Chevrolet Equinox Complaints (2020)

318 consumer complaints on file.

#11772496October 20, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
Vacuum pump failed causing brakes to fail then causing exhaust camshaft to break.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772013October 19, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
There were no warning lights prior. We were driving on the highway and the brake pedal all of a sudden became hard as a rock, and we could barely stop the car. Stoping distance was extremely long and dangerous, we were very lucky there was no one in front of us and that we were almost the the exit we needed to be at. Managed to slowly pull the car into a lot and arrnage for a tow to the nearest Chevrolet dealer (Open Road Chevrolet, Union NJ). They inspected it and said the vacuum pump was missing. Also said the notify the customer that tehre may be damage to the camshaft but they did not elaborate and they replaced the vacuum pump and verified their work and said no further repairs required at this time. Crazy dangerous situation to be in. Nothing warned us aboutt he issue at all. Just happened and we were very lucky.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771876October 17, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Vacuum pump, I was driving 75mph and needed to slow down due to traffic and my break pedal was hard and wouldn’t stop me, I almost hit a car in front of me. I also had my children with me. No the problem hasn’t been inspected, I bought the part to repair it myself. There was no fair warning. I ALMOST wrecked with my children in the car! I was over a hour and half from my house.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771727October 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Emissions traction ecs
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771045October 14, 2026
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
"Brake vacuum pump seized and shattered, sending metal debris into engine via camshaft. Vehicle lost power and would not restart – towed to dealer. Dealer found metal debris in oil fill (photo available) and quoted $2,101 for camshaft/vacuum pump and $9,480 for engine assembly – total $12,493.83. This is identical failure to class action Thieme et al v. GM for 2018-2022 Equinox 1.5L. Safety risk – loss of power brake assist and sudden stall. RO 449922 Dave White Chevrolet Sylvania OH since 10/2/26. Known defect not under recall."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770743October 13, 2026
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, SUSPENSION
UNKNOWN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770910October 13, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, SERVICE BRAKES
Vacuum Pump failed, Camshaft is broken. When vacuum pump failed there were no brakes and no warning. Almost flew off a bridge.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769923October 8, 2026
AIR BAGS
None of the airbags deployed in an accident. The right front end of the car hit a utility trailer and nothing went off. The car has been deemed a total loss after being trailered to the lot and assessed by the insurance inspector.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769073October 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that there were persistent electrical issues with both side-view mirrors independently adjusting after the vehicle was turned off. The driver was constantly manually readjusting the mirrors while operating the vehicle. The dealer performed a software reprogram, but the failure recurred the same day. The was intermittent at first but had become a constant failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767327September 28, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 - 25 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes locked up. The contact turned into a nearby parking lot and coasted to a stop and shifted into park(P). The contact waited a while for a co-worker, and the co-worker drove the vehicle to the residence. A certified mechanic arrived and inspected the vehicle. The mechanic informed the contact that the brake booster had failed and there was a recall for the failure. The manufacturer was informed of the issue and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766761September 24, 2026
ENGINE
I've spent $1000 on repairs to my turbo and now have to replace the whole thing. While looking online I've seen many people are having the same issue with the 2020 model. Almost every car has to replace the turbo between 60,000-80,000 miles which seems ridiculous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766071September 22, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, but initially the vehicle restarted. The contact was able to drive to the residence, but the vehicle failed to restart. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence and identified a failure with the fuel pump module, Part Number: 13565338, as the cause of the failure. General Motors was contacted by phone and informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764088September 14, 2026
ENGINE
Vehicle began sputtering suddenly while driving 40mph. "Reduced Engine Power" warning appeared on dash. While trying to limp it home, the vehicle died in the middle of a turning lane. Pushed vehicle to the side of the road and had it towed to a shop. Their notes attached below. Technician Notes: Customer concern verified with DTCs P0014 (Exhaust Camshaft Position System Performance) and P0017 (Exhaust Camshaft Position Not Plausible). Upon removing the exhaust cam position sensor, metal buildup was found. The vacuum pump failed, breaking the keyed driveshaft on the cam and causing the metal buildup. Recommendation: Replace the vacuum pump and exhaust camshaft with timing chains, or consider replacing the engine. Same catastrophic failure as many others have reported due to the vacuum pump seizing up. Metal shavings throughout motor now, likely ruining the whole motor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763379September 10, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While operating my vehicle, I experienced a sudden, catastrophic failure of the power-assisted braking system. The brake pedal completely lost hydraulic pressure, plunging effortlessly all the way to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to respond to normal foot-pedal application. Emergency stopping power was only achieved by pushing the pedal into the absolute floorboard, which engaged an emergency mechanical override and forced the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) pump into a violent stutter/pulsation to halt the vehicle. No dashboard warning lights, diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), or fluid level sensors illuminated prior to or during the braking failure. A certified automotive repair facility diagnosed the root cause as a total internal seizure and mechanical failure of the engine-driven brake booster vacuum pump. Because the vacuum pump is driven directly by the engine, its sudden lockup sheared and severely damaged the drive slots on the exhaust camshaft, necessitating an intensive engine teardown, camshaft replacement, and secondary component repair totaling $2,390. This design poses an extreme, life-threatening safety risk. The total loss of braking assist occurs without warning, and the mechanical failure simultaneously compromises internal engine timing components while moving at speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11761934September 3, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that occasionally while at a red light or while stopped, the vehicle hesitated for approximately 10 to 15 seconds to move while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle then accelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to retrieve a fault code. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, and an email was sent to the president of GM. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11760560August 29, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The electrical system just stopped working it is throwing up false alerts of driving systems and brake assist, and then the air conditioning on/off button doesn’t respond defrost nothing lights up or comes on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758953August 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vacuum pump, brake asst light. And more unknown because it is still under repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758252August 20, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Engine power reduced Car will not accelerate Jerks after a long stop Have replaced engine and transmission same problem occurred
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757848August 19, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Car failing to accelerate properly when pushing gas peddle to floor, delay for couple seconds/ longest was 30 seconds before car registered need to move. No defined time its happening intermittently, no warning or codes populating for issue. Recent issue Car was only registered 5 mph after pulling into street from a parking lot with pedal to the floor. After 30 ish seconds car jerks speeding forward at the expected force with pedal to floor. Car Basically was not moving and risked being hit by cars not realizing we are having acceleration issues. Luckily no cars coming and other traffic was stopped by red light. Took to repair shop they had it for 2 days and confirmed issue but all tests were cleared and areas check passed. Research showed known issue but no fix found. Issue started within last 2 weeks. Note current heat wave and online forms says other with same issue on 2020 Chevy equinox seems to notice issue more often when extreme heat weather and ac on high in car. Repair shop had no options for repair unless it happens and codes for them to read, recommend trading in car due to safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753771July 30, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the fuel pump and fuel pump control module. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V013000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,451.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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