failed five times. Twice now resulting in blown engines. And still no recalls.
Engine, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 10 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto repair shop to purchase a diagnostic tool; the diagnostic tool was used to diagnose the vehicle. The diagnostic scan tool determined that the ECM Module, air induction system, and oil pressure system needed to be repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 144,919.
Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 29, 2024
I was driving home when I exited the freeway my car turned off on me. I tried to turn it back on since I was in the middle of a busy street it started for under a minute which it gave me enough time to merge jusr a little to the right. After that the car wouldn't start at all. This problem could've been a lot worse if it would've happened while I was on the freeway. My vehicle turned off without any warnings any vehicle would've slammed in to me at high speed if it would've shut down a minute prior to me exiting. I didn't get any warnings/ lights nothing it just turned off on me in the middle of the road. I had to get it towed to Autonation where they detected the Fuel Module was the problem. This item has been out of stock for sometime now. My car is still at a dealership and may be inspected if needed.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 21, 2024
When pressing the gas pedal, my Equinox does not accelerate and move forward. It takes approximately 2-3 seconds for the vehicle to react to the pressing of the pedal and that reaction is slow despite applying full pedal movement. This happens intermittently and appears to be most notable during extreme high temperatures. It also has been noticed while trying to accelerate to pass in addition to trying to go from a stop. I was almost hit by another vehicle because my Equinox didn't go. When it did go, it took roughly another 5-7 seconds to get up to the 45 MPH speed limit.
Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 12, 2024
Fuel pump modular went out and the car stalled out. The same issue is happening to the 2021 and 2022 models that have the recall not sure why the 2020s don’t have the sane
Power train, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was erratically jerking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed torque converter. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Jun 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact swerved to the left and overtook the vehicle in front of her vehicle, drove off the road, and drove in circles on the grass until the vehicle stopped. The contact then parked the vehicle. The contact stated then resumed driving to the residence at slower speeds. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,070.
Power train, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 20, 2024
Power Train: I purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox LS in January 2023. For the past 4 to 7 months the vehicle has completely lost power in traffic several times and I'm not talking about AutoStop and Start, the battery life was great, with no dead cells at all. The vehicle went dead, absolutely no power source inside or outside the Equinox, the SUV could not be placed in neutral to move it out of traffic, nor would the remote key work. The Equinox remained in this mode for approximately 20 minutes. During each incident, the vehicle displayed no warning signs or check engine symbol on the dashboard display before or after each episode. Fuel/Propulsion System: Upon placing unleaded fuel in the vehicle and starting up the ignition, the SUV would start vibrating, sputtering, jerking, and popping sounds. Also, while driving the vehicle upon acceleration at times it seems as if fuel isn't reaching the engine. Brakes: Service Brake Assist may illuminate randomly on the dashboard while on the interstate. These issues has placed and caused my family and I to be in great danger. This is my primary vehicle and I purchased this vehicle because I believed in the reliability of the GM Chevrolet Brand. Not an accident waiting to happen. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected, but please remember if NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT is illuminating on the dashboard the issues can not be assessed properly!
Service brakes, Jun 19, 2024
When first breaking on the exit ramp after a 2 hour ride on highway the rear breaks made a loud grinding sound & took longer to stop with 2 cars in front of mine. I put flashers on & pulled as far to side of road incase I was unable to stop at the bottom of the exit (down hill) to avoid collision with the 2 cars in front of me. Previously my vehicle shown no signs of any issues. There were no sounds coming from breaks, no issues slowing down or stopping, & no lights on dashboard to indicate an issue of any kind. I looked my Chevy Equinox up and saw that there was an isdue with the rear calipers and many had been reported and recalled. My VIN doesn't show my calipers have been recalled. However, the GM site states if there is an issue with the rear breaks/ calipers to report it and Chevy will repair the issue. Many Chevy Equinox owners have taken to the internet to report the same issue, there are also reports that only 166 were recalled. This is clearly a manufacturing error and not normal wear & tear. I bought my 2020 Equinox brand new in 2021, it was unsold in 2020. Please help myself & the other Chevy Equinox owners make Chevy take responsibility & fix this error before people are injured or killed because our breaks give out unexpectedly.