Some of the top reported 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problems were related to frequent check engine light illumination, turbo failure in cold temperature, oil pressure fluctuations, and engine racing.
The 2018 Chevy comes with a long list of engines to choose from that satisfies most customers. You can either go with the 1.5-liter Turbo, the 2.0-liter Turbo, or the 1.6-liter turbo diesel engines.
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Our research found a good trend in the number of customers going with the 1.5-liter Turbo engine as a good choice for the best fuel economy. However, customers immediately discovered some major problems with this engine type which spoiled their excitement.
This article summarizes our in-depth review of all reported complaints about the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problems. We reviewed customer complaints reported to larger forums like repairpal.com, edmunds.com, nhtsa.gov, and others.
As the current owner of the 2018 Chevy, you need to be ready for any potential problems, especially those associated with the 1.5 Turbo engine. This way, you can decide whether it's the right time to continue driving this vehicle or sell it to Cash Cars Buyer.
2018 Chevy Engines Overview
One of the unique features of 2018 Chevy engines is that the automaker offers one engine type and three engine types for customers to choose based on their own goals and objectives.
According to Dan Nicholson, the vice president of global propulsion systems, “with three choices, customers can select an engine that offers more of the attributes that are important to them: efficiency, performance, and capability.” He also added, “the advantage for each is the power of a larger engine and fuel economy of a smaller engine.”
For the 2018 model year, the equinox was the first vehicle in the Chevy lineup to have an old Turbocharged or multi-engine in North America.
Let's take a closer look at the three engine types that Chevy offers in their 2018 model year:
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1.5-liter Turbo for the best fuel economy
The first option in the three 2018 Chevy engines is the 1.5 liters turbocharged. It provides the best fuel economy, 32 miles per gallon, according to the EPA estimates. This engine provides about 170 horsepower, which is SAE certified. According to the automaker, the engine provides direct injection and is considered one of these small displacement engines.
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2.0-liter Turbo for those looking for the best performance
The second option is recommended for those who are looking for better performance, which is the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.
According to the automaker, this vehicle achieves about 29 miles per gallon on the highway and provides you with a large degree of perfect performance. This SAE-certified engine achieves about 252 horsepower and very high torque bands.
When testing this engine, you will achieve the peak torque at around 2000 and 5600 rounds for a minute. The automaker argues that this vehicle's capacity is equal to the V6 engine's capacity of 3500 pounds.
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If you're looking for a mixture of efficiency and capability, your best option is the 1.6-liter Turbodiesel
If you're looking for the only diesel engine that provides the ultimate fuel economy, your best option would be the 2018 equinox. The automaker mentioned that this engine choice achieves up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
By going with the 1.6-liter Turbo engine, you are expected to achieve 137 horsepower according to the SAE certification. The vehicle can get about 240 pounds foot at around 4000 rounds per minute.
A great addition to the diesel option is the stop-start technology, which allows your vehicle to achieve the best response at low rounds per minute.
2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo Engine Problems
When you purchase a modern vehicle like the 2018 Chevy with an amazing 1.5 Turbo engine, you never expect to deal with major engine problems, especially at the early stages of your vehicle’s lifetime.
Unfortunately, customers were extremely disappointed when dealing with some of these major problems that cost them a lot of time and effort to get resolved, if any.
Let's take a closer look at some of these problems:
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Frequent check engine light illumination
The check engine light is one of the most important methods for your vehicle to communicate with you, indicating a major or minor internal problem.
While the check engine light might be linked to major problems, customers might overreact to minor problems like those associated with a loose fuel cap.
Unfortunately, check engine lights illumination was not linked to minor problems with the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine. Several relatively newer vehicles at only 7000 miles complained dealing with frequent check engine illumination without any other sign to pinpoint the problem.
How to fix this 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problem?
Based on our view of most reported complaints, we realize that the check engine light illumination problem seems to be intermittent, which means that when taking the vehicles to the repair shop, technicians were not able to replicate the problem. Therefore, customers did not report any potential solution to this problem.
While it can't be very easy to detect the main culprit behind check engine light illumination, it doesn't hurt to bring an OBD 2 scanner that can scan and read all problems in your vehicle's computer. With this tool, in all scenarios, you will be able to get some information that might help you determine the problem.
Customer complaints #1
“I have had the check engine light on intermittently for a couple of weeks now. The dealer says chevy says they do not have a fix. And to ignore the check engine light. I am terrified to drive the car. The dealer said I could get another vehicle but, they tried to penalize me by making me pay 15 months more in my contract. I told them that I cannot do that. Now what can I do. Who can help??”
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Turbo failure in cold temperatures
Cold temperatures can affect your vehicle in many different ways; It might freeze the fuel and fuel lines, disturb the performance of the oil, or prevent your battery from starting.
Surprisingly, the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo overreacted to this cold temperature and prevented many customers from driving their vehicles. According to the reported complaints, most of these problems occurred at vehicles around 15,000 miles.
How to fix this 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problem?
Customers indicated that the problem might be resolved by draining the Turbo. However, this might not be the only permanent solution to the problem. If you are facing a similar issue, it is recommended that you visit the nearest repair shop and get the vehicle inspected before drawing any conclusion.
Customer complaints #1
“Traveling on a very cold night to a small town in Saskatchewan, turbo freezes, mother-in-law tenses and we limp the last 40 km to her house. Had to change plans and stay a couple days until we could get a tow to the city. GM wanted to tow to another small town because it was closer but the dealership wasn’t going to be open until the 27th. Had to pay for extra mileage to get to a dealer that was open. Left vehicle there and took a loaner (also an equinox). Returned home 400 km from dealership. Had to return a couple days later to pick up my vehicle where they explained that the turbo had frozen. Interesting thing is that about 200km in to the return trip with the loaner, the loaner Equinox also froze up. Limped the last 200 km to the dealership on a double lane highway. Vehicle is not designed for very cold temperatures.”
