Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Equinox - part 1

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 of the roadway and get it towed to my mechanic for diagnostic.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

I am driving a rental Chevrolet Equinox with the steering-column-mounted electronic gear selector. I believe this shifter design creates a serious safety hazard. The gear selector is a stalk on the steering column positioned and operated similarly to controls commonly used for windshield wipers in other vehicles. While driving, pulling back on this stalk can immediately shift the transmission into neutral, even at highway speeds. My wife and I have unintentionally shifted this vehicle into neutral approximately a dozen times because of this control arrangement. Once the vehicle is in neutral while moving, we have been unable to shift it back into drive until coming to a complete stop. This creates a dangerous situation: the vehicle suddenly loses propulsion in moving traffic, and the driver cannot simply restore drive. The driver must coast, find a safe place to stop, come to a complete stop, and then select drive. This is particularly dangerous while merging, crossing an intersection, driving on a highway, or anywhere that maintaining acceleration may be necessary to avoid a collision. This is not a complaint that the controls are merely unfamiliar. The vehicle accepts a neutral command at road speed from a simple movement of a steering-column stalk, while preventing the driver from immediately restoring drive. Because the stalk’s location and operation can conflict with established driver muscle memory for steering-column controls, I believe this represents a foreseeable human-factors safety hazard. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this design and determine whether it presents an unreasonable risk to drivers and other road users.

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated with the transmission hesitating while changing gears. Additionally, the contact stated that the timing chain was rattling abnormally. The vehicle was not diagnosed to determine the cause of the powertrain and transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was scheduled to be diagnosed.

See all problems of the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

On xxx, at approximately 5pm est, my wife stopped our 2026 Chevrolet Equinox ev after backing out of the garage and put the vehicle in park. After exiting the driver's seat, she was outside the open driver's door, had both feet on the ground and cleared the door enough that she was preparing to close it, when the vehicle began moving with no one in the driver's seat. The vehicle traveled down our inclined driveway, continued onto neighboring property, and continued through grass. A [xxx] neighboring child was in the vehicle's path. My wife believed the vehicle would strike the child and screamed for her to move. The child moved clear before the vehicle reached her, and no contact occurred. The vehicle stopped when it hit the left side of the neighbor’s garage causing damage to the stone siding and framing of the garage. The vehicle then started to move forward over the lawn and into the street. At some point after it started moving forward the neighbor, an adult male, was attempted to stop the vehicle physically but was unable to. I came out of the house and saw what was going on at this point and was able to help stop the vehicle, entered it and apply the brakes. My wife also tried to enter the vehicle and stop it during these events which ended in substantial scraps, bruising and other injuries. We are reporting unintended movement after driver exit and request investigation of park engagement, the shift-by-wire system, electric parking brake, automatic vehicle hold/driver-exit functions, reverse automatic braking and propulsion/brake controls. Two Chevrolet ev concierge agents separately were unable to retrieve remote diagnostic information. The vehicle is currently at my house and has only been driven to secure it in the garage since the incident. Opened a case with gm ev concierge and they escalated it to "the executive team". It should be towed to a dealer today. Police report submitted but I do not current know the report number. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5.

Car has less than 75,000 miles and needs a new transmission.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

**NHTSA complaint summary: 2023 Chevrolet Equinox warranty & safety failure** * **first stall & initial negligence:** after a factory engine replacement, the vehicle suffered a fuel system failure. Castle rock Chevrolet falsely claimed it was repaired, leading to a catastrophic stall on a high-speed highway with raw gasoline and burning plastic odors. * **second stall & false diagnosis:** following a tow, the dealership cleared the car, claiming "no errors". Within 24 hours, it stalled again in live traffic. Castle rock then refused emergency warranty service and hung up on you. * **critical safety hazard:** the vehicle experiences a severe electrical voltage drop (triggering **"engine power is reduced"** and **"battery saver active"** warnings). This causes a sudden, dangerous **loss of electric power steering (steering locks up)** and **fuel injection failure** while driving in traffic, creating an extreme crash risk. This recurring hazard stems from improperly reassembled or melted wiring harnesses following dealership repairs.

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Under light-moderate acceleration, a feeling of the transmission slipping is felt. From my understanding, this is a known issue with the newest generation of Equinox & terrain. I previously owned a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox lt awd and it had the exact same issue. My local gm dealership replaced the cv axle and axle and the issue was corrected temporarily, but soon after the issue returned. I then recently purchased a brand new 2026 Chevrolet Equinox lt awd and the issue started with mine around 300 miles, but worse than my previous 2025 model. I am not sure if this an issue with only the awd models or not, but an investigation needs to be conducted because I am concerned about the safety and longevity of the the axles and or other affected components on the vehicle that is causing the persistent issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping and shifted hard. Additionally, while on an incline, the vehicle failed to get up to speed. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 20v668000 (power train). The vehicle was driven in limp mode back to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,381.

