2018 Chevrolet Equinox Engine Problems

While driving, your brake pedal suddenly became hard to push, making it difficult to slow down. You managed to coast into a parking lot and stop safely. When you tried to restart the car, it wouldn't start. The dealership found broken pieces from the vacuum pump and metal debris inside the engine, requiring a full engine replacement. This cost $6,225 even after GM provided a discount.

Your 2018 Chevrolet Equinox displays an "engine power reduced" warning message and suddenly loses power, slowing down to under 40 mph on highways. You took the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer who diagnosed transmission slipping, then spent $6,000 at AAMCO for repairs, but the warning light and power loss issue persist. The fix may involve diagnosing the underlying cause of the engine power reduction error—which could be related to transmission function, engine sensors, or the vehicle's onboard computer system.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the turbo charger failed to operate as designed, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that excessive pressure was needed to depress the accelerator pedal. The message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed due to a low coolant level. Additionally, the contact was adding 2-quarts of engine oil to the vehicle weekly. The contact stated there was oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. While checking the oil level, the contact saw smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact was made aware of the Special Coverage Program, NHTSA ID Number: 10171426 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Air Bags, Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the year vehicle was not included. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the oil line connected to the turbo charger; however, the oil leak persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox Premier. The engine connecting rod to the #1 piston separated, causing the engine to stop while the vehicle was in motion. The only warning light at the time was the tire pressure monitor system. The incident had no warning. My husband was driving the vehicle. Initially he thought the car blew a tire by the noise, but then the engine stopped/stalled while I was driving. He was able to get to a side road. The vehicle would not start. He smelled burnt rubber and then thought he broke a belt. He pushed the On-star button for roadside assistance. The car was towed to Ferman Chevolet, Adamoo Dr., Brandon, Florida where they inserted a camera scope and confirmed the rod separation. I do not have paperwork except to show they gave me $2500 towards a trade-in. Over the phone they said it would be $1800 to take apart the engine to confirm the separation. The mechanic suspected the engine was scarred as a result. It would cost $12,000 to replace it, or they could talk to the sales side and see if they can let us trade it in on a different car. We traded the vehicle in. I just saw news of another GM recall affecting the 6.2L V8 and thought it odd that the same thing happened to my vehicle, which is not included in the recall. The engine stall caused my husband to stall in the middle of the traffic lane on a side street. Had he not gotten to the side street in time, he would have blocked a traffic lane on a very busy road which could have resulted in a major accident with injuries.

This rare equinox has a Turbocharge issue that causes rapid engine power loss, and melting under the manifold and around the fuel injector pipes. The recent recalls do not include this GM made diesel equinox due to its rarity, and small consumer ownership of 506,775 units sold in its lifetime. However, GM has been just as negligent with this diesel 1.6L, as with the other major model lineup. Diesel particulate sensor goes bad every year around installation anniversary (previous recall). Stated every year in purchase anniversary month 10/2021, 10/2022

My son was coming home from work 3/26/2025 after 5 pm, when a warning message came on that said "Engine Power Reduced". My son attempted to pull over, however, the brakes did not work. This caused a definite safety risk to my son and others as he could not stop the vehicle. Gratefully, he was on the street and not on the freeway where speeds are higher which could have caused injury or possibly death. He found a clear area to pull over and put the car in park and pushed the start/stop button to turn off the car. The car had to be towed to my home. The car was towed to the repair shop 4/1/2025. There were no previous warning messages regarding the engine or otherwise until the day of the incident. The vehicle is currently in the shop and has been inspected.

Camshaft broke into pieces into the engine causing the vehicle to not run on the roadway with minors in the car.

Good afternoon I hope everyone is well. This complaint I'm filing for Turbocharger/Supercharger A under boost condition (P0299) with my daughters 2018 Chevy Equinox. When you research this error with Chevy/GM vehicles you'll see this impacts all vehicles, but Chevy/GM is only recalling their vehicles from 2022+. I've spoken with numerous auto mechanics throughout the United States, and every auto mechanic has stated this is an issue that impacts all Chevy and GM vehicles. Both Chevy and GM are deceiving everyone and there's a significant issue that requires Chevy and GM should address.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the "Engine Power Reduced" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle unintentionally went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the turbo charger assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo charger boost assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for the last time where it was diagnosed that once again the turbo charger boost assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,717.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pan had rusted and caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part to do the repair was on back order. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his fiancée was driving 15-20 MPH uphill, the vehicle jolted and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's fiancée was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact's fiancée was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the camshaft had fractured, causing the vacuum pump and the solenoid sensor to be fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided because the vehicle was out of Warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

