2020 Chevrolet EQUINOX

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Chevrolet EQUINOX has 457 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 5.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is brakes problems (22% of all complaints), specifically: tl* the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet equinox. while driving 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle started to shake excessively. the check engine warning light and traction control warning light were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to jim trenary chevrolet located at 501 auto mall . ⚠️ 10 fire reports filed.

10 fire reports 22 crash reports 9 injuries

457

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

5.7x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

BRAKES

100 complaints

22%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE EXCESSIVELY. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JIM TRENARY CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 501 AUTO MALL
• RECEIVED "SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST" ON CAR DASHBOARD. WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. WENT TO 3 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, THE 1ST 2 WOULD NOT PROVIDER A LOANER VEHICLE TO ME WHILE CAR WAS BEING REPAIRED. NOTE THE CAR WAS PURCHASE ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND HAS 1200 MILES O
• WHENEVER I BACKUP I HEAR A SQUEAL NOISE WHEN I PUT MY BRAKE ON TO PUT IT IN DRIVE. I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW AND IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR A MONTH NOW.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 8 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE EXCESSIVELY. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JIM TRENARY CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 501 AUTO MALL ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

86 complaints

19%

• VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST ENGINE RESPONSE REACTION TO ACCELERATION PEDDLE FROM A YIELD TURN INTO MAIN ROAD. FROM THE YIELD, SLOW ROLLING LESS THAN 1 MILE PER HOUR, I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO MERGE INTO THE MAIN ROAD AND THE VEHICLE HAD ZERO RESPONSE FOR NEARLY 30 FEET. IF THERE WAS A CAR COMING
• EQUINOX HAS 4636 MILES AND ALL THREE TIMES IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN IN SNOW A SERVICE ESC MESSAGE COMES ON DASH AND TRACTION CONTROL AND STABILITY CONTROL ARE TURNED OFF ALONG WITH AWD. ONE TIME WAS HIGHWAY DRIVING, AND OTHER TWO TIMES ON A LOCAL STREET. ALSO WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE DASH MESS
• THIS COMPLAINT IS NOT THE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT, BUT TO PREVENT ONE FROM HAPPENING AND POSSIBLE TAKING LIVES OF PEOPLE. THE KEEP LANE ASSIST (LKA) IS DANGEROUS IN THAT IF YOU ARE DEPENDING ON IT. THERE ARE OCCASIONS THAT NORMAL TRAFFIC LINES ARE PRESENT AND FOR SOME REASON THE JUST DISAPPEAR AND

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST ENGINE RESPONSE REACTION TO ACCELERATION PEDDLE FROM A YIELD TURN INTO MAIN ROAD. FROM THE YIELD, SLOW ROLLING LESS THAN 1 MILE PER HOUR, I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO MERGE INTO THE MAIN ROAD AND THE VEHICLE HAD ZERO RESPONSE FOR NEARLY 30 FEET. IF THERE WAS A CAR COMING ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

53 complaints

12%

• THE SECOND DAY AFTER PURCHASING MY VEHICLE AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, ACCELERATING, THE CAR STARTED TO FILL UP WITH GAS FUMES!
• PULLING OUT OF CARWASH.TURNING LEFT IN CARWASH LOT. CAR ENGINE REVED UP, CAR LUNGED FORWARD AT HIGH SPEED. SLAMMED ON BRAKE BUT BRAKE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. CAR THEN SIDE SWIPED CARWASH VACUUM SYSTEM ON PASSENGER SIDE SCRAPING AND DENTING BOTH PASSENGER SIDE DOORS. THREW CAR INTO PARK AND SH
• WHEN WE BOUGHT THE 2020 EQUINOX ON JANUARY 20, 2020 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEY KEPT IT 2 DAYS DIAGNOSING IT AND IT SAID A FUEL SYSTEM PROBLEM AND THEY TOLD US THAT THEY CONTACTED GM ENGINEERS WHO WERE LOOKING INTO IT AND TO GO AHEAD AND DRIVE IT WITH THE LIGHT ON TILL THEY GOT BACK WITH

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“THE SECOND DAY AFTER PURCHASING MY VEHICLE AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, ACCELERATING, THE CAR STARTED TO FILL UP WITH GAS FUMES!”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

