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6.4

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
11,288 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Chevrolet Colorado engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Chevrolet Colorado Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Aug 252023

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A known wire chaffing problem for this make/model caused vehicle to loose all transmission power. Doors unlocked and locked on their own while moving the vehicle. Had two young children with me in 100+ degree weather. Truck finally moved in first gear at 20 mph max to get home on the road with other traffic.

- Macomb, IL, USA

problem #22

Jul 042023

Colorado

  • miles
The Power Steering keeps failing and this is dangerous once the vehicle is in motion. The most recent incident was July 4th 2023. We have taken the truck to Lawley Chevrolet Sierra Vista AZ (Mando Flores-Service Advisor)several times within the last year and they claim they can't find anything wrong. We can't drive it until the steering is properly fixed. It's impossible to drive. We have to constantly pull over and turn off vehicle for the electrical system to reset. Then we drive for about 1/8 miles then the issue starts all over again. Once the power steer light comes on to include the stabilitrak warning lights then the vehicle is almost impossible to steer. My wife drives the truck most of the time and it's very dangerous and it's not easy for her to steer this vehicle once the power steering goes out. I'm disabled and not able to drive the vehicle in case the power steering goes out. Please thoroughly investigate this vulnerability & issue a recall to fix this issue.

- Hereford, AZ, USA

problem #21

May 172022

Colorado

  • miles
The Power Steering keeps failing and this is dangerous once the vehicle is in motion. We have taken the truck to Lawley Chevrolet Sierra Vista AZ (Mando Flores-Service Advisor)several times within the last year and they claim they can't find anything wrong. We can't drive it until the steering is properly fixed. It's impossible to drive. We have to constantly pull over and turn off vehicle for the electrical system to reset. Then we drive for about 1/8 miles then the issue starts all over again. Once the power steer light comes on to include the stabilitrak warning lights then the vehicle is almost impossible to steer. My wife drives the truck most of the time and it's very dangerous and it's not easy for her to steer this vehicle once the power steering goes out. I'm disabled and not able to drive the vehicle in case the power steering goes out. Please thoroughly investigate this vulnerability & issue a recall to fix this issue.

- Hereford, AZ, USA

problem #20

May 062023

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Anytime I drive down a moderately steep hill, the transmission down shifts to a lower gear and the RPMs go above 5000. It seems to get stuck in this gear for a bit of time. If I speed up, the RPMs get to about 6000 before shifting. Otherwise, I-??ll need to slow the vehicle considerably before it will change gears. I contacted the dealership and they told me to bypass it by switching to the manual shifting gear.

- San Pedro, CA, USA

problem #19

Aug 202022

Colorado

  • miles
While driving on the highway "service stabilitrack" warning suddenly appeared. The warning went away, but the light on the dash stayed illuminated as if I had manually turned off stabilitrack. Dash then indicated traction control was turned off, speedometer, rpm gauge, and temp gauge all started bouncing around and fuel range indicated "--". Also received a warning that power steering is not functioning. Vehicle would not appropriately change gears (automatic transmission), causing issues maintaining speed. I have a video of the gauges (taken by my partner while I was driving) that can be sent via email, or screenshots can be uploaded upon request. An online search yields several forum posts indicating this is a repeated issue for this model year, causing significant safety issues and leaving individuals stranded. Within forums I discovered a service bulletin regarding the issue, but it appears no one felt this was important enough to issue a recall or notify owners. I have not yet been able to get to a dealership for repairs, as this occurred on a weekend (while I am 14 hours away from home), but I will be contacting a dealer Monday morning.

- St. Clair, MO, USA

problem #18

Dec 082021

Colorado

  • miles
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

- Honesdale , PA, USA

problem #17

May 252021

Colorado 4WD 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2016-2020 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon diesel models have faulty DPF and DEF systems that fail within <20-60K miles. They do not warranty it as powertrain, and it is a common problem. SAFETY ISSUE: While out of state, the vehicle regenerating exhaust cleaning cycle can not properly clean the system. It then goes into limp mode. 2 dealers have tried to fix it, with no avail. Limp mode limits speed from 65mph with no power on hills, to 55, then 4mph. See this thread for how many people are experiencing problems: https://www.coloradodiesel.org/threads/dpf-regeneration.1137/page-2 Thank you, Andrew R

- Waterbury Center, VT, USA

problem #16

Nov 282019

Colorado

  • 41,600 miles
I put larger tires on my Colorado. The local Chevrolet dealer says they cannot correct the speedometer reading. I am told I can buy the necessary software from GM, but I can't find it, nor can anyone at the dealership tell me how to obtain it. Until now, it was possible to get the speedometer corrected. So, I don't know how fast I am going.

