On Monday, April 6th, I was turning into a parking lot and the braking system, specifically the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake control module, appeared to malfunction. While driving, I received a warning indicating the ABS was off, and the brake pedal became soft with reduced stopping ability. The check engine light also came on. I had to coast the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The loss of normal braking function significantly reduced my ability to stop the vehicle safely, increasing the risk of a collision. This created a dangerous situation for myself, passengers, and other drivers on the road. Brake failure at any speed presents a serious safety hazard.I am aware of similar complaints reported for this issue. My vehicle was towed to and inspected by a dealership where it sat overnight before being diagnosed; however, they were unable to reproduce the issue at the time of service. Despite this, the braking failure did occur and remains a safety concern. The service advisor told me to "bring it back if it happens again" and that it "lost communication with the EBCM" which sometimes happens. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer directly, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms of this problem prior to the failure.
2025 Chevrolet Equinox: brake failure
7 of the 244 complaints about the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
VEHICLE INFORMATION Vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox (Gas) Purchase Price: $46,000 In-Service Date: January 28, 2026 Current Mileage: 2,433 miles First Repair Attempt: Approximately 200 miles DEFECT DESCRIPTION (SAFETY-CRITICAL) The vehicle experiences intermittent but recurring safety system failures while driving, including: • Complete instrument cluster blackout (all gauges dark) • All warning lights and alerts disappear • ADAS / driver-assist systems shut down • System appears to reboot for approximately 15 seconds while in motion • Vehicle settings reset to default (vehicle systems, not radio) • Brake pedal becomes hard during these events • Stopping distance feels increased during braking events This behavior indicates a brake assist interruption and a loss of critical driver information while the vehicle is moving. REPAIR HISTORY SUMMARY • Vehicle has been in the dealership approximately 4–5 times for the same or substantially similar defect • Dealership has performed software updates • Dealership has replaced computer modules controlling the information center and related systems • The defect persists SAFETY ASSESSMENT Loss of braking assist (hard pedal with increased stopping distance) combined with full instrument cluster blackout while driving constitutes a substantial impairment of vehicle safety. This is not an infotainment issue.
SEE the federal safety agency Safety Recall Report 25V-12- It appears it should apply to both 2025 FRONT WHEEL DRIVE Chevy Equinox EVs with ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (and without Super Cruise) in addition to 2025 ALL WHEEL DRIVE Equinox EVs with ACC (also without Super Cruise). This is very dangerous. Here's what happened: My 8 month old 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV FRONT WHEEL DRIVE w/ACC(no Super Cruise) has had 2 instances where a very large "thunk" sound and vibration emanating from the rear of the car while stopped at an intersection, was immediately followed with sudden brake failure and sudden forward acceleration. The ACC was on in both instances. The first time this happened was alarming but since the was nothing in front of me there was no damage and the problem seemed to resolve itself thereafter. The second time was while waiting at a red light about 10 feet behind another vehicle. My car shot forward and into the other car, which was then pushed into the car ahead of it. Both my car and the car ahead of me had very expensive damages, but fortunately, no injuries. What I experienced sounds exactly like the recall problem described in the federal safety agency Safety Recall Report 25V-12 which has thus far only been applied to the AWD version of the 2025 Equinox EV, not the FWD version that I have. I believe this needs rapid consideration due to the danger of of sudden acceleration resulting in serious property damage, injury, or death. It appears to me that other instances of this problem have been described in various online forums and YouTubes.
On three occasions, gas pedal went limp, and required restarting engine to reset controls to get gas pedal working again. On one occasion, brakes failed to operate leading to a collision. And forward collision warning did not activate.
I placed my foot on the brake to start my vehicle and when I pushed the start button my brake pedal went to the floor and warning came up stating brake failure ect. I contacted the dealership and was told to drive it to them so the could put it on the scope and tell me if it is safe to drive. I did and then was told it was a master brake cylinder failure and not safe to drive. In researching this is a know failure by gm service notice N252494220
On Th, Nov 6 ~1700, the 25 Equinox EV being driven encountered an electric drive failure and brake failure, including friction brakes. This Equinox EV is essentially still brand new with 3900 miles and no accident history. The vehicle was driven off the EB SR 528 exit ramp to Narcoossee Rd in Orlando and driven to the stop light at the WB on ramp. After the light changed and began driving, the vehicle console reported an exception with drive assist. At this time the driver attempted to slow down to take stock of the situation and the vehicle accelerated, at which time the driver took their foot off the brake pedal and attempted to identify a place to take the vehicle off the roadways. Thankfully a stoplight at McCoy Rd was green and the driver continued through that light and while attempting to brake, the vehicle accelerated instead. The driver then coasted, maneuvering the vehicle was into the Vista Palms commercial center. The vehicle, unresponsive to braking, propelled through a stop sign into the Kohl's parking lot at which time the driver began looping around the lot until the weight of the vehicle brought the motion down. While the vehicle was stopped, it rotated through warning messages indicating..forward collision, brake assist is reduced, steering assist is reduced, then finally Service Transmission Now Unable to Shift Soon. The vehicle was towed by AAA to AutoNation Chevrolet Airport in Orlando. Technicians found codes U1610 and U1639, and found K160 connecter unseated. It was reseated and greased. The concern is that this should have been locked and unable to be unseated. Is this an indication of manufacturing problem or operating problem? All braking was dysfunctional. How can we be certain that this was not a one off event?
I was driving my 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV on the highway with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged. The vehicle was also set to "One-Pedal Driving" (High regenerative braking). The vehicle in front of me slowed down abruptly. My vehicle's ACC began to slow the car, but it was not decelerating quickly enough to avoid a collision. I immediately intervened by pressing the brake pedal as hard as I could, pushing it completely to the floor. Critical Safety Failure: The vehicle's physical brakes failed to engage. Despite my foot being pressed hard to the floor, the vehicle did not slow down. It felt as though only the regenerative braking was (slowly) working and that my manual brake application had zero effect. The vehicle continued to glide forward with no significant braking power, and I was unable to stop the car in time, resulting in a collision with the rear of the vehicle ahead. Summary of Defect: The primary safety failure was the complete lack of response from the manual brake pedal. My attempt to override the vehicle's automated systems in an emergency was unsuccessful, as the brake pedal was unresponsive. Reporting History: I have already reported this incident to my auto insurance, my local Chevrolet dealership, and the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center. A representative from Chevrolet recommended that I file this report with the federal safety agency to help identify and track similar safety-critical incidents.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Service Update
- This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of hearing a squeak type...
- This service bulletin provides customer information for rear unwanted automatic braking, usually when...
- This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox?
7 of 244 owner complaints about the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox (3%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox
Check engine light 23Screen failure 14Adaptive cruise 13Battery drain 10Stalling 7Backup camera 6Collision warning 6Headlights 6Jerking 6Warning lights 6Hesitation 5Loss of power 5
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