Chevrolet Equinox 2019

On Sunday, [XXX] (a very hot day in Michigan. My vehicle registered 100 degrees) I was driving on [XXX] about 70-73 mph when I got an alert that said (to the best of my recollection) TOO HOT - IDLE IMMEDIATELY! and there was a continuous high pitch beeping which I only heard after turning off the radio. I continued at highway speed for a good 2-3 miles to the next exit afraid at any minute my car would start smoking. I exited and had to stop at a red light before turning left into a Kroger plaza with a fuel station. When the light turned green I accelerated and a grinding sound came from my car. I pulled into the plaza and turned the car off but had to turn it back on in about a minute as it was too hot to sit in car without air conditioning. It started and idled just fine. I googled roadside service and got a nice fellow (on a SUNDAY!) and he arrived in about 40 minutes. He towed me 40 miles away to a recommended auto shop that on Monday told me it was my transmission cooler that was defective and that I needed a transmission shop for a new transmission. It was then towed another 20 minutes away where it stayed for 9 days. Cost: $6564.48 plus $150 for paying with a credit card so totaled $6714.48. My drive train warranty was only good to 60,000 miles/5 years and I have 76,000 miles on my car at the time. Was told the transmission cooler was defective so I asked to have the cooler part and I have it in my garage. I spent over $1000 at the dealership in the months of Feb/March/April 2025 as my car hit the 70,000 mile mark so I had them do all work required by the car manual. The transmission cooler is apparently not a part they check. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

8/23/19 I bought a new, 2019 Equinox premier. On 9/19/19 traveling 70 MPH on interstate 70 near columbus, oh, car made loud bang, shook, and went to reduced power mode. Car behind us was able to quickly change lanes avoiding a crash.towed to wyler Chevrolet, told car had a recall notice regarding charge cooler hose. We were never notified of recall. Wyler told us it's fixed so we continued trip to pittsburgh. 9/22/19 same thing happened. This time towed to classic Chevrolet in pittsburgh, they knew nothing about the recall but found it on GM website, printed the necessary repair information, 9/23/19 told us car had a guaranteed fix. 9/24/19, driving 70 MPH in pittsburgh rush hour traffic, bang, shaking car, reduced power mode. Onstar told us to drive to crevilli Chevrolet in pittsburgh. Mychevrolet told us they would pay for a rental so we could return to cincinnati and tow the car to our dealer joseph Chevrolet in cincinnati. 9/28/19 car is still sitting where we parked it at crevilli in pittsburgh. We have a case number and advisor. Unfortunately we know nothing as they won't return phone calls and have no documentation that they will pay for rental car. We are fl residents and have to be in flfor medical appointments by 10/7/19 however our brand new car is in pittsburgh. Internet search reveals numerous stories regarding same scenario while driving 2019 Equinox. Unbelieveable that Chevrolet is allowed to continue selling these defective vehicles putting drivers in harms way. All who have posted online complain about terrible GM customer service. My wife and I are 73, on a fixed income, and this stress is taking a toll on our health. Financially we are making payments on a vehicle that can't be driven and is sitting in pittsburgh. What are we to do? No on will tell us the status of our case.

While safely driving under normal conditions, I attempted to slow my vehicle down while approaching a vehicle that was making a right turn into a parking lot. Upon trying to apply the brakes, I was met with resistance (Hard brake pedal) which prevented my vehicle from properly slowing down. This was caused by a failed/malfunctioning brake booster/vacuum pump. Since I was driving at a safe distance, I managed to barely avoid colliding with the rear of the car making the turn, however, that miss was extremely narrow. My vehicle barely slowed down when the brakes were applied which, had I been on the interstate or traveling at a higher rate of speed, would have more than likely resulted in a collision. This DEFINITELY puts myself, my wife, and our 2 children's safety at risk. Once I successfully parked the vehicle, a "Service Brake Assist" warning messaged appeared for the 1st time. I began researching/attempting to diagnose the issue. During this time I came across several articles detailing a recall issued by GM describing the exact same issue with the brake booster/pump, ironically however, it only covered vehicle produced through 2018. I then contacted GM customer service to alert the manufacturer and see how they would rectify the situation. I was informed that my vehicle had no open recalls and was out of warranty & there was nothing they could do for me.(handwritten call log can be provided upon request) When I contacted the dealership, they informed me they were unable to see the vehicle until the 1st week in Dec. I was left to take it to my local mechanic who, upon his diagnosis, informed me that it was the vacuum pump that had failed. As previously stated, there were no warnings prior to the failure. The "Service Brake Assist" appeared AFTER I managed to safely get my vehicle to a parking spot.