The contact’s girlfriend owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated the girlfriend's vehicle was parked and would not start. The contact utilized a Nickson Industries Engine Heater Oil Product, CAT' Engine Heater 90-Watt Dipstick Heater 24-inch, Part number 15200, to heat the engine oil. However, a part of the dipstick heater melted off into the oil pan. No warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local mechanic who dropped the oil pan and removed the fragment from the dipstick heater. A new battery was installed, and the vehicle was inspected. The contact sent fragments of the dipstick heater to the manufacturer, and it was confirmed as a manufacturing failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while driving at various speeds in cold weather, the message "Caution. Engine Power Reduced" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the charge air cooler was replaced, and the CAC shutter, the temperature control valve and the winter grill cover were installed. Additionally, the ECM was reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: N222372590. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the contact noticed that the start of the vehicle was abnormal. The contact drove the vehicle out of the driveway and then into the garage. The contact stated an hour later while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact connected to a jump box to the battery and charged the battery for an hour. The contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the shift to park warning light remained illuminated. The contact purchased a new battery however, the vehicle failed to start. The battery was disconnected to prevent the battery from draining. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a voucher for the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000. The VIN was not available.

Car stopped working at 72K miles. sputtered, stopped, cranked but no start. P0017 error - which has a TSB on it. Camshaft position error. Chevy knows about the issue but just hopes it happens outside of warranty, which is not acceptable. Vacuum pump also had catastrophic failure.

Has had 2 codes come up for bad fuel injectors maybe more before it hit 50,000 miles dealer can't recreate cases a bad miss fire really surprised it runs

When backing into my drive way moving the gear from d to r the car will jump. This has made it to where I fear to park where I have to reverse. As well as when I started driving down the road the auto stop start kicked on while doing 30 when the car powered back on in the busy intersection the car was clunking I pulled over asap and took a look under the car to make sure nothing was leaking when started back up it went away. It’s very unsafe to have a car that you can’t disable the auto stop feature from coming on as if the intersection was not a safe place for this to happen

engine problems

On approximately 11/18/21 3:30 pm I drove my car and the engine just died. Busy street. It took me 30 minutes to restart and pull safely into the first parking lot I could get to. every time I went to start vehicle it would take 3-4 minutes each time, I had to turn car completely to stop the car from trying to start. When it finally started it would only go 10 feet before the engine stopped running. I had to have my car towed to the dealership. On 12/8/21 the dealership called me and said the the pump which is inside the engine failed and that the engine would have to be replaced for $8,500.00 HELP!

THE OIL PLUG IS WEAK AND DAMAGED

THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND AT TIMES DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED, PRIMARILY NOTED IN COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS. HESITATIONS HAVE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BUT THERE HAVE BEEN TWO OCCASIONS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR INPUT, ONCE OCCURRING FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND ONE TIME OCCURRING WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR WITH BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRING ON CITY STREETS WITH A POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 40 MILES PER HOUR. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THE DEFECT APPARENTLY IS WITH THE CHARGE AIR COOLER.

WHEN COMING TO A STOP ENGINE CONSTANTLY SHUTS OFF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE STOPPED THE FUEL SAVING SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF BUT WHEN THE DRIVER LIFTED OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESUME OPERATION AS DESIGNED. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER CAMINO REAL CHEVROLET (2401 S. ATLANTIC BLVD, MONTEREY PARK CA.) WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS RELEASED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESTART AND THE AUTO STOP WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KOCOUREK CHEVROLET (1500 MORNING GLORY LN, WAUSAU, WI 54401, (715) 359-7200) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15,400.

OIL LEAK NOTED ON GROUND AFTER BEING DRIVEN. STARTED OUT BEING SMALL DROPS BUT GRADUALLY WORSENED. DEALERSHIP STATED "WELD AROUND OIL PAN WAS NOT PROPERLY SEALED"

THE AUTO STOP IS ANNOYING AND I FEEL DANGEROUS. THERE IS A HESITATION AND A LURCH WHEN PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC. I NEVER WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THIS IF I KNEW IT. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

