USED VEHICLE RESEARCH

2018 Chevrolet Equinox

Research the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox using available NHTSA owner complaints, safety recalls, manufacturer communications, defect investigations, and CarIQ data-coverage analysis.

DATA CONFIDENCE: Moderate

Owner complaints

408NHTSA records

Recall campaigns

5Year, make and model lookup

Manufacturer communications

0Matched NHTSA records

Investigations

0Matched NHTSA records

SUBJECTIVE OWNER FEEDBACK

OWNER EXPERIENCE

What it is like to live with the vehicle—kept clearly separate from official NHTSA evidence.

BUILDING THE COMMUNITY

THE FIRST USEFUL PERSPECTIVE COULD BE YOURS

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SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE TYPES

NHTSA owner complaint records remain part of Official Vehicle Data. Subjective review contributions remain in Owner Experience. One does not validate or prove the other. Read the methodology.

EVIDENCE, NOT A SCORE

WHAT THIS DATA CAN TELL YOU ABOUT RELIABILITY

Official records can provide useful research context, but each source has a different meaning. Complaint counts are not failure rates; recalls are formal safety campaigns; manufacturer communications are technical or service documentation; and investigations reflect formal NHTSA activity. Data Confidence measures evidence availability, not vehicle quality. CarIQ does not publish a composite Reliability Score.

Available evidence summary: 408 NHTSA owner complaint records; 5 safety recall campaigns; 0 manufacturer communications; 0 applicable NHTSA defect investigations.

EVIDENCE AVAILABILITY — NOT VEHICLE RELIABILITY

DATA CONFIDENCE

Moderate

Data Confidence measures how much usable evidence CarIQ has for this vehicle. It does not measure how reliable the vehicle is.

Why this rating?
Owner complaint data
Available
Manufacturer communications
Available
Recall data
Available
Investigation data
Available
Production denominator
Unavailable
Complaint component completeness
100%
Mileage completeness
0%
Incident-date completeness
100%

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYTICS

DATA INSIGHTS

Derived from official NHTSA source records. These statistics are descriptive and are not a reliability score.

Complaint records analyzed
408
NHTSA complaints
Most reported component
Service Brakes
32% of categorized complaint records
Top-three component concentration
56%
Records mentioning at least one top-three component
Median reported incident mileage
Not available from current source
0 valid mileage observations
Recall campaigns
5
NHTSA recalls
Most recent recall report
October 29, 2020
NHTSA recalls
Manufacturer communications
0
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Most documented component
Not available
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Top-three communication concentration
Not available
Share of categorized manufacturer communications

SOURCE COMPLETENESS

DATA QUALITY

Complaint records analyzed
408
Component classification available
100%
Incident date available
100%
Mileage available
0%
Structured outcome fields available
100%

Completeness describes fields present in the retrieved complaint records. It is not a data-quality grade or a vehicle assessment.

Learn about CarIQ methodology

PRODUCTION-ADJUSTED DESCRIPTIVE METRIC

NORMALIZED COMPLAINT CONTEXT

Production-normalized complaint data is not currently available for this vehicle.

This metric compares the number of NHTSA owner complaint records retrieved by CarIQ with NHTSA-reported production volume for the corresponding vehicle population.

It is not a vehicle failure rate. Complaint reporting behavior, vehicle age, time on the road, production definitions, and other factors can affect the result.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Early Warning Reporting, Light Vehicle Production Data. Read the methodology.

OFFICIAL NHTSA OWNER COMPLAINT DATA

PROBLEMS REPORTED IN NHTSA RECORDS

CarIQ groups available NHTSA owner complaint records for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox by vehicle system to make recurring documentation easier to research. Most represented complaint categories describe the retrieved records—not failure frequency.

