There are 11 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet Equinoxin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WE WERE DRIVING OUR EQUINOX AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO WORK. THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT DEPRESS. WE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF US ON THE FREEWAY OFF RAMP AND THAT CAR HIT THE NEXT CAR. BOTH DRIVERS REPORTED INJURIES. THERE WAS NO WAY TO SLOW DOWN LET ALONE STOP. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY EITHER. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND A BRAKE BOOSTER IS THE PROBABLE PROBLEM. BOTH OUR CAR SERVICE PROVIDER AND ON LINE BLOGS LIST THIS AS AN ISSUE. SOMETHING ABOUT THE VACUUM AND BRAKE FLUID CAUSING TOO MUCH PRESSURE SO THE BRAKE PEDAL COULD NOT BE DEPRESSED. THIS HAPPENS IN HIGH HEAT AND WHEN THE CAR IS ON A HILL. AFTER THE CAR STOPS AND COOLS DOWN OR IS LEFT ON LEVEL GROUND, THEN THE BRAKES START WORKING AGAIN. THIS MAKES THE ISSUE HARDER TO FIND ACCORDING TO OUR CAR REPAIR SHOP. WE HAD GM TAKE A LOOK AT THE ISSUE AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO OVERALL DEFECT IN THE PART. THEY DID NOT LOOK AT OUR SPECIFIC PART. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED THE CAR. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. WE HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR INCLUDING HAVING THE ENGINE REBUILT FOR THE HIGH OIL USAGE ISSUE. WE ARE GLAD THAT WE AND OUR CHILDREN WILL NOT BE DRIVING THIS DEATH TRAP ANYMORE.
2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AT 89,000 MILES ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON RENDERING BOTH THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL USELESS. REPAIRS REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS DUE TO THE FACT THE RELUCTOR RINGS / MAGNETIC RINGS ON BOTH BEARINGS HAD STARTED TO DISINTEGRATE MISSING LARGE PORTIONS OF IT. APPARENTLY THESE RELUCTOR RINGS ARE POORLY GLUED ON. THIS SAFETY DEVICE SHOULD HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER. AT $125 PER BEARING PLUS LABOR THIS IS NOT A CHEAP FIX.
TAKATA RECALL" DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDER 20990924:SL-N-CYLINDER KIT ( 04649-20990. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN HITTING THE BRAKE IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAR DID NOT STOP. I HAD TO RUN THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO PREVENT HITTING THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOORBOARD BEFORE THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE ABS SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. DALE EARNHARDT, JR. CHEVROLET LOCATED AT: 3127 W TENNESSEE ST, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32304, (850) 270-1463, WAS CONTACTED AND NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.
COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. BRAKE LIGHT ALARM CAME ON FOLLOWED BY STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM ALARM. FAILURE IN MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER ALLOWED BRAKE FLUID TO DRAIN FROM SYSTEM. CAR WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED AT A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP. I NEEDED TO HAVE BOTH THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BOOSTER REPLACED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK. THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD AND CAUSED THE DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A WINDOW. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC BUT WAS UNABLE TO GENERATE A FAILURE CODE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
SO MY TRACTION CONTROL AN ABS LIGHT GOES OFF AN I TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED, AND IT APPEARS MY LEFT WHEEL SENSOR IS FAULTY AND CAN CAUSE LOCK UP IN BREAKS AND DECREASED POWER. TURNS OUT TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL CHEVY EQUINOX MODELS.THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS COMPLAINTS AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT AS I SEE THIS AS A MAJOR ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN,PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION. *TR
EQUINOX WITH 4 CYLINDER ENGINE HAS NOT WORKED PROPERLY SINCE PURCHASED IN JULY 2011. ENGINE MADE LOUD NOISE EACH TIME STARTED. RETURNED TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR PROBLEM WITH NO RESULTS. IN MAY 2013, ENGINE STALLED SEVERAL TIMES AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DEALERSHIP REPLACED CAM INTAKE BUT WILL NOT GUARANTEE THAT FUTURE PROBLEMS MAY OCCUR. ADDITIONALLY, THIS VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS ANOTHER ISSUE THAT MAY BE RELATED TO THE BRAKE SYSTEM - WHINING NOISE. DEALER HAS NOT REPAIRED YET. WILL CONTINUE TO RETURN TO DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR
ON 7/19/12 AT 2:30 PM, I WAS DRIVING SOUTH BOUND ON CALIFORNIA INTERSTATE I-15, LANE S-2 AT 60 MPH. THE TRAFFIC WAS FLOWING FREELY, ONE VEHICLE WAS TO MY REAR IN LANE S-3. THEIR WAS NO ROAD DEBRIS IN ANY LANES. I HEARD A LOUD "POP" SOUND, NEXT A LOUD "BANG" SOUND UNDER MY CAR. I ALSO SAW THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT FLASH ON AN OFF ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I SLOWED DOWN, MOVED TO LANE S-3, LIGHTLY STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE BRAKES APPEARED TO OPERATE NORMALLY. THERE WERE NO OTHER INFORMATION LIGHTS ON OR FLASHING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS NOT ON. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO MY RESIDENCE AND PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. I PLACED THE TRANSMISSION LEVER INTO PARK, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND STEPPED ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE PEDAL. AT THIS TIME THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETLY TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT THE USUAL RESISTANCE WHEN APPLYING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. I EXITED THE CAR AND SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE A WIRE HANGING LOOSE IN TWO PEICES. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE CHEVROLET DEALER, THEY INSPECTED THE VEHDICLE AND SAID I HIT SOMETHING ON THE ROAD AND IT CUT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE, PUNCHED A HOLE IN THE FLOOR AND IT WAS NOT WARRANTY. MY INSURANCE COMPANY INSPECTED THE CAR, FOUND NO "WITNESS MARKS", WHICH WOULD INDICATE A FOREIGN OBJECT IMPACTING ANY PART OF THE CAR. IF SO, THE INSURANCE INSPECTOR SAID WOULD INDICATE I HIT SOMETHING PRIOR TO THE FOREIGN OBJECT BREAKING THE CABLE AND DAMAGING THE FLOOR. MY INSURANCE IS COVERINVG THIS BUT MAY CHOOSE TO SUBROGATE AGAINST CHEVROLET. I CONTACTED A FRIEND I KNOW AT CHEVROLET AND WAS TOLD THE COMPANY HAS NUMEROUS PRODUCT REPORTS OF UNEXPLAINED EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE FRAYING AND FAILURE NOT CAUDED BY ROAD HAZARDS OR DEBRIS HITTING THE VEHICLE. THIS SHOULD BE A PART RECALL. *TR
I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND AND THE STREET LIGHT TURNS YELLOW. I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES AND ALL I HEARD WAS A CLICKING CLATTERING SOUND (CLICK, CLICK, CLICK) GO OFF. MY BRAKES DID NOT WORK AND THE CAR KEPT GOING. AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE INTERSECTION, MY LIGHT TURNS RED AND I AM STILL PRESSING ON THE BRAKES FOR THE CAR TO STOP BUT IT DOESN'T, AGAIN ALL I HEAR IS A CLICKING SOUND. THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN FOR THE OTHER CAR AND BECAUSE MY BRAKES DID NOT WORK WHEN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO IN ORDER TO "STOP" MY CAR, I ENDED UP HITTING THE OTHER CAR ON THE SIDE. MY CAR RECEIVED MOSTLY ALL OF THE IMPACT AND DAMAGE SINCE IT WENT HEAD ON WITH THE SIDE OF THE OTHER CAR. I WOULD HAVE NEVER EXPECTED OR EVEN THOUGHT OF MY BRAKES GOING BAD ON MY 2011 CHEVY LS EQUINOX. THAT IS JUST SOMETHING YOU DON'T EXPECT BECAUSE ITS A NEW CAR AND YOU ARE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CAR IS 100% IN WORKING CONDITION. I UNDERSTAND THAT MALFUNCTIONS HAPPEN, BUT THIS ONE I DID NOT SEE COMING. I WILL SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AS TO WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE. NOW I HAVE NO CAR, AND ALTHOUGH I LOVED THAT CAR, SADLY I WILL NOT BUY FROM CHEVY ANYMORE. I GUESS THEY GO HAND IN HAND WITH TOYOTA WITH THEIR BRAKE ISSUES. *JS *TR
FAILURE 1: WHILE SLOWING AND BRAKING TO MAKE A TURN THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FOR ABOUT 2 TO 3 SECONDS WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. MILEAGE WAS APPROX. 300. FAILURE 2: AT APPROX. 20 T0 25 MPH I APPLIED MODERATE BRAKING AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I THEN APPLIED FULL HARD PRESSURE AND NOTHING. I THEN RELEASED AND REAPPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE AND IT WORKED JUST IN TIME. IF I WAS AT A HIGHER SPEED I COULD HAVE KILLED A PEDESTRIAN AND THEY WOULD HAVE BLAMED ME AFTER THE COPS VERIFIED BRAKES WORKED FOR THEM. APPROX. MILEAGE 750
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026