2018 Chevrolet Equinox: won't start

Filed Dec 3, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · AL

Vehicle displayed reduced engine power, check engine light, and service brake assist all at the same time. Brake pedal wouldn't move leaving me without brakes. Coasted to stop and shut off car. Brake did not release and now engine won't start. Informed brake vacuum booster pump is problem and ruined motor now.

Filed Aug 27, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · NC

My 2018 equinox was running perfectly. Then several warning lights popped up on the dash. I pulled into my daughter's school and didn't have power breaks. Even though brake fluid was full. It wouldn't start back up. A mechanic shop looked at the car and said they thought the timing was off. But couldn't guarantee it. Another mechanic looked at it a few days later and said I needed a new power break pump that the had broken at the camshaft connect. He said the car would need to rebuild the motor or buy a used motor because of the damage. I have heard of several people who have had the same exact issue with the chevy 1.5 turbo motor in many chevy vehicles. There should be a recall as there is never a warning that the vacuum break pump is getting ready to go bad and cause severe engine damage.

Filed May 4, 2025 · Engine · FL

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.

Filed Nov 26, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · TX

My car alerts shift to park when it is already parked and will not shut off. The battery has to be disconnected to turn the car off. It won't start and the dash displays multiple lights park, check engine lights, tire lights and more

Filed Aug 12, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · OH

Vacuum pump failed and broke with no warning signs at all. After replacement now it will not start well and when it does I have lose off power. Lost brakes while driving on a country road and had to have it towed.

Filed Jun 17, 2024 · Brakes · FL

Driving interstate without difficulty. Made stop at rest area, got out with children, turned vehicle off. Returned to vehicle to leave, cranked vehicle put in reverse but had no brakes. Brakes in down position. Brakes would not return to normal position. Turned vehicle off and Looked under vehicle and noticed oil on the ground. No indicator lights on dash to alert of any issues. Tried to crank vehicle all power came on but motor would not turn over (long crank) Brakes remained in down position. Had vehicle towed home and upon inspection, oil was seen leaking out of the side of motor where brake vacuum pump is housed and noticed a crack in the brake vacuum pump housing. Oil leaking onto ground.

Filed Mar 11, 2024 · Engine · NE

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.

Filed Feb 6, 2024 · Brakes · TX

The service brake assist light came on and the brakes stopped working properly while driving on the highway. The car gave no indication that anything was wrong prior to the brakes going out and the message engine limited to reduced speed. I had to use all the power in my body to slow the car down and once stopped it did not start again. At that point the light came on. Now they are saying the problem is the brake vaccum pump which has a recall for many vehicles including the year just not my particular vehicle. If someone was driving in front of me, I could have possibly had a serious accident.

Filed Aug 21, 2023 · Engine · KS

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.

Filed Jul 13, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · TX

Auto stop caused Service Brake Assist warning to pop up on dash. Resolved on its own. A week later, steering assist disabled message pops up while driving and car didn't start after coming to a stop. Service ESC, Traction off, service brake assist messages, all pop up. Car did not restart. Vehicle is currently at Cooley Chevrolet in Irving, TX awaiting results of tests. Obviously, this is a common issue judging from the number of complaints on the Internet about it.

Filed Jul 13, 2023 · Fuel system · VA

GM Brake Vacuum Pump - I understand there was a recall done a few years ago on this part. This is a known issue with GM, and they seem to refuse to address it in ALL their vehicles. My vehicle went out of service on Friday, July 7, 2023, after fueling and would not start. I was 5 days over the 100-day Carvana warranty, but they agreed to repair the sensor that Firestone said I needed to have replaced along with the spark plugs. After repairing these items, it still was doing the same thing of starting up but making a horrible sound and not turning over. They suggested I have it towed to the dealership. The dealership called 7/12/23 and stated that I needed a new vacuum pump and a sleuth of other parts that would cost me around $1900 in repairs. This car has 61,121 miles on it. When I purchased it, it had a little over 57,000 miles on it. From the sounds of it, I was incredibly lucky this happened where and when it did as oppose to being stopped in the middle of the road and the auto start/stop failing me. There were zero warning lights, alerts from the app, etc. I did hear a noise one time about a month ago, but I thought I kicked up something because I was traveling down a dirt road and when I stopped and got out to look I did not see anything hanging. As soon as I got on the main road the noise resolved.

Filed Nov 26, 2019 · Driver assistance · 12,000 miles · MA

I stalled out in the middle of driving, the check engine light came on and then a message saying the engine power was low. The car would not start or go into neutral however I was able to put the hazard lights on as well as the radio and on-star. The tow truck driver got it started in low gear to get it on the tow truck, but it didn't start again. I was on a city street in rush hour, going less than 15 MPH. I just got my vehicle back from service at the mirak.com dealership in arlington, ma, and apparently the issue was: "caused by: perform scan tool test. The tech "extract codes with scan tools". I was told that it "just needed a software update". The vehicle did not provide any alerts prior to the incident or show any signs of an issue, so this is very alarming and a significant safety concern.