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Oil pressure fluctuations
As a driver, you need to keep close attention to your oil level and its pressure. While it might not be very complicated to deal with high oil pressure, it can be a little scary to notice that your vehicle doesn't have the right pressure, and it's going very low.
Many customers indicated that oil pressure fluctuation is a common feature with the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine.
How to fix this 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problem?
Unfortunately, customers were not able to get a solution to this problem because it occurred intermittently, which means that technicians were not able to replicate the problem.
Customer complaints #1
“While driving at constant speed and rpm oil pressure goes from 30psi to 70psi. It doesn't seem like high oil pressure is as big a problem as low pressure. My other cars do not do this as oil pressure goes up with rpm so I asked McDaniels Service Technician and Service manager if this was normal. Technician said he couldn't repeat it but it does it ALL the time. I asked if this was normal and they both weren't sure.
In October the Service manager said he would check and get back with me but as of Jan 30, 2019 I have no response. I have called a few times but no call back. I called GM customer care and Corporate office. They said they would follow up but when I called back in January they just said I have to take it to the dealer again.
Actually I'm not sure this is normal or not on the 1.5t Equinox. It may be normal, maybe GM has a variable pressure pump to add pressure for variable valve timing. The problem is the Technicians, Service manager and Customer care have not been able to tell me this. They should know or be able to get an answer for their customers on technical questions. Cars are more technical today and the Technicians and Customer support should be more technical to address these issues. Regardless they should be able to answer customers questions in a timely manor and tell customers if they have a problem or not.
Three months is too long to wait for answer, it seems as though any issue is stalled or delayed to try to wait until the customer gives up or the warranty expires. I'm glad this is just a minor issue -I hope.”
Other 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo Problems
If you are not yet convinced about, they reported problems with the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine; you might need to go through the following list about other main reported problems about this vehicle:
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Fuel system problems
Several customers reported that their 2018 Chevy vehicle might suffer from complicated fuel system problems. For instance, the gas gauge might not go to the proper level when filling the fuel tank. Also, the fuel gauge might not work properly. Finally, there might be some instances where water can make its way to the fuel tank, resulting in two significant problems and might confuse your vehicle's computer to indicate the wrong errors.
When water gets into the fuel tank, the problem might not only be related to an issue with a loose fuel cap; it can also be related to broken fuel lines, which can be extremely dangerous.
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Transmission problems
Engine problems were not the only issue with the 2018 Chevy vehicle; a good number of complaints indicated that you might deal with significant issues with the transmission.
Many complaints indicated that the transmission might not shift properly, the transition might not work probably in cold weather, transmission might not receive power, and transmission might surge.
Although there wasn’t any reported information about repair options or repair costs for 2018 Chevy transmission problems, it sounds like these problems were repaired under the extended warranty.
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AC and heating system problems
Although AC and heating system problems were not commonly reported about this vehicle, it can be frustrating, especially if you're driving in very cold or very hot environments.
For example, driving in a cold environment during winter can be extremely challenging, if not impossible, without a working heating system.
At least one customer indicated that when driving a 2018 Chevy, you might smell some full odor coming from the AC system. Also, a customer reported that the remote start might not be able to start the heat properly. While this might sound like a simple issue, it can be extremely challenging for those driving every morning in very cold environment.
Are There Any Recalls on the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo?
Despite the high number of reported complaints about the 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo engine problems, the automaker did not release any recalls to address these problems.
However, it seems like the brake system is a major problem with most 2018 Chevy vehicles, which is considered a scary problem.
When purchasing a modern vehicle like the 2018 Chevy, you never expect to deal with life-threatening problems like those associated with a bad or broken brake pedal.
Therefore, the automaker did not only release one recall but three.
On October 24th, 2019, the automaker decided to recall several vehicles due to a problem with the hydraulic until AC control system.
The automaker indicated that the wheel speed sensor might fail to cause, which results in activating the driveline protection system. As a result, the vehicle might get pulled to one side unexpectedly, increasing the potentials for crashes.
On September 6th, 2019, the automaker also recalled several vehicles from the 2018 model year due to another problem with the hydraulic system. This time, the automaker indicated that the vacuum level might not work properly, which affects the performance of the brake assist system, increasing the risks of crashes.
Finally, on October 1st, 2020, the automaker again recalled several vehicles from the 2018 model year due to a problem with the power assist in the hydraulic system. The automaker mentioned that the mechanical vacuum pump might have a problem that decreases the vacuum in your vehicle's brake assist system. As a result, the vehicle might stop unintendedly, increasing the risk of crashes.
Should You Repair 2018 Chevy 1.5 Turbo Engine Problems?
The 2018 Chevy comes with not only one engine option but also three. With this list of options, customers can choose between the great fuel economy, the high power, or a mix of both.
Although many customers tend to purchase the 1.5 Turbo engine more than the other engines, these customers got extremely disappointed when dealing with major engine problems immediately after driving the vehicle for a couple of years only.
If you have a 2018 Chevy was at 1.5 Turbo engine and realized that it's suffering from major problems, it is never too early to get rid of this vehicle and select a Cash Cars Buyer.
Cash Cars Buyer is one of the few U.S. companies that accept your 2018 Chevy despite its major problems, even those associated with the engine.
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