The brake vacuum pump went bad while driving the car

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

My brake pedal became hard as a rock requiring all of the leg strength I had to stop vehicle followed by a Brake Booster warning light and an email from OnStar. My concern here is GM eliminated that foot/hand operated emergency/parking brake leaving no backup method to stop in an emergency. Women, for the most part, and inexperienced drivers would not have the strength or knowledge to push on the brake pedal as hard as possible to stop the vehicle. Once they pushed with normal pressure and the vehicle didn't stop there would be an accident. In my case I was traveling at 45 mph in congested multi lane traffic on the inside of four lanes when traffic suddenly stopped leaving me about 2 seconds to react.

- Hudson, IA, USA

While driving the Brake pedal became very hard to press and stopping distance increased greatly. the check engine light and service brake light on the dash became illuminated. After looking online it became apparent that there are a lot of people with Chevrolet vehicles equipped with the 1.5L engine that had the same problem and the cause was a faulty vacuum pump. I removed the vacuum pump and it has broken pieces that have fallen off of it and are now inside of the engine and will need more engine components removed to have access to remove all of the metal fragments.

- Richwoods, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that as she slows to a stop and depresses the brake pedal the vehicle jerks and goes backward before coming to a full stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to a local dealer or mechanic and was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a constant smell of gasoline vapor in the cabin which makes the contact dizzy. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Two Rivers, WI, USA

I had just exited off of the highway and I was approaching the red light ahead my brakes became hard to push and they did not stop the vehicle. I ran through the red light in sheer panic. Was able to pull into a bank parking lot and when I turned the vehicle off and then back on the "brake assist" notification came up. I called my local Chevy Service but at that point I was on a trip from Fort Worth to Houston and was halfway in the middle closest to Waco. I drove it to the nearest dealership 30 miles. I had to leave the vehicle for 5 days. The diagnoses was no vacuum to brake booster pump. A total of $504. They said pumps are not included in powertrain warranty and I just passed the bumper to bumper warranty. I Had to get a hotel for the night. Then get a family member to drive 3 1/2 hours to come get me and my 2 daughters. My main concern is if anybody else had been coming through that intersection when my brakes failed it could have been a really bad accident. I had gone from a 75mph speed limit and was still going 35 mph when they stopped working.

- Haslet, TX, USA

Vehicle intermittent brake catches, lights come sometimes, door locks open and close, engine light comes on and last time system locked completely and could get vehicle into gear. Had to have it towed. Second time into dealer service, now on 4th week and GM factory unable to determine problem and solution. Copy of my letter sent to General Motors for remedy of my Equinox problems not solved. Consumer's 2020 Chevrolet Equinox has developed multiple defects that cannot be fixed.. The brakes will suddenly catch, the lights come on on their own, door locks will lock and unlock intermittently and it will lock up so we cannot get it into gear. The engine light remains on. First in for service 4/18/22 for one week. Problem not fixed. Now in second time and dealer has had it for three weeks. GM techs have been unable to determine problem solutions... (Car interior torn apart).

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

When my car is parked (no emergency brake on) on a SLIGHT incline & the driveway is completely dry, it slides down the driveway 10-20 feet in its own with the wheels turning. It has happened at 4 times & once someone was trying to get out & it was frightening. It-??s ended up on the sidewalk where it could hit pedestrians. I can-??t drive an UNSAFE vehicle & the dealer says since they can-??t replicate it, they can-??t fix it (as if I-??m lying that it happened) & to just always use the emergency brake even though the car manual doesn-??t say anything about that being how the car works.

- Arvada, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while pulling to a stoplight when they noticed the brakes squeaking and they began to smell like overheated brakes. The vehicle's brakes started dragging from the rear and the brake pad sticks to the roader. The failure occurred approximately 3-4 times. The dealer had not been able to identify the cause of the failure. The contact noticed that their failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19v704000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The manufacturer was made aware and confirmed their VIN was not included. The contact was directed to file a complaint with NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

- Grand Ledge, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an unknown speed, the power steering assist and brake assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake module to be replaced. The brake module was replaced, and the brake fluid was flushed. The vehicle was repaired but experienced failure the following day. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the shoulder nut on the brake module to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but experienced failure while leaving the dealer. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,418. THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A BAD BATTERY.

