2018 Chevrolet Equinox problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (103) · Power Train (46) · Engine (29)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Equinox model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
188 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-10-29 · campaign 20V668000 · 194,105 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2018-05-31 · campaign 18V358000 · 895 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Structure:emergency:escape/Egress/Exit 2018-04-19 · campaign 18V252000 · 379 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2017-08-22 · campaign 17V516000 · 2,905 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (1,338)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-27 · PIT5992B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information discusses a condition that may arise from the drivers window switch sending an errant message causing the vehicle to enter manual fob learn mode.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,338 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-15 · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly · 30,115 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 30 mph with the contact seated in the front passenger seat, the contact attempted to open the retractable sunroof shade cover, which retracted only 6 inches. after several attempts, an abnormal loud sound was heard, and the shade cover detached, han…”
2026-10-07 · Unknown Or Other“start-stop accumulator is leaking fluid on transmission. fluid coming from bolts and gasket area. …”
2026-09-23 · Power Train“complete and sudden failure of transmission involving the clutches (clutches are burned up inside the transmission). no warning or dash lights. confirmed by mechanic and the solution is transmission replacement ($10,000). car would not accelerate and began losing power on highway. after i exited the highway, the car would not engage gears and stopp…”
2026-09-16 · Electrical System“ chevrolet 2018 equinox with 2.0l has a fail for no obd communication. the vehicle was take to two separate smog local state inspections; however, the vehicle failed to communicate with the system. i believe from looking at previous complaints on nhtsa that the vehicle has a module with defects and needs to be replaced. vehicle has 49,000 miles. …”
2026-09-15 · Electrical System“unknown 2018 chevy equinox is known that the radio goes out, even after reset or hard reset (disconnect battery) the screen is black no sounds or music plays and the biggest safety related is no reverse camera …”
2026-09-15 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my 2018 chevrolet equinox 1.5l developed an active gasoline leak. after the vehicle is cranked/started, gasoline begins leaking from underneath the front/engine area and forms a visible puddle on the ground. prior to discovering the leak, the vehicle had intermittent hard-starting symptoms where the engine would crank/stutter several times before s…”
2026-09-13 · Service Brakes“on approximately 09/04/2026, while driving my vehicle and slowing to a stop, i applied the brake pedal and it suddenly became extremely hard to depress. at approximately the same time, the steering became very stiff and difficult to turn. i believed i had lost normal braking ability and had difficulty controlling the vehicle while attempting to sto…”
2026-09-02 · Visibility/Wiper“back wiper stopped working while it was on. wiper arm is stuck straight up on back window. back wiper motor got extremely hot still trying to work with the car on or off. would make a clicking sound every 30secounds 24/7 and would drain the battery dead. no power. …”
2026-09-01 · Air Bags · 56,744 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service restraint error message was displayed. the dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a front passenger's seat air bag sensor failure…”
2026-08-30 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“i am an investigator w/ the medical examiner's office in dallas, tx. we are investigating the death of an individual who was inside a 2018 chevy equinox that was "rebuilt." during the minor accident, the steering wheel airbag deployed, but exploded and shot many large pieces of debris and shrapnel at the decedent's face. ultimately leading to her p…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.