2018 Chevrolet Equinox: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
43%
162 of 378 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
43% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 52% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 25 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 40%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM01/05/2026FIRE2 INJURED
My wife and I were driving to Galveston on I-45 and were driving through La Marque when our car suddenly lost power. I started moving over to the outside lane and went to turn on the emergency lights. I realized the lights were already on. We heard a thump and thought that the serpentine belt had broken and that the en…
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/15/2023CRASH2 INJURED
At 12pm on June 11, 2023 I was parked in a church sparking lot in East Rochester and was facing the church's stone wall. My vehicle was only 2 feet from the was when the car accelerated toward the wall and all of the airbags opened and the hood and side panels were affected causing the vehicle was considered totaled by…
POWER TRAIN02/23/2022CRASH1 INJURED
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that after parking in the driveway and switching the shifter to the park position the driver exited and moments later the vehicle erroneously rolled backward down the driveway. The driver attempted to get back into the moving vehicle and fell causing the veh…
Three of 162 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (5)
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
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 vehicle…
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
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 LaC…
VISIBILITY
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, th…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
5 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
