Reliable Auto DB

2018 Chevrolet Equinox reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 408 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox over 9 years — 49 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Equinox years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Automatic transmission, Caliper, and Fuel pump.

2012 Chevrolet Equinox
Photo by Ryan Daniel, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

408

Per year

49

Recalls

5

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (118 of 408), then Engine (86) and Powertrain (66). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Equinox has 273 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2019 has 301 complaints, 37 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2020-10-29 · NHTSA campaign 20V668000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-08-30 · NHTSA campaign 18V576000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Fuel pump 2018-05-31 · NHTSA campaign 18V358000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 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 18188.
Recall Visibility 2018-04-19 · NHTSA campaign 18V252000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles. The driver and front passenger door window glass may not be properly tempered. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 205, "Glazing Materials."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the glass in the front doors, free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18136.
Recall Driveshaft 2017-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 17V516000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles and 2017-2018 GMC Acadia vehicles. The right front intermediate driveshaft may fracture and separate while driving.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right front intermediate drive shaft assembly, free of charge. The recall began August 25, 2017. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17329.

Complaints by component (408 total)

Service brakes
118
Engine
86
Powertrain
66
Electrical system
61
Fuel and propulsion system
33
Structure
17
Forward collision avoidance
16
Air bags
15
Steering
15
Hydraulic brakes
14
Wheels
13
Speed control
11
Visibility and wipers
11
Engine and engine cooling
9
Fuel system, gasoline
8
Seat belts
7
Seats
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
6
Exterior lighting
6
Visibility
6
Lane departure
3
Tires
3
Parking brake
2
Equipment
1
Other or not sure
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

23

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

17

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

92017482018442019452020372021422022412023482024352025592026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Complete and sudden failure of Transmission involving the clutches (clutches are burned up inside the transmission). No warning or dash lights. Confirmed by mechanic and the solution is transmission replacement…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-23
  • "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…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-16
  • "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 2026-09-15
  • "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…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-15
  • "On approximately 09/04/2026, while driving my vehicle and slowing to a stop, I applied the brake pedal and it suddenly became extremely hard to depress. At approximately the same time, the steering became very stiff and…"
    Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-09-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV AWD Early Release 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV AWD Later Release 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV FWD Early Release 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV FWD Later Release 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Equinox all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic 9-speed All-wheel drive 22 28 24 MPG $3300
Equinox all-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 28 38 32 MPG $2950
Equinox all-wheel drive 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 24 30 26 MPG $2500
Equinox front-wheel drive 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 32 28 MPG $2300
Equinox front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic 9-speed Front-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $3200
Equinox front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 28 39 32 MPG $2950

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2018–2024
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (1.5L turbo and 2.0L turbo); 5W-30 (diesel where equipped) , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 225/65R17 to 235/50R19 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Owner complaints for the 2018 launch year include service brakes among the leading components. Recall 18V-576 covers certain 2018-2019 Equinox vehicles among other GM models: rear brake-caliper pistons may have insufficient coating so gas pockets form and reduce rear brake performance; dealers bleed the brake system. Recall 20V-668 covers certain 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles among other GM crossovers: the start/stop transmission accumulator end cap may have missing bolts, which can lead to a transmission fluid leak, possible loss of propulsion, and a fire risk if fluid contacts hot exhaust. Dealers inspect the accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing. Recall 23V-869 covers certain 2024 Chevrolet Equinox vehicles among other GM crossovers: door strikers may fracture so a door can open while driving; dealers replace all four door strikers and attaching bolts.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Chevrolet Equinox Next year 2019 Chevrolet Equinox See every Chevrolet Equinox model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox reliable?

Owners have filed 408 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox over 9 years — 49 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Equinox years on this site. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Automatic transmission, Caliper, and Fuel pump.

What are common problems with a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (118 of 408), then Engine (86) and Powertrain (66). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Equinox has 273 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2019 has 301 complaints, 37 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox been recalled?

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?

Owners have filed 408 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox is 27.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox?

3rd generation (2018-2024).

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Equinox use?

5W-30 (4-cylinder); 5W-30 (V6 where equipped)

What does NHTSA recall 16V-582 cover on the Chevrolet Equinox?

Recall 16V-582 covers certain 2013 Equinox and Terrain vehicles: ball joints in the windshield wiper module may corrode and wear until one or both wipers stop working; dealers repair the AIP hole and inspect and replace the front wiper module as needed.