Electrical System Problems of Chevrolet Colorado - part 1

The truck suddenly losses power steering and traction control during trips rendering the vehicle with no power steering. Upon stopping and restarting the truck, the power steering can return to the vehicle or stay turned off. This is a concerning safety issue as the power steering can give out at any point during a trip.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

While driving, the vehicles internal computer system seized, completely shutting down and restarting itself over the course of 30 seconds. During and after this event, the brakes, power steering, and restraint system all became inoperable. Brakes failed to engage and power steering did not function. The issue resolved itself after turning the vehicle completely off and back on again. Brakes, power steering, and the restraint system have operated off and on over the past week since the event happened.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

While driving on approximately September 24, 2026, the instrument cluster and infotainment screens went completely black — total loss of speedometer, gauges, warning indicators, and all readouts. The screens restarted on their own after a few minutes. Since then, on startup the screens remain completely black until the 12v battery is disconnected and reconnected, which temporarily restores them before the blackout recurs. This has happened 4 times total at approximately 50,000 miles. No crash or injury occurred. This is a safety concern because the driver loses the speedometer and all warning indicators while driving. The vehicle is currently at the dealership for diagnosis of this issue (group 1 GMC westside, 955 crockett st, el paso, TX 79922) and had not been seen by a dealer for this issue before today.

In July 2026, I received a message on my truck's dashboard to "service latch system". Neither of my passenger doors would lock. I brought it into the hendrick Chevrolet service center, and they told me the actuators on both passenger side doors failed. Even though the truck is only 2 years old, they said I was past the mileage on the 3-year warranty and I would need to pay out of pocket for replacing the actuators. They replaced them. Then this week, week of September 21, 2026, the driver side door locks stopped working. They are now telling me the actuators on that side have now failed and I need to pay out of pocket for it again. I am concerned there is an underlying defect in the vehicle not being addressed.

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

After shifting to drive the vehicle had no brakes. A week or so earlier the check engine light came on. Messages on the screen said brake system failure along with other messages. Took to dealership, an update was installed. Last Wednesday engine light reappeared with the same messages but didn’t have time to return it to the dealership so parked it until today. Today was the brake failure. Returned to dealership, they replaced the battery and said the brake issue is fixed. I’m not convinced this fixed the issue and believe this could get someone seriously injured or killed.

The power steering will intermittently go out. This occurs at random times and often at speeds of over 65 mph. This is not a maintenance issue as it is electronic power steering.

Intermittent total loss of power steering assistance while driving at speed, accompanied by the immediate illumination of the traction control and stabilitrak warning indicators on the dashboard. The loss of power steering creates a sudden and severe handling hazard. This safety issue has occurred more than 15 times since this vehicle was purchase used in December of 2025. A diagnostic scan reveals specific diagnostic trouble codes: c0545-00 (steering wheel torque sensor hardware failure), c0460-5a (steering wheel angle sensor plausibility), u0420-42 (invalid data received from pscm), and c0280-00. The power steering also intermittently returns to normal functionality after the vehicle sits completely powered off, indicating a thermal or electronic hardware failure within the internal torque sensor of the steering gear assembly. This specific failure occurred most recently at 76,143 miles on VIN 1gcgtce38g1146466 (manufacture date: 10/1/2015; original sales date: 4/1/2016). This is the exact component failure and safety hazard described in gm recall #15595 (NHTSA campaign #16v054) for the 2015 model year. Furthermore, despite this vehicle falling well within the mileage limits of gm special coverage n182182190, this specific VIN is excluded (per a vih request to mac haik Chevrolet service desk with my VIN) from the coverage program for an identical hardware failure, posing an unresolved and dangerous safety risk on 2016 models.

While sitting in idle the engine will just start to idle rough for no reason this happens all the time and clear out when accelerated. While driving the radio and infotainment screen will go blank then come back on. I was driving on the freeway going straight and all of a sudden the power steering went out and I got this warning light on for the power steering being disabled along with this vehicle symbol and squiggly lines behind it on. I drove to a safe spot with the truck feeling really heavy. Turned it off and on then it cleared up. This power steering issue just happened.

