2018 Chevrolet Equinox Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I was driving in a major city near Mt house when I went to return rught and apply the brakes my petal went right to the floor and suv wouldn't stop so I firmly mashed brake pedal and got vehicle to stop. Upon hitting out of suv I xhexked brake resuvour abd it still had brake fluid in it. I sat a few moment tovaee ifvit was just hot and after a few minutes unstated suv and xstill had no power brakes. And so I carefully drove the suv back ti Mt house. When I'm trouble shooting it now I suspect the master brake cylebdwrxwent out on the suv. Luckily ivqas able to stop safely and didnt get into an accident. And cause major vehicle damage or guttvirckmkill soneine or even my self. Thecsyv is a 2018cwgixh I fibdxl it strange that a fairly new shouldn't have a master cylender go out that fast. I just wanted to letsomeone know avout thisoproblem before it happens to someneone else which could seriously hurt or kill someone thankbyou
lost brakes had to have a pump booster pipe sensor the pump broke inside of motor i read on the internet this has happened to a few people
Vaccum pump brake failure while coming to a red-light. Lucky to avoid serious injury. Definitely put my children at risk! No warning lights or dash notices until after the incident. Vehicle was inspected two days prior.
Service Brake Assist warning. Same issue as NHTSA campaign number 20V603 and GM recall N202300860 but no active recalls on this VIN.
Vacuum pump, check valve failure led to loss of function while exiting interstate. Less than two weeks later, “service brake assist” notification followed by degraded brake performance in busy city traffic.
The car brakes were working fine went to Clarksburg wv and back to pennsboro Wv The brakes acted little hard to push but when I was turning off at pennsboro I didn't think I was going to get slowed down enough to make the turn off . I did get it to the house and the brakes are hard as a rock there is no pedal at all
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal became very firm and difficult to depress and the braking distances was extended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
I have never experienced an issue prior to today, no warning lights on, no symptoms. While driving down the highway I had to slow for traffic and my brake pedal would not push down, a terrible noise was heard and it took everything in my body to stop my vehicle. I thought I was going to kill everyone in front of me. Had to swerve to the right to prevent this. I then see the words, “service brake assist”. Then the check engine light came on. In researching I see there is a history of brake issues. I haven’t taken it to a repair shop because it literally just occurred and I can’t stop shaking to take it or tow it
I own a 2018 Chevy Equinox. The brakes have now failed 3 times. Dealership confirmed each time it was an issue with the brake vacuum pump. The Equinox has not been included in a recall, yet there are clearly safety issues. GM had numerous cars recalled for this exact same reason. There is a serious safety issue here. I am now without a car again because of a third brake vacuum pump failure. I have not been able to get any assistance from GM or my local Chevy dealership. I now am faced with a bill for repair for almost $2000. It is ridiculous to think that such a serious safety issue would exist and the industry will not acknowledge that it goes far beyond the vehicles they have already recalled. I wonder how many more accidents will happen before this is corrected. To be honest, when I do get my vehicle back I’m not sure I will drive it. When you lose your breaks 3 times it’s very difficult to trust. I would like to see this corrected and the Equinox needs to be added. My car has 128,000 miles on it at the time of the third failure. The other two failures were at approximately 60,000 miles and 92,000 miles. Thank you.
The check engine light comes on for a few days and when on the brakes are stiff and hard to push. When this is also going on the brake assist light will come on while driving and not pushing on brakes. It came on while on highway going 65mph
While attempting to apply the brakes to slow down a message appeared on the instrument panel that said Service Brake Assist.. My safety was put at risk by not having proper breaking. The problen was addressed at a gm dealer and I was told there are no recalls for this type of problem for my vehicle.
WAS DRIVING IN STOP/GO TRAFFIC - ABOUT 35-40 MPH. WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE PAD WOULDN'T MOVE. I PUMPED AND NOTHING HAPPENED. NO LIGHTS/WARNINGS ON THE DASH, AND THE CAR HAD FUNCTIONED FINE PRIOR TO THEN. I HAD TO THROW THE CAR TO NEUTRAL, TRY TO VEER INTO ANOTHER LANE, THEN PULL EMERGENCY BRAKE TO KEEP FROM HITTING ANOTHER CAR. WARNING THEN CAME ACROSS THE DASH SAYING "BRAKE ASSIST SERVICE NEEDED" (OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT). THE CAR IS NOW AT THE DEALERSHIP- WAS TOLD THAT THE VACUMN PUMP FAILED, THE GEAR INSIDE BROKE APART AND THE PIECES HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO THE ENGINE, SO THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE PUMP AND GET THE PIECES OUT OF THE ENGINE. NO ABS WARNING PRIOR, NO OTHER ENGINE TROUBLE OR OTHER WARNING LIGHTS PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. 86K MILES, 2018 EQUINOX.
1. The brake component that failed was the vacuum pump. It has been repaired and is not available for inspection. 2. I lost braking ability(the ability to brake normally) on a major interstate in Georgia while driving 74 mph. By stomping on the brakes with full body weight, I was able to drop back in traffic, eventually find an exit to pull off the road. 3. The service report from the dealership that fixed it stated, "Customer states the vehicle has very limited brakes. You have to apply brake pedal extremely hard to stop.....Customer concern verified. No brake vacuum present." 4. Do not know. 5. Right before the incident occurred a light signaling something about the brakes came on. That was wile the car was moving at 74 mph.
BRAKES FAILED FOLLOWING A VACUUM PUMP FAILURE WHILE DRIVING AT FASTER SPEEDS ON A BUSY CITY STREET (45MPH). "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" WAS DISPLAYED AND WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL FELT SOLID AND DID NOT DEPRESS. USING THE NEUTRAL GEAR AND PARKING BRAKE I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL FAILURE IN A DIFFERENT SCENARIO WITH A LESSER DRIVER
The power booster brake assist vacuum pump, without any warning, failed while exiting the freeway. My wife couldn't stop the vehicle. Replaced unit for $750.00. Now Fine SCARED the crap out of her. Approximately 84,000 miles. This is a sealed unit. I am a highly skilled machinist and I have made braking components for auto and aircraft and disassembled and reassembled for evaluation to determine cause and to remedy problem. What happened? DEFECTIVE PARTS OR POOR DESIGN. I request all replaced damaged parts so I have the part here. I did my research and have seen this is an ongoing problem with GMC and yet NO recall. HELP!
TL* THE CONTACT WAS SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF HIS DAUGHTER WHO OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACTS DAUGHTER WAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AT LOW SPEEDS, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL FAILED TO ENGAGED PROPERLY AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACTS DAUGHTER MANAGED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO HER RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER PRIORITY CHEVROLET (1495 S MILITARY HWY, CHESAPEAKE, VA 23320 757) 424-1811) WHERE IT WAS PENDING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGES TO THE FRONT GRILL AND BUMPER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE NUMBER WAS PROVIDED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V576000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) WAS MENTIONED AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 61,000. *DT*JB
Dealership stated that it is an internal failure of the vacuum pump. Have had the Vacuum pump fail 2 times since I got it and now it just occurred for the 3rd time. Had it replaced by a dealership both times before and will be bringing it back there this afternoon. No warning light. Brakes just stop working while driving. They feel very hard and barely stop the car. Have to use the emergency brake to stop the car. First and second time it happened I was going about 45-50 mph, coming up to the red light and had no brakes. No previous issue or warning. This time I was in a parking lot so not that fast but had no brakes all of a sudden again.
I waa getting off the highway on an exit ramp and my brake pedal started vibrating. Then I could not depress the brake pedal, it wouldn't budge. It was as hard as a rock. I then lost my breaks and almost had a major accident. I swerved and ended up on the grass shoulder near the woods. Then the “Service Brake Assist” message came on the dashboard, and the engine light came on. It was the most scariest experience I have encountered and now I no longer want to own this car. I had it towed to Apple Cheverolet in York Pa.
WHILE IN MOTION DRIVING ON RT 73 HEADED NORTH IN A STRAIT DRIVING DIRECTION. BREAK PEDAL WOULD NOT GO DOWN. STUCK IN UP POSITION ENABLING THE VEHICLE TO STOP.
The electronic parking brake unexpectedly and automatically engaged while I was driving. The car would jerk and instantly slow down. It didn't matter if I was on a freeway going 55 mph or on a side street going 20 mph. In the course of 24 hours, it got worse and worse. It was extremely dangerous, because I would slow and / or stop unexpectedly in front of cars behind me. I could disengage it with the button, but in just a matter of minutes it would engage again. Finally, I could not disengage it anymore, and I had to park it on the side of the road and get it towed. This was a car rented from Hertz in New Orleans, Louisiana.
While driving on an interstate I had to brake suddenly and the brakes were extremely difficult to engage. I was able to get to the shoulder and down shift the transmission in order to stop. The vehilces brake booster had failed. There were no warning lights to inform me. Fortunately, I had a repair warranty to fix the brake booster. However, I feel this may be a problem that GM should be made aware of.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT WAS FIRM CAUSING THE BRAKING DISTANCE TO BE EXTENDED. THE SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. RADLEY CHEVROLET (3670 JEFFERSON DAVIS HWY, FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22408, (540)898-4000) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.
9 MONTHS AGA, COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. DASH SAID SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST. TURNER CHEVROLET IN CROSBY, TX REPLACED THE VACUUM PUMP MAKING THE BRAKES WORK. NOW WE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IN BOTH CASES, WE INSTANTLY LOST ALL BRAKING, BUT WERE ABLE TO SLOW DOWN BY LETTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND HAD ENOUGH DISTANCE TO SLOW DOWN.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT THE 70 MPH SPEED LIMIT, I ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN AND COULD NOT WITHOUT UTILIZING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. I ENDED UP TAKING MY CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO GET A NEW VACUUM PUMP AND PRESSURE SENSOR. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UP THE ISSUE AND SAW THAT THERE HAD BEEN MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF THIS ISSUE. I HAD TO PAY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE MY VEHICLE BACK, BUT THIS TYPE OF ISSUE SHOULD NOT RELY ON A CONSUMER. MY VEHICLE IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND I'VE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT, AS I ALSO HAD MY WIFE AND 2 YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND CRASHED INTO TWO VEHICLES. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BURNS TO THE ARMS AND HANDS, BUT MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED THIRTY DAYS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MATTHEWS-HARGREAVES CHEVROLET (2000 TWELVE MILE RD, ROYAL OAK, MI 48067, (866) 275-2746), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: [XXX]. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. *LN ('PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).')*JB*JB
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Quick Summary
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 58 Brakes complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.