general problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado - part 1

When driving normally on wet paved city roads (it had recently rained but not currently raining), my truck suddenly lost power steering and the warning messages came on to service power steering and stabilitrak systems. Traction control lights also came on. The next morning, I tried starting the truck again, and the power steering came back temporarily before losing it again and service messages came back on. I've read many others in online forums have had this same electrical connection issue, and it was a recall on the 2015 model year of this same truck.

I currently have a 2016 chev Colorado with a intermittent power steering issue. It stops sometimes without warning in which it makes it very difficult to drive especially if you have no warning to this issue. I am sure this is a extra unsafe condition to deal with. I have seen that the 2015 was recalled for the same issue. I have seen many complaints while researching this issue with exactly the same problem. Could someone please look at this issue because I am not feeling safe while driving. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2016 Chevrolet Colorado lost all power steering while driving down the road. My young daughter was in the vehicle with me on a busy highway when I lost my ability to safely steer the vehicle. The stabilitrak light came on and that is when the power steering failed and I had to force my vehicle off the roadway manually to avoid getting into a collision. Had I needed to quickly steer to avoid another vehicle, obstacle, or maneuver a sharp turn at those speeds that could have been fatal for me, my daughter, and potentially other drivers or pedestrians. The vehicle was diagnosed and the issue was reproduced and confirmee at an independent service center as described. It was determined this was a known issue with similar make and model Chevrolet Colorados that were already on recall however my VIN was not included. It was determined to be a defective steering wheel torque sensor (code c0545) and required a complete steering rack replacement. They inspected the wiring harness had not chafed causing any damage, and that it was the sensor. There were no warning lights prior to the failure and it was abrupt while driving. The stabilitrak light came on simultaneously to the power steering failing.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. In addition, the “service stabili-trak” message was displayed, and the “power steering failure” warning light was illuminated. The contact held the steering wheel tightly and pulled on the steering wheel, preventing the vehicle from crashing into a wall. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was driven very slowly, and the contact used added force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall for the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado with a similar description of a failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The contact stated that an online forum advised the contact to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The electric power steering system on my vehicle intermittently fails while I am driving. When the failure occurs, the steering suddenly becomes extremely heavy and difficult to control, creating an immediate safety risk to me and to others on the road. The loss of power steering has happened multiple times with no advance warning. Each time, the only way to temporarily restore normal steering is to pull over, turn the vehicle off, and restart it. The problem occurs randomly and without a pattern. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The issue has been evaluated by the dealer’s service center. They were not able to reproduce the failure during their inspection, but they did confirm that the vehicle had stored a diagnostic trouble code indicating a power steering failure. The service center reported that the code was too generic to determine the root cause, and no repair was performed. They acknowledged that the steering failure had occurred based on the stored code, but could not identify why it was happening. During the failures, the vehicle displays warning messages stating that both stabilitrak and power steering have failed. These messages appear only at the moment of failure, with no prior warning lights or symptoms. This intermittent loss of power steering severely compromises safe operation of the vehicle, especially when turning at low speeds, entering or exiting parking lots, or navigating intersections. It puts me, my passengers, and the surrounding drivers and pedestrians at risk because the vehicle cannot be steered normally when the failure occurs.

We were driving on a busy freeway and the power steering quit working making it hard to steer and maneuver in traffic. We went directly to a gm dealer and the code co545 steering wheel torgue sensor came up. This is a sensor inside the sealed steering gear that cannot be replaced without being completely removing and replaced. The cost is over $2000 and not covered under warranty. We will not be purchasing gm products any longer.

My steering failed. I was driving under 30 mph and my steering locked up and I was presented with a service notification "stabilitrak". I can not turn my wheel and was not able to go down my driveway.

The stabiltrack and power steering fail while driving.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message “service power steering” was displayed, and the stabili-trak warning light was illuminated. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 178,000.

Stablitrak has come on 2x now on the highway, completely losing power steering. Very scary. Resets after turning the car off and on. 2016 , should have a recall. Same issue as the 2015s.

