There are 18 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Equinoxin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
On or about 10/10/24 …2018 EQUINOX my SRS light came on my digital control along with the body holding a ball indicating the I had an airbag(s) issue. I immediately called my dealership that wanted me to bring it in (a week later) and cost to put it on the machine would cost $180 for diagnostics. Later the next day, honked my hour..everything back to normal. Next morning, back on. Est costs to fix$1,000 approx. no accidents. No other issues. Diag indicates R/FRT & L.RT AIRBAG SENSOR needs replace. NHTSA #10137388 & 10164117 cases
I was in an accident when my 2018 Chevy Equinox rear ended a stopped vehicle at a traffic light. There was significant damage to the front of my vehicle 12k plus. The emergency braking system did not activate, nor did the airbags. My wife experienced severe contusions to the chest area.we wonder why the emergency braking system or airbags failed to deploy.
At 12pm on June 11, 2023 I was parked in a church sparking lot in East Rochester and was facing the church's stone wall. My vehicle was only 2 feet from the was when the car accelerated toward the wall and all of the airbags opened and the hood and side panels were affected causing the vehicle was considered totaled by my insurance. My foot was on the brake and I was preparing to put the car in park when the car lurched forward and hit the wall at a high rate of speed. GM examined the car and gave me a report I could not understand but their report indicated that there was not a vehicle defect. I find this highly improbable. I can send the report and perhaps your organization can read it or do your own inspection of my vehicle. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter. This same thing has happened to 2 other people I know who drive Equinoxes. Best Regards, [XXX] [XXX] Cell [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The air bag system failed.
When buckled, the part of the seat belt buckle where the LAP belt slides through the actual buckle part becomes binding and has to be manual pushed through the buckle in order to move your hips when seated. This issue has absolutely nothing to do with the shoulder part of the belt or the belt not retracting. It is solely an issue with the plastic buckle and the belt not sliding through it when seated. This is a safety issue because the lap belt becomes binding while seated. If the driver needs to shift in the seat, he must pull the shoulder belt out to create give in the belt and then use both hands to manually feed the belt through the buckle. This is unsafe when driving for obvious reasons if the driver is unable to use any hands on the steering wheel. If the driver doesn't continuously adjust the belt in this way, it becomes so tight across the hips that it causes discomfort and redness on the skin and abrasions if the vehicle turns wide or breaks quickly. This intense discomfort makes me avoid wearing my seatbelt which causes obvious risk or poses a risk to myself and other drivers if I need to take both hands off the wheel to adjust it while driving. The front passenger seat belt has the same issue. I began to notice this issue about 6 months ago and have taken the vehicle to a dealer/service center 3 times without any recourse other than being offered the opportunity to replace the entire seat belt system for $700 each.
AIR BAG SERVICE LIGHT GOES ON WHEN FRONT PASSENGER BUCKLES UP, IF PASSENGER UNBUCKLES LIGHT DISAPPEARS, IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING, PARKED, BACKING UP, ALL SPEED, ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS, ANY ROADS. IT LOOKS THE SEATBELT ACTIVATE THAT SERVICE LIGHT . I BOUGHT THE CAR USED 11/28/20 AND STILL HAVE DMV WARRANTY 60 DAYS, HOWEVER STEPHEN AUTOMALL CENTRE, BRISTOL CT DOESN'T HONOR THE WARRANTY!
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. NO OTHER PASSENGERS BESIDES DRIVER OF VEHICLE WAS IN CAR. THE DRIVERS AIRBAG DEPLOYED, BUT UPON EXITING THE VEHICLE THE PASSENGER SEAT HAD CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING AIRBAG.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK PAINS AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A SEVERE CONCUSSION AND A BROKEN RIGHT ELBOW. BOTH OCCUPANTS RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED AND "NO SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" APPEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED WITH AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAG MIGHT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION CHEVROLET GILBERT (LOCATED AT 3215 S AUTO WAY, GILBERT, AZ 85297, (480) 359-2264) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT A FAILURE CODE COULD NOT BE RETRIEVED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO AUTONATION CHEVROLET ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,050.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN COLLISION OF THE REAR END AND FRONT END ....AIR BAGS SMOKED BUT DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS STOPPED WHEN REAR ENDED AND THEN HIT STATIONARY CAR IN FRONT WHILE TRAVELING ON CITY STREET
