2024 Chevrolet Equinox: What to check before buying

Sunlight on the dashboard throws a strong reflection onto the inside of the windshield, and that one problem fills this category. Equinox EV drivers say the dash's rippled, slatted pattern shows up as lines on the glass. On sunny days the lines make pedestrians, traffic and road hazards hard to see. Owners call it a design flaw that returns whenever sun hits the dash, with no warning or fix offered. One owner also says the factory side window tint is so dark it limits visibility at night.

Sunlight on the dashboard reflects onto the windshield and shows up as lines across the glass that block the view of the road. That is the main complaint in this small group. One EV owner also reports reduced travel on the driver's side wiper, which cuts visibility in rain, and says the dealer offered no help at about 300 miles. These reports repeat the glare problem found throughout the other categories.

Screens going dark or freezing at speed is the most common complaint. The instrument cluster and infotainment screens reboot on the freeway and leave the driver with no speedometer. Some cars go back to the dealer four times without a fix. Other reports describe high voltage battery warnings, false automatic emergency braking, screens that overheat, lost heat or air conditioning, and sudden power loss traced to the fuel pump driver module. One filing describes a parked car catching fire, with 2 injuries. Another describes a brake system failure warning on the interstate at 215 miles.

The brakes sometimes stop responding, which is the most serious pattern in this category. Drivers say the pedal goes to the floor or does nothing and the car keeps rolling until a restart brings the brakes back. Two filings involve crashes, one with 2 injuries. Dealers often find no stored codes and cannot reproduce the fault. The opposite problem also comes up: hard braking with no cause, while reversing or at highway speed, which some owners link to rear automatic emergency braking. One owner received notice of forward collision avoidance recall campaign 25V639000.

Automatic emergency braking slams the car to a stop when nothing is ahead. Drivers report it in slow traffic, while merging, when backing up in rain and in parking lots. Other complaints describe it at highway speeds. Some say it got worse after a software update, and dealers often cannot reproduce it. On the EV, Super Cruise also cuts out without warning and brakes hard, and sometimes the brakes stay applied afterward. One report describes a failed video processing unit that disabled all cameras and radar while the replacement part was on order.

Sudden loss of power is the main complaint. The car drops into reduced power mode in highway traffic, slowing from about 55 to 35 mph with a check engine light on, and some cars later stall in the street. Dealers often find nothing. One car still would not go above 35 mph after three repair attempts. Other reports cite a failed fuel pump power control module that took days to source, a torque converter repair, a transmission that would not engage any gear, and a stop on the interstate under adaptive cruise control.

The recessed headlights fill with snow in winter storms. The LED lamps do not melt it, so drivers have to pull over and clear them by hand. The rest of this small group repeats problems found in other categories: dashboard glare on the windshield, the left signal flashing after a right turn, auto lights that do not work correctly, and emergency braking with no obstacle ahead. One report describes both screens going blank at highway speed and rebooting about 30 seconds later.

The turn signal stalk drops too hard as it cancels after a right turn and flashes the left signal for about three blinks, which can mislead other drivers. It is the only clear pattern in this group. One owner notes that replacing the stalk does not always cure it. The other complaints cover an overly sensitive forward collision warning, false blind spot alerts, and a rental car with several faults, including a rear hatch that opened unpredictably.

The car loses power or shuts off in traffic, and in most of these reports the fix was a new fuel pump or fuel pump control module. Failures happen as early as 800 miles and as late as 18,000 miles. In one case power dropped again a month after the pump was replaced. A separate EV report describes fast charging stopping partway, followed by a burning smell and loss of regenerative braking, and it ended with a battery replacement.