2018 Chevrolet Equinox
Gas Diesel Compact SUV
The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox is sold in the U.S. as a gas and diesel compact SUV with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Equinox AWD, is EPA-rated at 32 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 403 complaints, most often about service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equinox FWD | Gas | FWD | 1.5L 4-cyl turbo | 26 | 32 | 28 | $2,250 |
| Equinox AWD | Gas | AWD | 1.5L 4-cyl turbo | 24 | 30 | 26 | $2,400 |
| Equinox FWD | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 29 | 25 | $3,100 |
| Equinox AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 28 | 24 | $3,250 |
| Equinox AWD | Diesel | AWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 28 | 38 | 32 | $2,800 |
| Equinox FWD | Diesel | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 28 | 39 | 32 | $2,800 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (5)
Power Train
criticalProblem: 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.
Risk: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline
criticalProblem: 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.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Structure
highProblem: 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."
Risk: If the glass is not tempered properly, and the window is broken, the glass can break into large pieces, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Power Train
highProblem: 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.
Risk: If the front right intermediate drive shaft assembly separates while driving, the vehicle will lose propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. If the assembly separates while parked on a grade, without the park brake engaged, the vehicle may move unintentionally, increasing the risk of a vehicle roll-away.
Fix: 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.
Owner complaints
403 complaints filed
23 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 30 injuries, 1 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2017: 9 · 2018: 48 · 2019: 44 · 2020: 45 · 2021: 37 · 2022: 42 · 2023: 41 · 2024: 48 · 2025: 35 · 2026: 54
Most-cited components
- Service Brakes — 117
- Engine — 85
- Power Train — 65
- Electrical System — 59
- Unknown Or Other — 55
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | 16% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | 19% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2018 Equinox with
Other Equinox model years
2027 Equinox
0 recalls · 0 complaints
B2026 Equinox
3 recalls · 80 complaints
D2025 Equinox
6 recalls · 384 complaints
B2024 Equinox
2 recalls · 182 complaints
C2023 Equinox
3 recalls · 95 complaints
D2022 Equinox
5 recalls · 165 complaints
D2021 Equinox
4 recalls · 91 complaints
F2020 Equinox
4 recalls · 304 complaints
F2019 Equinox
4 recalls · 301 complaints
A2017 Equinox
0 recalls · 272 complaints
A2016 Equinox
1 recalls · 395 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 38551, 38552, 38685, 38690, 39314, 39312). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.