- Cottage Grove, MN, USA

Back in early October 2020, vehicle had about 2000 miles on it. I noticed that when I started up the vehicle The Brake Assist Service message came on the brakes were spongy and had vibrating feel. I drove about a half of a mile and the problem stopped. The engine light came on and stayed on but then went out. Everything was ok for about two weeks when it did it again light came on took it a dealer but light went off. They serviced the vehicle and seem that the problem had stopped. Then in Early April of 2021 it happened again. Took it to the same dealership, they replace some more parts. Week or two weeks later same issue. Took it back to the dealership. They replaced the engine control module. During all these times, an engine light would soon follow after the message about the brake assist message. Thought it was fixed. On June 14 2021 at 1:14PM started my vehicle up the SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST message came on called the dealership. The brakes were vibrating and were not smooth. I stopped and turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle message went away brakes appeared to be fine. This time however no engine came on. Dealership was willing to service the vehicle but if the engine light wasn't on it would hard to diagnosed. I took a picture of the message before it had clear. On July 8th 2021, at 2:08PM, I started my vehicle and the SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST message came on. I took a photo of it. I tested the brakes appear to be ok. Turned the vehicle off the message didn't show again. My son borrow the vehicle and he got into an accident the same day approximately 6 hours. He swerved to avoid hitting a deer. He said that brakes appeared not to slow him down. He left roadway and struck a tree head on. The vehicle caught fire and he was lucky to escape. The vehicle was destroyed by the fire and crash. Not putting blame on anyone because I know there were other contributing factors to the accident. I just wanted to report this because of past problems with GM.

- Bridgeton, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while driving downhill at approximately 20-30 mph, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle instead independently accelerated and crashed through an electric gate. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. The contact stated that the passenger-??s side of the vehicle was severely damaged causing approximately $6,000 in damages to the vehicle and the electric gate. The vehicle was repaired, and the passenger-??s side door was replaced. The contact stated that two days after the vehicle was picked up from the repair shop, while attempting to reverse out of a parking spot, the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to stop in a reasonable amount of time. The contact stated that the vehicle slowly stopped and that the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,400. The Vin was invalid.

- Brownwood, TX, USA

While driving vehicle, received "service ESC" warning on the dashboard with 4 "lights" on the dashboard. ABS light, traction control light, stability control, and parking brake light. Lane keep assist has been disabled, front collision warning has been disabled, and front pedestrian braking has been disabled. All of these lights turn on and off continuously while driving and sometimes will turn off for a couple of hours and turn back on.

- West Union, OH, USA

Rough idle when vehicle comes to a stop and rpms will fluctuate. Rattle noise from the exhaust when turning on or on reverse. Brakes responding late.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

I purchased the 2020 Equinox SUV. Immediately leaving the dealership after a heavy rain the SUV wasn't able to stop when I applied the breaks & approached a stop sign on a major highway and I was struck on the driver side of the car. I woke up in a trauma center in springfield mo. The vehicle had 84 miles on it. $17,500 in damage not including serious injuries not just to myself but the car that struck me. I was also sited a ticket from the Missouri highway patrol for failure to stop at a stop sign, though I applied the breaks with enough force to stop the vehicle. I still have problems with the breaks in wet/cold climates. It's terrifying

- Hollister, MO, USA

Turning right after a yield and took a loop (highway) my vehicle crashed another vehicle from behind, but my vehicle supposed to have an auto warning or alert sign that I should have noticed, a beep that supposed to alert me that the other vehicle was so close even the switch was at the on mode

- Laredo, TX, USA

Pulling out of carwash.turning left in carwash lot. Car engine reved up, car lunged forward at high speed. Slammed on brake but brake pedal went right to the floor. Car then side swiped carwash vacuum system on passenger side scraping and denting both passenger side doors. Threw car into park and shut off engine to stop waited 5 minutes. Turned car back on put car in drive. Slowly moved and put brake on. Brakes worked. Drove 5 miles to get home. Now afraid to drive car.

- Cheektowaga, NY, USA

Whenever I backup I hear a squeal noise when I put my brake on to put it in drive. I bought my car brand new and it has been doing this for a month now.

- Payne, OH, USA

Received "service brake assist" on car dashboard. When brakes were applied the pedal went all the way to the floorboard. Went to 3 different dealerships, the 1st 2 would not provider a loaner vehicle to me while car was being repaired. Note the car was purchase about a month ago and has 1200 miles on it. I was told that GM has a policy that they will not provide loaners, if this is true I find it very troubling. The last stop I had to put my foot down and tell them they were going to provide a vehicle for me to drive or get my car fixed immediately. I ended up with a loaner and they found that I had some pinched wires and the wiring harness had to be replaced which involves the whole engine being pulled to replace this part. The car has now been in the shop for almost a week and I may get it back tomorrow. This is the first Chevy I have owned and it may be my last.

- East Fallowfield, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox. While driving 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle started to shake excessively. The check engine warning light and traction control warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to jim trenary Chevrolet located at 501 auto mall dr, O'fallon, mo 63368, where a diagnostic test and repair was still pending. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 400. The VIN was not available.

- Wentzzille, MO, USA