Complaint volume
278 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
2020 Chevrolet Equinox Complaints
278 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox, grouped by component category.
278 Total complaints
20 Crash reports
6 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are service brakes, fuel/propulsion system, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 20 crash reports, 6 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 78 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 33,548 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to service brakes, fuel/propulsion system, engine?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Chevrolet Equinox?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Chevrolet Equinox
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox complaints?
20 Crash
6 Fire
9 Injury
1 Fatality
27 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Chevrolet Equinox complaint categories?
SERVICE BRAKES 40
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 25
ENGINE 23
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12
POWER TRAIN 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5
278 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | While driving the Brake pedal became very hard to press and stopping distance increased greatly. the check engine light and service brake light on the dash became illuminated. After looking online it became apparent that there are a lot of people with Chevrolet vehicles equipped with the 1.5L engine that had the same problem and the cause was a faulty vacuum pump. I removed the vacuum pump and it has broken pieces that have fallen off of it and are now inside of the engine and will need more engine components removed to have access to remove all of the metal fragments. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | We received a message on our in car display that said reduced engine power and the check engine light came on. We stopped, we raised the hood to investigate and there was oil all over the engine and engine compartment, as well as under the vehicle. The oil dipstick was out of its place by about 2”-2 1-2” That is where the oil came from. When I refilled the crankcase to replace the engine oil that was lost, it took about 3-3 1/2 quarts to refill (oil capacity is 4.5 quarts). When taken to the dealer for service, they said there was gasoline in the oil and that the engine oil needed to be changed. Once the oil was changed and the vehicle was test driven, the dealership said there was no gas in the oil, but gave no explanation as to what caused the oil dipstick to become raised from its normal position allowing the oil to escape. Oil and gas could cause a fire on board the vehicle. Oil could also get on the tires as well as the highway, causing a loss of traction and control of the vehicle, as well as other vehicles and drivers that ran into the oil/gas that fell from the vehicle to the road surface. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that as she slows to a stop and depresses the brake pedal the vehicle jerks and goes backward before coming to a full stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to a local dealer or mechanic and was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a constant smell of gasoline vapor in the cabin which makes the contact dizzy. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The vehicle studders, stops, stalls, and or dies upon starting the car. It is due to lack of fuel to fuel rail. The trouble it produces is P129F nothing else. Even trying to prime the vehicles fuel pump following manufacturers steps for doing so does not work. The only way I have been able to get it to have fuel to the rails (reliably) is to push it and jump in and try to start it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | I had just exited off of the highway and I was approaching the red light ahead my brakes became hard to push and they did not stop the vehicle. I ran through the red light in sheer panic. Was able to pull into a bank parking lot and when I turned the vehicle off and then back on the "brake assist" notification came up. I called my local Chevy Service but at that point I was on a trip from Fort Worth to Houston and was halfway in the middle closest to Waco. I drove it to the nearest dealership 30 miles. I had to leave the vehicle for 5 days. The diagnoses was no vacuum to brake booster pump. A total of $504. They said pumps are not included in powertrain warranty and I just passed the bumper to bumper warranty. I Had to get a hotel for the night. Then get a family member to drive 3 1/2 hours to come get me and my 2 daughters. My main concern is if anybody else had been coming through that intersection when my brakes failed it could have been a really bad accident. I had gone from a 75mph speed limit and was still going 35 mph when they stopped working. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | Vehicle intermittent brake catches, lights come sometimes, door locks open and close, engine light comes on and last time system locked completely and could get vehicle into gear. Had to have it towed. Second time into dealer service, now on 4th week and GM factory unable to determine problem and solution. Copy of my letter sent to General Motors for remedy of my Equinox problems not solved. Consumer's 2020 Chevrolet Equinox has developed multiple defects that cannot be fixed.. The brakes will suddenly catch, the lights come on on their own, door locks will lock and unlock intermittently and it will lock up so we cannot get it into gear. The engine light remains on. First in for service 4/18/22 for one week. Problem not fixed. Now in second time and dealer has had it for three weeks. GM techs have been unable to determine problem solutions... (Car interior torn apart). | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STEERING | 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. CONSTITUENT STATED THAT THEY EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE POWER STEERING DIED. THE DRIVER HAD DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE AND SWIPED A GUARDRAIL. THE VEHICLE DID NOT INDICATE AN ISSUE UNTIL AFTER THE FAILURE OCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE COLLISION CAUSED THE POWER STEERING TO FAIL, BUT REFUSED TO SEND THE CONSUMER THE REPORT. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | March 8, 2022 Purchased the 2020 Chevy Equinox March 23, 2022 The car was jerking while driving making it dangerous. I tried to bring it to the service department but was told to leave the car which I did from 7:00 am -4:00 pm and no diagnosis within that time. March 30, 2022 Dropped the car off at Autonation Chevy Pembroke Pines April 5, 2022- Shev service advisor states the converter in the transmission needs to be replaced. April 19, 2022- Picked up car April 20, 2022 Car is jerking EVEN WORSE WHILE DRIVING!!! April 22, 2022 Car is BACK IN THE CHEVY SERVICE department April 30, 2022 Told to pick up car and now the problem was a FUEL PUMP IN THE ENGINE May 2, 2022 Picked up car, drove one block car is still jerking while driving (UNSAFE) May 6, 2022- Service manager states car is jerking and not only jerking it STALLED while driving with him!!!! As a matter of fact, it has a history of 5 service repairs where it stalled. This information WAS NOT disclosed to me. This car is not SAFE!!! The car is still in the service department. I DO NOT want that car. I want a car that is SAFE!!! REPLACEMENT CAR!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driving down a state road going about 60 miles an hour. it’s 49° outside and raining. I had the heat on. the next thing I know there’s a loud bang and glass everywhere. for no apparent reason my sunroof exploded | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | STEERING,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car has been brought in three times for wobble at speeds of 39 mph accelerating shaking steering wheel. Dealer continues to just add weights to tires and problem does not go away. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | When my car is parked (no emergency brake on) on a SLIGHT incline & the driveway is completely dry, it slides down the driveway 10-20 feet in its own with the wheels turning. It has happened at 4 times & once someone was trying to get out & it was frightening. It’s ended up on the sidewalk where it could hit pedestrians. I can’t drive an UNSAFE vehicle & the dealer says since they can’t replicate it, they can’t fix it (as if I’m lying that it happened) & to just always use the emergency brake even though the car manual doesn’t say anything about that being how the car works. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The issue is not consistent so dealership will not be able to solve the issue. No warning lights. No components have not been inspected by manufacturer. Issue occurs when it wants to. When in auto stop and vechile wants to start back up, vechile loses all power, windshield wipers turn on for few seconds then vechile starts back up. Seems like a reset. This is very dangerous when sitting at Inersections. This is happened several times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | WHEELS | The spare tire from the factory doesn’t clear the brake caliper on the front hub. Was on a major highway in the rain and at nighttime with a flat tire. I went to put the spare on and it didn’t fit over the caliber. Had to put the flat back on then take the tire off the rear and put the spare on the rear and use the good rear tire to put on the front because the spare didn’t fit. I called GM they put a case together and I had the car looked at from the dealership with now outcome as of the date of this complaint. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle caught fire while parked and turned off. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ENGINE | Water pump failure noticed on 2/17/22. Engine noise sounded like loose engine belt. Car taken to Beaty Chevrolet dealership in Knoxville, TN. Problem confirmed failed water pump at 14,804 miles. Dealer replaced pump quickly. Concerned about long term engine issues due to water pump failure. No warning Lites or indication of failure from car systems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | TCS and ESC came off after a needed full throttle acceleration. This happened 3 times. After reading groups on the internet, seems is a common problem with the sensors on Equinox. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while pulling to a stoplight when they noticed the brakes squeaking and they began to smell like overheated brakes. The vehicle's brakes started dragging from the rear and the brake pad sticks to the roader. The failure occurred approximately 3-4 times. The dealer had not been able to identify the cause of the failure. The contact noticed that their failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19v704000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was made aware and confirmed their VIN was not included. The contact was directed to file a complaint with NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| Dec 2021 | STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | EXPERIENCED SEVERE SHAKING IN STEERING AND SUSPENSION WHILE ACCELERATING, USUALLY STARTING AT THE 2-3 SHIFT. AT 12,836 MILES LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT HALF SHAFTS FAILED DUE TO 'EXCESSIVE LATERAL RUNOUT' . BULLETIN 20-NA-227 APPLIED(AS PER DEALER) AND BOTH REPLACED. NOW AT 21,500 MILES, THE SAME ISSUES ARE OCCURRING AGAIN. WHEN IT HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER AND I'M CONCERNED SHOULD A TOTAL FAILURE OCCUR WHILE I'M DRIVING. INITIAL PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 4000 MILES BUT ONLY OCCURRED VERY SPORADICALLY. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2021 | SUSPENSION | The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle had intermittent shaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the front driver's and passenger's side axle shafts under TSB 20-NA-227. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,800. The VIN was invalid. | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,800 |
| Nov 2021 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The car started making a terrible noise. I went to the dealer. They said it was the transfer case. 10 days to get part. Now they say it’s the rear differential. Another 10 days. There was no warning on the dash. The fear for me is do a 6 hour trip. Afraid of what else can happen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an unknown speed, the power steering assist and brake assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake module to be replaced. The brake module was replaced, and the brake fluid was flushed. The vehicle was repaired but experienced failure the following day. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the shoulder nut on the brake module to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but experienced failure while leaving the dealer. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,418. THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A BAD BATTERY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,418 |
| Sep 2021 | AIR BAGS | While having the right of way driving thru an intersection, going approximately 40 mph, another vehicle disregarded a stop sign and t-boned my vehicle on the drivers side. My vehicle was pushed off the road and came to rest in a ditch. Impact was directly on the drivers side door which sustained severe damage. My vehicle also sustained damage to front corner panel along with damage to the rear driver side door. Driver side-impact curtain airbag did not deploy on my vehicle. My vehicle was declared a total loss by insurance company. The at faults front end sustained severe damage and driver and passenger front airbags both deployed. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 3 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | We purchased the car with an option package the specifically included fog lights. Because of local weather conditions and reduced driving related to the pandemic, we never had the need to use the fog lights. Recently, we were driving in the Finger Lake region of New York at night when fog started to form. That's when we realized the car was built with no fog light switch. Since returning home, I checked another car like it in the neighborhood. It too was built with fog lights and no fog light switch. I checked with GM and they indicated that there should be a specific control button to turn the fog lights on and off. It would be nice to be able to use the equipped fog lights when driving conditions include fog. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | TIRES | These tires came on my brand new car that is less than a year old (21000 miles). I went for an oil change and the dealership told me I have 3/32nds on my tires! Bridgestone new about the rapid wear of these tires but never sent out any kind of notification about it. My dealership had a bulletin about the tires premature wearing. (#20-NA-159) Bridgestone said they are offering to cover 40% of replacement cost if I get the same tires otherwise they aren't giving anything.....I would NEVER EVER get these tires on my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently to 20 mph with the steering wheel locked. The ESC message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact continued to drive to the residence. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as water leaking into the engine which caused the electronic failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | Unknown |