2019 Chevrolet Equinox Electrical System
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
The instrument cluster and driver information center is completely blank, and none of the steering wheel controls are operating. Vehicle starts and runs normally, but no indication of speed, turn signals, headlights, gas level, etc.
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.
Vehicle experienced derating. Check engine light on. Called mobile repair service. 20 year mechanic. Replaced Pedal Sensor. Fail. Second visit replaced Throttle Body. Fail. He advised better to take it to a reputable shop. Did. Shop worked on it for 2 months and ended up replacing ECM. I finally had the unit towed to an Electrical Specialist in Longmont Colorado. They replaced Wiring loom between pedal sensor and car worked again. Drove car to Kansas and after about 300 miles, loud boom and messages on display. ECM engaged electric emergency brake hard at 79 MPH. WAS on cruise. At 20 mph car stopped messaging, and resumed normal operation. Pulled over, checked car. 50 miles from nearest city. cautiously drove about 20mph, then 30, then more until up to speed limit again. Worked fine 140 miles (needed a population center to get car fixed)) and it happened again. Limped car a few miles to repair in Salina, Kansas. ECM erased all miles, messages, etc. They could find nothing. my research showed the 2025 Equinox EV recall (We had replaced ECM and reprogrammed). I went to get car and risked driving, but without cruise. Warnings would come up, but car ran. No more emergency stops, but plenty of warnings. $3K in repairs and still problem. I believe current problem is electrical that Equinox is known for. The ECM/Reprogramming problem that activated the Brake is the issue here and previously reported by many. Extremely dangerous! Car has 50K miles. Was flawless driver until now. Note: Unit was Rebuilt Salvage. I bought at 1460 miles. Hit right rear, Replaced right rear sheet metal, Rear driveline on right side (Genuine GM parts), Replaced Hatch door. Inspected by state of Michigan. Reputable Rebuilder. Zero bad reviews. Hundreds of excellent reviews. P.S. Cannot take to Chevrolet - they universally refuse to work on car - not to even change oil.
I JUST PURCHASED A 2019 CHEVY EQUINOX PREMIER AND I FOUND WATER IN THE SPARE TIME WHEEL WELL. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THERE IS A WATER LEAK CAUSING WATER TO SPILL ON THE FUSE BOX LOCATED IN THE BACK PANEL ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THIS IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE IF THE FUSE PANEL SHORTS OUT, ESPECIALLY IF IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING.
The power liftgate (trunk) opens and then immediately closes, and tries to open again. I was in the back trying to get something out and the trunk started closing on me without me having pressed any buttons!! I tried to attach a video but it won’t let me.
While driving the car cuts completely off while driving. Everything blacks out. No lights will come on, not even the emergency lights. It starts back up in about 15 to 20 minutes, lights come back on. And it starts back up. This has happened at least 3 times, almost causing me to get hit because when it shuts off it want roll or do anything else
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at a traffic light, the engine Auto START/STOP feature engaged, and the engine turned off; however, upon depressing the brake pedal to resume driving, the vehicle failed to respond, rolled backward, and nearly struck another vehicle. The contact depressed the brake pedal several times and the vehicle stopped. There was a message indicating a power brake assist failure displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not designed with a button or switch to manually deactivate the engine Auto START/STOP system. The contact was charged a fee for the diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
As stated per Chevrolet of Flemington, “ Both rear door latches have actuators that are failing tested operation of rear door locks and found both rear door locks to be INOP preformed circuit checks and found to be ok. Found inside latches that the lock actuators have failed.” Basically, a few months back, the doors started to malfunction, and would either not lock, or not unlock. When I would put my car in drive and accelerate, the doors would not lock, which is a serious safety concern. When I tried to lock the doors, they would not lock, leaving the whole car accessible to stranger, and could have been stolen or hijacked by someone. The problem was confirmed by dealer and was fixed for $1500 dollars which is completely absurd as it is a safety hazard produced by their own car that is not even 5 years old. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer or anyone else besides the dealership which eventually found and fixed the safety hazard. No, there were no warnings or other symptoms, and the problems first occurred back in October of 2023.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to be started without the key fob inside the vehicle. The key fob was at the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,071.
The car keeps shutting off at the light. I had to have it towed home. I have videos that I can’t upload here
THE INFOTAINMENT IN THE VEHICLE DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. IT IS HIT OR MISS. EITHER IT WILL WORK AND I WILL NOT SEE ANY ISSUES OR IT WONT WORK. THE SOUND WILL NOT WORK WHICH THEN DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THE TURN SIGNAL NOISE TO WORK. THE AC FAN IS NOT SHOWING ON WHEN IT IS. THE SOFTWARE ON THIS DEVICE IS VERY GLITCHY.
IN MY VEHICLE OWNER'S MANUAL (PART NO. 84134729 B), THERE IS AN ERROR ON PAGE 352 WHICH MISIDENTIFIES THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TERMINALS OF A BATTERY USED FOR JUMP STARTING. UNDER THE SUBTITLE, JUMP STARTING - NORTH AMERICA, THE TERMINALS NOTED AS (3) AND (4) SHOULD BE (4) AND (3).
THE AUTOSTOP FEATURE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND DID NOT TURN ON WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND I WAS IN A INTERSECTION AND I WAITED FOR TEN MINUTES AND IT TURNED ON AGAIN. THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE COMPUTER WHICH WASN'T WORKING.
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Quick Summary
The 2019 Chevrolet Equinox has 13 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.