WHILE DRIVING AT CONSTANT SPEED AND RPM OIL PRESSURE GOES FROM 30PSI TO 70PSI. IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HIGH OIL PRESSURE IS AS BIG A PROBLEM AS LOW PRESSURE. MY OTHER CARS DO NOT DO THIS AS OIL PRESSURE GOES UP WITH RPM SO I ASKED MCDANIELS SERVICE TECHNICIAN AND SERVICE MANAGER IF THIS WAS NORMAL. TECHNICIAN SAID HE COULDN'T REPEAT IT BUT IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME. I ASKED IF THIS WAS NORMAL AND THEY BOTH WEREN'T SURE. IN OCTOBER THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WOULD CHECK AND GET BACK WITH ME BUT AS OF JAN 30, 2019 I HAVE NO RESPONSE. I HAVE CALLED A FEW TIMES BUT NO CALL BACK. I CALLED GM CUSTOMER CARE AND CORPORATE OFFICE. THEY SAID THEY WOULD FOLLOW UP BUT WHEN I CALLED BACK IN JANUARY THEY JUST SAID I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN. ACTUALLAY I'M NOT SURE THIS IS NORMAL OR NOT ON THE 1.5T EQUINOX. IT MAY BE NORMAL, MAYBE GM HAS A VARIABLE PRESSURE PUMP TO ADD PRESSURE FOR VARIABLE VALVE TIMING. THE PROBLEM IS THE TECHNICIANS, SERVICE MANAGER AND CUSTOMER CARE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TELL ME THIS. THEY SHOULD KNOW OR BE ABLE TO GET AN ANSWER FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS ON TECHNICAL QUESTIONS. CARS ARE MORE TECHNICAL TODAY AND THE TECHNICIANS AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT SHOULD BE MORE TECHNICAL TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. REGARDLESS THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER CUSTOMERS QUESTIONS IN A TIMELY MANOR AND TELL CUSTOMERS IF THEY HAVE A PROBLEM OR NOT. THREE MONTHS IS TOO LONG TO WAIT FOR ANSWER, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ANY ISSUE IS STALLED OR DELAYED TO TRY TO WAIT UNTILL THE CUSTOMER GIVES UP OR THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. I'M GLAD THIS IS JUST A MINOR ISSSUE -I HOPE.

MUFFLER LEAK AT BOTH ENDS !!!!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS BEING OPERATED, WHITE SHINY DEBRIS CAME OUT OF THE AIR VENTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BOMMARITO CHEVROLET SOUTH (6127 S LINDBERGH BLVD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63123, (314) 487-9800) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEBRIS COULD BE FROM THE OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE WHITE FLAKES WERE TESTED BY A COMPANY CALLED ANALYTICS CORPORATION WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WHITE FLAKES WAS COMBINED WITH DIFFERENT METALS, WHICH WERE CONSIDERED HAZARDOUS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500. *DT CONSUMER STATED THE DEALERSHIP TOOK THE 2015 EQUINOX AND TRADED IT IN FOR 2018 EQUINOX BUT CONSUMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE NEW VEHICLE POSSIBLE TOXINS.*JB

AT CERTAIN TIMES THERE IS A SLIGHT SURGE. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN A STOPPED MODE. WHEN THE FOOT IS REMOVED FROM THE BRAKE, BUT BEFORE THE ACCELATOR PEDAL IS TOUCHED, THERE IS A SLIGHT SURGE WHICH IS NOT NORMAL OR SAFE. OCCASIONALLY, IT ALSO OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN THE HIGHEST GEAR.

VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND INSTANTLY STARTED AGAIN SIMULTANEOUSLY WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT A DRIVE THROUGH AT A RESTAURANT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMAL ODOR WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS OPERATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT IT COULD BE A CHEMICAL ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CAVALLARO-NEUBAUER CHEVROLET (3740 NY-104, WILLIAMSON, NY 14589, (315) 791-4206) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLING ELEMENT WAS BEING BURNED OFF AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED HE SPOKE WITHA SUPERVISOR AT GM SHELIA AUG 29TH, 2018 1-866-790-5600 EXT 5921743. AFTER SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL ME THE WEEK BEFORE, SAID SHE HAS SO MANY THINGS TO LOOK AT, THAT'S WHY SHE TOOK SO LONG GETTING BACK TO CONSUMER. ALSO, SAID SHE WOULD TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR SURE AND GET BACK TO CONSUMER ON AUG 31ST,2018, NEVER CALLED. ALSO TALKED TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO RIDE IT OUT THROUGH THE WINTER, IT WILL BE DEALT WITH NEXT SUMMER. AT THIS POINT NEVER BUY A CHEVY AGAIN. STILL SMELLS BAD UPDATED 10/15/18*JB

LESS THEN 10,000 MILES IN THE CAR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON. THERE HAD NOT BEEN AN ISSUE WITH IT AT ALL UNTIL TODAY WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AFTER WORK.