Subject vehicle has 11919 miles. The vehicle is less than three years old and covered under factory warranty. While driving 35mph, engine suddenly did not respond to throttle. This engine stopped. Driver was able to coast to roadside. After onstar analysis, engine control computer logged code 'p129f - an issue has been detected in the fuel management system used to maintain, control and monitor fuel consumption'. After towing to dealer, part number 13554821 was replaced. There were no prior warnings. The engine just stopped and would not restart. This is a major safety concern. This incident occurred 10 minutes after exiting the highway (65mph). Having your engine stop unannounced at any speed in traffic is not safe, especially in high traffic and high speed situations. Dealer service nevertheless indicated this particular problem and part is well known but not considered a safety issue by the manufacturer. We disagree.

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

On xxx while traveling near the posted speed limit and entering [xxx], my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox ev fwd suddenly lost propulsion and no longer responded normally to the accelerator. My friend was driving. The vehicle coasted to a stop but remained partially in the travel lane, creating a serious risk of being struck from behind. I immediately activated the hazard flashers and contacted onstar sos. There were no warning chimes, and neither of us noticed any warning message. I did not think to check the dashboard gear-selection indicator during the event, so I cannot say whether it continued to show drive or had changed to neutral. After the vehicle stopped, I instructed the driver to place it in park so it would not roll. After waiting several minutes for assistance, I attempted to restart the vehicle. It started immediately and subsequently operated normally. When I first asked my friend to move it, I initially failed to remind her that the brake pedal had to be pressed before shifting out of park. Once the brake was applied, the vehicle shifted normally. I then drove it completely onto the shoulder and continued to our hotel without further incident. Onstar later performed remote diagnostics and reported no faults. The mychevrolet app showed all vehicle systems as normal. Onstar also reported that the vehicle software was fully up to date and that there were no open recalls. The vehicle has continued to operate normally, but the cause of the sudden loss of propulsion remains unknown. No collision or injury occurred, but the event presented a substantial safety hazard because the vehicle became disabled at road speed and stopped partially in an active traffic lane. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The electronic brake control module causes the car to no start and goes into limp mode. Cuts off the power to every system in the entire dashboard including the transmission making the car very dangerous to drive.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

Possible O2 sensor. Engine misfired, bucking under acceleration, engine light flashing and auto hold system shutdown. Upon pulling out into traffic, I hit the gas and this happened, which was a risk to me and other drivers as I could not accelerate properly. I am taking my car to reedman toll on July 13. I can reproduce the problem every time I heavy accelerate.

My car seized while I was driving. It started fine and I drove about 10 min down the road and all of a sudden it seized. My car was towed to dealership. Onstar sent me a code p129f fuel pump. I was driving on the road and it seized. Could have caused a bad accident. Cars had to go around me. Yes the problem was “fixed” today 6/30. No prior error messages after is seized my battery light came on.

My 2013 Equinox is experiencing the excessive oil loss without warning. . This led to transmission. . Engine. . Timing failure. The car loses power jerks at slower speeds it sounds horrible and has cost a lot of money for repairs. Still don’t know if it will last much longer. This is a burden on my family as we can’t afford to just go buy another vehicle. I purchased it in 2022 and in 2019 there was a lawsuit being settled for these exact problems and I was not told this nor was it disclosed on the carfax report!! very upsetting as I will be without a means of transportation.

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The high pressure fuel pump seized, shattering the camshaft, dropping metal fragments into the cylinders causing total engine failure. Gm issued a safety recall for certain 2021-2022 chevy Equinox due to a defective fuel pump modules but it was not accurate. Gm is currently facing major class action lawsuits alleging that their Equinox fuel pumps are fundamentally defective. The lawsuits highlight that the component fails, causing catastrophic damage and gms initial recall fixes were inadequate.

The contact owns a 2019 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 contact stated that the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact stated the failure reoccurred. The transmission failed to shift out of first gear, and the rpm was elevated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

The vehicle lost acceleration/propulsion while traveling at highway speed on a major bridge with limited safe shoulder space. The vehicle suddenly stopped providing power needed to maintain speed in fast-moving traffic. Passengers included an infant, young child, and other family members. This created a serious safety risk because there was little room to safely pull over while traffic continued around the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Chevrolet dealer and is available for inspection. The cause has not yet been confirmed. The vehicle has about 15,000 miles. Shortly after the lease began, the check engine light came on intermittently and then turned off the next time the vehicle was driven. There have also been prior concerns with unexpected automatic emergency braking behavior. This complaint is being filed because sudden loss of acceleration/propulsion at highway speed on a bridge creates a serious crash risk.

Recall number n202313440 my car matches make, model, and year but for some reason is not included in the recall and my vehicle has the leaking bolts. Please review.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox 🔎.

I was heading home from my vacation with my lady and had cruise control on and then all of a sudden my rpms shot through the roof and then a flashing check engine light showed up and a message that said “acceleration reduced drive with care” when I took it to the dealer they told me it was due to the side object detection system malfunctioned and caused that issue then today I felt the car idle weird so I hooked up a scanner and it’s got a misfire on cylinder 2 and 4.

The transmission lurches and shakes violently when under pressure such as times when trying to accelerate onto a highway. I recently was traveling and had to enter numerous highways and each time the transmission was extremely jerky and I felt it may fall out of the car at some points. Once I was trying to get on to the highway and a tractor trailer was coming up behind me and I literally have to pull off to the right because the car would not accelerate and was jerking violently. I've had it to Chevrolet service three times and each time they tell me it's normal which I know is absolutely not true.

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the automatic engine start/stop system engaged, and the vehicle shut off completely. The message "please hit the start button again" was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact press the start button, but the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, the gear shifter was stuck in park(p), forcing the tow agency to drag the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,900.

While driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, the vehicle experienced a sudden power and drivability issue. The vehicle began to decelerate on its own while in motion, even though I was actively driving. A warning notification appeared on the driver dashboard, and shortly after, the vehicle power shut off. This creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose speed and/or power while driving in traffic. The issue appears to involve the transmission, powertrain, or vehicle electrical/power management system. The loss of acceleration and sudden deceleration could increase the risk of a crash, especially at highway speeds or in heavy traffic. This incident occurred while the vehicle was being driven, not while parked. The warning message appeared on the dash before or during the power loss. I am reporting this because the vehicle’s sudden deceleration and power shutdown while driving could be a safety defect. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether this issue is related to a known defect, recall, transmission issue, powertrain control issue, or electrical system failure affecting the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox.

While driving over the expressway, the engine light came on the vehicle started revving extremely hard but was decreasing speed to less than 20 miles per hour I had to cut on the hazards and coast into s safety lane where I could get off the expressway. I then shifted the car into park cut off the vehicle and cut it back on, the car started up but make loud noises from the engine I was able to coast my way home and park the vehicle. When I checked the app for issues it started engine and transmission service immediately. I looked up the issues on website and was given link to power train recall but it says my VIN is not added in recall. . . . I have to look into getting my transmission serviced.

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at 63 mph and above, he notices that the vehicle is not able to go into the 8th gear. The contact stated that for the vehicle to reach 8th gear, he would have to slow down to between 62 mph and 55 mph while driving on a 75 mph highway, causing serious safety concerns while merging into traffic. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not able to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently shifted into neutral. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped in the middle of a busy road. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was persistent. In addition, the contact stated that later the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the vehicle had not been inspected. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

My vehicle is a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox ev equipped with a stalk-mounted electronic shift selector. On multiple occasions, when shifting from reverse(r) to drive(d), the transmission has failed to actually engage drive despite the shifter indicating the d position had been selected. In most instances this resulted in the vehicle to unexpectedly move backward, requiring me to re-select the gear. This defect caused a collision. I was attempting to dirve out of a parking space and needed to move quickly. I shifted the stalk to drive, and — consistent with normal driving behavior — did not look at the instrument panel to visually confirm the gear had engaged before accelerating, as drivers do not typically re-verify gear selection after shifting. The vehicle had not actually engaged drive. When I applied the accelerator, the vehicle did not move as expected, and I struck a vehicle behind me. The collision caused damage to my vehicle's rear hatch requiring full hatch replacement, estimated at approximately $4,000. There was no visible damage to the other vehicle. This is not an isolated occurrence for my vehicle — the shifter has intermittently failed to register a gear change from r to d on other occasions, typically resulting in only a few inches of unintended travel in the wrong direction rather than a collision. I reported this issue verbally to my dealership's service department, and was told they have received other reports of similar shifting problems with this vehicle, though I have not yet had a formal repair order completed for this specific issue. I am filing this complaint because a shift selector that does not reliably engage a gear is a safety defect: drivers reasonably rely on the shifter position without independently verifying engagement via the instrument cluster before applying the accelerator, and this can result in unintended vehicle movement in the wrong direction, including collisions, which it did in my car.

