2018 Chevrolet Equinox Recalls & Problems
2018 Chevrolet Equinox: 5 official recalls and 410 owner complaints to NHTSA, most often about service brakes.
Most common problems reported by owners
“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 stop. The engine then shut off on its own. After the…”
“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 stop. The engine then shut off on its own. After the…”
“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 stopped accelerating resulting in having to push it out…”
“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. Previous complaint states that the local dealer was…”
“start-stop accumulator is leaking fluid on transmission. Fluid coming from bolts and gasket area.”
“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 starting, along with a strong gasoline odor. The ex…”
“The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at various speeds in cold weather, the message "Caution. Engine Power Reduced" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the charge air cooler was replaced, and the CAC shutter, the temperature control valve and the winter grill cover were installed. Additionally, th…”
“In my chevy equinox 2018 my vacuum pump and brake booster failed when I was driving and I could not brake. I slid into the gravel side of the road on the 138, luckily there were not alot of traffic at the time cause I would have caused a major accident. Never had any braking issue till now. Now this is a major financial hardship on me to fix this issue that should have not happened if it got recal…”
Official recalls (5)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recall repairs are free. Check a specific car with its VIN on our recall lookup or at NHTSA.gov .
Other Chevrolet Equinox years
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint databases. Complaints are unverified owner reports.