There are 13 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2011 Chevrolet Coloradoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
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.
PASSIVE LOCK SENSOR FAILS AND YOU HAVE TO SIT AND WAIT 10 MINUTES BEFORE TRYING TO RESTART FOR THE CAR TO START
I THINK THEY NEED CHECK FOR RECALLS ON IGNITION SWITCH FOR 2011 CHEVROLET COLORADO AND 2006-2008 HUMMER
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.
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.
IGNITION SWITCH FAULTY
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.
BROKEN WIRES INSIDE DRIVERS REAR DOOR AFFECTING THE AIR BAG WARNING SYSTEM AND POSSIBLE OPERATION OF THE AIR BAG
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. *TR
TL* 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.
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. *TR
TL* 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.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026