Owners have filed 3,258 complaints on the Chevrolet Colorado, covering 2004–2026. The system named most often is Steering (910 reports). Worst years by volume: 2016, 2015, 2004; cleanest: 2026, 2025, 2011. 116 reports describe a crash, 54 a fire, 8 a death. On average the car was 4.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chevrolet Colorado
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 3,258 Colorado complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 910 Read
Vehicle suddenly loses power steering without warning. The power steering module is connected to the CAN bus which errors everything else on the same network so stabilitrack, traction control, ABS, etc goes out all at the same time. On icy roads, this caused to hit the ditch at very high speed. What I don’t understand…
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would have a sudden loss of power steering. The failure occurred intermittently. The contact believed the check engine light, traction control, abs, and stability track warning lights and or messages become…
As I was driving in the icy weather feb 2022 going down a slight incline approx speed 10-15 mph on the road the power steering went out and the traction control lights came on and air bag light went off and I lost steering control wound up in a 6 ft drop off of a culvert may have lost consciousness briefly as I didn’t…
Electrical System 498 Read
My teenage son was involved in an accident because of distraction caused by his he dashboard. Upon taking right turns with the right blinker, the LEFT blinker would subsequently illuminate for at least 4 blinks. Additionally, the CHECK ENGINE light was also illuminated. The vehicle only had less than 90miles on it. As…
I was driving the truck and first I got a "Software Update Needed Vehicle must be parked and off" this was followed quickly be a "low tire pressure alarm" 3 times in a short distance then I got a message "Antilock brake issue do not drive over 62 MPH or vehicle may not stop" then the brakes began to randomly slam on…
Dash cluster initially went blank while driving and there was no speedometer or console. The vehicle alarm was also reported as going off in the middle of the night without anything around the vehicle. I took it into the dealership and they replaced several parts including the dash and radio components. They also…
Power Train 467 Read
The contact's partner owned a 2022 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that upon placing the vehicle into park, he went into a store while his partner remained in the vehicle with the engine running. The vehicle began to roll back as an abnormal, whining sound began to emit from the transmission. As the vehicle…
. I was at the carwash vacuuming the truck while in drive when I got back to the passenger side to put the hose up, I reached in to remove my keys out of the ignition, and the truck rolled backwards, I ran to the driver side and the door knocked me to the ground and the 2019 colorada ran over my entire body from my…
Vehicle was driven at approximately 20mph and uppon deceleration there was a loud bang and all four tires locked up and having no control over movement of the truck. No error codes found and dealership states it was a faulty transfer case. Vehicle has been in shop almost a month will no resolution
Service Brakes 282 Read
The contact's husband owns a 2025 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that after exiting a car wash tunnel and parking the vehicle on the side of the car wash building, the vehicle continued to roll forward at a high speed without warning. The contact used both feet and excessive force on the brake pedal to stop…
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and approaching a stopped traffic, the contact stated that the sun temporarily blinded his vision of the roadway. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a stopped motorcycle, causing…
While driving in heavy and slow moving traffic at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle in front stopped. The forward collision and automatic emergency braking failed to activate. These safety features are not a replacement for active driving attention, but if they properly function and activate, they could have prevented…
Exterior Lighting 126 Read
I was involved in a rear impact crash due to the brake lights failing to illuminate. I had the brake lamps switch of my 2007 chevrolet colorado extended cab replaced per the manufacturer recall that was issued in 2010. However, the replacement that the dealership installed failed, causing the driver behind me to be…
The contact owns a 2004 chevrolet colorado. The contact stated that the brake light switch was replaced numerous times for a recurring failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 09V310000 (exterior lighting: brake lights: switch). The dealer replaced the switch under the recall but every 20,000 miles,…
Front passenger headlight assembly is defective with less than 200 miles on vehicle. The defect is allowing excessive condensation in assembly and fogging up headlight brightness and assuming will eventually cause bulbs to prematurely burn out. This in my opinion is a safety concern and issue . Also seems like there…
Air Bags 123 Read
The contact's son owned a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while her son was driving on a county road at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently crashed into a tree 4-6 feet away from the road, and caught fire. No further information was available on the occurrence of the crash. The contact…
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while his employee was driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle hit a deer, but the seat belt did not hold the driver in place. The contact stated that the driver's left side of her chest hit the steering wheel, she hit her head hit the windshield, and when the…
The contact called on behalf of his client's father who owned a 2021 chevrolet colorado. The contact stated while the client's father was attempting to turn around on a narrow road, the vehicle fell off a cliff and crashed into a creek bed. The air bags did not deploy. The driver passed away due to a broken neck and…
Engine 120 Read
The contact's husband owned a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while her husband was driving and she was a passenger, their vehicle shuddered and then lost power at approximately 55 MPH. The vehicle was guided to the side of the road, where the contact and her husband noticed smoke emerging near the…
A faulty engine block heater caused the engine compartment to catch fire while the truck was parked, turned off and the factory installed engine block heater was plugged in
The contact owns a 2012 chevrolet colorado. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that he coasted to the side of the road and restarted but the engine failed again. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer advised the contact that an…
Structure 96 Read
I was turning into an apartment complex parking lot in noted vehicle when the vehicle suddenly accelerated sending me into the side of the apartment building. I was in the process of applying the brake when this occurred. There was no time to react or avoid the side of building and I incurred damage to both my vehicle…
I was on the freeway going to work at 5:00 am with almost no traffic. A pickup truck in the next lane left of me had a piece of plywood ejected from the bed and was flying through the air towards the front of my pickup. I saw it coming at me and I depressed the brake pedal once but my truck did not slow to avoid it…
On july 1, 2018, my son was driving his 2006 chevy colorado on the freeway when it combusted in the front driver's side engine area. Thankfully, he was able to exit the vehicle before it became fully engulfed! The pickup burned entirely, very hot and very quick. See attached photos. I did contact gm, as I see there…
Colorado years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2025 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2024 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Back Over Prevention,forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | — | |
| 2022 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | 3 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 6 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 3 | 5 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 14 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 16 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 5 | 7 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 8 | 5 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 22 | 8 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 8 | 10 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,389 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.3 |
| Worst single series | 26 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.6 years |
A model average of 2.3 hides a worst series at 26. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Colorado?
By complaint volume, 2016, 2015, 2004 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Colorado years are the cleanest?
2026, 2025, 2011 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chevrolet Colorado have?
3,258 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2004–2026. Of those, 116 describe a crash and 54 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.