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Chevrolet Equinox EV collision warning problems

13 of the 286 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Equinox EV describe false forward collision warnings, most of them for the 2025 model year.

owner complaints
13
worst model year
2025
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

Often reported together

Adaptive cruise 3Phantom braking 2

What owners say

Filed Oct 21, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

INCIDENT DESCRIPTION: On October 20, 2026, at approximately 11:15 AM, I was driving my Chevrolet Equinox EV and was stopped at a red traffic signal. When the light turned green, I began accelerating normally into the intersection. Suddenly and without warning, the vehicle experienced a severe "phantom braking" / false Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) event. The vehicle’s emergency braking system engaged violently, bringing the car to an abrupt, full stop in the middle of the intersection. There were NO vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles in front of my car or anywhere in my path. A vehicle traveling directly behind me was forced to slam on their brakes and narrowly avoided a rear-end collision. This unexpected hard deceleration caused severe panic and created an immediate, life-threatening traffic hazard. Had this sudden stopping occurred at highway speeds or above 25 MPH rather than starting from a green light, it would have resulted in a severe crash. CRUCIAL CONTEXT / RECENT SERVICE HISTORY: This life-threatening failure occurred directly after taking my vehicle to Coggin Chevrolet at the Avenues (Jacksonville, FL), where technicians performed software servicing under Open Recall N262545360 ("Early ABS engagement on slippery road surfaces"). The dealership verified completion of this recall update. This phantom braking event occurred immediately after this recall software was flashed to the vehicle's brake control module. I suspect this software recalibration introduced a critical bug or miscalibration affecting the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM), regenerative braking system, or Forward Collision Avoidance system on dry pavement. I am requesting an immediate investigation by GM Engineering and the federal safety agency regarding the safety of Recall N262545360 software calibration.

Filed Oct 15, 2026 · Driver assistance · TX · 1 injury

Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV, Front-Wheel Drive Incident date: [XXX] Approximate time: [XXX] CDT Location: Residential garage, Houston, Texas Safety Complaint — Unexpected Severe Automatic Braking On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] p.m., I was slowly driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV forward into my residential garage. My foot was on the accelerator pedal, and I was moving at very low speed. I was still well away from the back wall of the garage, with no apparent obstacle requiring emergency braking. Without warning, the vehicle suddenly braked extremely hard and came to an abrupt, complete stop. I did not apply the brakes and did not notice any audible collision warning or visual alert before the event. The deceleration was sufficiently violent that, despite wearing my seat belt, my head lurched forward and struck the vehicle's headliner. I subsequently experienced neck soreness, which has since subsided. I did not experience a headache, and my head currently feels normal. I intend to consult my primary care physician's office about the incident. I have no explanation for why the vehicle initiated such severe braking under these circumstances. The vehicle has automatic emergency braking and other driver-assistance systems, but I cannot determine which system caused the stop. Google Maps Timeline independently documents my arrival home at approximately [XXX] p.m., providing a useful timestamp for diagnostic investigation. The vehicle previously received an over-the-air software update while I was in Lakewood, Colorado. I do not know whether that update has any relationship to this incident. I am concerned that an unexplained, extremely forceful braking event at low speed could result in serious injuries, particularly if it occurs in traffic or at higher speeds. I request that the federal safety agency investigate whether the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV has a defect involving unintended automatic braking or other electronic braking-control. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.

Filed Sep 2, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

On September 2, 2026, at approximately 3:19 PM, my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV unexpectedly applied hard automatic braking while I was proceeding through a green intersection. A white SUV ahead of me was moving to the left and clearing my travel path. There was no vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, or other obstacle directly blocking my lane that required emergency braking. At the exact moment the vehicle applied the brakes, a Forward Collision Warning appeared on the driver display. Based on the warning and the braking response, I believe the Forward Collision Alert/Automatic Emergency Braking system falsely detected an imminent collision and activated unnecessarily. The unexpected braking created a risk that a vehicle behind me could rear-end my vehicle. My two children were passengers and were frightened by the sudden braking. No collision or injury occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before this incident. The Forward Collision Warning appeared only when the unexpected braking occurred. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Chevrolet dealer. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealer, manufacturer, police, or insurance company. I reported the incident to Chevrolet and opened case number 109390168. The vehicle and original dashcam footage are available for inspection upon request. The video shows the traffic conditions immediately before, during, and after the braking event. As a temporary safety precaution pending inspection, I changed the automatic-braking settings to Alert Only while retaining collision warnings.

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · Driver assistance · LA

Three times over the past month, this car has slammed the automatic emergency brakes, thinking there was an obstacle in the road. Each time, it has caused whiplash to everyone in the car, feeling like we were slammed by another car. It is related to the collision avoidance and is triggered by either a shadow on the road or a glare. If I turn off the feature, I have to do it every single time I get in my car. If I forget to turn off this dangerous feature, it could trigger again. I'm beginning to get nervous driving it, thinking it could engage at any second. Eventually, someone will crash into me because it's so sudden, the car behind won't be able to stop. This is apparently a major problem with others I've seen online with no remedy.

Filed Jan 29, 2026 · Driver assistance · OH

While driving on the highway during morning rush hour the automatic braking fully engaged during slow traffic almost causing me to be rear-ended. The braking engaged after a split second collision warning after a car had merged in front of me. I was already slowing down via one pedal driving and about to begin applying my brakes when this occurred and there was plenty of space before any type of collision. I was going roughly 5-10 mpg when this occurred having slowed down to allow the car to merge. Afterwards it took a few seconds for the car to allow me to re-engage the gas to start moving again. This type of phantom braking has occurred in other instances in my driveway and in store parking lots but this is the first time it's put me at risk. It is available for inspection as needed. This has not been examined or reproduced by the dealer on my vehicle or inspected.

Filed Nov 26, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to reverse, the brakes unexpectedly engaged. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V639000 (Forward Collision Avoidance). The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Oct 13, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IL

I have driven the vehicle 13,000 miles without incident. However, twice this week, once moving forward and once backward, the emergency parking brake engaged without warning, bringing the vehicle to an abrupt stop. In both cases it was daylight, clear weather, with no visual indication of an obstacle in the vehicle's path. In response I have turned off its automatic braking/collision avoidance features and will see if that solves the problem. What is concerning, however, is that this did not occur for 13,000 miles, and then abruptly started.

Filed Sep 27, 2025 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · MI

On star Telematics is not working the issue is effecting GPS and most importantly the adaptive driving system including cruise control system. I have stopped using these services to due an intermittent failure while driving. The adaptive cruise will disengage itself. Also the collision avoidance system will initiate braking randomly. I was told that the replacement parts are not available and or “extremely long wait time”. I’m not comfortable driving this vehicle and have no options but to continue until the lease is up.

Filed Sep 17, 2025 · Driver assistance · WI

Driving down rural highway (Interstate 43 in northern Walworth County, WI, divided access restricted freeway) the car panic braked with no car or obstacle in front of it. No warning sign, no error message, called Onstar and they reported no faults, took to Chevrolet dealership and they reported no issue. Car also has had phantom alerts from the forward collision warning system.

Filed Sep 16, 2025 · Driver assistance · TX

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The forward collision warning and rear collision warning systems malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to brake unexpectedly when there was no obstacle or threat. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle braked suddenly and forcefully without cause. This created a risk of being rear-ended in traffic, nearly caused an accident, and also risked injury to my dog who was inside the vehicle during one of the incidents. The sudden braking while backing out of my garage also poses a safety hazard. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has occurred multiple times but has not yet been formally reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the vehicle or component has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the braking events. The problem occurred suddenly without any prior indication.

Related recalls

Back over prevention: warnings: external/pedestrian alertReported December 18, 2025 · 81,177 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Equinox EV vehicles. The pedestrian alert sound system may not produce a sufficient change in volume between the vehicle being stopped and moving at low speeds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk
A vehicle that does not emit sufficient sound may fail to alert pedestrians of a moving vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy
The body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N252530690. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on December 18, 2025.

Recall number 25V878000 · Recall details

Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alertReported September 25, 2025 · 23,700 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV vehicles. The pedestrian alert sound system may not produce a sufficient change in volume between the vehicle being stopped and moving at low speeds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk
A vehicle that fails to make sufficient sound may result in pedestrians being unaware of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
The vehicle's body control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 17, 2025. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N252527170.

Recall number 25V639000 · Recall details

Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control: softwareReported January 16, 2025 · 2,890 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV all-wheel drive electric vehicles. The adaptive cruise control may fail to engage the brakes as expected, due to incorrect brake module software.
Risk
A vehicle that does not automatically brake as expected increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the software calibration in the brake system control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2025. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N242481530.

Recall number 25V012000 · Recall details

Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alertReported December 12, 2024 · 7,606 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV vehicles. The pedestrian alert sound system may have incorrect software and not produce sound at a sufficient volume. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk
A vehicle that fails to make sufficient sound may result in pedestrians being unaware of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will update the software in the body control module (BCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2025. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N242479760.

Recall number 24V925000 · Recall details

Questions about the Chevrolet Equinox EV collision warning

Which Chevrolet Equinox EV years have false forward collision warnings problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2025 (9 complaints), 2024 (3 complaints) and 2026 (1 complaints).

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