2018 Chevrolet Equinox · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 131owner reports
- 65,000median miles
- $2,200median quote
- 10involved a crash
Newest report Aug 25, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026
131 of the 403 complaints on this car describe brake wear, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 Equinox.
Tick what matches of 131 reports
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the booster (21 reports), the ABS module (7 reports) and the pads and rotors (5 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the brakes covers the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
What owners paid
11 of the 131 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $250 to $4,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 49,967 and 107,000 miles, from the 51 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“No warnings or lights. Brakes failed taking vehicle out of garage with foster children. All maintenance was kept up. 55,900 miles. Towed to Nissan dealer where purchased. Shop didn't know the cause. Vehicle could not be repaired because the cause was never found. Could it happen again, out of the blue, without warning. Documents available on request only. Dates of incident may be off a bit.”
Filed Feb 25, 2024 · 55,900 miles
“the vacumm pump grenaded and sent metal chunks into the camshaft knocking the reluctant wheel out of position causing the car to shut down and lose brakes and power steering. There were no prior engine codes or warning. multiple mechanics verified this and it is a known issue. Gm needs to deal with this and should put out a recall. such a new vehicle should not need motor work at 70k miles!!”
Filed Dec 30, 2023 · 70,000 miles
“I was in an accident when my 2018 Chevy Equinox rear ended a stopped vehicle at a traffic light. There was significant damage to the front of my vehicle 12k plus. The emergency braking system did not activate, nor did the airbags. My wife experienced severe contusions to the chest area.we wonder why the emergency braking system or airbags failed to deploy.”
Filed Oct 18, 2023 · 19,712 miles
“While driving brakes suddenly became very hard to press. We could not stop our car. We luckily were in a toll plaza and not moving at high speed. This problem was scary , no warning and my family could have been harmed. We had a mechanic come and fix the problem, but this needs to be fixed.”
Filed Apr 8, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 10 of 131 reports involved a crash and 7 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 38 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 34 reports