- Burnsville, NC, USA

problem #15

Jan 172020

Colorado

  • 66 miles
On the freeway, a 'power steering 'signal turned on. Suddenly steering wheel became locked. Tires pushed car to the left. Brakes, gas, entire truck stalled.vert dangerous and came with no warning.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #14

Apr 012018

Colorado

  • 5,000 miles
When driving about 35 mph, and then pressing the gas pedal to accelerate / pass another vehicle, the engine revs up to 4000 ' 5000 rpms, but does not downshift. It then takes a few seconds to go back to 1200-1500 RPM range. It may downshift at that point, and the truck will jerk violently. I took it to the dealer where I bought it new. They said GM is aware of the problem and referred to tsb pip5547. I took it in again in Dec. 2019 before the warranty expired. They had the vehicle for 18 days. They agree there is a problem, but GM has no fix for it. This is a repeatable problem, happen consistently in the 30 to 40 mph range. The manual states that when trying to pass at less than 35 mph, press the accelerator halfway down, as I have done. That is when the engine revs up but does not downshift like it normally should. But then the downshift does occur while the rpms are coming back down, and the truck jerks violently. This is dangerous because I am unable to reliably pass another vehicle at this speed. Also, the same behavior will occur in the 50 to 60 mph range. This is very dangerous when using an on ramp to get on an expressway.

- Spencerport, NY, USA

problem #13

Apr 012018

Colorado

  • 5,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When driving about 35 mph, and then pressing the gas pedal to accelerate / pass another vehicle, the engine revs up to 4000 ' 5000 rpms, but does not downshift. It then takes a few seconds to go back to 1200-1500 RPM range. It may downshift at that point, and the truck will jerk violently. I took it to the dealer where I bought it new. They said GM is aware of the problem and referred to tsb #pip5547. I took it in again in Dec. 2019 before the warranty expired. They had the vehicle for 18 days. They agree there is a problem, but GM has no fix for it. This is a repeatable problem, happen consistently in the 30 to 40 mph range. The manual states that when trying to pass at less than 35 mph, press the accelerator halfway down, as I have done. That is when the engine revs up but does not downshift like it normally should. But then the downshift does occurs while the rpms are coming back down, and the truck jerks violently. This is dangerous because I am unable to reliably pass another vehicle at this speed. Also, the same behavior will occur in the 50 to 60 mph range. This is very dangerous when using an on ramp to get on an expressway.

- Spencerport, NY, USA

problem #12

Sep 252019

Colorado

  • 39,000 miles
The check engine light came on it popped up engine power reduced wouldn't go over 35 miles and hr on the interstate is not a good thing. I pulled over turned car off. Turned key back on started it was fine. A couple weeks later pulling out in traffic check engine.light.comes on and loses power again almost get hit. Go to parts.store to plug machine for diagnosis. First it said unknown. So we do it again PA201 00 code. Computer said CO2 sensor. I was told a tsb bulletin came in for this software update but nobody wants to talk about it they just want to fix it then charge.U for it.but.I think it should be covered software issues shouldn't be absorbed at customers exspense. My truck is a turbo diesel its hard to find parts for it at part store and diagnostic machine just getting in oil filters. Anyway in response of software it should be covered by someone else besides me. Before it loses power and vet's me killed or I. a wreck need issue resolved

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #11

Dec 032018

Colorado

  • 41,000 miles
As I was driving my vehicle home from work, my vehicle lost acceleration and the stabiltrax warning came on. I had to pull off of the highway as fast as I could due to the fact that the speed was 75 and my vehicle was decelerating very quickly. I turned my car off momentarily and it magically became normal other then the check engine light staying on. I only have 41000 miles on my truck, so there is no reason why it should be messing up already! from the looks of the research I have done, this is a common occurrence on this yea, R make, and model of this truck. It runs great some days and causes me to have to pull over multiple times other days. Very frustrating!