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.

While on vacation traveling on 81S in va & doing 70 MPH on the 3-LANE hwy., without a warning a power reduction message appeared on the dash; then the check engine light came on. Our vehicle went from 70 MPH (posted speed) to 40 MPH. In a matter of seconds. We had a tractor trailer pushing us & a car passing us on the left. Had it not been for the fast reactions of my husband and help from the man above, we would now be 6' under. After shaking & gaining our wits, we consulted the vehicle handbook to check on a possible reason for the power reduction & how to proceed. This accident would have been logged as driver error, when actually it was vehicle malfunction. We left the vehicle in va at a chev dealership on Monday & they advise it would be 4 days until they could work on the unit. We agreed to pick it up Friday on our return trip to pa. The dealership called thurs. Morning to advise it was ready. We had to request paperwork showing that it was worked on & that they found no issues with it, but that the check engine light went out. Upon arriving home, we took the unit to our local dealership and while the unit did not register a code in the computer a mechanic did FIND---5242 vehicle has a U0100 lost communication with the ecu--checked communication with the PCM, TCM & bcm---no poor connections found at this time. The dealership drove the vehicle for two weeks, but could not duplicate the issue. It is with much trepidation that we must now drive this vehicle for 3 yrs. Until our lease is up and will not be able to allow passengers in it for fear of this happening again and taking their lives too. We have read five reasons for the 2019 Equinox to experience a power reduction, but none of them Fit what we experienced. We would like to suggest further testing & investigation into this matter. Our unit had 4,785 miles on it when this incident happened.

After purchasing the vehicle in April 2021, 3 months later upon traveling home and entering an exit ramp the brakes completely locked while going 35-45mph into ongoing traffic downhill and would not allow me to press down on them so that I could come to a stop. I press the emergency brake and that did nothing. I had to glide through traffic into a gas station parking lot almost slamming into a gas pump. The sewer dip allowed the vehicle to slow up and come to halt blocking the traffic. This happened after midnight so I took it to the dealership in which i purchased. No lights appeared on the dash. They advised me the brake booster pressure sensor, brake booster vacuum hose and then after doing so they said non of it fixed the issue, I would need a new brake booster. All totaling over $2000 for a vehicle I had less than 6 months. Shortly after the month following July or August, stalled and the push to start button wouldn’t activate. I waited a few moments and then it turned on, with the engine light lit. I took it directly to dealerships service department and they had it a month, they eventually said it was the Oxygen Sensor and it needed to be replaced. I reached out to GM about all of the issues. They stated there were recalls but not for my VIN. CRAZY Now less than a month, a slight fender bender, another vehicle crossed into my lane, the sensors did not initiate, I had to swerve to dodge from causing any major damage and avoid on coming traffic. My vehicle sustained minor scratches on the front passenger side. Initially 30 minutes after it was running fine. Then the light sensors on the mirrors both sides remained on. No engine lights, no warnings. I’m traveling down the 5 lane Highway @75mph and the vehicle just shuts completely off. I had to get across traffic and avoid causing an accident. The vehicle would not start. Got it towed back into town. Back to the dealership and was advised I needed a new engine! Now I’m without a vehicle.

