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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,869 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Chevrolet Colorado electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Chevrolet Colorado Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #65

Apr 162023

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Same as the recall bulletin 15595 for the 2015 model year. Power steering intermittently goes out and goes back to normal after stopping/starting vehicle.

- Hanahan, SC, USA

problem #64

Mar 182023

Colorado

  • miles
Vehicle suddenly loses power steering without warning. The power steering module is connected to the CAN bus which errors everything else on the same network so stabilitrack, traction control, ABS, etc goes out all at the same time. On icy roads, this caused to hit the ditch at very high speed. What I don-??t understand is why you only forced a recall on the 2015 MY when the 2016-??s use the same exact components and assembly process. Clearly this is still an issue for many 2016 owners!

- East Grand Forks, MN, USA

problem #63

Mar 212023

Colorado 6-cyl

  • miles
While my 17 year old son was traveling on the highway at a speed of 55, the truck (2016 Chevy Colorado)suddenly lost its power steering. He was barely able to get off the road, because the steering wheel was so hard to turn. The stabilitrak warning light came on and a warning light about the power steering also came on(while the problem was happening). My son was very concerned, because he said if he had been traveling at that speed around a curve, he could have crashed. This seems very serious to me. I googled this problem, only to find there have been recalls on several 2015 and 2016 models, but my VIN was not one of them.... something is wrong here!!?? I'm scared to let him drive it anymore.

- Glennville, GA, USA

problem #62

Mar 132023

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power steering stopped working while driving on open road. A box in the display opened and said that there was a problem and see dealer. The vehicle was stopped and inspected under hood. No reservoir or pump, so suspect it is an electrical issue. Turned vehicle off for a few moment and restarted, made a phone call to home and all of a sudden, the power steering started working again. Returned home, made appointment with Chevy service, paid for diagnostic of issue, nothing found, no codes, no history, can not observe issue during test drive. Vehicle returned to me, I have driven about 400 miles with not a repeat of issue. I have read about a recall for this issue in the 2015 model, and have heard of owners of 2016 having the same issue, so I am adding my experience. I have the repair doc. but can not upload it at this time. RAB

- Laughlin, NV, USA

problem #61

Mar 162023

Colorado

  • miles
A warning came on my dash board for Service saying "Power Steering Drive With Care" followed by another Service warning for "Stabilitrak." See photos of warnings. I had the same incident occur a couple of months ago, but it went away while driving and no adverse affects occurred. However, this time, my power steering lost all ability to function. Luckily, I was parked and just reversing out of a parking spot. I shut the vehicle off, opened and closed my doors, and restarted it to no avail. The power steering was still not working with the same warnings. I was close to home with only a few turns so I muscled my way to the road. Power steering returned while on a straightaway going 25 mph. The warnings did not cease even though power steering returned. I have restarted my vehicle twice and the warnings are still there. The Stability Control Warning Symbol and TC symbol to the left of the info display also stay on while these warnings are occurring. Took pictures of them for proof that are included. I read on this forum (https://www.coloradofans.com/threads/2016-colorado-stabilitak-power-steering-fault.413270/) that it is a known issue and see many complaints here on NHTSA. This is a dangerous scenario that should be investigated and seems to be an obvious manufacturer's fault or oversight, especially since a recall was issued for some 2015 models. Please investigate before crashes begin to occur. Its an expensive repair that many will not pay for, especially since it is well documented to be an issue plaguing the vehicles.

- Lakewood, OH, USA

problem #60

Feb 112023

Colorado

  • miles
When shifting into Park and attempting to turn ignition off, the ignition does not fully rotate to the Off position and I-??m unable to remove key from ignition. There are several YouTube videos demonstrating this issue with thousands of views, so the problem clearly affects a lot of people. Some videos show where the ignition safety switch solenoid does not properly disengage when placed in Park. Would be more than happy to have my vehicle inspected and tested, if needed. Have been able to -??work around-?? issue by doing a couple of quick release pops of the shifter release switch. Seems to be a mechanical + electrical issue. Happened suddenly in February 2023 when parking in a busy parking lot. Became very nervous and concerned that I couldn-??t turn the ignition off and therefore remove my key. Was not going to walk away from vehicle and leave the key in the ignition either. Have not yet reported to dealer, but that-??s my next step. No warning lamps or related lights on dash.

- Corinth, TX, USA

problem #59

Dec 112022

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Try to completely shut the truck off but cannot remove the ignition key after putting the truck in park. After several times of starting the truck and moving the shifter back and forth then turning the truck off the key releases. Went on car gurus.com chat line and found this problem is widespread. Chevrolet dealerships will not honor the warranty on this issue if the vehicle is passed it-??s warranty. Looks like someone is going have to get injured or trapped in the vehicle for Chevy to acknowledge this safety issue. Thank you for your consideration.

- Cape Neddick, ME, USA

problem #58

Oct 122022

Colorado

  • miles
The ignition swich won't turn off in one of ten time. Truck could be stolen & driven away.

- Mankato, MN, USA

problem #57

Jan 052021

Colorado

  • miles
Experiencing intermittent power steering lose while vehicle is moving. Contacted GM and got a GM diagnostics and they said that I have to replace steering rack. Same problem as other intermittent steering loss. Safety concern. I have more files but difficult to upload on current platform.

