2020 Chevrolet Equinox

Premature headlamp (low beam) failure. The light abruptly failed and it was acknowledged by the manufacturer that this should not have occurred. The failure occurred in October of 2023. Light fixture has since been replaced. The low beam bulb is not accessible for replacement in our vehicle. Instead the entire headlight assembly has to be replaced. The estimated cost for a single replacement was approx $2,600.00. After back and forth with the manufacturer they agreed to replace both headlight assemblies for approximately $1,900.00. A previous recall was issued for GM vehicles in the early 2000s that had similar premature headlight failures. This poses a safety risk because vehicles of this age are likely to still be financed and owners are unlikely to be able to afford a near $3,000 repair for a low beam headlight manufacturing defect. Please note the mileage on the vehicle was roughly 42k. There is the potential that owners will be forced to operate the vehicle with failed headlight(s) while the manufacturer refuses to fully acknowledge it is a manufacturing defect.

During the month of November while driving on Interstate 35 inTexas I attempted to administer my braking system during slowed traffic and they did not respond. The brake pedal became completely stiff and I had to apply incredible pressure to get the vehicle to slow down until I turned on my hazards and rolled to a stop on the shoulder. I did not have any alerts or warnings until I powered the vehicle off and powered back on to find my engine light on and the service brake assist alert on as well. I had it towed for service to which they replaced the vacuum pump, brake booster pressure sensor and brake fluid. Everything seemed to be working fine however a month later the same exact issue occurred. I took it in to the same place for service and had a brake inspection done and was told everything looked good and they were not sure what was wrong other than the ecm and ebcm were now reading codes. The issue is that this is intermittent with no warning and has been incredibly difficult to pinpoint the exact issue. This has also been incredibly pricey trying to chase an issue that appears one day and clears itself the next and lastly this has been terrifyingly frustrating as I do not know if i will have valid brake control or not on each ride. This issue could be life or death and was traumatizing as I had my son and mother in the car with me during the first event.

This vehicle starts glitching after exposure to rain. All of the gauges start going up and down, and every action required message pops up one after the other stating "Fuel Level Low, Shift to Park, Park Assist Off, All Wheel Drive System, Service Power Steering, ESC". The vehicle does this while driving at low to high speeds, even on the highways it has happened, the brakes are hard to push in while this is happening. This puts me and others in high danger if I cannot control the vehicle while driving. I have taken the vehicle in over 6 times to the service department of GM and not one time has anything been done. They have been unsuccessful in duplicating the problem every time I've brought it in even when it is occurring.

The equinox completely lost power (engine AND electrical) turned off while the vehicle was in drive on the road. Once at a complete stop, I pushed the brake and start button. The car attempted to start for a few seconds (clicking sound) then finally started back up. This is a major safety concern. Luckily I was able to get the car running again with no issues but if it had not turned back on, I would have been stranded on the road with no power to even put my emergency caution lights on. Thankfully I was not on the expressway going the speed limit or at a busy intersection. I could have been in a car accident because I was stalled with zero power to the entire vehicle. The vehicle was eventually towed to a Chevrolet dealership and the ECM was reprogrammed and the vehicle is back in my possession.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that there was water intrusion into the passenger’s side taillight. The contact was made aware of TSB: 22-NA-170 and related the failures to the battery and taillight. The contact made a local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.

Onstar module being manipulated and used while car is parked and off. The radio station is changed to a Asian language when car is turned on. The camera are also being manipulated while car is off. Apps are being installed and utilized by other users through the dashboard. and the stability tracker automatically turns on after 35 mph even when turning option off.