When the truck is driven there are times at random that the steering wheel locks into place while driving at any speed on the road. This warrants me to slowly try and get the car off the road to shut it down and restart it and then the steering goes back to normal. This has happened multiple different times on different days. This has not happened on the highway yet, but if this occurs while driving on the highway this poses a huge risk for an accident to occur. Chevy has had this similar recall on previous 2015s and it seems that 2016 owners are complaining about this issue but it is yet to be a recall.

Steering of the truck. No, it has not been reproduced by a dealer no has not been inspected does not do it all the time, does in over period of times cannot specify any specific time you be driving and all sudden the wheels seem to lock and hard to steer and turning is very hard.

Happened twice now while driving, power steering suddenly lost and two messages on dash: loss of power steering and stabilitrak. Pulled over and turned off ignition. When restarted all errors automatically cleared and systems appear to be functioning correctly. Steering without power assist is very difficult and high safety concern at low speed driving.

I was making a left turn all of the sudden my power steering assist and stabilization light came on and I struggled to get the truck into the parking lot. In my readings and research there are a lot of complaints and recalls for the Chevrolet Colorado for both 2015 and 2016. In my research you are aware of the issue and one of the solutions is turn off car/truck and wait 15 minutes and the computer might reset and be okay. It did just that! I had to walk home with my grandchildren and have someone drive me back to the truck the next morning. It started up with no lights or warning and I was able to drive it to the repair shop. I was told they can not fix it I have to take it to the dealership. I have grandchildren and I drive about 25 miles to work. This was very dangerous and could cause death if it goes out on the expressway!! please recall and fix right away.

2016 chevy Colorado power steering failed going 55 mph on a straight road (luckily) happened 3 times on 10/04/2025. Know issue on the 2015 year and a recall was put out for that year. Was reading a lot of forums on the 2016 a lot of other people have been complaining of the same issue. Gm needs to address this before it ends up taking someone’s life. These trucks are very hard to steer when the electronic power steering fails.

Power steering loss of power steering while driving. Reported and serviced twice over $2000 loss. Problem still exists. Message service power steering. Freq loses power steering.

While driving, my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado experiences sudden voltage drops and intermittent loss of power steering assist — the same symptoms described in the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado recall (NHTSA #16v054000). When the failure occurs, the steering becomes extremely heavy and unsafe, especially during low-speed turns or lane changes. In September 2024, I brought my truck to an authorized Chevrolet dealership for sudden loss of power steering and electrical issues. A diagnostic was performed, and a fuse was replaced — they claimed that fixed the issue. Not even a month later, in October 2024, I brought my truck back to the dealership for the exact same issues. They confirmed a voltage drop but could not identify a specific cause. They verbally advised me they “cleaned the connectors,” which temporarily fixed the problem. Approximately one year later, in October 2025, the same issue returned — identical symptoms and voltage behavior. My truck was manufactured in August 2015, which is close to the recalled 2015 production window. Based on the symptoms and timing, I believe my truck may have been built using the same steering components or wiring harnesses as the recalled vehicles. This appears to be the same safety defect that caused the 2015 recall, only affecting a slightly newer VIN range. I request that NHTSA investigate whether additional 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles built in mid-to-late 2015 should be included in the recall for loss of steering assist. No service lights will be on and suddenly while driving I will get “service stabilitrak”, “no traction control”, and “service power steering”. Turning off my vehicle and restarting will temporarily fix the issue. Chevrolet Colorado, 2016, steering assist loss, voltage drop, power steering failure, recall 16v054000, safety defect, connector corrosion, torque sensor wiring harness, electrical failure, early production 2016.

Turning into a parking lot and power steering went out. Immediately followed service lights of stabilitrack and power steering. Turn the truck off and back on and the problem was resolved. Took the vehicle to the dealership the next day and they stated the power steering rack was failing. After research, it was found the the power steering was recalled on the 2015s but nothing on the 2016s. The issue with the 2016s is the same issue as the 2015s.

The power steering turned off suddenly twice, once on the highway at 60 miles per hour and the other time around a sharp turn of an exit ramp--extremely dangerous.

I was driving down the road and the power steering completely stopped working. This could have easily caused a wreck. No warning lights or indicators were prior to failure. I pulled the truck over to avoid causing a collision and turned the truck off. After shutting down for several minutes the warning lights that appeared while I had been previously driving went away and power steering returned. I brought it to a shop but they said without the lights being active they couldn't diagnose the problem. This is super dangerous and I see many others with this model have the same problem.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering and traction control warning lights remained illuminated, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

My power steering went out while driving at 70mph on my way to work. This was accompanied by a dashboard warning lights "service power steering" along with "service stabilitrack". I nearly collided with another vehicle being unable to lane change quickly. I took the vehicle to a local Chevrolet dealership, napleton of beaver dam, WI 53916. They diagnosed it as "electric power steering rack and pinion assembly steering wheel torque sensor shorted". This required the replacement of the steering rack and pinion assembly at a very inconvenient cost of $2542. 25 parts and labor. After doing a bit of research I found that this has been a problem with the 2015 and 2016 Colorado.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering and stability-trak warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The vehicle was almost involved in a crash because of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the warning lights were no longer illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Power steering fails during driving.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 mph, the stabili-trak failure message was displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was frightening. The contact was able to continue driving at a slower speed. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

1. Power steering shutdown and went into manual mode, on 3 occasions in the past 6 months. Stopped the vehicle, turned off, restarted and power steering was engaged. The vehicle is available for inspection. 2. It was very difficult to maneuver/steer the vehicle, putting myself and others at risk. 3. The problem was not reproduced for the dealer. The dealer reset the codes the first time and replace the battery the second time. The incident reoccurred after the battery replacement. The vehicle has not been returned to the dealer since the incident happened today. 4. The only inspection conducted was by the dealership service department. 5. There were messages for each occurrence, stating service power steering and stability control.

Power steering went out while driving on the highway. Extremely dangerous situation.

Have to have the rack and pinion system replaced due to a torque steering sensor. There was a stabilitrak and power steering warning and the power steering went out on the interstate.

This is the fourth incident, the following week. I already made an appointment for diagnostic without lights on dash for 10am due to a morning doctor's appt. So I could drop it then. Approaching dr's lot it happens again! I call the dealer to report it after I almost took the curb cuz steering went hard. Found an open area to park. I explained same reason I'm coming in has just happened. Now it won't did it for them for sure. I received a text late saying have guy looking g at it maybe know more tomorrow. I call now 2:00pm next day for an update. He's with a customer, wait for call back. Just I thought! I'm being charged according to what he said and I signed, 199. 00 for him to say, he put in dielectric grease for better contact and they drove it saying not happening to them so they can't put in a claim to ally to fix it. And my warranty goes by miles as well so charge me and drive my warranty. He said if it happens again could be steering rack replacement. I believe it the steering module. He says it's all in one. . But I have to pay 199. 00 and do this again, even after other employees said take a picture and I did. T/c stabilizer tracking lights and dash shows stabilizer service power steering drive with care. Steering is cut off or so hard you have to muscle it. I have the warranty so fix it! the pictures aren't enough even a moving picture? why if this happens is it not a recall for 2016 but was for 2015? this is to much nervous to drive but my only working vehicle.

Power steering failure identical to recall #16v054000 (issued February 2016) on 2015 Colorado. Vehicle will unexpectedly lose power steering udden stiff steering and both “service power steering” and “service stabilitrak” warnings appear on dashboard. Defective parts appear to be gear assembly (gm part #23228020) and revised torque sensor cover kit (gm part #84344239).

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn into the driveway at the residence, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to turn, causing the vehicle to strike a tree. The stabili-trac warning light was illuminated. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.

While turning into neighborhood making a left at approximately 15 m. P. H. , the steering became stiff and stuck. Was not able to turn steering to complete turn. A loud whining noise was also noticeable. Stopped vehicle and turned steering wheel in opposite direction and steering became normal again. 1st time this happened. No lights on dash were observed. This is very unsafe. Unbelievably unsafe. Fortunate no other vehicles around when steering failed.

Stability trac failure. . . Loss of power steering. Extremely dangerous. Seems to be the exact part on the exact model that the 2015 has a recall on. Why not the 2016?.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the contact noticed that the steering wheel seized with the stable tract warning message displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle stalled but restarted. The contact continued driving, but the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure should be covered under NHTSA campaign number: 21v213000 (steering). The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly needed to be replaced; part number: 23232310. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 122,998.