THE CURRENT LOCKED-IN WALL-MOUNTED SHOULDER SAFETY STRAPS ARE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND POSSIBLY DANGEROUS FOR A SHORT PERSON. PREVIOUSLY WE OWNED A 2012 EQUINOX, AND BEING UNDER 5'2" TALL, I USED THE WALL-MOUNTED SHOULDER STRAP "SLIDER" ADJUSTMENT TO COMFORTABLY ADJUST THE SEAT BELT HEIGHT IN BOTH THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEATS. WE NOW OWN A 2018 EQUINOX, AND IT NO LONGER HAS THE "SLIDER" HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT (WALL-MOUNTED). IT ONLY HAS THE LOCKED-IN SHOULDER STRAP. THE SHOULDER STRAP RESTS AGAINST THE SIDE OF MY NECK, AND FEELS AS IF IT IS RUBBING OR CUTTING INTO MY NECK. NOW, INSTEAD OF THE SHOULDER STRAP HEIGHT BEING ADJUSTABLE, THE PASSENGER SEAT HEIGHT IS ADJUSTABLE (THE DRIVER SEAT HEIGHT PREVIOUSLY WAS ADJUSTABLE). WHILE THE ADDITIONAL VISIBILITY IS HELPFUL, THE SHOULDER STRAP STILL FEEL AS IF IT IS RUBBING OR CUTTING INTO MY NECK. TO ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM, WHEN I AM DRIVING (USING BOTH HANDS, AS I ALWAYS DO), THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, SO I TRY TO WEAR A SHIRT WITH A COLLAR TO TUCK THE STRAP UNDER. THIS IS NOT MUCH BETTER. WHEN I AM A PASSENGER, I EITHER HOLD THE SHOULDER STRAP WITH MY HAND, OR PUT MY FOREARM UNDER THE SHOULDER STRAP, BUT STILL KEEP THE STRAP OVER MY SHOULDER. WHILE I MAY RISK A BROKEN HAND OR ARM WITH THESE METHODS, IT IS PREFERABLE TO RISKING A POSSIBLE BROKEN NECK.
THE SEAT BELTS ARE DESIGNED SUCH THAT A SHORTER PERSON MUST WEAR THE BELT ACROSS THEIR NECK WHEN BUCKLED IN. THE ADJUSTMENT TO RAISE AND LOWER THE SEATBELT FROM THE WALL OF THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER INCLUDED IN THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE SHORTER DRIVER (INCLUDING STUDENT DRIVERS). IF AN INCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR THAT REQUIRED THE SEATBELT, I BELIEVE ADDITIONAL INJURY COULD RESULT TO THE NECK AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THAT OTHERWISE WOULDN'T OCCUR WITH PROPERLY FIT SEATBELTS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE DROVE THROUGH A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BACK, WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE REPAIRED. RED WING CHEVROLET BUICK CADILLAC (2500 US-61, RED WING, MN 55066, (651) 388-4777) WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,500.
I AM NOT ABLE TO ADJUST THE HEIGHT IN WHICH MY SEAT BELT LAYS ON MY CHEST. I AM 5'3' AND USUALLY NEED TO ADJUST THE SEAT BELT HEIGHT IN THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, WHEN I LEASED MY VEHICLE, I NOTICED THERE WAS NO WAY TO ADJUST THIS. WHEN I AM DRIVING, I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO RAISE THE HEIGHT OF MY SEAT, HOWEVER, MY KNEES BECOME TOO CLOSE TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND I AM THEN SITTING TOO HIGH IN THE VEHICLE TO HAVE GOOD VISION OF THE ROAD. THIS EVENING, I WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING, HE HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKES VERY UPRIBPTLY AS DEER WERE IN OUR PATH AS HE WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON A RURAL ROAD AND THE SEATBELT LOCKED AND CUT INTO MY NECK. THIS WAS A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE THAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS A 'RUG BURN.' THE SEATBELT LEFT A RED MARK ON MY NECK, AND HOURS LATER, IS STILL VISIBLE. WHILE THE SEATBELT STOPPED ME FROM GOING FORWARD, IT STOPPED ME USING MY NECK, WHICH WAS PAINFUL. HAD I BEEN ABLE TO ADJUST THE HEIGHT OF THE SEATBELT, IT WOULD NOT HAVE RUBBED MY BARE NECK.
TAKATA RECALL, I WAS TURNING INTO THE LEFT TURN LANE, WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS LOCKED AND I COULD NOT APPLY PRESSURE TO STOP. I CONTINUED TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE, BUT IT CONTINUED TO BE LOCKED. WHEN I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE AIRBAGS DID NOT INFLATE. WHEN THE CAR STOPPED THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO BE LOCKED. WHEN THE OFFICERS ARRIVED THEY LOOKED AT THE BRAKE PEDDLE AND THEY WERE STILL LOCKED IN PLACE.
INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION. MY VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AND CAUSED FRONT END DAMAGE TO MINE. RECEIVED EMAIL FROM INSTEAD INDICATING A CRITICAL PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAGS AND THEIR DEPLOYMENT. THE AIR BAGS NEVER WENT OFF UPON IMPACT BUT SMOKE CAME FROM THE SIDE AIRBAGS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PART FOR A SEAT BELT RECALL WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SERVICED THE VEHICLE, BUT COULD NOT REPAIR THE FAILURE FOR MONTHS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
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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 26, 2026