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2016 Chevrolet Colorado

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Colorado years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado are substantially higher than the model-year median of 84.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

295 reports with mileage · 411 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 457 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 117 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 97 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports

Power Train complaints

97 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 22, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainSteering

While my 17 year old son was traveling on the highway at a speed of 55, the truck (2016 Chevy Colorado)suddenly lost its power steering. He was barely able to get off the road, because the steering wheel was so hard to turn. The stabilitrak warning light came on and a warning light about the power steering also came on(while t…

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While my 17 year old son was traveling on the highway at a speed of 55, the truck (2016 Chevy Colorado)suddenly lost its power steering. He was barely able to get off the road, because the steering wheel was so hard to turn. The stabilitrak warning light came on and a warning light about the power steering also came on(while the problem was happening). My son was very concerned, because he said if he had been traveling at that speed around a curve, he could have crashed. This seems very serious to me. I googled this problem, only to find there have been recalls on several 2015 and 2016 models, but my VIN was not one of them.... something is wrong here!!?? I'm scared to let him drive it anymore.

NHTSA ODI #11513141

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2023
Power Train

Vehicle shuddering at low speeds. Took to Chevrolet Dealer, and they diagnosed as Torque Converter coming apart. Colorado has 67,953 miles. Per dealer service department, Need to replace Transmission at $6,273.52. If not replaced, Vehicle will freeze up and not be able to shift gears.

NHTSA ODI #11507164

Mileage unknown · Feb 11, 2023
Power Train

Auto stutters in lower gears at lower speeds like transmission is skipping.

NHTSA ODI #11506756

Mileage unknown · Jan 25, 2023
Power Train

Vehicle shift lever, part # 23397472, will not go into mode to allow keys to be removed from ignition. Will only go into the accessory mode which will allow the battery to run down if left this way. Have to restart and move shift lever back and forth multiple times before keys can be removed. This seems to be a continuing proble…

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Vehicle shift lever, part # 23397472, will not go into mode to allow keys to be removed from ignition. Will only go into the accessory mode which will allow the battery to run down if left this way. Have to restart and move shift lever back and forth multiple times before keys can be removed. This seems to be a continuing problem on Chevy Colorados and GMC Canyons according to various Chevy/GMC owner complaints. Almost have pointed back to the part number above.

NHTSA ODI #11503619

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2022
Power Train

The transmission sucks. It’s jerky, rough, and random. Downshifting from 5th to 4th and 2nd to 1st is rough. Stopping the vehicle can be a pain sometimes because it’s like the truck doesn’t want to stop. Acceleration is very poor, I shouldn’t have to go pedal to floor to accelerate 5+mph while at highway speeds. It shudders, ch…

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The transmission sucks. It’s jerky, rough, and random. Downshifting from 5th to 4th and 2nd to 1st is rough. Stopping the vehicle can be a pain sometimes because it’s like the truck doesn’t want to stop. Acceleration is very poor, I shouldn’t have to go pedal to floor to accelerate 5+mph while at highway speeds. It shudders, chuggles, and creates a weird deep droning noise when getting up too speed While driving, the engine picks and chooses when to speed up. I press the gas peddle down and have to wait a few seconds before the vehicle responds. I have noticed the vehicle making sounds like it is sputtering almost to the point to seizing all together. Slow and go driving 20-40mph after coasting and trying to accelerate again the transmission bucks, hesitates trying to find a lower gear. It can’t decide which gear to go into and just sputters and chugs until I push the accelerator 1/2 way down or more and it the finds its gear and rockets off. This type of driving is not safe at all. This happens all the time. This is a known gm issue with Colorado/Canyons and GM changed transmissions following years and no support for 2015-16. It sucks at maintaining speeds; even with cruise control. I go up the slightest, and I mean like a 2% grade incline it loses its speed by 2-5 mph. And with cruise control it’ll down shift to get back to the set speed but I go nowhere. Then it’ll downshift again to a lower gear and climbs even higher in RPMs to get up to speed and then cruise control will shut off and I’ll have to manually accelerate.

NHTSA ODI #11488223

138,000 miles · Aug 26, 2022
EnginePower TrainService Brakes, Air

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that on several occasions, the engine, traction, and stabilitrak warning lights illuminated then the vehicle went into Limp Mode. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone where a diagnostic test indicated that the powertrain system and cylinder #1 had failed. The contact st…

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The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that on several occasions, the engine, traction, and stabilitrak warning lights illuminated then the vehicle went into Limp Mode. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone where a diagnostic test indicated that the powertrain system and cylinder #1 had failed. The contact stated while driving downhill, the RPM increased however, the vehicle failed to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that the ABS warning light illuminated and the vehicle went into Limp Mode. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pipe, fuel rail and fuel injector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to a different dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder #1 and the power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that she would receive a loaner vehicle however, the manufacturer was contacted a second time where the contact was denied a loaner vehicle due to a warranty issue. The failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ODI #11481401

Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2022
Power Train

The transmission went from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive without me doing a thing. The light came on that the transmission was transmission to 4 wheel drive. Then the traction control lights came on the dash which said they were off. The transmission was very sluggish, I pressed on the gas pedal to see if that would clear it a…

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The transmission went from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive without me doing a thing. The light came on that the transmission was transmission to 4 wheel drive. Then the traction control lights came on the dash which said they were off. The transmission was very sluggish, I pressed on the gas pedal to see if that would clear it and the transmission didn't engage. When I went to turn of the road my front wheels felt like they were coming off. (Hard to explain) it's like the wheels were turned to tight. And the front end shook. I was stuck.

NHTSA ODI #11476398

Mileage unknown · Jul 15, 2022
Electrical SystemPower Train

Has happened multiple times where driving and notification comes on dash that Stabilitrak and Power steering are malfunctioning and then stop working. Has happened in the middle of a turn and the wheel turn to lead in my hand and I almost crashed. Every time it happens the only way to fix it is to pull over and reset computer an…

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Has happened multiple times where driving and notification comes on dash that Stabilitrak and Power steering are malfunctioning and then stop working. Has happened in the middle of a turn and the wheel turn to lead in my hand and I almost crashed. Every time it happens the only way to fix it is to pull over and reset computer and pray it doesn't shut off again while I'm driving. I've spoken to numerous others with the same year and have had similar electrical issues, as well I have seen dozens of people posting online asking the same questions so i know its not just my car and I know there is a recall out for the same part on the '15 Chevy Colorado. The issue of bringing it into the mechanic to fix is that if nothing is going wrong at the time they can't see the issue. This is an extreme safety issue. more than once the power steering has shut off while taking a steep turn. GM needs to be help accountable to fix this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11474034

Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2021
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

my truck has a issue when you are going down a hill it shifts into a lower gear. This is an automatic transmission. This can cause my truck to slide and spin in bad weather. I have seen people comment about this issue on some Colorado forums. It has done this many times and at times I have pulled over and placed it in park

NHTSA ODI #11443159

Mileage unknown · Nov 29, 2021
Power Train

My transmission suddenly failed while I was in drive, stopped, at a stop light. I had the transmission repaired. It was a sealed unit with nothing visible from the outside. I would have had to pay a substantial core charge to keep the failed unit, which I did not do so it was not inspected and is not available to my knowledge…

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My transmission suddenly failed while I was in drive, stopped, at a stop light. I had the transmission repaired. It was a sealed unit with nothing visible from the outside. I would have had to pay a substantial core charge to keep the failed unit, which I did not do so it was not inspected and is not available to my knowledge. My safety was put at risk because I could not move my vehicle in heavy afternoon rush hour traffic on a busy city street. The police did not respond. A tow truck took 50 minutes to arrive. My vehicle was in a traffic lane. My safety was put at risk because I had to direct on-rushing traffic around my vehicle by the light of my phone flashlight as darkness fell. My truck and I were at risk of being hit for at least twenty minutes before my arriving son and two kind strangers were able to stop traffic and push my vehicle onto private property. The problem was reproduced and confirmed by the certified Chevy technician who repaired my truck. The component was only inspected from the outside by the service tech who could not see any issues on the outside of the sealed transmission. There was no warning. My vehicle was in drive with my foot on the brake as I sat waiting for the light to change. When the light changed, I took my foot off the brake and depressed the accelerator pedal. The engine revved but there was no movement. I changed the gears from drive to park and back again several time with no effect. The reverse gear still worked but that did not help me in traffic.

NHTSA ODI #11442024

Official recalls

4

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

17V621000 · Air Bags:frontal

Oct 5, 2017

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17387.

16V125000 · Air Bags:frontal

Mar 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.

15V807000 · Latches/locks/linkages

Dec 1, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado trucks manufactured August 25, 2015 to September 24, 2015, and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured August 28, 2015 to September 24, 2015. The affected vehicles have a console compartment lid latch assembly that may fail to keep the compartment door closed in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the console compartment door does not remain closed in a crash, the contents stored in the console may strike the vehicle occupants, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the console compartment door latch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on January 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16370.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.