2016 Chevrolet Trax Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Trax most often write about engine-related problems — sudden loss of power, check engine lights, misfires, and turbocharger failures — usually on the highway or under acceleration. Second to that are electrical complaints (dash, radio, and power lock glitches) and steering that becomes hard or impossible to turn, often intermittently and sometimes at low mileage. Many reports come in between about 25,000 and 90,000 miles, so buyers should expect a mix of early and mid-life issues rather than one single pattern.

1. 1
   Engine

   Loss of power, hesitation and check engine light

   • 15 complaints (13%)
   • median 48,675 mi at 4.0 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle suddenly losing power or refusing to accelerate, often while merging, climbing a hill, or passing at highway speed; several say the engine stumbled or stalled and the check engine light came on. Complaints mention misfires, ignition coil and spark plug problems, and air intake or emissions faults as the diagnosed cause. Several reports note that dealers cleared codes or said the problem could not be duplicated, while others describe repeat shop visits for the same symptom. Reported from about 14,000 to 130,000 miles, with many between 40,000 and 90,000, and some owners noting cold-weather or highway conditions.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records showing whether ignition coils, spark plugs, or the turbocharger have been replaced, and check that no check engine codes are stored. A test drive should include a highway merge and a hill to see whether power stays steady.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving the car on a busy highway and suddenly the vehicle was difficult to control, the engine light and traction control light came on. Later I learned that the vehicle was running on three cylinders. The vehicle had under 40,000 miles. Diagnostic p0300 coil pack failure causing spark plug to misfire and car became a safety issue on the road. This is not a recall part, additionally gmc is charging owners to repair.”

   NHTSA complaint #11141935, filed 2018-10, 39,743 miles

   “Started driving and in 10 minutes the car started hesitating and suddenly stalled. The engine light and the stability light also went on.. I was able to start the car again just long enough to park it on the side of the road. Waited for tow which was taking long in 96 degree weather. So I drove the car home (15 minutes away) had to drive very slow cause felt like turning off..took 45 minutes to get home..called dealer in the morning and they gave me a towing number. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11233893, filed 2019-07, 28,000 miles
2. 2
   Steering

   Steering wheel hard to turn or locks up

   • 12 complaints (10%)
   • median 37,627 mi at 3.0 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners report the steering wheel suddenly becoming very stiff or locking so it cannot be turned, sometimes at low speed and sometimes right after start-up. In several cases restarting the vehicle restored normal steering until the problem returned; a warning light with an exclamation point appeared in some reports. Complaints describe dealers replacing the steering column or reprogramming power steering, sometimes without a lasting fix, and some owners were quoted large repair bills. Reported from very low mileage (a few thousand miles) up to about 115,000 miles, with many between 25,000 and 60,000.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During the test drive, turn the wheel at low speed and after a cold start to check for stiffness or warning lights. Ask whether the steering column or power steering software has ever been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Steering wheel stiffened up while driving making it impossible to turn. Shut the car off and restarted. Wheel will turn but now there's clicking noises in the steering column when turning. Same week the anti theft alarm went off and no one was near the car. Also said I didn't have the correct key, which I did as I was able to start the car with it. Radio sometimes takes longer than normal to turn on... Seems to be a lot of electrical issues.”

   NHTSA complaint #11306366, filed 2020-01, 93,500 miles

   “Chevy sucks. Bought my 2016 chevy TRAX in september 2015. It's been well maintained. At the 59,000 mile mark, the steering wheel locks up and the engine powers down with no warning, ESC lights comes on and the car loses acceleration. Took it to 1 dealer who keeps it for 4 weeks when they figure it's a module. I brought it to my regular mechanic who has a relationship with another chevy dealer so I could save on labor, they have it for another 4 weeks. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11185954, filed 2019-03, 59,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in a crash

   • 10 complaints (8%)
   • median 36,945 mi at 2.7 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2024

   Owners describe front and side impacts where the airbags did not deploy, in some cases with the vehicle being totaled. Other reports mention the passenger airbag indicator staying on or switching between on and off while someone is seated, and a dealer being unable to find a cause. These are accounts of individual crashes and warning-light behavior rather than a description of a single diagnosed fault. Reported across the mileage range, from about 7,500 to 55,000 miles, mostly during front-end collisions or when the passenger seat was occupied.

   Recall 17V437000Recall 16V651000

   What to check: Check that the airbag warning light behaves normally with a passenger seated, and ask whether any airbag-related recalls or repairs have been completed for the vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In passenger front seat when someone is sitting there the seatbelt will just undo on its own at times. Also the person will weight over 100lbs and the air bag light indicator will go to on and off.”

   NHTSA complaint #11182397, filed 2019-02, 55,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet TRAX. While driving at 45 MPH, another vehicle across the street ran their stop sign at 45 MPH and crashed head on into the contact's front side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained long term back injuries that required medical attention. The party that crashed into the contact was not injured. It was unknown if a police report was filed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11220655, filed 2019-06, 27,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Turbocharger and coolant/overheating problems

   • 19 complaints (16%)
   • median 83,500 mi at 5.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2019–2026

   Several owners report turbocharger failure, sometimes after an oil leak, with symptoms including poor acceleration, a check engine light, and the vehicle being limited to low speed. Others describe coolant leaks and overheating with little warning — one owner noted there is no temperature gauge and that the first sign was smoke from the hood. Complaints indicate repairs were sometimes denied or not covered. Mostly reported between about 70,000 and 130,000 miles, with coolant leaks also noted around 67,000 to 87,000.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Look for coolant residue around the reservoir and under the engine, check the oil level and condition, and ask whether the turbocharger or cooling system has been replaced or repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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!”

   NHTSA complaint #11387384, filed 2021-01, 67,589 miles

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11377449, filed 2020-12, 80,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Dash, radio and power lock electrical glitches

   • 24 complaints (20%)
   • median 50,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the instrument cluster, radio, backup camera, or OnStar going dark while driving or failing to come on, and power door locks that stop working or trap passengers inside. Complaints mention dealers replacing fuse boxes, blower motors, or computer modules without resolving the problem. Several owners summarize the experience as a cluster of intermittent electrical faults rather than one isolated part. Reported from near-new (a few hundred miles) up to about 179,000 miles, with many between 17,000 and 60,000.

   Recall 16V422000Recall 16V2570003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the radio, camera, dashboard displays, and all door locks one at a time, and ask whether the radio software recalls (16V257000 and 16V422000) were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought a brand new 2016 chevy TRAX on 10/31/16. One week later, I went into the garage, got into my new car which stated right away but I had no dashboard lights so I had no idea what speed I was traveling. I had no radio or rear camera back up. I had no onstar service or telephone service. The only thing that worked was my heater. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10940046, filed 2017-01, 200 miles

   “Drivers side passenger door power lock stopped working. Our 2016 TRAX has only 17000 miles on it. We had our 4 yr old granddaughter in the back in here car seat. We could not get the door open. Eventually I was able to pull the door lock up from the top of the car. We were stationary at the house after leaving the park. If this car was to have caught on fire I am not sure what we would have done. Our bumper to bumper warranty ended in june which was 3yr 36,000 mikes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11254530, filed 2019-09, 17,000 miles

Buying note. A 2016 Trax is worth a careful mechanical inspection: have a shop pull stored codes and check the turbocharger, cooling system, and steering behavior, then verify that the airbag, radio, and seat belt pretensioner recalls were completed. Service records showing how earlier power-loss or steering complaints were handled tell you more than the mileage alone.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.