2018 Chevrolet Equinox problems & reliability
407 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 23, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
17 complaints report injuries (30 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles were involved in 209 fatal crashes with 121 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 118 | 29% |
| Engine → | 86 | 21% |
| Power Train → | 65 | 16% |
| Electrical System → | 61 | 15% |
| Unknown / Other | 55 | 14% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 33 | 8% |
| Structure → | 17 | 4% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 16 | 4% |
| Air Bags → | 15 | 4% |
| Steering → | 15 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 26 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 177 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 27,450 miles (middle 50% between 9,500 and 67,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Chevrolet 2018 Equinox with 2.0L has a fail for no OBD communication. The vehicle was take to two separate Smog Local State Inspections; however, the vehicle failed to communicate with the system. I believe from looking at previous complaints on NHTSA that the vehicle has a module with defects and needs to be…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 16, 2026
“My 2018 Chevrolet Equinox 1.5L developed an active gasoline leak. After the vehicle is cranked/started, gasoline begins leaking from underneath the front/engine area and forms a visible puddle on the ground. Prior to discovering the leak, the vehicle had intermittent hard-starting symptoms where the engine would…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 15, 2026
“Unknown 2018 chevy equinox is known that the radio goes out, even after reset or hard reset (disconnect battery) the screen is black no sounds or music plays and the biggest safety related is no reverse camera”
Electrical System · filed Sep 15, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
1,336 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The 10 most recent:
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 4, 2026
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This preliminary information discusses a condition that may arise from the drivers window switch sending an errant message causing the vehicle to enter manual fob learn mode.
PIT5992B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
13598 · Other · issued Sep 9, 2025
This preliminary information advises technicians the heater hose clamps are one time use only.
PIT5578E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 27, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 27,450 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.