My truck is in the shop for engine wiring harness chafe. They are making me pay 1200 dollars for an issue that is known by chevy. I feel like I should not have to pay.

While driving home multiple lights,messages and sounds came on the dashboard. I stepped on the brake and there were no brakes. I put vehicle in neutral and pumped brakes a few times. I was not traveling that fast so the vehicle stopped before I hit the person in front of me. I drove 10 mpg with my hazards on to the nearest gas station. I called chevy service and they sent a tow truck n/c to bring to the dealer.

The electric power steering assembly has failed. I will be driving and my power steering will cut out with no warning, the sensor light is on constantly. Turning it off will sometimes fix it but not for long. It will affect my cruise control at times as well.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Power steering failure. 4wd stuck.

Loss of power steering, truck repaired by gm dealer, he stated it was the same failure mode described in recall notice n2023254 10. The repair even though the same as the previous failures was not covered by gm because my VIN was not in gms recall notice. Looking at this website there a number of reports of power steering failures for later model Colorado and canyons that were not covered by the recall. Either gms fix was not effective, or they did not select the right VIN population. So the power steering failure repair on my truck even though it is the same failure mode as the previous recall was not covered by gm.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Brake vacum pump experienced a catastrophic failure. I was unable to step on the break because the break pedal was hard. I ran thru a red light. I was told the brake vacume pump shattered & pieces of metal went into my engine.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

My 2023 Chevrolet Colorado zr2 cannot receive over?the?air (ota) software updates because the gateway module is still running outdated firmware (xxx. Mnf). General motors issued service update xxx to correct this defect by performing a vehicle?wide programming update. However, gm’s system incorrectly shows the bulletin as “closed” for my VIN even though the gateway module was never updated. The truck was sold to me by tyrell Chevrolet in [xxx] with this safety?related service update not completed properly. The dealership has confirmed they cannot perform the required update because gm’s system will not authorize it until the bulletin is reopened. Gm corporate has been contacted multiple times, but after several days they have not reopened the bulletin or provided a resolution. Because the gateway module remains on outdated firmware, the vehicle cannot receive critical ota updates related to safety, diagnostics, and module stability. This condition has been reported by other 2023 Colorado owners and has previously been associated with battery?drain issues caused by software modules failing to sleep properly. Gm has acknowledged the defect by issuing service update xxx, but they are refusing to reopen the update for my VIN despite the incomplete firmware and the vehicle’s inability to receive ota updates. I am filing this complaint so the defect and gm’s refusal to correct it are formally documented. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The turn signal has an intermittent condition. When I put the right turn signal indicator on to signal a right turn, after the turn is completed and the turn signal stick returns to the off position my left turn signal with signal a left turn flashing approximately 2-3 times before turning off. I took it to the local Chevrolet dealer maintenance shop and they told me the replaced the turn signal stick, however a few days later the same problem occurred again. I have also learned online that other owners have had the same issue with their Colorado pickup trucks also.

The contact's husband owns a 2025 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that after exiting a car wash tunnel and parking the vehicle on the side of the car wash building, the vehicle continued to roll forward at a high speed without warning. The contact used both feet and excessive force on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle; however, the vehicle continued to roll forward. The vehicle ran over the parking pillar and crashed into a brick column attached to the building. The vehicle continued to roll forward after the crash and eventually stopped once it rolled over the car wash road indentation. The contact reversed out of the car wash indentation and called her husband for assistance. After her husband arrived at the scene; the vehicle was driven to the residence without any further issues. The vehicle remained at the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 111,817.

