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CarComplaints.com Notes: The Chevy Colorado is mechanically identical to the GMC Canyon.

2.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,297 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.

2011 Chevrolet Colorado electrical problems

electrical problem

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2011 Chevrolet Colorado Owner Comments

problem #14

Apr 162023

Colorado

  • miles

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

The vehicle has an electronic issue where it does not recognize the original key to the car. It does not let you start the vehicle. There is a bad sensor in the ignition lock housing unit located where the key is inserted into the vehicle. This issue will nit let the driver start the car and the problem happens at random. For me it is 1 out of 20 times i try to start my vehicle it does not start due to this issue. This is a dangerous situation for me, as I live in a cold weather state in the US. I have been left stranded dozens of times because the car doesn-??t recognize the key. If you search -??chevy colorado passlock-?? hundreds of videos will come up, each video with thousands of views (from users like myself). GM charges hundreds to fix the issue. It is a well known issue with this vehicle. I fixed the issue myself. I replaced the faulty sensor and the issue is gone.

- Lyons, NY, USA

problem #13

Jun 012018

Colorado

  • 65,000 miles
The vehicle will intermittently not start. Sometimes there's power but won't crank. Sometimes there is no power to the vehicle at all. It has been to numerous mechanics, including the dealer, and no problems can be found. The vehicle is utterly unreliable.

- Manasquan, NJ, USA

problem #12

Oct 012018

Colorado

  • 119,000 miles
They need be investigation on 2011 Chevrolet Colorado for ignition switch and also on 2006 Hummer H3. Both vehicle won't start then 20 min later it will start. Had battery and alternator checked out and nothing else is showing up.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #11

Oct 012018

Colorado

  • 119,000 miles

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

I think they need check for recalls on ignition switch for 2011 Chevrolet Colorado and 2006-2008 Hummer

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #10

Oct 152019

Colorado

  • miles
I have an ongoing problem with a 2011 Chevrolet Colorado truck not starting on numerous occasions. I have went to one dealership that could not help me after an entire day. I have talked to two other dealerships that could not help me. I have had an independent shop try to determine the problem. The truck periodically will not start and then after 15-30 minutes it will just start. The computer will not pick up anything. The battery is good. The starter is good. The alternator is good. After googling to see what others might say which did bring up issues with Chevrolet, GMC, and Hummer. One person said it was the ignition switch. When I ask all 3 dealerships and Chevrolet customer service they all told me I was wrong. That something else was the issue and I needed to figure it out. I am not happy.

- Pasadena, TX, USA

problem #9

Jul 012019

Colorado

  • 65,000 miles
Passive lock sensor fails and you have to sit and wait 10 minutes before trying to restart for the car to start

- Bonita, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 302017

Colorado

  • 46,230 miles

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

Ignition switch faulty

- Perry, GA, USA

problem #7

Jul 012017

Colorado

  • 155,000 miles
Inline ignition fuse keeps blowing while driving. The first two times were when I was turning, two other times were when it was driving on a state highway, one time after it just started, and another as I left my driveway. At times the truck will start when a fuse is replaced, at times it takes multiple fuse changes to get on the road. This results in the engine to stop and power steering to fail. There is no pattern in when it happens. It has been to two dealerships and they have not been able to diagnose the problem, due to the truck working when a new fuse is inserted after the truck was towed in.

- Belleville, WI, USA

problem #6

Jul 102013

Colorado

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact had difficulty starting the vehicle. The security lock would engage and the vehicle failed to start. After several minutes, the vehicle started normally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The failure persisted several times over the years. The vehicle was finally taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter switch needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.

- Ambridge, PA, USA

problem #5

May 072014

Colorado

  • 47,270 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Colorado. While driving, the air bag indicator remained illuminated. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the driver side rear door wiring harness was repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a second time and the wiring harness was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,270.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #4

Apr 122016

Colorado

  • 40,121 miles

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

Broken wires inside drivers rear door affecting the air bag warning system and possible operation of the air bag

- Twinsburg, OH, USA

problem #3

Jan 082014

Colorado 5-cyl

  • 62,201 miles
There are times when the truck will not start. It is generally when you have driven a short distance or made several stops. When cold the engine will fire right up. After a couple short trips, when you attempt to start the vehicle upon turning the key the dash will go dead. The engine will not turn over. Wait about 10-15 minutes and vehicle will start. Mechanic checks have ruled out battery, starter and solenoid and a short in the system. We have replaced all the relays. May be a passlock issue, but dealer denies history or defect, but a simple google search shows extensive reference to the issue on multiple Chevy models.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #2

Aug 152014

Colorado

  • 54,000 miles
Failure of brake light switch. This is the second failure. This switch was replaced on 05/02/2013. These failures could cause a rear end crash due to no brake lights.

- Buckhannon , WV, USA

problem #1

Feb 142012

Colorado 5-cyl

  • 5,339 miles
On February 14, 2012 I was driving on a clean, dry, straight, and level road at 35mph. I was not accelerating, braking, or cornering. The alarm bell rang and the dash board display indicated "traction fault, reduced power, service stability system". the vehicle dramatically reduced it's engine power to the point it could not be safely operated in traffic. It was impossible to accelerate with traffic, merge, or make a left turn. I was about 3 miles from the dealer. I drove to the dealer to have it looked at right away. They told me I had no appointment so they would not look at it. I got the next available appointment two days later. The vehicle was not driven from the time of the alarm until the time of the appointment. On February 16th I took the vehicle to the dealer and it operated at full power. There were no lights or alarms. The dealer said the computer had a history of something but did not retain the details. They said General Motors warranty policy would not allow them to repair the vehicle without a specific trouble code that would allow them to minimize the warranty expense. I informed them that they made me leave two days prior when it was operating under reduced power and showing alarm details in the dash display. They should have diagnosed and/or fixed it then. It is unacceptable that the vehicle creates a safety issue by reducing engine power when there is nothing wrong. It is equally unacceptable that an issue serious enough to cause reduced engine power is not retained by the computer so it can be diagnosed and repaired. This is likely to cause a vehicle accident where someone could be injured or worse. They did tell me that if I paid for the extra cost onstar system it could have given the details on the problem. If the vehicle requires onstar to safely operate, it needs to be a free service.

- Tonawanda, NY, USA

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