2018 Chevrolet Equinox: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Jan 5, 2026 · Fuel system · TX · fire · 2 injuries

My wife and I were driving to Galveston on I-45 and were driving through La Marque when our car suddenly lost power. I started moving over to the outside lane and went to turn on the emergency lights. I realized the lights were already on. We heard a thump and thought that the serpentine belt had broken and that the engine would overheat, followed up by white smoke coming from the dash vents. My wife opened her window and leaned out the window while I tried to control the SUV without power. A truck pulled next to us and the passenger screamed that our car was on fire. I stepped on the brakes, but my foot went to the floor without effect. I hit the button for the emergency parking brake, but it didn't stop the car. I let the car slow down and then black smoke was coming from the vents. We were choking from breathing the smoke and I tried to open my window, but all electrical systems had quit working. The car finally slowed enough for me to shove the gear shift into park. My wife jumped out of the car and fell to the pavement, also hitting the concrete barrier on the side of the highway. My seat belt was stuck and I kept pushing the button and reached for my pocket knife to cut the belt when it released. At this point, flames were coming from the vents when I reached for the door handle and open the door. I fell out of the car onto the highway, rolling away. I was finally able to get up and saw several vehicles stopped behind us, but some were still driving through. I got away from the car and found my wife who was being helped by another man who stopped ahead of us. The car was on fire, mostly from the back, heavily in the left rear where the gas tank is. The car was completely burned and an unknown retired firefighter said all of the signs point to a defective fuel pump.

Filed Feb 16, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · IA

My 2018 equinox is not included in any recalls. However, it has been in for engine repair, even though the vehicle only had 70,000 miles on it at the time. After that, the ABS system was acting up, the automatic door locks and locking mechanism failed and went outs, the brakes have been repaired three times and the suspension is worn down. I only have $86,000 mi on it. I am now getting ready to take it in again for transmission issues. My car is not included in any recalls, but seems to have the issues stated and all the recalls

Filed Mar 1, 2021 · Electrical · 55,000 miles · OH

After going through a car wash or driving in a heavy rain, the vehicle door locks periodically no longer function. Door lock/unlock function cannot be used either with the key fob or with direct press of the lock/unlock button on the interior of the vehicle. At one point had to climb out the back of the vehicle. If you are outside of the vehicle, the only way to unlock the vehicle is to remove the cover from the door lock and use the embedded key in the key fob. Issue will last anywhere from 1 hour to 24 hours after the car gets wet. Huge safety concern if there were ever to be an issue arising where you had to exit the vehicle in an emergency. Took the vehicle to the dealer and they were unable to duplicate the problem. I have video of the issue occurring.

Filed Mar 8, 2019 · Electrical · 18,000 miles · IL

I took my car through a automatic car wash and after leaving the car wash..my doors would not unlock. I had to crawl out through the back of the vehicle to get out. The car would not unlock until the next day. I went through the car wash at 4pm and at 630am the next day, it finally unlocked. This is the second time this has happened and this has also happened to my daughters 2018 equinox as well. This is a huge problem. What if her or I was in an accident....

Filed Jul 13, 2018 · Body · 100 miles · NY

Right rear door will not open from inside or outside due to defective latch. The original latch, the first replacement latch and the second replacement latch do not allow passenger to exit the vehicle as the door is stuck shut. This is dangerous is someone needs to exit the vehicle quickly. Local chevy dealership will replace the second latch this month (july 2018). The problem happens when the car is stationary.

Filed Mar 3, 2018 · Electrical · 4,000 miles · NJ

The power locks in my vehicle stopped working. They no longer responded to the key fob, interior lock buttons, or exterior handle buttons and would not engage or disengage when shifting between park and drive. The only way to unlock the doors was from the interior using the door handles or manually from the driver door. Additionally, there is no manual way to lock the front passenger door, thus leaving no way for me to actually lock my vehicle fully while in this condition. The dealership looked at the car and said something was wired incorrectly. It has since been fixed, but I find it strange that the locks would all of the sudden stop working after a few months if it had been wired incorrectly straight from the factory.