TOTAL COMPLAINTS408

MOST REPRESENTED COMPLAINT CATEGORIES

Service Brakes132 complaints
32%of categorized complaint records
Engine86 complaints
21%of categorized complaint records
Power Train66 complaints
16%of categorized complaint records
Electrical System61 complaints
15%of categorized complaint records
Unknown or Other55 complaints
13%of categorized complaint records
Fuel/propulsion System33 complaints
8%of categorized complaint records
Structure17 complaints
4%of categorized complaint records
Forward Collision Avoidance16 complaints
4%of categorized complaint records
Air Bags15 complaints
4%of categorized complaint records
Steering15 complaints
4%of categorized complaint records
Hydraulic14 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Wheels13 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Vehicle Speed Control11 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Visibility/wiper11 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Engine and Engine Cooling9 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Fuel System8 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Gasoline8 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Seat Belts7 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Seats7 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)6 complaints
1%of categorized complaint records
Exterior Lighting6 complaints
1%of categorized complaint records
Visibility6 complaints
1%of categorized complaint records
Lane Departure3 complaints
1%of categorized complaint records
Tires3 complaints
1%of categorized complaint records
Parking Brake2 complaints
0%of categorized complaint records
Equipment1 complaint
0%of categorized complaint records
Other/i Am Not Sure1 complaint
0%of categorized complaint records

A complaint may list more than one component and therefore contribute to multiple categories. Percentages show the share of categorized complaint records that mention each component—not the percentage of vehicles affected. Category percentages may overlap.

INCIDENT REPORTS BY YEAR

1992
1
2017
14
2018
55
2019
43
2020
45
2021
36
2022
41
2023
44
2024
43
2025
37
2026
49

Grouped from complaint records with a valid incident date.

RECENT OWNER COMPLAINTS

Power Train

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11766399
Read complaint narrative

Complete and sudden failure of Transmission involving the clutches (clutches are burned up inside the transmission). No warning or dash lights. Confirmed by mechanic and the solution is transmission replacement ($10,000). Car would not accelerate and began losing power on highway. After I exited the highway, the car would not engage gears and stopped accelerating resulting in having to push it out of the roadway and get it towed to my mechanic for diagnostic.

Electrical System

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11764676
Read complaint narrative

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. Vehicle has 49,000 miles. Previous complaint states that the local dealer was contacted; however, Product Emission Recall: N202298780; repair was available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.

Electrical System

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11764391
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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

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11764551
Read complaint narrative

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/stutter several times before starting, along with a strong gasoline odor. The exact failed component has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or repair facility. I stopped driving the vehicle because leaking gasoline near the engine/electrical components creates a serious fire and safety risk. The vehicle is available for inspection. Chevrolet advised me that there are currently no open recalls or programs associated with my VIN. I am reporting this condition to NHTSA because of the severity of the fuel leak and potential fire hazard.

Service Brakes · Engine

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11763908
Read complaint narrative

On approximately 09/04/2026, while driving my vehicle and slowing to a stop, I applied the brake pedal and it suddenly became extremely hard to depress. At approximately the same time, the steering became very stiff and difficult to turn. I believed I had lost normal braking ability and had difficulty controlling the vehicle while attempting to stop. The engine then shut off on its own. After the vehicle stopped, attempts to restart it were unsuccessful. The engine would crank/attempt to start but would not complete the ignition cycle and remain running. A ticking noise was also present. The vehicle remains available for inspection and is being towed to a local GM dealership for diagnosis. The specific component responsible for the failure is currently UNKNOWN. The vehicle previously generated diagnostic code P050F in January 2026. Following the 09/04/2026 failure, diagnostic code P0017 was identified. I did not receive P0017 prior to this incident. I did not observe an overheating warning or temperature-gauge indication showing that the engine was overheating before the vehicle shut down. The incident created a safety risk because the brake pedal became extremely hard to depress and the steering became difficult to operate while the vehicle was in motion, significantly affecting my ability to slow and control the vehicle. There was no collision or injury. As of the date of this complaint, the cause has not yet been confirmed by a dealer, independent service center, manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. The vehicle is being taken to a GM dealership for diagnostic inspection. I can provide the vehicle and subsequent diagnostic/repair documentation for inspection upon request.

Electrical System · Visibility/wiper

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11761747
Read complaint narrative

Back wiper stopped working while it was on. Wiper arm is stuck straight up on back window. Back wiper motor got extremely hot still trying to work with the car ON or OFF. Would make a clicking sound every 30secounds 24/7 and would drain the battery dead. No power.

Air Bags

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11761378
Read complaint narrative

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service restraint error message was displayed. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a front passenger's seat air bag sensor failure. The contact was informed that the front passenger's seat air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the parts were on back order. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact reported the failure using the report by phone using the manufacturer's automated system. The failure mileage was approximately 56,744.

Air Bags

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11760781
Crash reported3 reported injuries1 reported death
Read complaint narrative

I am an investigator w/ the Medical Examiner's office in Dallas, TX. We are investigating the death of an individual who was inside a 2018 Chevy Equinox that was "rebuilt." During the minor accident, the steering wheel airbag deployed, but exploded and shot many large pieces of debris and shrapnel at the decedent's face. Ultimately leading to her passing. After the examination, a large piece of metal w/ a serial number was located. [XXX]. We are working alongside Dallas PD VHU for this crash. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaints are reports submitted by vehicle owners and other consumers. Complaint counts do not represent the percentage of vehicles affected and do not by themselves establish that a safety defect exists.

A higher complaint count can partly reflect how many vehicles were sold, vehicle age, and other factors. CarIQ does not yet normalize complaint counts by vehicles sold.

Data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This site is not endorsed by NHTSA.

OFFICIAL NHTSA SAFETY RECALL DATA

SAFETY RECALLS

5 recall campaigns found

01POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONCampaign 20V668000October 29, 2020

Summary

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 start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Safety Consequence

Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

02SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPERCampaign 18V576000August 30, 2018

Summary

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 insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Safety Consequence

A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

03FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPCampaign 18V358000May 31, 2018

Summary

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, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Safety Consequence

A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

04VISIBILITYCampaign 18V252000April 19, 2018

Summary

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."

Safety Consequence

If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the glass in the front doors, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18136.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

05POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFTCampaign 17V516000August 22, 2017

Summary

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.

Safety Consequence

If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Recall results shown here are based on year, make, and model. A specific vehicle may or may not be affected. Check the vehicle's VIN with NHTSA to confirm open recalls before purchasing. Data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

OFFICIAL NHTSA MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION DATA

MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATIONS

TOTAL COMMUNICATIONS0

No NHTSA manufacturer communication records were returned for this year, make, and model.

Manufacturer communications include service bulletins and other technical information submitted by manufacturers to NHTSA. The existence or number of communications does not establish how often a condition occurs or whether an individual vehicle will experience it.

Some manufacturers may issue more detailed service documentation than others, so communication counts should not be used alone to compare vehicle reliability.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration manufacturer communications

NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS

TOTAL INVESTIGATION RECORDS0

No applicable NHTSA defect investigation records were returned for this year, make, and model.

NHTSA investigations evaluate potential motor-vehicle safety defects. The existence of an investigation does not by itself establish that a safety defect exists, and the absence of an investigation does not establish that a vehicle is problem-free.

Open and closed describe NHTSA's process status, not a CarIQ reliability judgment.

View official NHTSA investigation data ↗

DESCRIPTIVE SOURCE OVERLAP

CROSS-SOURCE VEHICLE DATA

CarIQ compares categories appearing across independent NHTSA datasets. Overlap can help identify areas with more available documentation, but it does not establish defect frequency or prove that an individual vehicle will experience a problem.

ComponentOwner complaintsManufacturer communicationsRecall campaignsNHTSA investigationsOfficial sources containing records
Visibility60102 of 4
Service Brakes1320001 of 4
Engine860001 of 4
Power Train660001 of 4
Electrical System610001 of 4
Unknown or Other550001 of 4
Fuel/propulsion System330001 of 4
Structure170001 of 4
Forward Collision Avoidance160001 of 4
Air Bags150001 of 4

Displayed first by the number of source categories containing the component, then by owner complaint count, then alphabetically. This is a presentation rule, not a vehicle ranking. Complaint reports, manufacturer communications, recalls, and investigations describe different events and are never added into a combined total.

complaint
Available
communication
Available
recall
Available
investigation
Available
production
Unavailable

COMMON RESEARCH QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?

CarIQ does not currently assign a reliability score to the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. Available evidence is shown as separate official-source records with a Data Confidence classification of Moderate.

What problems are reported for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?

408 NHTSA owner complaint records. When complaint data is available, the page groups records by the NHTSA component categories they identify without treating those categories as verified failure rates.

Are there recalls for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?

5 safety recall campaigns. Year, make, and model results do not confirm whether a specific VIN is affected or whether a remedy has been completed.

USED-CAR CANDIDATE RESEARCH

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