2021 Chevrolet Colorado problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (16) · Steering (10) · Power Train (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Colorado model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2020-12-23 · campaign 20V811000 · 470 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Service bulletins (748)
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 2026-10-26 · GM Update N25-250552 · Over The Air
• improvements to onstar functionality.
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 2026-09-21 · PIP5700H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent confusion when ordering
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 2026-08-20 · PIC6551C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a mec reset for wireless projection issues
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Showing the 6 most recent of 748 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-24 · Service Brakes“the brake booster vacuum pump broke and caused my brakes to stop working properly while driving on the highway. there were zero warnings from the vehicle i went to press on my brake and it was stuck i luckily was able to push it down enough to safely stop…”
2026-10-15 · Unknown Or Other“the rear differential is sounding very loud, like grinding roaring sound @ 72,000. this truck doesn't pull any loads or anything heavy.all service are on time. how can this young milage truck major part go bad just so. it's dangerous driving on the street. it can cause death if it blows up or freeze. gm has a global service about their miss labele…”
2026-10-09 · Air Bags · 90,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2021 chevrolet colorado. the contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a crash after the contact fell asleep while driving 15 mph. the vehicle came to a complete stop after crashing into a tree. the front of the vehicle was damaged. the contact stated that the air bags had not deployed. the contact sustained a fractured wri…”
2026-10-04 · Power Train“in may 2025, i took my truck to the dealership due to a severe whining noise from the rear. they said the rear differential had failed and needed a full replacement, costing me $1,800 since the warranty didn’t cover the entire amount. by late september 2026, while driving on the highway, the whining returned—this time with vibrations under my feet …”
2026-09-30 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 65,500 mi“the contact owns a 2021 chevrolet colorado. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. the contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard and the engine seized. the contact stood on the brake pedal. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it w…”
2026-09-12 · Service Brakes“both rear calipers have become frozen or stuck, causing the brakes to seize and not work correctly. this happened around 53,000 miles. there was a burning rubber smell as well as the tire/brake temp was 5 times the normal. this created a severe driving hazard.…”
2026-09-02 · Service Brakes“brake boost vacuum pump failure. while approaching a traffic light that was red, i applied the brakes. the pedal was very hard to press and required me using both feet to bring the vehicle to a stop. stopping distance was much longer than normal. i removed the vacuum pump and found it had seized and broke apart.…”
2026-08-25 · Power Train“my 2021 chevy colorado experienced a distinct bucking and shuddering sensation under slow acceleration at lower rpms, specifically when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. there were no dashboard warning lights or malfunction codes prior to the issue. the defect was officially reproduced, inspected, and confirmed by a gm technician at a certified c…”
2026-08-21 · Service Brakes“iba sobre el freeway a 60 millas y de la nada el freno se puso duro no respondían me pasé a los carril de la orilla y fui metiendo freno de mano poco a poco bendito dios me puse a salvo! la agencia me dijo que fue el booster ahora tienen que verificar que no halla fragmentos de metal en el motor! …”
2026-08-05 · Seat Belts“we bought this truck from a dealer (used) and before delivery the driver seat belt recall was repaired as it was still open. now, months later, the airbag light is on with a warning and it appears that the airbags are disabled. this started as an intermittent issue and now remains constant. not only does the warning chime when the truck is started,…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.