Chevrolet · Equinox · 2018
5
Recalls
373
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 5 recalls and 373 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: service brakes (59 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test
Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
16.4% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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.
Remedy Status
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."
Remedy Status
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.
Remedy Status
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.
Remedy Status
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.
Losing all power to the brakes.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle stalled, shut off, and failed to restart. The vehicle was later towed back to the residence. While inspecting under the hood, the contact discovered that the fuel pump had failed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V358000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer had not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 85,900.
Brake system has failed. “Brake Assist Service” has popped up on screen. Taken to two separate facilities who said this is a KNOWN problem with this vehicle make and model.
Vehicle does NOT come to a complete stop. It moves forward about an inch after I stop and park. It's being going on since I got the car. I assumed it was normal until I drove another car and it didn't happen.
My wife was leaving work. She pulled out onto the highway and while accelerating she heard a loud thumping noise under the car. When she stopped and looked under the car, the driveshaft was broke in half. The repair shop we took it to said that they couldn't find anything that would have caused that to happen except that the driveshaft was rusted about halfway through and probably got week and broke under the stress while accelerating. They also said that the metal used to make the driveshaft was almost very thin. He has seen muffler pipes that were thicker than the driveshaft.
The contact's mother owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the high-pressure fuel pump and other fuel system parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V358000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle sputtered, and there was a strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal to move off from a stop light, the engine shut off. The traction control and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred while the contact was driving her minor child to school. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer; however, the diagnostic result was not provided to the contact. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
Got word from the mechanic at the dealership that the cam shaft is leaking oil as well as the fuel injectors retainers are out and need to be sealed as they are also leaking. the engine went into safe mode to prevent any engine fires.
The TCM went out with zero warning and I know that this is a huge problem known with many of the Chevy equinox and traverse. Recalls on my equinox have not been updated since August of 2021....that's a very long time with no updates
Vehicle is leaking coolant excessively. Faulty 55513550 water pump (ACDelco/GM OE) commonly causes engine overheating, coolant leaks (often from the weep hole), and unusual noise (squeaking/rumbling) in 1.6L diesel engines for Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox, and GMC Terrain. It may cause cabin heating issues and trigger engine codes. Major Problem #2: Electrical Described by Tony Dubois at Midas (Cinco Ranch location) - Electrical pulse are being received through the wiring causing lights to go on and off. No other manufacturer or repair shop can fix this issue because of the inability to access the coding. This is an Dealership software issue.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor of fuel coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake pads were wearing abnormally quickly. The message speed reduced was displayed. The engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to three separate Smog Local State Inspections; however, the vehicle failed to communicate with the system. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that an unstated module needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted; however, Product Emission Recall: N202298780; repair was available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
While backing out of a parking space, with my 1 year old infant in the back seat, my vehicle became stuck in reverse and would not shift into drive or park. The vehicle became disabled and the warning dash stated to put the vehicle in park but i could not park or do anything else and couldnt take my foot off the brake or else i would continue reversing. Eventually i was able to at least turn the vehicle off but the vehicle remains with the shifter stuck in reverse after being towed. The lights and power to the vehicle remained on and this was not a battery issue. This was extremely terrifying for me especially with a baby in the car and getting it hooked up to the tow truck was also nervracking for all involved as the vehicle was in reverse. While there is not a current recall related to this issue on my vehicle, research shows that there have been in the past and this is a common issue for this vehicle.
Driving down a curvey road and my brake pedal was hard without no warning or indication. Almost was hit head on because of this. Looks like the Vacuum Pump Seal failed and I lost all of my engine oil, which caused that to happen.
My car has a slow crank and when I am driving down the road it cuts off completely and does not want to crank. I have a signal on my car that says reduced speed and the speed is cut down and drags . My car also smells like gas and there is a leak coming from the vehicle it drains really bad . my brakes goes out every few months . My Car radio goes out like there is a shortage. Its horrible
My wife and I were driving to Galveston on I-45 and were driving through La Marque when our car suddenly lost power. I started moving over to the outside lane and went to turn on the emergency lights. I realized the lights were already on. We heard a thump and thought that the serpentine belt had broken and that the engine would overheat, followed up by white smoke coming from the dash vents. My wife opened her window and leaned out the window while I tried to control the SUV without power. A truck pulled next to us and the passenger screamed that our car was on fire. I stepped on the brakes, but my foot went to the floor without effect. I hit the button for the emergency parking brake, but it didn't stop the car. I let the car slow down and then black smoke was coming from the vents. We were choking from breathing the smoke and I tried to open my window, but all electrical systems had quit working. The car finally slowed enough for me to shove the gear shift into park. My wife jumped out of the car and fell to the pavement, also hitting the concrete barrier on the side of the highway. My seat belt was stuck and I kept pushing the button and reached for my pocket knife to cut the belt when it released. At this point, flames were coming from the vents when I reached for the door handle and open the door. I fell out of the car onto the highway, rolling away. I was finally able to get up and saw several vehicles stopped behind us, but some were still driving through. I got away from the car and found my wife who was being helped by another man who stopped ahead of us. The car was on fire, mostly from the back, heavily in the left rear where the gas tank is. The car was completely burned and an unknown retired firefighter said all of the signs point to a defective fuel pump.
Engine power low
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong fuel odor coming from the vents while driving 45 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where the contact was informed that there was a fuel leak, which could cause fire. The contact was advised to park the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that all four fuel injectors were leaking and required immediate attention. The contact was advised that the parts needed to be ordered to do the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V358000(Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance in adding the VIN to the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle chocks when starting, once started the vehicle begins to smell of gas. There is a leak on the underside of the vehicle which also smells of gas.
Vehicle displayed reduced engine power, check engine light, and service brake assist all at the same time. Brake pedal wouldn't move leaving me without brakes. Coasted to stop and shut off car. Brake did not release and now engine won't start. Informed brake vacuum booster pump is problem and ruined motor now.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 373 owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox.
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox are service brakes (59 reports), power train (28 reports), unknown or other (26 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.