45 complaints

10%

• IN -13 DEGREE FARENHEIT, THE VEHICLE LOCKED ME OUT. KEY FOB LEFT INSIDE VEHICLE FOR 45 MIN, ENGINE OFF, PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. REMOTE START FROM INSIDE BUILDING DID NOT WORK DUE TO FOB IN CAR. ONCE I ARRIVED BACK A THE VEHICLE I FOUND THE DOORS LOCKED, DOOR HANDLE UNLOCK BUTTON UNRESPONSIVE WIT
• CAR HAS A PROBLEM WITH MOLD IN THE CONDENSER AND A ODOR THAT CAN'T BE CORRECTED. PROBLEM IS WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS RUNNING., AND BECOMES A PROBLEM TO MY BREATHING. AFTER LOOKING ON LINE IT SEAMS TO BE CALLED DIRTY SOCK SYNDROME. THIS WAS ALSO SMELLED IN THE RENTAL EQUINOX THAT WAS PROVIDED. THI
• WHEN ACCELERATING THE CAR BEGINS TO SHAKE AND SHIMMY NOTICEABLY BEGINNING AROUND 35 OR 40 MPH. THIS SHAKING IS FELT IN THE SEAT AS WELL AS THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VIBRATION CONTINUES UNTIL THE ACCELERATION IS HALTED. THIS SHAKING FEELS LIKE IT IS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION OR DRIVE SHAFT. IT SEEM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“IN -13 DEGREE FARENHEIT, THE VEHICLE LOCKED ME OUT. KEY FOB LEFT INSIDE VEHICLE FOR 45 MIN, ENGINE OFF, PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. REMOTE START FROM INSIDE BUILDING DID NOT WORK DUE TO FOB IN CAR. ONCE I ARRIVED BACK A THE VEHICLE I FOUND THE DOORS LOCKED, DOOR HANDLE UNLOCK BUTTON UNRESPONSIVE WIT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

37 complaints

• VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST ENGINE RESPONSE REACTION TO ACCELERATION PEDDLE FROM A YIELD TURN INTO MAIN ROAD. FROM THE YIELD, SLOW ROLLING LESS THAN 1 MILE PER HOUR, I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO MERGE INTO THE MAIN ROAD AND THE VEHICLE HAD ZERO RESPONSE FOR NEARLY 30 FEET. IF THERE WAS A CAR COMING
• MY 2020 EQUINOX HAS LESS THAN 500 MILES AND OVER THE WEEKEND, WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT, THE FORWARD COMPLETELY DISENGAGED AND WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO MOVE FORWARD. WE COULD ONLY GO REVERSE. WE HAD OUR 5 YEAR OLD GRANDSON WITH US AND THIS WAS TERRIFYING. IT COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS
• OUR NEW CAR IS 3 MONTHS OLD AND 500 MILES STATING TO LEAK OIL. DEALER SAID IT'S LEAKING FROM TRANSMISSION.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 457 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
BRAKES: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE EXCESSIVELY. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JIM TRENARY CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 501 AUTO MALL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST ENGINE RESPONSE REACTION TO ACCELERATION PEDDLE FROM A YIELD TURN INTO MAIN ROAD. FROM THE YIELD, SLOW ROLLING LESS THAN 1 MILE PER HOUR, I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO MERGE INTO THE MAIN ROAD AND THE VEHICLE HAD ZERO RESPONSE FOR NEARLY 30 FEET. IF THERE WAS A CAR COMING
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: THE SECOND DAY AFTER PURCHASING MY VEHICLE AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET, ACCELERATING, THE CAR STARTED TO FILL UP WITH GAS FUMES!
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: IN -13 DEGREE FARENHEIT, THE VEHICLE LOCKED ME OUT. KEY FOB LEFT INSIDE VEHICLE FOR 45 MIN, ENGINE OFF, PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. REMOTE START FROM INSIDE BUILDING DID NOT WORK DUE TO FOB IN CAR. ONCE I ARRIVED BACK A THE VEHICLE I FOUND THE DOORS LOCKED, DOOR HANDLE UNLOCK BUTTON UNRESPONSIVE WIT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)