37 complaints reported

2020 Chevrolet Equinox Brakes

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
37
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2023

Attempted to start braking while in high traffic. Brake assist came on and prevented the car from braking properly, almost causing a crash on the highway with the car in front. The brakes had to pressed extremely hard and the e brake had to be engaged in order to stop. Since then the brake assist has not turned off and the vehicle is not safe to drive.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2023
Jul 2023

Driving on trip to New York and lost the brake assist system halfway there. No alerts or engine lights came on as they should have. Luckily we were coming up to stop light so not going to fast but almost hit car in front of us. We had no warning and this is a known problem with these cars.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2023
Jul 2023

The P0556 code gets stored when the PCM has detected a problem with the brake booster pressure sensor circuit because of abnormal feedback. Braking distance significantly affected by brake pedal becoming difficult to depress. Cause is the brake booster vacuum pump. Internet reports indicate multiple vehicle types during the late 20-teens and early 2020s. Problems are occurring during or shortly after warranty expiration. This is a very dangerous problem that could cause serious injury.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2023
May 2023

I was driving on the highway when suddenly my brakes became stuck and I was unable to stop. I was able to safely maneuver to the side of the highway with the help of quick thinking and my parking brake. However, no warning lights or messages appeared from my car directly prior to the event. Although I was safe, this could have had a fatal outcome for either myself or other drivers on the highway had I not been able to move to the side of the highway quickly. My car is currently at a dealership for the weekend and I am awaiting them opening this week so they will be able to perform a full inspection. A sheriff presented to the scene when this happened as I had my hazard lights on while on the side of the road and he did a visual inspection of the hood of my car as well. I am extremely concerned regarding the unprompted failure of my brake system and lack of warning prior.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2023
Feb 2023

I was driving home from work, just got off the highway, and when I was about to turn into my apartment complex, i went to push on the brake to slow down, and I noticed I couldn't push down on the brake at all. Luckily, it was later in the evening and no other cars were around at the time of the incident. There was no prior warning that popped up before that. My car didn't stop until I pulled the parking brake and then the "service brake assist" message popped up finally. No accident occurred but I am pretty shaken up considering how different the outcome could have been if I was on the highway for myself and if there was any other car involved. I will be taking it to the dealership in a few days.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2023
May 2022

I had just exited off of the highway and I was approaching the red light ahead my brakes became hard to push and they did not stop the vehicle. I ran through the red light in sheer panic. Was able to pull into a bank parking lot and when I turned the vehicle off and then back on the "brake assist" notification came up. I called my local Chevy Service but at that point I was on a trip from Fort Worth to Houston and was halfway in the middle closest to Waco. I drove it to the nearest dealership 30 miles. I had to leave the vehicle for 5 days. The diagnoses was no vacuum to brake booster pump. A total of $504. They said pumps are not included in powertrain warranty and I just passed the bumper to bumper warranty. I Had to get a hotel for the night. Then get a family member to drive 3 1/2 hours to come get me and my 2 daughters. My main concern is if anybody else had been coming through that intersection when my brakes failed it could have been a really bad accident. I had gone from a 75mph speed limit and was still going 35 mph when they stopped working.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2022
May 2022

The brake vacuum pump went bad while driving the car

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2022
May 2022

My brake pedal became hard as a rock requiring all of the leg strength I had to stop vehicle followed by a Brake Booster warning light and an email from OnStar. My concern here is GM eliminated that foot/hand operated emergency/parking brake leaving no backup method to stop in an emergency. Women, for the most part, and inexperienced drivers would not have the strength or knowledge to push on the brake pedal as hard as possible to stop the vehicle. Once they pushed with normal pressure and the vehicle didn't stop there would be an accident. In my case I was traveling at 45 mph in congested multi lane traffic on the inside of four lanes when traffic suddenly stopped leaving me about 2 seconds to react.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2022
Dec 2021

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while pulling to a stoplight when they noticed the brakes squeaking and they began to smell like overheated brakes. The vehicle's brakes started dragging from the rear and the brake pad sticks to the roader. The failure occurred approximately 3-4 times. The dealer had not been able to identify the cause of the failure. The contact noticed that their failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19v704000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was made aware and confirmed their VIN was not included. The contact was directed to file a complaint with NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2021
Aug 2021 Crash

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving downhill at approximately 20-30 mph, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle instead independently accelerated and crashed through an electric gate. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated that the passenger’s side of the vehicle was severely damaged causing approximately $6,000 in damages to the vehicle and the electric gate. The vehicle was repaired, and the passenger’s side door was replaced. The contact stated that two days after the vehicle was picked up from the repair shop, while attempting to reverse out of a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to stop in a reasonable amount of time. The contact stated that the vehicle slowly stopped and that the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,400. The Vin was invalid.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2021
Feb 2020

WHENEVER I BACKUP I HEAR A SQUEAL NOISE WHEN I PUT MY BRAKE ON TO PUT IT IN DRIVE. I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW AND IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A MONTH NOW.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Feb 2020

RECEIVED "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" ON CAR DASHBOARD. WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. WENT TO 3 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, THE 1ST 2 WOULD NOT PROVIDER A LOANER VEHICLE TO ME WHILE CAR WAS BEING REPAIRED. NOTE THE CAR WAS PURCHASE ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND HAS 1200 MILES ON IT. I WAS TOLD THAT GM HAS A POLICY THAT THEY WILL NOT PROVIDE LOANERS, IF THIS IS TRUE I FIND IT VERY TROUBLING. THE LAST STOP I HAD TO PUT MY FOOT DOWN AND TELL THEM THEY WERE GOING TO PROVIDE A VEHICLE FOR ME TO DRIVE OR GET MY CAR FIXED IMMEDIATELY. I ENDED UP WITH A LOANER AND THEY FOUND THAT I HAD SOME PINCHED WIRES AND THE WIRING HARNESS HAD TO BE REPLACED WHICH INVOLVES THE WHOLE ENGINE BEING PULLED TO REPLACE THIS PART. THE CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR ALMOST A WEEK AND I MAY GET IT BACK TOMORROW. THIS IS THE FIRST CHEVY I HAVE OWNED AND IT MAY BE MY LAST.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Chevrolet Equinox has 37 Brakes complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.