Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2018 Chevrolet Equinox: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 403 safety complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

403
Complaints
5
Recalls
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 23 crashes, 4 fires, 30 injuries, 1 death.

Key findings
  1. Brakes & stability leads the complaint list, cited in 138 of 403 complaints, followed by Engine & cooling.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 24 of the 403 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 403 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Brakes & stability
138
Engine & cooling
93
Power train / transmission
65
Electrical
59
Other / unspecified
57
Fuel & propulsion
40
Body & structure
23
Visibility & lighting
21

"The brake vacuum pump has gone out four times now. While driving the brakes suddenly become hard as a rock to push. Of the four times two of them have been close calls to having a serious collision. This is a known issue with these vehicles so it blows my mind there isn't a recall for this."

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11751761

"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."

Owner complaint filed March 2026 · Unknown Or Other,Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11723144

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
9
48
44
45
37
42
41
48
35
54
17181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2018 compares with other model years

Across the Chevrolet Equinox model years we track, the 2010 has the most complaints on file (784); the 2018 ranks 7 of 8.

Total complaints by model year — Chevrolet Equinox
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
784
782
683
750
546
679
395
2018
403
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 5 recalls

5 recalls apply to some or all 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Aug 201717V-516
Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft

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.

Apr 201818V-252
Visibility

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."

May 201818V-358
Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump

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,…

Aug 201818V-576
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Caliper

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 insuf…

Oct 202020V-668
Power Train:Automatic Transmission

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…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 403 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox with NHTSA. The most-reported system is brakes & stability.

How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox have?

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 5 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.