Winter 2021, vehicle went into reduced engine mode as I was going up a hill. There was no one behind me and I made it 100 ft to a driveway. I was able to turn around and get car home. Towed to Sonju, dealer where it was leased from. Fixed by them and returned to regular use. 06/28/22, while driving on a Hwy 53, 45 mph zone, with no notice, engine went into reduced power mode. I was almost hit due to the proximity of the car behind me and the sudden loss in power. I managed to hit my hazards, pull into middle turn lane until traffic passed. I then was able to get into a business parking lot. I shut car off. I made some phone calls. Turned car back on, all was fine. Back on the road. No call to dealer. 07/08/22, engine in reduced power mode while I was only .5 miles from my house. Made it to a turnaround point where I was able to turn vehicle off. Called dealer to make appt for service. Limped vehicle home. Vehicle towed to Sonju for fix. 07/18/22, after fixed at dealership, it was picked up. We made it 22 miles. I was in a urban part of Duluth, MN-speed limit 30, heavy traffic. As I turned to go up hill, engine again went into reduced power mode. There is no shoulder for me to go to and I'm almost hit from behind as the car jerked and slowed. I was able to pull off. Shut car off. When I started it up, it was still in reduced power mode. As it had been 30 mins, traffic had subsided, I went another mile to my work, where car would be safe to sit. Made arrangements for tow back to dealer. 07/19/22-towed to dealer after hours. When I moved it for better position for tow truck, the check engine light was on, but engine reduced power mode message never came on. 07/22/22-Per dealer, there is no explanation and thus far they can't figure it out. They continue to drive it to recreate the issue, but no end in sight of when I will get this vehicle back. 07/26/22-no word from dealer-vehicle is still there. I stopped bugging them!

I was traveling at expressway speeds (70 mph) when traffic in front of me hit the brakes quickly to avoid an object in the road. At this time, I hit my brakes relatively hard and fast in what I would describe as a panic brake. I avoided incident here. About a mile further up the road, traffic in front of me hit the brakes once again. At this time, I also hit my brakes, but I could not. My brake pedal was hard as a rock, and it would push down only about 2 or 3 inches with little to no effect. I was afraid I might break the pedal arm. I was able to maintain my lane until about 40 mph at which time I was forced to hit the shoulder to avoid colliding with the cars in front of me which were now stopped. I pressed the brake pedal hard and coasted along the shoulder of the expressway for about 40 or 50 yards, rolling past the stopped traffic. A few minutes after my car came to a complete stop, the information panel on my dashboard read "service brake assist". My car was towed to a GM dealership local to where I came to a stop. The documentation from the dealership, as well as what I was verbally told, indicates that there was an internal failure of the vacuum pump. According to the service manager, there was nothing I could have done to prevent this. Obviously, I was extremely lucky. If this would have happened in two-lane city traffic, or approaching a stop light I would have been forced to veer into oncoming traffic or simply barrel into those in front of me. I know this, because for the last month, as I'm driving, I constantly analyze what would happen if my brakes were to go out like that at various points along my drive. Often times, my only option would be to brace for a major accident or land my car in the front yard of a business. This catastrophic failure could have easily killed me, and/or other drivers on the road. Other people will not be so lucky, and I know this. For that reason, it's time for NHTSA to finally take action on this matter.

To Whom It May Concern, I'm writing to formally report a critical failure of the Auto Start-Stop system in my 2019 Chevy Equinox that occurred today, resulting in a hazardous situation during rush hour traffic. While stopped in the northbound left turn lane of Route 202 at the intersection with Baltimore Pike, the vehicle’s Auto Start-Stop feature engaged as expected. However, upon releasing the brake to proceed, the engine failed to restart, and the vehicle remained completely inoperative — engine off, no power, and unresponsive to ignition attempts. This failure caused the vehicle to become stranded in a live intersection during heavy traffic, posing a serious safety risk not only to myself but also to other motorists. A Pennsylvania State Police officer arrived on the scene and assisted by pushing the vehicle across three active lanes of traffic while in neutral, performing a battery jump with a brand new battery of five months, and escorting me home to ensure I was safe. This situation was both dangerous and unacceptable, especially considering that the failure stemmed from a system designed for emissions/fuel efficiency, not safety. The Auto Start-Stop feature in this vehicle clearly introduces critical failure points without adequate redundancy or reliability, particularly in real-world driving conditions. Additionally, I contacted my local Chevrolet dealership and spoke directly with a technician in the service department. He confirmed that they have had multiple customers reporting similar failures with the Auto Start-Stop system. According to him, this is not an isolated incident, and in several cases, it has placed drivers in equal danger. I am formally requesting: An investigation into this incident, Information on any existing Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) or recalls related to this failure, A full inspection of the vehicle at GM’s expense, And a report on what steps GM is taking to prevent similar failures from putting other drivers in harm’s way.

