2016 Chevrolet Trax Complaint Log

The vehicle lost communication to the transmission causing the check engine light to come on when the vehicle key was turned off the vehicle would not restart. There was no warning signs of this happening. The vehicle only had 70,000 miles on the odometer when this occured.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway, there was a loud snapping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while attempting to drive back to the residence, the steering wheel became inoperable. Additionally, there was a grinding sound coming from the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was towed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and an oil change was performed; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that a diagnostic test was performed, and the vehicle was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and discovered an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

I purchased my vehicle on January 6, 2025. Two days later, the check engine light came on. After struggling to reach anyone at the dealership, I finally got in touch on January 14, and dropped the car off on January 22 for a catalytic converter and A/C issue. On February 23, the check engine light returned with the same code. I brought the car back on March 7, and by May, the light came on again and the A/C failed for a second time. Over 1–2 weeks, I called repeatedly but was either hung up on or transferred with no resolution. On May 23, I had the car checked at an independent shop, who confirmed it was the catalytic converter again and recommended I return to the dealer. I made an appointment online and dropped the car off on May 29. I didn’t hear anything for nearly a week. When I called, the same communication issues happened. On June 3, my sister picked up the car — it was a mess, with the back seat torn apart. I was told it wasn’t the cat but a fuel pump, water pump, and quoted over $2,000. I got a second opinion on June 22. That mechanic said it did not need a fuel pump and that it was the cat — plus spark plugs, coil pack, serpentine belt — none of which had ever been mentioned before. I’ve since spent $600 on repairs that shouldn't be necessary months after purchase. Emails to the service team went unanswered until I followed up. The car also had an ongoing rotten egg smell.On June 30, I was told they’d replace the aftermarket cat with an OEM. I emailed asking about the A/C and a service history — no reply. I dropped the car off July 2 or 3, was told it’d be ready July 7, then July 8, then told the issue was actually a cracked turbocharger, not the catalytic converter. I asked if it was safe to drive — the manager said yes, but everything online said otherwise. I was told the part would arrive in 1 day and take 2 days to replace.As of July 15, the car is still not ready. Trenton told me in person the part still hasn’t even arrived and would take 5 more days

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while her niece was driving 40 MPH, she became aware there was coolant leaking from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable until arriving at the residence. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir and became aware there was coolant leaking on the driveway. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact there were no recalls associated with the VIN, and that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,000.

I have replaced five catalytic converters since I have owned this vehicle. Please advise.

We have had problems with this vehicle since we purchased it 2yrs ago. It started with loosing power once in awhile, then the AC quit working, both sets of keys have lost the buttons on the keypad, we have to manually lock and unlock the doors and the auto start is unusable, and now it stalls out at a speed above 30mph and starts smoking severely. It is not drivable. I have to pull over every 2 to 3 miles, because it overheats. We had it towed to a mechanic 2 weeks ago and he did what he could for what we could afford, but we didn't get 10 miles before it started again. The mechanic said this vehicle had a lot of problems. We are [XXX] and we always have our grandchildren [XXX] and [XXX] with us. You can imagine how frightening it is when this happens and we pull over and get everyone out. People pull off and try to help, but we worry about the wrong person stopping for the wrong reason. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2016 Chevrolet Trax experienced turbocharger failure in June 2024. Initial minor acceleration inconsistencies progressed to dangerous turbulence and power loss during acceleration at both high and low speeds, with check engine light temporarily illuminating. Initial Firestone diagnostic (June 7) documented 'TURBULENCE AS ACCELERATES - CEL BLINKED.' After diagnosis, completed repair June 11. Searched for recalls at time of failure but found none listed. Given 50-minute highway commute and unsafe acceleration issues, immediate repair was necessary. Due to expected dealer costs and wait times, repair was completed at Firestone Complete Auto Care for $3,036.81. Double-checked for recalls after repair with no results. On February 3, 2025, while organizing digital records, discovered original GM Special Coverage Program notice from November 2021 covering turbocharger wastegate actuator linkage issues. Program promises coverage for 10 years/120,000 miles. At 68,283 miles, vehicle is well within coverage period. On February 3, 2025 at 4:19pm, called GM customer service (case #[XXX], 29 minute call). Rep Takesha spoke with supervisor Britney but refused transfer. Put on hold 4 times totaling over 6 minutes. When requesting Special Coverage Program information, rep repeatedly stated 'it was not done at a dealership' over 15 times as blanket response. Initially cited expired bumper-to-bumper warranty from 2019 (irrelevant to Special Coverage). When pressed, shifted to claiming 'no active recalls' for VIN. Stated 'the decision has already been made, and a supervisor will tell you the same decision,' refusing escalation or document review. All attempts to discuss Program terms met with same non-dealer repair response. Refused to provide submission process information or contacts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Seat Belt clips are not present, they have been cut out of the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the key fob failed to unlock or lock the rear driver’s side and rear passenger’s side doors. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V422000 (Electrical System, Equipment) or 16V257000 (Equipment, Electrical System). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 179,000.

The paint is peeling on the 2016 Chevy Trax. When I looked up the issue, I noticed tons of people had complaints about the same paint color for their Chevy Trax. When they called GM about it GM said they didn’t get any complaints about it and made excuses. There is a pending lawsuit from lawyers based in Florida. I’m calling that number next. I went to the car wash, and when I came out from washing the car, I noticed paint had fell off two spots on my driver side. I went to the local Chevy dealership they sold me a paint pen and it’s doing a very poor job of covering it up. Apparently this paint in particular has a known issue and GM is not taking responsibility for it. I also noticed on this vehicle that I had just purchased less than two months ago also has paint touchup around various spots of the suv.

Turbo has gone out and vehicle won't accelerate

I noticed there are 5 recalls on the yr make and model of my suv and I need it fixed plz

I discovered lubricant leaking from the rear differential. After a quick check for recalls. there are none for this. I did find that GM has a special service notice for this issue for vehicles located in Canada. Apparently, what happen is there are pockets in the casting of the unit that hold road debris & road salt that will cause the case to corrode and leak. The vehicle was taken to my local Chevrolet dealer & the replaced the differential at a cost of $2901.88. I contact aced Chevrolet customer service and they said it was not covered in any way. I find it strange that it is covered for cars registered in Canada but not in the us. This could be a major safety concern if the differential were to fail at highway speed it could cause lack of control and possibly a crash.

My 2016 chevy Trax has had 4 replacement of the the thermostat housing assembly with sensor. It causes the engine light to come on and can make the car idle rough, die at a red light, can cause the car to suddenly just go to 5 miles an hour. I have 79,900 miles on this chevy trax and this is the 4th replacement in less then 2 or 3 month.

11/12/2023 Loss of power when driving up a hill.- felt some backwards drift. 11/13-14/2023 Shuttering vibration and engine revving during acceleration but no forward movement. 11/15/2023 Total power loss when attempting to merge with traffic.

My 2016 Chevrolet Trax experienced loss of power while driving on the highway. I experienced moments where it would not accelerate. This put myself and other drivers at risk due to the random loss of power. There was no warning there was any issue with the vehicle prior to this event. In addition, I have experienced A/C failure. I have had this inspected and multiple components replaced by a service shop, but it still is not working.The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

Motor mount bolt snapped and engine fell while driving car…also recalled item (lower control arms) where not repaired…I purchased car 1 1/2 years ago from large Chevrolet dealership

Passenger side air bag light does not indicate that the airbag is on. This happens very often when you sit in the passenger seat and fasten the seat belt. This has been happening for several weeks.

Sensors don’t detect passenger in front seat

While driving on the highway at 80mph engine light came on and the car began to lose speed and would not accelerate. I had the code checked and the code P0299 OBD-II Trouble code: Turbo Supercharger Underboost Condition. My vehicle has just 51K miles. There have also been issues with the passenger seat airbag not working. A year ago, the majority of the pipes in the undercarriage of my car had to be replaced because they had corroded.

This site is useless. There are so many complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax on here, but yet nobody is doing anything about it! I believe it is a severe safety hazard for all vehicles on the highway when a vehicle loses power without warning , whether it is on the interstate, or a residential street! But I guess the manufacturer does not think it's a safety hazard, but apparently if your vehicle doesn't remind you to take your key out of the car when you turn it off, or to put your seatbelt on ,Now, that's what they consider to be a REAL SAFTEY HAZARD!!! Forget the bells and buzzers, if that's the most important thing, you shouldn't be driving anyway. This vehicle has been a problem since we purchased it 2yrs ago and now it is sitting in the driveway and will not start at all. We had to purchase another vehicle.The manufacturer knew there was problems with the 2016 Trax and instead of fixing the problem, the continued to sale them, now we are stuck with the problem. I guess the Lawsuit concerning this situation didn't teach this site anything . Good Luck Consumers

I was driving on the freeway at a speed of approx 70 mph when my check engine light came on with a noticeable decrease in engine power. I took my car to an auto parts store to have the code read and was told it was P0299, which indicates a turbo underboost condition. Upon doing further research and finding other Chevy Trax owner forums, I found that this is a common issue in colder weather, and service bulletin 16-NA-405 has been released several years in a row by General Motors which states that in North America, "some customers may comment that when driving in extremely cold weather conditions (0*F or less), their vehicle experiences one or several of the following conditions: ...hesitation on acceleration, malfunction indicator lamp illuminated, stalling condition, and loss of power". I have experienced several of these conditions. The service bulletin also states that there is a Special Coverage for vehicles with this issue, so I took my Trax to a local Chevy dealer. There, I was told that 5 other Chevy Traxes had been in for similar issues in that week (there had been a winter storm and temperatures below 0). However, I was told that despite this being a known issue among my year, make, and model, that I would have to pay over $2300 for repairs, even though there several special bulletins and coverages that state this is an ongoing, known issue with my vehicle.

My trax turbo went out at like 60K and caused my car to shake and stall whenever I was breaking. This would happen at lights and stop me from being able to start my car and placing me and other drivers in a dangerous situation. I have seen online this is a common issue and also a safety violation that should be fixed.

the turbo leaked into the converter causing the engine to catch fire

This vehicle has turbo problems which can lead to a fire and potentially explosion, there should be a recall in place for this issue.. I have spoke with several people with the same care having the same problem

I see in the past that there is/was a recall on the airbag system for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax. My front passenger airbag light stays on in the off setting and it is unknown if if was fixed or checked by the previous owner. I had an accident March 2019 and the airbags didn't deploy. I never knew that I could report it to you as it was my first ever car accident. A car pulled out in front of me today at work, luckily I avoided having an accident and that's when I noticed again that the passenger side airbag light was set to off. Also would like to say that the display in the car doesn't work properly, the screen freezes. And whenever I connect my Bluetooth, my phone and the radio plays at the same time. I have to turn the car off and back on to correct it.

I went to GM to have my recall fixed and they denied me service as they said they didn’t have the tool and it looked okay visually and to not worry about it. My ball joint is now separated from the control arm and I cannot drive the car

My vehicle was has had 2 separate front end accidents. Both caused major damage. This last time my car was totaled out. Neither time did the air bags deploy. There were no warnings. Police report was filed. However the police was not on my side. He lied about the other person’s speed, where they were traveling, the distance of the stop sign and stop bar. He also took over a week to provide it. I had to keep calling.

After having the car for 3 years with only 45000 miles, purchased in 2019 with 7000 miles on it, my car keeps jerking like there is an emission issue. Car takes forever to get up to speed properly when merging onto the interstate. I see there's not s recall for the turbo and the emissions purge valve but I have the notices for special coverages?? When I go to the dealership they say there's nothing they can do without a recall??

Turbo underboost causes check engine light and sputtering at acceleration

A/C Dashboard Control Selector Linkage No Longer Working. The dampener linkage cable from Hot/Cold Selector Knob control is not working. Several videos on YouTube show a History of GM being aware, but doesn't care. No access to a 'working' A/C unit with Children, Pets or Adults in vehicle places ALL in danger, especially on extremely Hot hazy days. GM needs to correct this engineering design flaw and/or have parts or repairs available. Once again the dampener linkage cable from Hot/Cold Selector Knob control is not working, breaks far too easily, causing expensive repairs and victimizing consumers.

Bought 2016 Trax January 2019 with 19000 miles. In 2022, with only 31000 miles, I have had multiple issues. First, my dashboard display suddenly went black; no radio, backup camera or sound with directional signals. Before I could take car to dealer my battery died and when a new battery was installed all issues were corrected. Then in March the water pump needed replacing, at which time I was told that the compressor also needed replacing. I also have peeling paint on the hood. The car is bright blue and other people have reported this peeling paint problem with their blue cars. Windshield wipers are not efficient and leave streaks. I’ve replaced them and they work well for about a year only. The wipers must be purchased through the dealer. And now, at 33000 miles my dashboard display is black again, and battery is at 100% charge. I replaced the water pump ($1,000), but don’t know how to proceed with the compressor and black screen. Don’t know why dealer has high rating with AAA as I have had nothing but unpleasant interactions with them. Staff is rude and dismissive.

I purchased the 2016 Chevy Trax used. The car has 68,000 miles on it. I've had issues with this car since I purchased it. The check engine light came on once again with same code as always P0420. I brought it to a Chevy dealer and they finally replace the catalytic converters. Today I get a letter from Chevrolet stating my cars engine 1.4L may have a condition that could cause the turbocharger to fail due to sticking wastegate actuator linkage. Shouldn't this be a recall? No right now it says to keep this letter safe and if anything happens to engine within the 10 years after car was made or 120,000 miles then they will pay for repair. I would think it would be cheaper to fix the part now then replace everything that gets damaged after the fact no?

Delayed sensor response for ignition coil failure causing a breakdown in a freeway

The air in the car started blowing warm in 2021. I took it to the dealership and they said maybe a leak. They did a leak test and put something I. It to make it cold for a couple days. I’ve been having g the same complaint since. After looking online, I saw that it is a compressor issue. I had an oil change done last week and asked them to look at it. They said it was my compressor. The car is only 7 years old with 77k miles. The cost to replace is too high for a manufacturer’s issue.

The turbocharger in my Chevrolt Trax suffered a stuck wastegate actuator on an interstate while coming up to speed, which caused dramatic loss of power and an inability to safely merge onto the road (top speed was now 35; I-49 has a 70 mph limit. This is the second time the actuator stuck while coming onto a highway. I have had the part replaced twice now, and yet it still sticks. It is a danger to me and to others on the road and should be a mandated recall.

I Brought This Car As Is Bical Auto Mall. (The Dealership), I Took The Car To Get Checked Out The First Time And It Had A Weak Battery And I Had To Constantly Get A Boost To Drive My Car 2 Weeks Later I Was Advised To Go To A Gm Dealer Because My Engine Light Was On, The Mechanic Explained Something Was Wrong With The Valve And It Was A Leakage. A Few Day Later My Engine Light Turned On Again And I Had The Same Problem But Only This Time The Car Started Surging And Stalling Out Every Time I Stopped. I Returned To The Gm Dealer Again & The Problem Is Still Ongoing.

The air bag light randomly came on about two yeatago and never went off. The engine(turbo) has been having problems for two years now. I’ve been to the dealership several times over the year. I was almost hit by another vehicle because of slow take off

The paint is pealing off.

VEHICLE OVERHEATED NOT SETTING OFF ANY SENSORS, EMERGENCY LIGHTS OR NOTIFICATIONS, ONLY NOTIFICATION WAS WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING FROM THE HOOD WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. LOW COOLANT AND "HOT" LIGHT ARE POSSIBLY FAULTY FROM FACTORY PER CERTIFIED GM SERVICE CENTER. CONTACTED GM THEY REFUSED TO COVER COST OF REPAIRS WHICH WERE EXTREMELY COSTLY DUE TO A POSSIBLE FAULT FROM THE FACTORY ON THIS VEHICLE, VEHICLE WAS IN THE SHOP 2 TIMES FOR SAME ISSUE.

WHEN I TURN LEFT, THE RIGHT SIDE MAKES A POPPING NOISE AROUND THE BALL JOINT. RESERVOIR COOLANT TANK LEAKS, AND NO TEMPATURE GUAGE.. THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL IF MY CAR OVER HEATS UNTIL THE LIGHT COMES ON AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER THEN? I HAVE NEVER SEEN A VEHICLE NOT HAVE A TEMPATURE GUAGE!! ALSO MY PASSENGER SEAT BELT WILL NOT STAY FASTENED!

THE SHIFT BUTTON STICKS WHEN PUTTING THE CAR INTO PARK WHICH 1. DOES NOT ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED AND 2. ALLOWS THE SHIFTER TO BE ACCIDENTALLY MOVED INTO GEAR WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE CHEVY TRAX WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I SCANNED THE CAR WHEN SHE GOT HOME. CODE WAS P0420 FOR LOW CONVERTER EFFICIENCY. I PUT THE CAR UP ON MY CAR LIFT AND FOUND THAT THE FLEX PIPE BEHIND THE CONVERTER WAS SEPARATED MOST LIKELY FROM RUST. THIS IS ALLOWING EXHAUST GASSES INTO THE CAR AND IT IS DANGEROUS. THIS IS HAPPENING ON MANY CHEVY TRAX AND CHEVY CRUZ VEHICLES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. SHE HAS OWNED IT 4.5 YEARS AND HAS ONLY 28,000 MILES ON IT. WE PURCHASED A MAJOR GUARD WARRANTY FROM GM WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR BUT THEY DENIED THE REPAIR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE PAINT IS ALSO PEELING OFF OF THE HOOD BUT THEY SAY THAT IS NOT COVERED EITHER EVEN THOUGH THIS IS HAPPENING TO MANY GM CARS.

I HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR THREE YEARS AND HAVE HAD SO MANY ISSUES WITH IT THAT I COULD'VE PAID IT OFF BY NOW IF I WASN'T CONSTANTLY FIXING IT. I HAVE REPLACED THE TURBO INTERCOOLER BECAUSE IT FROZE LAST WINTER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE PART CAME IN BUT IT COULDN'T GO OVER 10MPH SO IT WAS UNUSABLE TO ME. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE ENTIRE TURBO ONCE WHEN IT BLEW UP FROM AN OIL LEAK THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF AS I AM NOT VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE WITH VEHICLES. NOW WE HAD TO REPLACE ANOTHER PART ON THE TURBO BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKING OIL AGAIN AND THE MECHANIC SAID WE COULDN'T REPLACE THE WHOLE TURBO RIGHT AWAY AS WE HAD TO TRY SMALL FIXES FIRST TO BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. REPLACING THIS PART DID HELP AND THERE IS STILL OIL LEAKING FROM THE OIL CAP AND THE SMELL MAKES DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNBEARABLE ESPECIALLY WITH A FOUR YEAR OLD. WHEN WE WERE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT WE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS DARK SMOKE AND FUMES COMING OUT OF THE VENTS SO WE IMMEDIATELY WENT HOME. HOWEVER, NO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND THE CODE SAYS IT'S THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER SO I AM GOING TO HAVE TO STICK MORE MONEY INTO THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD SO MANY ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE AND IT'S NOT EVEN THAT OLD.

THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY ON A CITY STREET WHEN THE PAINT ON THE LIFT GATE FLAKE OFF.

ONE MORNING WHEN GOING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING WOULD NOT WORK AND THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD REMAIN ON. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS, I WOULD START THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING WOULD WORK WITH NO ISSUES. THE NEXT MORNING, THE SAME THING HAPPENED, AND I DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE TO PAY $1,600.00 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING SYSTEM - EVERYTHING: STEERING COLUMN, COMPUTER/ELECTRICAL, ALIGNMENT, ETC. MY CHEVY TRAX IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND HAS 25,000 MILES. I KEEP IT REGULARLY SERVICED ONLY WITH THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE ONLY POSITIVE IS THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING, BUT COULD HAVE BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SO.

LATCH PART THAT KEEPS THE TRUNK DOOR CLOSED DOESN'T LOCK ALL OF THE WAY. THIS ALSO MAKES THE CAR'S OPEN DOOR SENSOR STAY ON. ALSO THE CLOCK ON THE HOME SCREEN DOES NOT DISPLAY THE RIGHT TIME.

MY 2016 TRAX SLID INTO REAR OF A CAR WHO SUDDENLY BRAKED WHILE WE BOTH TRAVELLED ON HIGHWAY. I BROKE TOO. PROBABLY HIT OTHER CAR WHILE I WAS GOING 25 MPH. MODERATE FRONT END DAMAGE. ENGINE STOPPED. BUT CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. TOTAL LOSS OF CAR

ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 70MPH, THE TRANSMISSION WON'T CHOOSE A GEAR AND FLIPS BETWEEN 5TH AND 6TH WHILE AT HIGH RPM. THE CAR LOOSES ALL POWER TO ACCELERATE AND HOLDS GEAR AT 5TH WHILE MAINTAINING A 4000-5000 RPM. WHEN I SWITCH TO MANUAL TO PUT THE CAR IN 6TH, THE RPM RETURN TO IDLE AND THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE