2016 Chevrolet Colorado Problems, Recalls & Reliability
938 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 68,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2009–2012, 2020–2022.
Avoid
Where 2016 sits among all Colorado years
What owners report
“Electrical power steering failure. Electrical power steering will go out during driving or when you just start the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
“Power steering and stabilitrak went out while driving. Power to dash went out while driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
“Transmission shifting hard and slipping in gear 1 and 2 also down shifts hard 2 and 3 gear.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
“The power steering and stabilitrak went out while i was driving on the freeway, again!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
“There is an electrical issue that causes the truck to completely shut down and lose all power sometimes while driving with do warning. When this happens, power steering and power brakes are lost. This happened to me while turning into a gas station and i nearly wrecked into another vehicle as i…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
“The electric power steering is going out spontaneously while driving and also disengaging stablitrak and abs just like the already known recall for the 2015”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Colorado
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 387 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 45,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 17,000 and 82,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado trucks manufactured August 25, 2015 to September 24, 2015, and GMC Canyon trucks manufactured August 28, 2015 to September 24, 2015. The affected vehicles have a console…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the console compartment door latch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on January 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
Technical service bulletins
1,594 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 Colorado TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado reliable?
The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado drew 938 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2016).
What are the most common 2016 Chevrolet Colorado problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado are steering (446 complaints), electrical (119), and transmission & drivetrain (96).
At what mileage do 2016 Chevrolet Colorado problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Chevrolet Colorado problems around 45,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 17,000 and 82,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.