2016 Chevrolet Trax problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (29) · Steering (12) · Power Train (10)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Trax model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
64 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint 2019-09-12 · campaign 19V652000 · 93,722 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Chevrolet Trax vehicles. A joint in one or both of the front lower control arms may have been improperly welded. An improperly welded joint may break, resulting in the partial separation of the lower control arm from the vehicle.
Risk: A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, impacting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left and right front lower-control arms, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A192261870.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2017-07-10 · campaign 17V437000 · 40,683 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2016-09-08 · campaign 16V651000 · 3,640,162 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Electrical System:software 2016-06-10 · campaign 16V422000 · 18,780 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protect
Risk: Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
Electrical System:software 2016-04-28 · campaign 16V257000 · 317,572 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114
Risk: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
Service bulletins (1,115)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,115 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-26 · Engine“was driving the car,when started losing power up a hill,started making a loud puttering noise..check engine light and traction control along with tire light all came on,ran a diagnostic at auto store said it was the plugs,so bought plugs and changed them,still doing the same thing..went back for another diagnostic and still said plugs,also states i…”
2026-08-20 · Engine“for the 3 years i have had this car the engine has just died no sensors no engine lights no dashboard indicators bells whistles nothing it just stops running and wont start the dealership replaced it the first 2 years it happened this time they are trying to say we drove it overheating and that isnt true i have aaa and the only service calls have b…”
2026-07-10 · Seat Belts“there wasnt a passenger side seat belts legal violations by lburg auto sales (2016 chevy trax krs 189.125(2): state law strictly prohibits a dealership from selling any modern vehicle without working seat belts for all passengers. federal safety standards (fmvss 208/209): mandates functional three-point seat belts. selling a car with a missing …”
2026-06-01 · Engine · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 chevrolet trax. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine sputtered and the check engine warnig light illuminated. the vehic ewas taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was was taken to the dealer where it was d…”
2026-05-21 · Suspension“the vehicle was brought to an authorized gm dealership for a scheduled appointment to address a check engine condition related to a purge valve and an open safety recall for the lower control arm. the vin was provided and confirmed at the time the appointment was made; however, the recall was not completed during the visit. the dealership replaced…”
2026-04-24 · Power Train“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.…”
2026-04-16 · Suspension · 115,000 mi“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 t…”
2026-02-05 · Unknown Or Other“i have had replaced the valve cover 4 times already about ever 3 months or so and it is starting to chirp and act up by lagging and jumping on acceleration. my mother is [xxx] old and does not drive it hard or in excess. the 1st was in summer of 2024 the 2nd was december 2024 3rd was april 2025 4th november 2025 and it just started chirping again …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.