- Halawa, HI, USA

problem #56

Sep 302022

Colorado

  • miles
Colorado truck has been experiencing intermittent failure of power steering system for several weeks. This has occurred on start up and also while vehicle is moving. The problem may resolve temporarily on its own and then recur at another time. Watson Chevrolet evaluated this problem on 9/28/22 and found -??DTC UO420 42 Which states that the power steering control module was not properly calibrated, causing the electronic brake control module to lose communication with it. Reprogram the PSCM. Condition is no longer present.-?? The problem reccurred while driving on September 30, 2022. Chevy dealership has been notified and the vehicle will be taken back in for further evaluation.

- Tucsom, AZ, USA

problem #55

Aug 202022

Colorado

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on the highway "service stabilitrack" warning suddenly appeared. The warning went away, but the light on the dash stayed illuminated as if I had manually turned off stabilitrack. Dash then indicated traction control was turned off, speedometer, rpm gauge, and temp gauge all started bouncing around and fuel range indicated "--". Also received a warning that power steering is not functioning. Vehicle would not appropriately change gears (automatic transmission), causing issues maintaining speed. I have a video of the gauges (taken by my partner while I was driving) that can be sent via email, or screenshots can be uploaded upon request. An online search yields several forum posts indicating this is a repeated issue for this model year, causing significant safety issues and leaving individuals stranded. Within forums I discovered a service bulletin regarding the issue, but it appears no one felt this was important enough to issue a recall or notify owners. I have not yet been able to get to a dealership for repairs, as this occurred on a weekend (while I am 14 hours away from home), but I will be contacting a dealer Monday morning.

- St. Clair, MO, USA

problem #54

Jul 282022

Colorado

  • miles
While driving the truck randomly loses power steering. The display screen states that the anti-lock brake system needs to be serviced. Once I turn the truck off and back on it seems to reset and work as normal. The dealer will not fix due to the truck not having any check engine lights on. This is very frustrating and a safety issue that Chevy needs to look at.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #53

Jun 262022

Colorado

  • miles
Has happened multiple times where driving and notification comes on dash that Stabilitrak and Power steering are malfunctioning and then stop working. Has happened in the middle of a turn and the wheel turn to lead in my hand and I almost crashed. Every time it happens the only way to fix it is to pull over and reset computer and pray it doesn't shut off again while I'm driving. I've spoken to numerous others with the same year and have had similar electrical issues, as well I have seen dozens of people posting online asking the same questions so i know its not just my car and I know there is a recall out for the same part on the '15 Chevy Colorado. The issue of bringing it into the mechanic to fix is that if nothing is going wrong at the time they can't see the issue. This is an extreme safety issue. more than once the power steering has shut off while taking a steep turn. GM needs to be help accountable to fix this issue.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #52

May 252022

Colorado

  • miles
The vehicles power steering system has failed on at least six occasions while being operated over the course of the past 30 days. When the power steering system fails the vehicle display gives two warnings: First, steering assist is reduced drive with care. Second, service stablitrak. This puts the safety of the operator and others at great risk as the vehicle becomes extremely difficult to steer, especially at low speeds, as well as limits the driver's ability to drive reactively to their surroundings. This extreme loss of control has lead to uncomfortably close near collisions on two occasions. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or any other entity. There were no other warnings lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. However, the problem is highly common and with the use of a search engine one can easily come to the conclusion that the manufacturer needs to be held responsible for their faulty craftsmanship in reference to this issue.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #51

May 022022

Colorado

  • miles
Common problem reported by many consumers, infotainment system changes stations, randomly shuts down, fast forwards songs on media, touchscreen non-responsive. Had mine replaced to the tune of $800+ and the same thing is happening to the new unit. Only this time, I get the entire system cutting out and then only the front tweeters coming back on after a minute. New unit does not have adjustable back up camera view, too bright at night when backing up, glare causes me to be unable to see.

- El Segundo, CA, USA

problem #50

Mar 152022

Colorado

  • miles
While driving the steering wheel locks up and it says service Stabilitrak and engages the traction control and will not let you steer your vehicle at all, this could be fatal at hight speeds and I am shocked that this is not a recall I've seen hundreds of complaints online about it.

- Berea, KY, USA

problem #49

Mar 102022

Colorado

  • miles
I was driving on the high way and the power steering went out almost sent me into another car

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #48

Aug 042020

Colorado

  • miles
Key gets locked in the ignition after you put it in park and try shut off the vehicle. Vehicle won-??t turn off. It takes 10 to 20 minutes before it will release the key. I believe this is a safety issue and have seen a good amount of people online that have the same issue and the manufacture refusing to address or fix the problem.

- Cedar Park, TX, USA

problem #47

Dec 042021

Colorado

  • miles
Wire chaffing by the AC suction line and by the serpentine belt near fan clutch, almost got me killed. WE NEED A RECALL ON THIS ASAP, this is a common problem being overlooked by GM.

- Cypress, TX, USA

problem #46

Nov 222021

Colorado

  • miles
Sudden loss of power steering while driving. Difficult to control vehicle. Has happened about 10 times in the last two weeks. Also occurs during cold start, less frequent. Restarting returns to normal operation until it fails again. Dash message indicates stabilitrack and power steering disabled. Appears to be same problem as 2015 model recall

- Lago Vista, TX, USA

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