2018 Chevrolet Equinox problems and complaints

Owners have filed 407 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (132), Engine (86), Power Train (65).

Key takeaways

  • 407 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 23 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 30 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Service Brakes13232%
Engine8621%
Power Train6516%
Electrical System6115%
Unknown Or Other5514%
Fuel/Propulsion System338%
Structure174%
Forward Collision Avoidance164%
Air Bags154%
Steering154%
Hydraulic143%
Wheels133%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV FWD Later Release5/55/55/54/5
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV AWD Later Release5/55/55/54/5
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV AWD Early Release4/55/54/54/5
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV FWD Early Release4/55/54/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Electrical System - filed 2026-09-16

Chevrolet 2018 Equinox with 2.0L has a fail for no OBD communication. The vehicle was take to two separate Smog Local State Inspections; however, the vehicle failed to communicate with the system. I believe from looking at previous complaints on NHTSA that the vehicle has a module with defects and needs to be replaced...

Electrical System - filed 2026-09-15

Unknown 2018 chevy equinox is known that the radio goes out, even after reset or hard reset (disconnect battery) the screen is black no sounds or music plays and the biggest safety related is no reverse camera

Fuel/Propulsion System - filed 2026-09-15

My 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 1.5L developed an active gasoline leak. After the vehicle is cranked/started, gasoline begins leaking from underneath the front/engine area and forms a visible puddle on the ground. Prior to discovering the leak, the vehicle had intermittent hard-starting symptoms where the engine would crank/...

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More for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.