general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. The contact pulled over to the closest exit and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off and then restarted; however, while attempting to drive forward or reverse, the vehicle failed to move. The contact inspected the vehicle. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that there was fuel leaking from the side of the engine near the high-pressure fuel pump underneath the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission intake failed, causing the transmission to fail. The transmission was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,053.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Engine power low.

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.

While driving the brake pedal suddenly became hard to push making the car unable to slow down. Put car in neutral and managed to get off street into parking lot and coast to a stop. Car would no longer start. Towed to dealership for assessment. Reports of broken vacuum pump pieces and related metal debris found in engine. Dealership recommended engine replacement. Notified gm, they provided a case number and helped discount the full cost of engine replacement down to $6,225. 00 which we paid out of pocket (or risk losing the full value of our equity in the vehicle against a replacement).

My vehicle suddenly began giving a message engine power reduced. This happened on a highway that required with a maximum speed of 65 mph. My vehicle reduced speed to under 40mph which may be beneath the minimum speed limit. I took the vehicle to a chevvy dealer who said my transmission was slipping. I took it to aamco spent 6000 on repairs only to have the engine power reduced error continue to appear. Aamco claims they have made all repairs yet the light is still on and my vehicle continues to lose engine power on fast highways (the intended interstate). I called chevy because I had seen similar issues in older models and they refused to accept me rendition of events because my vehicle was not serviced by chevy. I tried to upload a photo of the error message the upload is not working.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the brake pedal seized while depressing the brake pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that a gasket had detached and was missing, and there were plastic pieces inside the engine, and there was oil intrusion into other parts of the vehicle and engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was parked at the residence and had not been driven since the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was 200,000.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox premier. The engine connecting rod to the #1 piston separated, causing the engine to stop while the vehicle was in motion. The only warning light at the time was the tire pressure monitor system. The incident had no warning. My husband was driving the vehicle. Initially he thought the car blew a tire by the noise, but then the engine stopped/stalled while I was driving. He was able to get to a side road. The vehicle would not start. He smelled burnt rubber and then thought he broke a belt. He pushed the on-star button for roadside assistance. The car was towed to ferman chevolet, adamoo dr. , brandon, florida where they inserted a camera scope and confirmed the rod separation. I do not have paperwork except to show they gave me $2500 towards a trade-in. Over the phone they said it would be $1800 to take apart the engine to confirm the separation. The mechanic suspected the engine was scarred as a result. It would cost $12,000 to replace it, or they could talk to the sales side and see if they can let us trade it in on a different car. We traded the vehicle in. I just saw news of another gm recall affecting the 6. 2l v8 and thought it odd that the same thing happened to my vehicle, which is not included in the recall. The engine stall caused my husband to stall in the middle of the traffic lane on a side street. Had he not gotten to the side street in time, he would have blocked a traffic lane on a very busy road which could have resulted in a major accident with injuries.

My son was coming home from work 3/26/2025 after 5 pm, when a warning message came on that said "engine power reduced". My son attempted to pull over, however, the brakes did not work. This caused a definite safety risk to my son and others as he could not stop the vehicle. Gratefully, he was on the street and not on the freeway where speeds are higher which could have caused injury or possibly death. He found a clear area to pull over and put the car in park and pushed the start/stop button to turn off the car. The car had to be towed to my home. The car was towed to the repair shop 4/1/2025. There were no previous warning messages regarding the engine or otherwise until the day of the incident. The vehicle is currently in the shop and has been inspected.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop immediately. The contact had to firmly depress the brake pedal for the vehicle to respond. The "service brake assist" message was displayed. Additionally, the engine made a clicking sound, and the vehicle lost motive power while driving. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v645000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vacuum pump was replaced, but the mechanic discovered metal shavings from the vacuum pump in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

This rare Equinox has a turbocharge issue that causes rapid engine power loss, and melting under the manifold and around the fuel injector pipes. The recent recalls do not include this gm made diesel Equinox due to its rarity, and small consumer ownership of 506,775 units sold in its lifetime. However, gm has been just as negligent with this diesel 1. 6l, as with the other major model lineup. Diesel particulate sensor goes bad every year around installation anniversary (previous recall). Stated every year in purchase anniversary month 10/2021, 10/2022.

No code, no indication of anything wrong, no lights or warnings, no sounds or rough running indications on the vehicle. It just completely died in the middle of the highway while traveling down the road and would not restart. Middle of the night with me and my granddaughter in the vehicle. It ended up being a problem with the timing chain which was not broke. Nor were there any indication there was a problem with it.

Good afternoon I hope everyone is well. This complaint I'm filing for turbocharger/supercharger a under boost condition (p0299) with my daughters 2018 chevy Equinox. When you research this error with chevy/gm vehicles you'll see this impacts all vehicles, but chevy/gm is only recalling their vehicles from 2022+. I've spoken with numerous auto mechanics throughout the united states, and every auto mechanic has stated this is an issue that impacts all chevy and gm vehicles. Both chevy and gm are deceiving everyone and there's a significant issue that requires chevy and gm should address.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "reduced engine power" message flashed on the instrument panel with an audible beep coming from the vehicle. The vehicle started to lose power and the contact pulled over to the side of the road. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the vacuum pump had damaged the cam shaft, causing the cam shaft to explode, releasing particles into the engine long block. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 19v645000 (service brakes, hydraulics) which was then linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Camshaft broke into pieces into the engine causing the vehicle to not run on the roadway with minors in the car.

My 2018 Equinox was running perfectly. Then several warning lights popped up on the dash. I pulled into my daughter's school and didn't have power breaks. Even though brake fluid was full. It wouldn't start back up. A mechanic shop looked at the car and said they thought the timing was off. But couldn't guarantee it. Another mechanic looked at it a few days later and said I needed a new power break pump that the had broken at the camshaft connect. He said the car would need to rebuild the motor or buy a used motor because of the damage. I have heard of several people who have had the same exact issue with the chevy 1. 5 turbo motor in many chevy vehicles. There should be a recall as there is never a warning that the vacuum break pump is getting ready to go bad and cause severe engine damage.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, and attempting to stop at a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact made a left turn into a parking lot and became aware that there was brake fluid leaking from the vacuum pump where it was attached to the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had failed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 19v645000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Vacuum pump failed and broke with no warning signs at all. After replacement now it will not start well and when it does I have lose off power. Lost brakes while driving on a country road and had to have it towed.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pan had rusted and caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part to do the repair was on back order. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

Brake assist light went on, had the brake pads and rotors replaced, light went off. 6 months later the light came back on but this time the brake pedal was hard. I did not drive it after that. After looking online and seeing dozens of people with the same issue, I took a chance and bought the brake booster and had my friend, who is a certified mechanic, replace the part. The old vacuum pump had frozen up and broken along with the gears, which had fallen into the engine, just like what I was seeing all over the internet. People are getting hurt and lives are at risk, this should have been recalled!!!!.

P0299. Engine power reduced 5/1/24 mileage 95617 charged air cooler needs to be replaced. P0299 5/23/24. Mileage 96101. Turbocharger o. E. Replacement replace turbocharger assembly. P0299 4/17/24 engine power reduced. P0299 7/11/22 engine power reduced. Mileage 68340. Engine light goes on and off. The code p0299 is a code where my engine light comes on. Then after calling the dealership miller brothers ellicott city,MD with my concerns that the light is on again but by the time I'm given a service appointment the engine light goes back out. I feel that this continues to happen with my vehicle several times while my car was covered by my extended warranty as well as my 100 thousand miles powertrain where in which my turbocharger is not functioning correctly and should be made part of a recall of all chevy Equinox vehicle which have the 1. 5 liter engine where the engine power reduced code p0299 appears the goes out on its own knowingly even though my car VIN is not part of a recall it remains a safety issue for myself as well as other Equinox owners. It's like I think I am having a heart attack today (reduced engine power) but my local chevy dealerships want me to make and appointment. This needs to be replaced and repaired by the dealership at no cost.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his fiancée was driving 15-20 mph uphill, the vehicle jolted and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's fiancée was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact's fiancée was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft had fractured, causing the vacuum pump and the solenoid sensor to be fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

The brakes in our 2018 chevy Equinox have went out three times in the past month. First time the car was parked fully functioning the night before, woke up the next morning for work and there was no brakes. Replaced the vacuum pump and they worked good as new. Second time we are driving down a busy highway and had been for half an hour. 2 minutes from our destination at the only turn we had to make the whole trip, the brakes all of a sudden went out. This could have easily resulted in a fatal crash. Again, the vacuum pump. Now were to today, the third time our brakes have failed and this time it came with the check engine light and “engine power reduced”. Gm needs to recall.

So where do I begin. There are no leaks on my driveway but I have to add coolant every other day & then when I opened my hood it looks like there’s grease everywhere like over the bolts where the bottom & top meet. At time the car stalls it loses power or doesn’t even pick up power. It just drags. Sometimes a strong odor comes from the vents of the a/c & then it at times doesn’t blow cool air just flat air. Also six months after having the vehicle the 2 tpms went out & when I took it back to dealer where I purchased it they basically told me that I didn’t even have any tpms that the machine didn’t pick up any & now the display was showing all 4 empty & the tpms icon constantly on the display. I found that odd & I didn’t know much about tpms at the time. I was still bothered so I kept asking other people I would come in contact with being new to the state of texas & they said the only way it would not come up on the machine would be as if they wouldn’t be inside as they were removed but again I drove in with just 2 marking on the display. Not a big deal. I did purchase the gold package of warranty with the vehicle but I have no idea how to use it. I’m not sure if they even did all the past recalls on this vehicle. I read one of them was a window & I too hear that as I drive.

Due to mechanical error with the vacuum brake pump that has had millions of vehicles listed in the recall except for the Equinox, it caused $4,000 worth of damage to my vehicle and almost caused a crash on a highway in close proximity to an ambulance that was actively on an emergency run. I was on a major highway traveling at about 60 mph. I was able to coast enough to wear I could safely get to the shoulder of the highway, take an exit ramp, and coast up the hill out of the way of the ambulance. I contacted gm and have yet to hear anything further back. This incident could have cause a catastrophic crash and further delayed medical treatment for whomever was needing the ambulance. After some research on the matter, I found that 3. 4 million vehicles of gm were recalled after this exact issue had resulted in 113 accidents and 13 injuries. 2014-2018 model year Cadillac escalade, Chevrolet silverado, Chevrolet suburban, Chevrolet tahoe, GMC sierra and GMC yukon were all listed under the recall, but not the Equinox. After being forced to have the vehicle towed to a dealership, they confirmed that the vacuum brake pump seizing up is what caused the pedal to lock up and send metal into my engine, which has now cost me upwards of $4,000. General motors failed to include the Equinox in this recalls and still refuses to do so. I fear this will happen, in time, to other owners of a Chevrolet Equinox. I am reaching out to all possible avenues for what my next options are and attempting to prevent this from happening to someone else. Gm needs to be held responsible for this matter and issue a recall for the Equinox as well before something catastrophic happens if it hasn't all ready.

Vacuum pump coming apart internally making it virtually impossible to stop the car using the brakes. This was a known issue on other gm models the vacuum pump failing caused damage to my camshaft and possibly to my engine.

2/20/24 while coming to a stop at a stop light in a busy intersection, the car completely died/shut down. Hazard lights could not be turned on. No lights in car, no error message. No lights at all. Rpm gauges remained in the same position as when the vehicle died. I was able to put it in park. After about 5 minutes the car was able to be restarted. It was not clear why it finally restarted. I tried to push break, push start button and push hazards. There have been similar incidents in the past but this incident took much longer to be able to restart the car. Those incidents the rpm gauge dropped into the off position in those other situations. The hazard lights were at least able to be turned on and I still had lights in my dash. This is a dangerous engine error that can not be replicated for service personnel to demonstrate the problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at various speeds in cold weather, the message "caution. Engine power is 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, the ecm was reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to gm TSB number: n222372590. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact’s girlfriend owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated the girlfriends vehicle was parked and would not start. The contact utilized a nickson industries engine heater oil product, cat' engine heater 90-watt dipstick heater 24-inch, part number 15200, to heat the engine oil. However, a part of the dipstick heater melted off into the oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local mechanic who dropped the oil pan and removed the fragment from the dipstick heater. A new battery was installed, and the vehicle was inspected. The contact sent fragments of the dipstick heater to the manufacturer, and it was confirmed as a manufacturing failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the contact noticed that the start of the vehicle was abnormal. The contact drove the vehicle out of the driveway and then into the garage. The contact stated an hour later while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact connected to a jump box to the battery and charged the battery for an hour. The contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the shift to park warning light remained illuminated. The contact purchased a new battery however, the vehicle failed to start. The battery was disconnected to prevent the battery from draining. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a voucher towards the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.

Vacuum pump for brake booster failed. Lost braking power. Caused debris to be injected in to engine. Caused camshaft failure. Dealership confirmed, and inspected. Check engine light and reduced engine power message at time of failure. Slight rear brake pulsation 1/2 hour before. I thought it was just moisture/rust on the rotor as the car had been in the body shop for 2 months following a deer collision.