2019 Chevrolet Equinox Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Equinox most often describe brake problems, especially a brake pedal that feels firm or goes to the floor and needs extra effort to stop the vehicle, and loss of power assist; these reports span a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles to well over 100,000. A second common theme is engine power loss and hesitation under acceleration, in some cases with a 'reduced engine power' message and repeated dealer visits without a lasting fix. Fuel tank leaks and hard-to-fill tanks, electrical and start/stop quirks, and transmission hesitation or shuddering also come up regularly.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake pedal firm or low, reduced power assist

   • 77 complaints (25%)
   • median 57,000 mi at 5.4 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the brake pedal becoming very firm or sinking toward the floorboard, so the vehicle needs extra effort or extra distance to stop. In several cases owners link the symptom to a brake vacuum pump or brake assist fault, and some report the pedal dropping while driving at road speeds. Dealers reportedly replaced rear pads and rotors in some cases, while in others the cause was not identified and the condition came back. Reported from under 1,000 miles up to about 130,000 miles, with many reports between roughly 50,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 18V576000

   What to check: Test the pedal feel at a stop and after a hard stop, and ask whether the brake vacuum pump or brake assist components have been replaced; a firm pedal that needs heavy pressure should be diagnosed before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the rear brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the rear brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The contact completed the work himself. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11695880, filed 2025-10, 50,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 50 MPH, upon attempting to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, the brake pedal was firm, requiring excessive force to depress. The service brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11570513, filed 2024-02, 53,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Loss of power, hesitation, reduced engine power

   • 77 complaints (25%)
   • median 4,785 mi at 0.8 yrs old (49 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle hesitating or failing to accelerate when the pedal is pressed, sometimes with an 'engine power reduced' message, a check engine light, or a stall at a light. In some complaints the throttle body, turbocharger or camshaft was blamed, and a few report engine damage that led to a replacement. Several owners say the failure recurred after dealer repairs. Mostly reported between about 10,000 and 80,000 miles, with a few reports past 100,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Scan for stored codes and ask for service records on throttle body, turbocharger and camshaft work; a test drive should include several hard accelerations from a stop.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was sitting at a stop light. When the light turned green I took my foot off the brake and applied the gas pedal. The car did not respond to the gas pedal at first and just sat there. After a few seconds I was able to start moving. This situation almost caused me to be rear ended. This is the second time this has happened and had the vehicle in for service a few weeks ago for same issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11405692, filed 2021-03, 32,800 miles

   “I have 33k miles on the vehicle and when driving the car feels as if it wants to shut down. A few recent drives, on city street, I've been feeling the car struggling to accelerate causing a jerking forward motion. Another issue I have is I recently had to put air in my right rear tire, when I plugged my tire inflator in the electric socket and turned the power on, the car sounded like it was struggling to stay on and the engine was becoming increasingly noisier. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11324359, filed 2020-05, 30,000 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Fuel tank leak or tank that will not fill

   • 31 complaints (10%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 1.6 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe a fuel smell near the rear of the vehicle or fuel dripping on the ground, and in some cases flames near the fuel tank were reported. Other owners say the fuel pump nozzle keeps shutting off and the tank will not fill completely, with repeated repair attempts that did not resolve it. Some owners note their vehicle was not included in the fuel tank recall. Reported from about 15,000 miles up to about 229,000 miles, with most reports between roughly 15,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 19V667000

   What to check: Look under the rear of the vehicle for fuel stains or a strong fuel smell, fill the tank fully during a test drive, and ask whether the tank has been inspected or replaced under the fuel tank recall.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Unknown, but may be the fuel tank itself or the wiring is my guess. I fear whatever is wrong could be effecting the engine. On april 12, 2020 my car didn't fill all the way up with gas. There was a little bit left that needed filling. I was curious why & sent a picture to my mom. The car seemed to be working fine until july 2019. Upon filling it with gas, the pump kept shutting off on me. I took it into the auto repair shop twice (july & august) to have it fixed for the same issue so far & they still haven't been able to fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361411, filed 2020-09, 15,172 miles

   “Unknown, but may be the fuel tank itself or the wiring is my guess. I fear whatever is wrong could be effecting the engine. On april 12, 2020 my car didn't fill all the way up with gas. There was a little bit left that needed filling. I was curious why & sent a picture to my mom. The car seemed to be working fine until july 2020. Upon filling it with gas, the pump kept shutting off on me. I took it into the auto repair shop twice (july & august) to have it fixed for the same issue so far & they still haven't been able to fix it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361412, filed 2020-09, 15,172 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Stalls, electrical faults and key fob issues

   • 32 complaints (10%)
   • median 11,865 mi at 1.6 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle shutting off or losing electrical power, sometimes at low speed or while pulling into traffic, with warning lights and stored codes. Owners also report the vehicle starting without the key fob inside, the sunroof opening and closing on its own, and side mirror settings not holding. Dealers in several cases could not reproduce the problem. Reported from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles) up to about 90,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any start/stop or no-crank faults were diagnosed, check that the vehicle will not start with the fob left outside, and confirm mirror and sunroof settings stay put after a restart.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle lost all power while pulling into a 4 way main road. Vehicle emergency lights/flashers did not work. Complete electrical failure. Car was stalled in active traffic lane during night time hours. Vehicle was towed into dealer for full diagnostic review- no issue was found with vehicle, although several eec test codes were detected- p0627, p0629, p01400, u18a2, u1524 and u18b4+71- most codes having to do with fuel pump/emission issues. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11297584, filed 2020-01, 11,865 miles

   “Purchased new car on september 7 2019. Started having car issues on 9/25/2019 took car in on 9/27/2019. Car was making loud screeching noises, brake pedal would get hard. Was hard to break. When reversing screeching noise would get louder and louder. Was told by a Chevrolet technician car was fine it was because it was new. Took car in once again on 12/26/2019 vehicle would randomly not turn on, brake pedal would get hard, car would screech. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11302696, filed 2020-01, 3,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission shudder, hesitation and hard shifts

   • 21 complaints (7%)
   • median 14,000 mi at 2.4 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe shuddering at low speeds, rough or delayed shifting, and moments where the vehicle will not move when the accelerator is pressed from a stop. Some complaints mention a transmission control module or transmission failure diagnosis, while others say the dealer found no codes and described the behavior as normal. Mostly reported between about 10,000 and 60,000 miles, with a few reports past 100,000 miles.

   Recall 20V668000

   What to check: Drive at steady low speeds and from a stop to feel for shudder or delay, and ask whether transmission fluid or the transmission control module has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I'll be driving very lightly and about 25mph when it wants to ship it surges. I still have the same pressure in the gas pedal. I seen it get stuck at down shifting a few times when going down a hill. It has lunged almost too one time. I brought it to the dealer they test drive it, had no codes was told it was normal. I been driving cvts for a decade now and I know this is not that soni sort of bought it. I think the transmission shouldn't do this.”

   NHTSA complaint #11319566, filed 2020-03, 14,000 miles

   “Transmission shudders while driving at low RPM. Intermittent hard or rough shifting. This happens usually at speeds around 45 MPH it has a shudder and slight surge. Another incident while stopped, foot on the brake the vehicle lunged forward.”

   NHTSA complaint #11318545, filed 2020-03, 10,650 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection should focus on brake pedal feel and brake assist, plus a scan for stored engine and transmission codes, since these are the areas owners describe most. Ask for service records showing whether the fuel tank recall and any brake or throttle repairs were completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.