To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this formal complaint regarding my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox and the repeated failure of its brake vacuum pump. This is not an isolated repair issue. I have had the brake vacuum pump replaced or repaired three separate times, and each failure has placed my safety, and the safety of others, at serious risk. The first failure was the most terrifying. While driving approximately 65 miles per hour on my way to work, I suddenly applied the brakes and discovered that I had almost no braking assistance. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and the vehicle failed to slow down as expected. I was fortunate that traffic conditions allowed me to avoid a catastrophic accident. Had another vehicle stopped suddenly in front of me, or had a pedestrian entered the roadway, the outcome could have been fatal. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated event. The brake vacuum pump has failed two additional times, resulting in similar symptoms, including the sudden loss of brake assist and an extremely hard brake pedal. Each occurrence has left me questioning whether my vehicle is safe to operate. I recently learned that General Motors is facing a proposed nationwide class action lawsuit alleging that certain Chevrolet Equinox vehicles suffer from a defective brake vacuum pump that can fail without warning. According to the lawsuit, this defect causes a sudden loss of power brake assist, significantly increasing stopping distances and creating a serious safety hazard. The lawsuit also alleges that GM was aware of brake vacuum pump issues through technical service bulletins and customer complaints dating back several years. My personal experience mirrors these allegations exactly. The failures on my vehicle occurred without warning and created an immediate safety emergency. The fact that I have experienced this same dangerous failure three separate times strongly suggests that replacing the component alone has not corrected the underlying defect.

SAFETY VEHICLE COMPLAINT / DEFECT REPORT Vehicle: 2019 Chevrolet Equinox Complaint Type: Brake Failure / Loss of Braking Ability / Vehicle Malfunction Incident Date: XXX Location: [XXX] Request: Safety defect investigation Description of Incident On XXX, while my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox was being operated in the [XXX] area after exiting the highway, the vehicle experienced a serious and potentially life-threatening malfunction. As the vehicle approached a situation requiring the driver to stop, the brake pedal was pressed, but the vehicle did not stop as expected. The brake pedal went completely to the floor, and there was little to no braking response from the vehicle. At the same time, the vehicle experienced additional significant mechanical/electrical problems. The vehicle would not properly shift into gear, and the vehicle began flickering/shaking and malfunctioning. The combination of loss of braking ability and the inability to properly shift the vehicle created an extremely dangerous situation. A failure of the braking system while the vehicle is being operated on or near a highway presents a serious risk of a crash, injury, or death. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by a mechanic. I was informed that the issue was possibly related to the fuel pump, although the cause of the brake failure and the other vehicle malfunctions has not been definitively established. I am requesting that this incident be formally documented and investigated as a potential safety defect involving the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. My primary concern is that the vehicle experienced a complete or near-complete loss of braking ability, with the brake pedal going to the floor and the vehicle failing to stop normally. The simultaneous inability to shift gears and additional vehicle malfunction makes this particularly concerning. I believe this issue warrants investigation to determine whether there is a recurring defect . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO

The power liftgate on my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox experienced a sudden mechanical failure without warning. I pushed the automatic liftgate button and the liftgate raised normally. Once raised, the upper mounting bolt securing the power liftgate actuator severed. The actuator broke loose, struck the rear taillight assembly and pushed it outward approximately one inch, and the liftgate came crashing down without warning. My [XXX] grandson was approaching the rear of the vehicle to retrieve his golf clubs. Fortunately, he had not yet reached the area beneath the liftgate when it fell. Had he or another person been standing beneath it, I believe the sudden uncontrolled closing of the liftgate could have caused serious injury. The failure was confirmed during repair by an independent mechanic who is a former GM mechanic. He had considerable difficulty extracting the severed mounting bolt and repaired the actuator/bolt failure at a cost of approximately $400. The mechanic retained the failed parts, including the severed bolt, and they are available for inspection upon request. The actuator also displaced the rear taillight assembly. The mechanic attempted to reseat it, but the taillight still does not sit flush with the vehicle, so damage resulting from the incident remains. The vehicle and failed components have not been inspected by GM, police, or an insurance representative. I reported the incident to General Motors and received a GM case number. GM declined reimbursement because the repair was performed outside a GM dealership. There were no warning lamps, warning messages, or other symptoms that I noticed before the failure. The liftgate appeared to operate normally until the sudden failure.I reported the incident to GM under case #XXX and requested the case be reopened because the taillight remains displaced and does not sit flush. The failed parts, including the severed bolt, were retained by my mechanic and are available for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT