2018 Chevrolet Equinox Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 118 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, 29% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 62,144 miles. The words owners use most often: “vacuum pump” (37% of reports).
- 118service brakes complaints
- 62,144median miles at failure
- 9mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 41%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Vacuum pump: mentioned in 44 of 118 complaints (37%)
- Brake assist: mentioned in 35 of 118 complaints (30%)
- Extremely hard: mentioned in 7 of 118 complaints (6%)
- Brakes failed: mentioned in 7 of 118 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 29 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 118 complaints, 9 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Chevrolet Equinox service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Equinox | 18 | 25% | 1,100 |
| 2025 Equinox | 26 | 11% | — |
| 2024 Equinox | 11 | 14% | — |
| 2023 Equinox | 14 | 14% | — |
| 2022 Equinox | 6 | 3% | — |
| 2021 Equinox | 8 | 8% | 10,998 |
| 2020 Equinox | 99 | 32% | 6,550 |
| 2019 Equinox | 70 | 23% | 10,500 |
| 2018 Equinox | 118 | 29% | 62,144 |
| 2017 Equinox | 7 | 3% | 35,000 |
| 2016 Equinox | 5 | 1% | 22,000 |
| 2015 Equinox | 15 | 2% | 35,700 |
| 2014 Equinox | 12 | 2% | 7,300 |
| 2013 Equinox | 12 | 2% | 14,693 |
| 2012 Equinox | 12 | 2% | 60,500 |
| 2011 Equinox | 24 | 3% | 82,412 |
| 2010 Equinox | 22 | 3% | 82,417 |
| 2009 Equinox | 2 | 2% | 70,000 |
| 2008 Equinox | 6 | 2% | 47,107 |
| 2007 Equinox | 17 | 2% | 87,932 |
| 2006 Equinox | 63 | 9% | 100,000 |
| 2005 Equinox | 45 | 7% | 94,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper
Problem: 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: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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 difficult to turn. I believed I had lost normal braking ability and had…
In my chevy equinox 2018 my vacuum pump and brake booster failed when I was driving and I could not brake. I slid into the gravel side of the road on the 138, luckily there were not alot of traffic at the time cause I would have caused a major accident. Never had any braking issue till now. Now…
While I was getting off the freeway, my vehicle displayed the âService Brake Assistâ warning. When I attempted to brake, the brake pedal became extremely hard and would not respond normally. The vehicle would not stop normally when I pressed the brake pedal. I was almost involved in a crash…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Chevrolet Equinoxs have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 118 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox (29% of the 409 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox service brakes?
Yes: 1 safety recall list service brakes. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 62,144 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox?
The most frequent phrase is “vacuum pump”, in 44 of 118 complaints, followed by “brake assist” (35).
Other 2018 Chevrolet Equinox problems
See all 2018 Chevrolet Equinox problems or service brakes problems across all Equinox years.