On way to [xxx] car started hesitating stop at oreily’s they hooked up said 3rd cylinder was misfiring took to bruner Chevrolet I told them what the read out said on the 3rd cylinder misfiring they said catalytic converter was messed up and changed it out drove car home still hesitating went back to bruner Chevrolet I asked them about the recall on the fuel injector module they said my car was not on the recall said it needed the spark plugs and fuel injectors maintenance they did all that then they test drove the car engine light came on said the fuel injector needed to be replaced cost me 866. 33 for all this what I want to know if the fuel injector module wasn’t working properly would it cause all of this my car only has 40,800 miles on it information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his wife was driving 10 mph, while depress the accelerator pedal and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact mention she put the vehicle gear shift in park and two mins later the vehicle began to work as intended. The contact mention once his wife returned to the residence depressing the accelerator pedal attempting to reverse the vehicle and the vehicle failed to respond again causing the contact to push the vehicle into their driveway. No warning lights illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to dealer where they informed him, they will need to breakdown the transmission in order to diagnoses the vehicle the vehicle was not repaired. The contact search on the internet found two recalls relating to the failure NHTSA campaign numbers 20v668000 & 17v516000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included in the bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact to call NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 117,000.

This vehicle makes a noise that sounds like your driving over rumble strips. The front end shakes and there is a hard vibration. I purchased this vehicle used on 5/5/26 and it’s been in the dealership twice already. The onstar module is defective and now this noise and vibration. The shaking starts upon accelerating. The dealership, central GMC/Buick of jonesboro, ar. Told me that gm knew about the problems and that their engineers did know the fix yet. They say it’s not a safety issue but this is an unsafe vehicle and gm knows it’s unsafe. I’m afraid to drive it.

I am submitting this on behalf of my daughter, [xxx] . On Friday, may 8, 2026, [xxx] was traveling southbound on highway 89a approaching [xxx] . Highway 89a is a narrow, winding two-lane canyon road with limited shoulder and significant elevation changes. While still on the canyon road, her 2020 Chevrolet Equinox suddenly lost all power, including power assist to both steering and brakes. A sudden loss of power steering and brake assist on this road presented a serious risk of loss of vehicle control. Fortunately, she was able to get the car stopped off of the roadway. However, she was then unable to place the car into park or shut off the ignition. Multiple warning lights were illuminated across the instrument cluster. Her roadside assistance plan towed the car to the nearest repair facility, where on Monday, technicians were unable to replicate the issue. A previously stored dtc p3055 was found in the diagnostic system. This code relates to a known and documented issue with Chevrolet Equinox vehicles, for which Chevrolet has issued multiple technical service bulletins, including TSB 21-na-139, which identifies the multifunction power supply converter (gm part #13510484) as the known culprit for this failure mode. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated to 10 mph with no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle following the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,700.

The transmission system failed abruptly. I pulled away from a stoplight, had accelerated to 20-25 mph, and then the car came to a sudden stop, as if someone had put on an emergency brake. It continued to act as if the brake was on when I tried to go forward or reverse. I put it into neutral so that I could push it off the road. I realized it would drive slowly in neutral, so I drove it less than a mile back to my workplace. Regarding safety, I nearly got rear-ended when the car stopped suddenly. This endangered me and the other driver. I was headed to the freeway, then would have been crossing a bridge, to get home, so the danger could have been amplified. The dealership's service manager told me that something internally had failed in the transmission. As far as I know they haven't taken it apart to find out what internally failed. They told me that the transmission needed to be replaced. As far as I know, no one has inspected the internal components of the transmission. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to this incident.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as needing transmission fluid. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign:20v668000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

At approximately 75 mph on the highway, the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral after the park button was accidentally pressed. Once in neutral, the vehicle would not re?engage drive or any gear. The vehicle lost propulsion in fast?moving traffic. I had to coast to the shoulder, stop completely, and shut the vehicle off. Only after restarting did the transmission respond again. No warnings appeared before the incident, and no software updates were pending. Loss of propulsion at highway speed is a serious safety hazard and indicates a possible failure of the shift?by?wire system or transmission control module to prevent unsafe gear changes. A transmission error did show up when coming to a complete stop.

While driving on the freeway, my vehicle displayed a “service all-wheel drive system” warning and unexpectedly switched into two-wheel drive. This created a serious safety concern due to sudden loss of traction and control. Additionally, on multiple occasions while reversing, the vehicle abruptly applied the brakes without any obstruction present, displaying a message that automatic braking had engaged. My foot was on the accelerator at the time, and this created a sudden and unsafe situation. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership for repair, but due to the unpredictable nature of these issues, I no longer feel safe operating the vehicle.