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #10

May 262018

Colorado

  • 17,000 miles
Numerous times while driving, and going downhill the truck shifts to a much lower gear causing the RPM's to go up to 5500 and does not shift out. Twice I had the cruise control on and was on the highway (speed of 75) going down a hill and it shifted to a much lower gear. It has done this on other roads going down hill as well. In addition, numerous times when merging with traffic on a highway, I will try to tap the accelerator to safely merge with traffic and the truck has gotten "stuck" in a lower gear and would not shift out and I thought I was going to rear end a car so I had to ride my break to make sure it would not continue to accelerate into the back of a car. In addition to that, often when trying to accelerate out of a corner or after an off ramp, the truck will not accelerate at the same rate as the other vehicles around me. It will slowly accelerate as the vehicles around me pull away. In addition to that, when I am on the highway and I need to accelerate quickly to safely pass traffic, I have to push the pedal to the floor to ensure that the truck will actually accelerate. The dealer just tells me that the software is up to date and they could find no record of similar issues.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

problem #9

Feb 022018

Colorado

  • 49,900 miles
During ownership of my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado V6 gasoline engine vehicle it has had numerous sputtering situations when accelerating. There is no rhyme or reason as to why the truck sputters to almost stalling. Dealership claims that the fuel injectors are probably dirty / fouled. Had injector maintenance performed and truck has no better engine performance and sputtering continues. This is dangerous on highway when accelerating in traffic. This has been occurring since original purchase date in October 2015.

- Upland, CA, USA

problem #8

Nov 202016

Colorado

  • 21,000 miles
TL-contact owns a 2016 Chevy Colorado... contact stated that hood came open while driving going 5mph pulling out of parking lot.. vehicle shut off five times on five different days. Vehicle shuts off going from a complete stop after pressing on gas pedal. Vehicle shut off turning onto main highway and would not start back up. Hood latch does not stay shut. Vehicle was towed to dealership and hood latch was fixed. Vehicle was at dealership again a few days ago and dealership stated no recalls on vehicle. Dealership also stated vehicle was never in shop for shut off reason. Contact advised to contact Chevy at 800-222-1020

- Quincy, CA, USA

problem #7

Jul 102017

Colorado

  • miles
The transmission does not downshift from a high gear (5 or 6) to a lower gear when slowing down from 45 mph to 20 mph (or lower). When the accelerator is depressed to accelerate the engine bucks, vibrates, and does not accelerate. The engine RPM drops to 1,000 RPM or lower. If the accelerator is quickly floored the transmission downshifts several gears lower and jerks forward. This condition happens primarily on secondary roads while driving along the road and when pulling from one road into traffic on another road. The situation when pulling into traffic is dangerous because the truck does not accelerate as it should. This truck was purchased new and has 14,500 miles on it. This condition has been present since the truck was new and the severity varies with truck speed and road inclination.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #6

Feb 012017

Colorado 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. While driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly hesitated when attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (ferman Chevrolet of tarbon springs) on several occasions, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100. Updated 08/03/07

- Tarpon Springs, FL, USA

problem #5

Jan 132017

Colorado

  • 27,000 miles
I started my Colorado to head home, the weather was clear and cool. The "driver information center" in the instrument cluster flashed that the airbag, anti-theft system, and the traction control system (tcs)/stabilitrak were inoperable. The airbag, tcs, and one other lights were illuminated. I turned the vehicle off. Waited a few seconds and turned it back on. The same thing happened again. I cleared the warning messages and started to drive to take it in and get it looked at by a certified Chevrolet mechanic. I left the parking lot and after entering the nearby street I noticed that the driver information center was not displaying any vehicle information (showing zeros or blanks for all diagnostic information including mileage, fuel, oil pressure, speed etc). Also, the needles for the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, and engine coolant temperature gauge were lifeless and reading zeros. Only the odometer and "infotainment" system were working correctly. I estimated my speed to be above 30 mph at this point. I immediately pulled off the road, put the vehicle in park and turned it off. I waited a few minutes and scanned the wiring under the hood and steering wheel but could not identify any issues. When I started the vehicle again, all the issues were gone as if nothing happened. Seemed kinda like restarting a computer to clear software issues. Not sure what could've caused it. My vehicle is a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 with 27,000 miles on it. It was purchased October 2015. [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Spotsylvania, VA, USA

problem #4

Nov 302016

Colorado 4WD 4-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,700 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, a loud popping noise came from the engine area before the speed suddenly decreased to 40 mph. During the failure, the steering assist, stabilitrak, four wheel drive and trailer braking system warning lights illuminated. The failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 5,700. Updated 02/03/17

- Princeton, WV, USA

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