Complaint volume
288 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
288 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Chevrolet Equinox, grouped by component category.
Buyer interpretation
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
288 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
The most common categories are engine, service brakes, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Enriched records include 21 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage is available on 127 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 27,001 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
288 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the braking system became inoperable, and the brakes unexpectedly locked up with no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved trouble code TSB-21NA268. The contact was informed that the brake vacuum pump connected to the crankshaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 61,000 |
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | Vacuum pump went out while driving down the interstate causing hard breaking. Break pedal was extremely hard to push down putting us at risk of not being able to break in time. There were on and off alerts to service breaks assist, however it was not consistently an alert. We replaced the vacuum pump and the issue seems to be resolved. The pump is not available as we tossed it in the trash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Vacuum pump failed: On May 28th, 2025 the brake pedal on our 2019 Chevrolet Equinox became very hard along with check engine light, a "Reduced Power" notification, and "Brake Assist Failure" notification. After a mechanic inspected the engine, he found that the vacuum pump had shattered. The mechanic replaced the pump with an OEM replacement from GM. On May 11th, 2026 the same exact issue happened again. 1. The vehicle and/or part is available for inspection. 2. Anyone driving or riding in the vehicle is at risk due to the difficulty of braking. 3. The vehicle/component has not been inspected by the manufacturer since the 2nd incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission system failed abruptly. I pulled away from a stoplight, had accelerated to 20-25 mph, and then the car came to a sudden stop, as if someone had put on an emergency brake. It continued to act as if the brake was on when I tried to go forward or reverse. I put it into neutral so that I could push it off the road. I realized it would drive slowly in neutral, so I drove it less than a mile back to my workplace. Regarding safety, I nearly got rear-ended when the car stopped suddenly. This endangered me and the other driver. I was headed to the freeway, then would have been crossing a bridge, to get home, so the danger could have been amplified. The dealership's service manager told me that something internally had failed in the transmission. As far as I know they haven't taken it apart to find out what internally failed. They told me that the transmission needed to be replaced. As far as I know, no one has inspected the internal components of the transmission. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to this incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | I was trying to stop at a light and the brakes wouldn't work. I almost crashed into the car in front of me but I had to step on it really hard to stop. Then the brakes were stiff and it was hard to stop. I brought it to a Chevy dealer yesterday and they said the vacuum pump exploded and pieces were in the engine, and it messed up the cam shaft. This is 5l worth of damage. When I looked it up online it seems this has been an issue with GM cars and the equinox was left out of the recall which could have prevented this. I have 95k miles on this car and never had an issue until now. However it is not worth spending 5k on a car that is high in mileage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | AIR BAGS | Air bags did not deploy at all on passenger side after collision with a utility pole. Once vehicle stopped drivers side air bag was release but did not deploy the way it should to prevent injury. SUV was totaled per insurance company due to extensive damage on passenger side | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving approximately 80 MPH, the brakes failed to operate properly while the brake pedal was depressed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the brake pump had exploded, causing damage to the camshaft sensors and several other parts inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched the failure and became aware of a recall associated with the failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 102,000 |
| Apr 2026 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while reversing from a complete stop, the rearview camera and beeping sound were inoperable, causing the vehicle to crash into an electrical grid. The liftgate and the rear bumpers were damaged. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a related recall, and the vehicle was not covered under warranty due to the mileage and age. The vehicle was taken to Ronco's Autobody Tire & Wheel, where it was determined that the liftgate, the rear bumpers, and the cameras needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle would need to be repaired at the owner's expense. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | 94,000 |
| Apr 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 45 MPH and exiting the parkway, the brake pedal was depressed but remained depressed to the floorboard. The contact's husband attempted to pump the brake pedal, but the vehicle was unresponsive and failed to slow down as intended. The contact's husband then shifted to neutral(N), and the parking brake was activated until the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake booster pump or vacuum pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 81,000 |
| Apr 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | On Monday 12/22 at around 10:30am, I was driving back from Stanford CA where I have been taking my mom to her radiation therapy appointments. All of a sudden my brakes got super hard (Service Brake Assist appeared) and when pressing the brake pedal it continued to accelerate, I was able to swerve to my right hand side went over a curved side wall and pulled over before almost crashing the car in front of me and scaring my mom that was resting her head on the side seat. Vehicle has OnStar but prior to this it had not given me any alerts that is what caused such concern as it directly affects braking performance and Vehicle safety specially about this happend 8 months after purchase and No recalls are listed for my VIN. I had to call my brother to pick up mom because she has been delicate of health with cancer pain and couldn't wait long for towing truck to arrive since I used my insurance AAA to tow my car. After doing research this is a known malfunction and they are still selling the vehicles with a high price. My car has been in repair for over 3 months and still waiting. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | My brakes stopped working while driving on highway I80 West. I had to have AAA tow my car to nearby shop. The mechanic said my vacuum pump needed to be replaced and he sees this happen often with Chevrolets. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On multiple occasions my vehicle (2019 equinox LT) that I bought just over 30 days ago has falsely activated the forward collision feature and slammed on its own brakes followed by “service ESC” and “service brake assist” with traction control lights and stability control lights illuminating. Dealership has confirmed that 4 computer modules are out of date on programming/updates. This is a critical safety issue and I am unsure why it hasn’t been recalled as I have read multiple instances of this. Unfortunately because it has not it is a hefty repair bill. When this happened the last time before heading into the dealership, there was a vehicle behind me that could’ve rammed into my rear due to the sudden and excessive braking at highway speeds when I was pressing on the gas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The instrument cluster and driver information center is completely blank, and none of the steering wheel controls are operating. Vehicle starts and runs normally, but no indication of speed, turn signals, headlights, gas level, etc. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ENGINE | Air filter box housing top came off. Loss of power. Found that screws are used instead of a latch system. They had been wrenched down after last oil change and cracked the screw housing which is plastic. Filter housing came loose allowed more air and dirt to come into the housing box. Loss of fuel economy. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | My wife and I were in our car driving on [XXX] on [XXX] at about 4:30 in the afternoon. I was about three car lengths behind the car in front of me and I was doing 30-32 miles per hour. The brake lights in front of me went to red and I immediately stepped on my brakes but my car would not stop nor slow down causing me to hit the person in front of me. It was a matter of seconds passing but when I hit the back of that car in front of me I had both feet on the brake pedal. My car would not stop. My wife was injured, the young lady that I hit hurt her leg and the back end of her car was destroyed. Our car was totaled. The vehicle is now in possession of AAA auto insurance where I was told the brakes would be looked in to. I will be placing a call to the General Motors customer service to lodge a complaint. There were no warning signs of any type prior to this accident. This car is a 2019 model with only 30,200 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 3 Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | This issue presents a serious safety concern. During the initial occurrence, the vehicle was unable to sustain highway speeds for extended periods (approximately 10 minutes or more). When coming to a stop, the vehicle would shake, rev unexpectedly, lose power, and shut off completely. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate, creating a hazardous situation, especially in traffic. The condition has since worsened. The same symptoms now occur upon starting the vehicle and during the warm-up period, increasing the risk of sudden engine shutdown without warning. Additionally, a distinct “gulping” sound is coming from the rear of the vehicle, raising concern that the fuel system may be compromised. No diagnostic or pending fault codes are present, and the local dealership has been unable to identify the cause. The vehicle has fewer than 100,000 miles. Due to the unpredictable loss of power and engine shutdown, this issue poses an immediate safety risk to the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | A "Reduced Engine Power" warning in a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT usually indicates the car has entered "limp mode" to protect the engine, most commonly caused by a dirty/faulty throttle body, loose Charge Air Cooler (CAC) tube, or sensor issues (MAF/TPS). Common codes include P0299 (turbo underboost). When this occurs, I cannot utilize my remote starter. I purchased an Innova OBD2 Code Reader, connected it to the vehicle and this code P0299 populated. There has been a few times that the engine light would go off, then I was able to use the remote starter to start the engine. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | SEATS | My 2019 Chevy Equinox, LT model has experienced issues where the seat will no longer recline. Seat that raises but won't recline is likely caused by a faulty seat control switch, a jammed recline actuator/gear, or a broken wire, rather than a blown fuse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 35 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the turbocharger had failed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Jan 2026 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Could smell gas, looked under car saw gas dripping on driveway, coming from area where fuel tank is located, looks like it is coming from top of tank. Gas seems to leak only when tank is full and the outside temperature is cold ,below 20 degrees. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | AIR BAGS | The contact's boyfriend owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH and decelerating to 50 MPH to switch lanes, the vehicle drove over an icy road surface and spun. The contact attempted to turn the wheel and depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle crashed into the left guard rail, and the vehicle then crashed into the right guard rail and came to an abrupt stop. The contact stated that the vehicle sustained significant front-end damage. The air bags failed to deploy. Several warning lights were illuminated after the crash. The vehicle owner was occupying the front passenger's seat during the incident. A police report was filed. The tow truck driver transported both passengers of the vehicle to a gas station. Both the contact and her boyfriend were picked up from the gas station and were dropped to the residence by the brother of the vehicle owner. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact later had headaches, body soreness, and stiffness. The contact went to the Emergency room and was informed that she had sustained a sprained left rib, whiplash, and a concussion. The contact's boyfriend sustained a sore pinky. The contact stated that the insurance company was currently assessing the vehicle damage. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 99,500. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | 99,500 |
| Jan 2026 | SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Ever since we’ve had the 2019 Chevrolet equinox which was purchased in 2019 from Capital Chevrolet in Montgomery, Alabama, the seats and the side mirrors both will not stay programmed. The dealership kept telling us there was nothing wrong and kept telling us how to program the seats and the side mirrors, per key fob. This was done over and over and still did not work. every time the vehicle is cut off and when the vehicle is re-entered we have to reset the side mirrors and seats every single time. The vehicle is no longer under warranty, but we were wondering if there would be any way to have it fixed free of charge. Or if you have any idea on what we can do to make the settings work properly. Please advise. I have listed below my email address, my cell phone, and my home number. Thanks, [XXX] [XXX] my email [XXX] cell [XXX] home INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | Repaired a friend's vehicle that had a total brake failure. Vehicle only has 50k miles and no brake repair history. Blew all of the brake fluid out of the stainless braided line coming from master cylinder rear brake channel to abs module. Found the line coming from the front channel to master cylinder also starting to fray and come apart as well. Did not blow out yet. No evidence of brake lines rubbing on any components or that anything has been apart or touched before. Line looks to have failed from the inside out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Symptoms started, changing gears while driving, delayed start at lights on a slant, stalled acceleration on interstate from slowspeed ——-took it in and they said the accumulator is bad and has likely messed up the transmission. They recommended a new transmission for $7000+. Researched and found many 2019s had been recalled for this issue, in 2022, but this one was not. I am wondering why it was not, because now I have a bad transmission at 150,000 miles. Why was this vin not recalled in 2022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, when the vehicle in front stopped suddenly, the contact depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle slowed down; however, it did not stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal twice, and the vehicle failed to respond and rear-ended the vehicle in front, where it came to a stop. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. All the air bags were deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The insurance company was notified, and the vehicle was declared a total loss. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V704000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). However, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |