Electrical System Problems of Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Vehicle telematics module defect across the board that deactivates safety features from onstar in case of an accident. Gps and internet connection lost.

See all problems of the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up as needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,600.

In the Equinox lt, VIN [xxx] , the telemetry module has an issue per the dealership. The vehicle loses power due to the telemetry module issue. The part is on order and as of January 16, 2026. It will take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive. In the mean time I have had to call roadside assistance twice in two weeks, and the vehicle has been jumped 3 times in the past two weeks. However, the vehicle has been to the dealership 4 times. Once prior to the diagnosis, and three times since the diagnosis. The vehicle has approximately 16, 600 miles, and is driven to and from work. The telemetry module is the cause of the over all issue, per the dealership. The battery continues to go dead on vehicle [xxx] , 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Just after thanksgiving, my vehicle displayed a “service emergency calling” message. I brought it to the dealership and they documented the concern, referencing gm bulletin pip6077b, but no repairs were performed. On December 30th, while parking, I shifted into reverse and the vehicle would not reverse and instead moved forward. A “service transmission” warning appeared and the vehicle was towed. The dealer cleared the codes and released the vehicle without performing any diagnostics. About two weeks later, when starting the vehicle after work, several warnings appeared, including “service safety restraint system,” “forward collision system unavailable,” and a rear-seat alert despite no passengers. While driving, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and blind zone steering assist were not functioning. The next morning, the vehicle suffered a complete electrical failure. It would not start, the screens stayed off, and the doors would not lock or unlock. The vehicle was towed again. The dealer replaced the battery, claimed it had simply died, and attempted to return the vehicle to me. I refused because none of the prior warnings were diagnosed, and I was told the codes “erase when the battery is changed. ” after I demanded full electrical and transmission diagnostics, including a parasitic draw test, the dealership informed me the vehicle was unsafe to drive. They stated the onstar/telematics module was draining the battery and the replacement part was backordered with no estimated arrival date. I was told multiple customers are waiting for the same part, which means this is not an isolated event and needs way more attention than it's being given. This defect results in loss of essential safety systems and complete vehicle shutdown, creating a significant safety risk.

The Equinox is detecting objects in the rear camera that are not there and automatically applying the automatic emergency breaking. This is causing the car to completely stop and has now caused me to injury my back due to the force of the stop. There is no warning given that the breaks are being applied. I was backing up at 7 miles an hour and the Equinox just stopped dead and there was absolutely nothing near the car. The car was in for an oil change and they said nothing was wrong with it. This latest incident of 4 now happened today and caused me to almost be hit in the parking lot of my child’s school while backing into a parking spot.

I am on 20 service calls. Mine is currently having onstar issues screens glitching, apple carplay won’t connect, sensors on mirrors are going off nothing beside me, when I hit my breaks it keeps turning my emergency brake on and engine power reduced keeps coming on dash but the dealership is saying gm said my warranty is voided due to a aftermarket part.

Twice, while driving in falling snow away from home, the front wipers did not work properly when switched to lo or hi. They behaved as if set to intermittent wiping. The intermittent wiper setting worked properly to adjust the wipe interval. But setting to lo or hi did not cause the wipers to go constantly. As far as I could tell, the arm pivot area was clear enough for them to wipe. The problem went away on its own without restarting the car. It happened again a few days later when parked in a driveway.

The vehicle became completely disabled due to a sudden battery drain at approximately 5482 miles. I purchased the car with 2553 on it in may. The vehicle would not start a few times and had to be towed to the dealership on Friday Dec. 26, 2025. The dealer confirmed that the onstar/telematics module is malfunctioning and continuously draining the battery. The defective module is on backorder with no estimated arrival date, leaving the vehicle unusable. They also do not know if they have a loaner for me. This creates a safety risk because the vehicle can become inoperable without warning, potentially stranding the driver. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership. Prior to the failure, the onstar system stopped functioning, but no warning lights appeared on the dashboard. My chevy app stopped working 26 days ago as well. I now have a loan payment to make for a car that isn't even working and brand new. Dealership doesn't know a timeframe either.

Received a report from local auto repair and they found that the oil main seal is leaking. Issue happened in the highway and car automatically turned off the engine. I was not in an accident as there was no one else on the road and I was able to push it to the side. When the car turned on the wheel was stiff and hardly moved to the right or left. The warning received before the shut off was the service stabilitrack issues and when checked all oil completely depleted from the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

In fmvss 138, it says that the tire pressure monitoring system will warn drivers of under inflated tires. My tpms system failed on my my19 Chevrolet Equinox around 49,000 miles and no longer warns me of underinflated tires for all four tires. To fix it I would have to pay out of pocket costs starting at $732, per the dealership, on a safety critical system that should not fail at 6 years/49,000 miles. There is no recall issued after a check of my VIN. Since 1974, the oem has had a responsibility to provide a free remedy for safety defects and noncompliance. In 2015, the free remedy was changed from 10 years to 15 years by the fast act.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

I bought this vehicle brand new on January 18th 2025 and it has been into the dealership 3 times now for a backup camera malfunction. My rear traffic alert or any of my other safety features when backing up are not working. On several occasions the entire instrument display including my speedometer and everything has completely blacked out.

Engine power low.

- the telematics module is bad, resulting in vehicle having no connectivity (gps, entertaintment system, updates) - the car has no other means of hands-free operation for navigation software (no carplay or similar phone projection technology) - gm is unable or unwilling to supply the parts for warranty repair. - it is illegal to use the phone while operating vehicle in my state (florida).

On November 30, 2025, while driving my 2025 chevy Equinox ev LS, the vehicle displayed a “service high voltage system” warning message on the center screen indicating an issue with the vehicle’s high?voltage electrical system and that some driving and/or charging functionality may not be available. The high?voltage battery and related components are still in the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. This fault could cause sudden loss or limitation of driving or charging capability, which may increase the risk of being stranded in traffic or in unsafe locations. Beginning in the first week of November 2025, the mychevrolet app has continuously shown a “lithium?ion battery – schedule service now” alert under diagnostics, even though no corresponding warning appeared in the vehicle until November 30. I presented the in?app lithium?ion battery warning to the Chevrolet dealer earlier in November; they declined to act on it, stated they do not rely on the app, and asked me to reschedule and return later, so the issue has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent shop. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, or others specifically for this high?voltage/battery issue. The only prior symptoms were the persistent lithium?ion battery service notification in the mychevrolet app since early November and, as of November 30, the in?vehicle “service high voltage system” warning message.

My Equinox ev telematics module does not work. Prevents the use of navigation features and onstar navigation features.

At 5 am in the morning the car suddenly failed and indicated it was an engine or transmission failure in the middle of a four lane major intersection in a downtown area. It was dangerous due to the darkness, and poor visibility. I had to abandon the vehicle as it was dangerous to stay with it while waiting for police. I could have been injured (as could others) due to its sudden failure in the intersection of a busy roadway. Chevrolet dealership states it is the fuel pump driver module. The car is currently at the dealership for repair. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure until the car suddenly lost power. Once it lost power the engine light lit up and shortly after I had exited the vehicle, I began receiving messages from "on star" telling me that there were engine or transmission problems. Meanwhile I stood in the pouring rain in an unsafe neighborhood, leaning out into traffic to try and stop cars from running head on into my car for over 30 minutes waiting for police.

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

I drive 20+ miles each way to work every day. Much of this drive is on highways, and currently the bridge connecting ohio and kentucky is down to three lanes with no berm. On a windy road with low visibility and a steep hill near my home, the car completely lost power and acceleration without any warning. I wasn't able to drive it completely off the road before it came to a stop and due to the loss of power was unable to move into neutral to push it and the hazards would not work. Thank god that this didn't take place on the bridge or with my family in the car. I made the decision to exit the car while it was still on the road and find a safe area in the grass where I could call for help. When I exited the vehicle, it locked me out and the only way to get in was through the driver's side door, which would put me back on the road in traffic and at risk. The electrical failure prevented me from opening the other doors. The car's complete system failure put my safety/life at risk and could jeopardize the lives of others if it wasn't investigated. To make matters worse when the tow truck came via onstar they weren't equipped to move a car stuck in park or drive due to the electronic gear shift so they drug it with the tires locked onto the bed. After several days of testing the electrical system, the dealership found a loose wire and informed me that it had been fixed. I picked up the car and after a mile or so, the check engine light came on. I contacted the dealership to come pick it up and that's where it stands at the moment. My intention was to pass this on to my boys when they start driving, but this experience will alter that plan.

On th, Nov 6 ~1700, the 25 Equinox ev being driven encountered an electric drive failure and brake failure, including friction brakes. This Equinox ev is essentially still brand new with 3900 miles and no accident history. The vehicle was driven off the eb sr 528 exit ramp to narcoossee rd in orlando and driven to the stop light at the wb on ramp. After the light changed and began driving, the vehicle console reported an exception with drive assist. At this time the driver attempted to slow down to take stock of the situation and the vehicle accelerated, at which time the driver took their foot off the brake pedal and attempted to identify a place to take the vehicle off the roadways. Thankfully a stoplight at mccoy rd was green and the driver continued through that light and while attempting to brake, the vehicle accelerated instead. The driver then coasted, maneuvering the vehicle was into the vista palms commercial center. The vehicle, unresponsive to braking, propelled through a stop sign into the kohl's parking lot at which time the driver began looping around the lot until the weight of the vehicle brought the motion down. While the vehicle was stopped, it rotated through warning messages indicating. . Forward collision, brake assist is reduced, steering assist is reduced, then finally service transmission now unable to shift soon. The vehicle was towed by aaa to autonation Chevrolet airport in orlando. Technicians found codes u1610 and u1639, and found k160 connecter unseated. It was reseated and greased. The concern is that this should have been locked and unable to be unseated. Is this an indication of manufacturing problem or operating problem? all braking was dysfunctional. How can we be certain that this was not a one off event?.

Got the Equinox brand new on March 2025. Few weeks later had to take it to service/dealer with backup camera problems and it had to be replaced. It started to have speakers issues due to a very loud humming sound while driving. Also window from drivers side runs slower than the rest of windows. The visibility through front glass is non existent when raining due to the angle. Transmition started slipping and started to have a check engine light pop up and had to take it to service again. . . And finally at the beggining of November had to take it to service due to a sudden battery drain. She wouldnt turn on for no reason. The defective module is on backorder with no estimated arrival date, leaving the vehicle unusable. Its been there for 2 months now. . . They provided a loaner. Everything has been confirmed by dealer. They said that had 3 pages of codes pop up to be fixed.

My vehicle was not able to use the onstar properly and after researching numerous complaints I guess a faulty or bad onstar module is a common issue among gm owner especially within the first 12 months of owning the vehicle. Why is this problem not being recalled or compensated to the hundreds of individuals paying out of pocket for this malfunction which is close to $1000? why is the module dying or breaking so easy and in such short period of time. This is hazardous to my family because my disabled child can make driving scary some days. Not knowing I have the emergency onstar button available, or knowing where I am in case of an emergency is a severe issue for me hence why I purchased a new vehicle and made purchasing onstar services a priority for my family. Also the wifi feature helps my child to communicate with me and tell me any issues since she is non verbal and needs her device. Also not being able to use the app to lock the vehicle in case I forgot is a safety concern to me because sometimes I need to know I locked the car or that I know where the car is at all times. This onstar working or module mishap needs to be fixed and stop unconvincing people’s lives and those they love. People who are forced to fix this issue of the onstar not even getting a signal or being able to call onstar is dangerous! this who feel protected by the services and willing to purchase a vehicle just because of this should not have to pay up to $1000 to fix this issue especially in the first year! I can’t believe the amount of people who affected by this companies faults and carelessness. A recall needs to be put in affect and the modules/wiring need to be reinforced and installed more properly.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The vehicle’s display screen intermittently goes black, rendering the rearview camera inoperative. This failure significantly impairs rear visibility and creates a safety hazard while reversing.

The vehicle’s heating system operates intermittently or takes an excessive amount of time to produce heat, reducing cabin visibility and comfort in cold conditions and creating a potential safety concern.

One time (so far) the screen behind the steering wheel that shows the gear and speedometer did not turn on when we started the car. We were able to back the car out of the garage and park it in our driveway. This is a safety concern because we could have driven the car in that condition - without a working speedometer. We are worried that the screen will turn off while we are driving.

Some kind of malfunction with the sunroof caused the sunroof to open without me knowing. Only the glass part opened. The top part of the car on the inside right above the door was wet down toward the side near the brake pedal fuse box that was filled with water. Sunroof will not close. Was told we needed to replace motors.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission automatically shifted to park(p). The vehicle was towed to a service station and the vehicle was refilled. The contact was able to start the vehicle, and the message "auto shut down" was displayed and a 5-minute countdown was started, and the vehicle turned off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

Rear spear tire compartment full of water. Sunroof drains leaking into rear fuse box. Fuel pump and fuel pump module failing when driving. Turbo locking up from oil seal failure.

Rear tailgate. Borrowed vehicle from a friend for a trip. When opening the tailgate with the external switch it opens all the way and immediately comes back down about 12 inches or so then it immediately goes back up and immediately comes all the way down. My wife was almost trapped between the bottom of the tailgate and the floor of the storage compartment. When I tried it, I tried to hold it up when it started down for the second time and it was impossible for me to stop the tailgate from closing. It substantially overpowered me. There is a probability that it could have broken her back or strangled her. Even more so if she was packing the car by herself. I exerted all my strength trying to stop the tailgate as I indicated before. I have not contacted anyone about this situation. The vehicle has a little over 84k miles and is in excellent condition. When I called my friend about the problem she said she was aware of it and is living with it because it would cost over $1,000. 00 to fix it. I know she bought it used from ferman Chevrolet in tampa a few years ago. I was hoping to get it fixed for her before returning the car to her.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Our onstar control module on our 2025 Equinox started having connectivity issues. It failed to access apps and showed our location 100 miles from where we actually were, and drains the battery. We could not access onstar to correct the issue. It continued to go off and on, until it completely failed. Researching this, hundreds of 2025 Equinox owners are experiencing the same issues. It is an extreme safety hazard as affected control modules would send emergency personnel to an incorrect location in the driver is incapacitated in an accident. The module is constantly on back order for weeks. This needs to be looked at.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that after having a software update to the ecm following the notice of an unknown recall, on several occasions while in reverse, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle seemed like it would accelerate forward. The contact had to push the vehicle for the vehicle to reverse. The contact that while pressing the ignition button on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start. The contact continued to press the ignition button, and the vehicle eventually started. Additionally, when the vehicle was started, the "parking brake release" message was displayed even though the parking brake was not engaged. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

When trying to disengage cruise control, with button on steering wheel, brakes locked up going 75mph on the interstate. Would not unlock until I physically pressed brake pedal. If I had not been able to control the car, we would have been sent head first into the concrete barrier wall. Also, when trying to start car or put in into gear, it tells me to "press brake" when the brake pedal is pressed as far as it can go. Radio will randomly cut off and screen goes blank. Trunk button on drivers door does not open trunk without pushing it minimum of 5 times. Sometimes it takes more.

My vehicle has been at the dealership for over a month for an issue with the hvac system. The technician and gm engineering support believe the problem is related to a faulty acuator, which requires the entire dash to be removed for repair. (see pictures) this is extremely concerning for a new vehicle with very low mileage. An hvac acuator failure in a brand new car should not occur, and the repair is invasive- involving disassembly of the major interior components. I am worried this will lead to creaks, rattles, or compromised fit and finish afterward, as well as potential damage to electronics, airbags, and trim panels. In addition, this problem appears to be widespread among other 2025 Equinox owners, based on multiple reports in owner forums describing identical hvac noise or clicking problems linked to acuators. Gm has not yet issued a recall or service bulletin addressing it. Given the scope of disassembly required and the frequency of similar reports, this should be reviewed as potential design or component defect affecting vehicle reliability and safety systems (defrosting performance and interior air management).

The vehicle had a fault in its gps and it also had no communication with emergency assistance. This also caused battery problems that generated on two occasions that the vehicle did not start.

Vehicle lost power / cel illuminated.

The vehicle has ongoing and worsening electronic and safety-related issues. The fuel range and fuel economy fluctuate abnormally and frequently, sometimes even while the vehicle is stopped. The infotainment screen has experienced intermittent black areas/partial blackout while driving, affecting system reliability. Recently, the automatic transmission began hesitating during the initial gears, behaving abnormally and requiring me to reduce speed for the vehicle to respond properly. This occurs consistently. These issues have been reported multiple times to the dealership and gm with no resolution, and communication has stopped. I am concerned the vehicle is unsafe to drive and could fail unexpectedly.