Chevrolet Colorado Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Chevrolet Colorado options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Chevrolet Colorado has 1,007 owner complaints and 12 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is POWER TRAIN. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Chevrolet
- Model
- Colorado
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 1,007
- Safety recall campaigns
- 12
- Crash-related complaints
- 31
- Fire-related complaints
- 14
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (213 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (9 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- POWER TRAIN
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Chevrolet Colorado: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe CHEVROLET COLORADO has 1,007 NHTSA complaints and 12 recalls on record. 31 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 1,007 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 12 federal recall campaigns
- 31 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Jul 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
12 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
SEAT BELTS
TIRES
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:DRIVER MONITORING:CAMERA/SENSOR
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 1,007 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
1,007 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the adaptive cruise control engaged, while the vehicle was approaching another vehicle from the rear, the brakes independently activated. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was advised to stop using the adaptive cruise control while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 8,664.
Component: Drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: Most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decelerated abruptly while multiple dashboard warnings activated at once. Sudden deceleration at highway speed creates immediate risk of rear-end collision from following traffic and loss of vehicle control. Prior dealer confirmation: Yes. Curry Chevrolet (Scarsdale, NY) has had the vehicle in service for the same defect category on multiple prior occasions, including stays of over a week on at least two visits. The dealer has not permanently resolved the issue — symptoms have now recurred at sixth time. An additional early service visit at the same dealer was not documented with a repair order; I retain contemporaneous text messages establishing that visit occurred. Other inspections: Inspected only by Curry Chevrolet to date. GM Customer Assistance engaged (Case #XXX). No police, insurance, or independent inspections. New case has been filed with GM, linked to the previous (Case #XXX).Next service visit will be at a different authorized Chevrolet dealer for an independent diagnostic. Warning indicators: Yes. In the most recent incident, multiple warning lamps and system alerts activated simultaneously at the moment of deceleration, with no advance warning. Prior incidents showed the same multi-system warning pattern, consistently without predictive indicators. Vehicle is a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado, VIN [XXX], delivered January 2026 with 2,209 miles on the odometer at delivery. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Not sure if this is a safety issue at this point but there is a rattling noise around the steering column when you drive over any bumps and hoping this will not lead to any safety issues.
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while using the cruise control at 60 MPH, the vehicle began to accelerate. The contact was able to depress the brake pedal to avoid a crash. The cruise control was restarted and set to 50 MPH, and the vehicle accelerated again without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 832.
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 is a shortage of the defective headlight assembly.
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started, however the battery became drained. No warning lights were illuminated. After the battery was drained, the doors failed to unlatch, and the contact was stuck inside the vehicle. The tow truck driver arrived and assisted the contact with exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,800.
Read 14 more owner reports
ECM Engine Control Module TCM Transmission Range Sensor TCM Transmission Control Module While driving in a 45 MPH speed zone in heavy traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost power and abruptly slowed down causing a number of other vehicles to have to break and swerve . Problem confirmed through ONSTAR Diagnosis As of this date, the GM dealer has not confirmed the problem. No other inspections have been confirmed. there were no warnings prior to the event.
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the adaptive cruise control engaged, while the vehicle was approaching another vehicle from the rear, the vehicle failed to automatically slow down. The contact depressed the brake pedal to get the vehicle to slow down as needed. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a defective module, and that there was no replacement part available to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 2,100.
[INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BLACK-OUT] While driving on I-15S, suddenly the Instrument Cluster went completely dark for 5-10 seconds. A scary and alarming development.
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 vehicle; however, the vehicle continued to roll forward. The vehicle ran over the parking pillar and crashed into a brick column attached to the building. The vehicle continued to roll forward after the crash and eventually stopped once it rolled over the car wash road indentation. The contact reversed out of the car wash indentation and called her husband for assistance. After her husband arrived at the scene; the vehicle was driven to the residence without any further issues. The vehicle remained at the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 111,817.
At 6700 miles, the following warning lights came on: Service Trailer Brake Service ESC Service Brake Assist Adaptive Cruise control unavailable. I brought the truck to the dealer. They read the codes and found a service bulletin. “6721 found service bulletin for code C055F vehicle needs a master cylinder/booster/ebcm parts ordered” They told me it was safe to drive but I refused to drive given what I found online about this issues. The vehicle took a week to fix.
Sunroof exploded outwards. On a sunny afternoon while driving on highway. No other vehicles around.
The infotainment system does not operate correctly. The screen where the backup camera and all other information is you can not view since the screen is black most of the time. That is also where the light switch is for headlights and such.
All electronic braking lights came on in truck @13040 miles dropped at dealership last Monday they believe it’s the master cylinder. Pending additional info
The upper radiator hose on some huge percentage of these trucks fail (mine has failed at just over 5k miles). You can check the Colorado Chevy forum, youtube, etc., et al, and find plenty of instances where this has failed. As this is the cooling system, it can cause the engine to overheat and potentially ruin the engine. The flaw seems to be an engineering issue with the rubber seal they use (instead of a high quality o-ring) to seal the upper hose to the radiator. Additionally, since this can cause engine failure it should be addressed immediately. Instead, my local Chevy dealer, since its not a recall item, said they could schedule a time next week for me to LEAVE the truck and then they would get to it in 10-14 days. This is extremely unfair to the consumer who depends on these vehicles. This should absolutely be a recall item. You can find 1000's of examples online and if you can pull GM repair data, I'm sure you'll find 1000's more.
The Transmission jumps into 1St gear when spot at a traffic light or when parking.Back seat gap and Forward Collision Warning not functioning.
Any time the heated seats and or steering wheel heat are on the lights pulsate inside and outside the vehicle. I have complained to the dealership and Chevy. Neither one has any answers for this. Chevy admitted via email finally that it was an issue but they did not have a fix at this time and the vehicle was safe. I find this to be a safety issue due to the lights pulsating and that apparently it is pulling too much power somewhere. To me this could cause a fire. For the money I paid for a brand new vehicle you'd think they would be willing to figure this out quickly. I know of others who have this issue as well with the same response from Chevy. They apparently do not care about the safety of the people who purchase their vehicles.
When using heated seats and heated steering wheel the headlights randomly pulsate and dim - dangerously impacting driver night-time vision / visibility and confusing / disorienting other drivers. Ongoing issue. Happens EVERY time headlights are utilized in conjunction with heated seats and heated steering wheel. Occurs at idle and at speed. Chevrolet refuses to acknowledge, address, or remedy the issue. Has not been remedied to date. Videos available.
When I try to accelerate some times my truck doesn’t go. It’s like it’s not even in drive. The check engine light is on and the dealership that I bought it from told me just to drive it because they don’t have a loaner vehicle at this time. That it won’t hurt the vehicle to drive but it’s unsafe to drive. I step on the gas and it doesn’t go. I could be hit if I’m trying to move when in traffic. Also my truck only had 5200 miles on it when this started and I’ve only had it since 16 July 2025.
The headlights flicker/pulse creating visibility issues at night. This occurs when the heated seats are activated. This is a safety concern for myself, passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. Flickering lights can cause an accident due to poor visibility and the creating of false shadows. This would also hinder the ability to see pedestrians. The problem was reproduced at the local Chevrolet dealer, they said they would contact Chevrolet, at my insisting. Initially they told me I should replace the stock halogen light bulbs with aftermarket LED bulbs at my cost. They said it is extremely unlikely that GM will do anything to rectify the issue because from the design standpoint of the vehicle everything is operating within its standards on paper. The manufacturer has initiated a case. There are no warning lights of any kind. This is a 2025 with 2,300 miles.
Showing 20 of 1,007 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Chevrolet Colorado
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Chevrolet Colorado, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Chevrolet Colorado has 1,007 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Chevrolet Colorado has 12 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 31 of the Chevrolet Colorado's 1,007 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Chevrolet Colorado vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Chevrolet Colorado vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Chevrolet Colorado has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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By state
Check a Chevrolet Colorado by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Chevrolet Colorado.
Research more
Keep researching before you buy
Compare brands and categories, then check the exact car's history by VIN.
Chevrolet Colorado reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Chevrolet Colorado reliable?
Poor. The Chevrolet Colorado has 1,007 NHTSA owner complaints and 12 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is POWER TRAIN. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Chevrolet Colorado years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (213 complaints), 2018 (176 complaints), 2019 (144 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Chevrolet Colorado problems?
Top reported issues: POWER TRAIN (312 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (216 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (150 complaints).
Does the Chevrolet Colorado have recalls?
Yes — 12 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Chevrolet Colorado. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.