See all problems of the 2025 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Issue 1: cooling fan remained on after engine shutdown component or system involved: engine cooling system and fan control system, including the radiator cooling fan, fan relay, coolant temperature sensor, wiring, or engine control module (ecm). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. What happened: after turning off the engine, the radiator cooling fan remained running continuously for approximately five minutes and would not shut off as expected. No warning light, message, or other dashboard indication appeared before or during the event. This was unusual behavior compared with normal operation. Safety risk: the unexpected fan operation created concern that the cooling system was malfunctioning and that the vehicle could overheat, experience an electrical problem, or become unreliable while driving. A cooling system or electrical failure while in traffic could put me and other drivers at risk. Reproduction or confirmation: the issue occurred several time and was confirmed by a Chevrolet dealer, and was told that my warranty did not cover the issue. I took it to outside mechanic to fix the issue as Chevrolet wanted to charge over $1500 for the issue. No warning lamps, messages, overheating indicators, or other symptoms appeared before the fan remained on. The problem occurred suddenly back in 2025. Issue 2: ignition key gets stuck and cannot be removed ignition lock cylinder, ignition switch, transmission shift-interlock system, park-position switch, or steering column lock mechanism. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The ignition key intermittently becomes stuck and cannot be removed from the ignition. The problem occurs after parking and turning the vehicle off, and I sometimes need to move the shifter or steering wheel repeatedly before the key can be removed. A stuck ignition key can prevent me from properly shutting down and securing the vehicle. It may also indicate a failure in the ignition or shift-interlock system.

For about two months my 2016 chevy Colorado has been having a random power steering and stabilitrak issue message popping up. There’s no clear reason why this happens as I can drive my truck for days/weeks and it was suddenly lose power steering. When this happens it is a serious safety issue as I can be on the highway driving fine and my power steering will just suddenly stop working. Normally, I pull over and turn my truck off for 30 seconds to 1 minute and turn it back on and the issue will go away. I had two separate scans performed on the truck and both scans showed no “current” errors but pulled up past error codes of problems with abs system and “low voltage. ” I do not drive my truck roughly and most miles are simple roads or straight highways. No rough roads or heavy water/snow/mud. I have looked online and multiple threads from other drivers of GMC canyons around 2015/2016 and trucks like mine who have had similar issues and the canyon has recalls concerning this but I currently have none for the chevy Colorado so I wanted to report this issue, especially for the safety reason. I believe if my wife was driving my truck on the highway and this happened she may not be strong enough to pull off and/or turn the truck if she had needed to since it is very difficult to turn the wheel when this error occurs.

**vehicle safety complaint** I am experiencing a serious safety issue with my 2016 Chevrolet vehicle involving the power steering system. On a somewhat regular basis, I receive dashboard warnings including "stabilitrak not working," and "service power steering. " shortly after these warnings appear, the power steering fails while I am driving. When this occurs, I must use significant force to turn the steering wheel in order to maintain control of the vehicle and make turns. When I pull over, turn off engine and wait a few minutes, the restart the engine, it  appears to be resolved and works fine. This creates an extremely dangerous driving condition. I am concerned that I may not be able to turn quickly or forcefully enough to avoid an accident, potentially resulting in a collision, injury, or death. I am aware that certain 2015 model year vehicles were recalled for similar power steering issues. However, despite experiencing what appears to be the same defect in my 2016 vehicle, no recall has been issued. The issue remains uncorrected and continues to pose a significant safety risk. Gm customer care (1-800-462-8782) states I am not eligible for any cost assistance because it is a 2016 model and not 2015. Given the serious safety implications of sudden power steering loss while driving, I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue and determine whether a recall is warranted for affected 2016 vehicles. The sudden loss of power steering while the vehicle is in motion presents a substantial safety hazard and should be addressed before it leads to serious accidents or injuries.

Component: drivetrain, brake, and engine management systems repeatedly fail in a coordinated pattern, with multiple warning indicators activating simultaneously and sudden unintended deceleration occurring without warning. Vehicle available for inspection. Safety risk: most recent failure occurred at highway speed with family including passengers in the vehicle. Without warning, the vehicle decelerated abruptly while multiple dashboard warnings activated at once. Sudden deceleration at highway speed creates immediate risk of rear-end collision from following traffic and loss of vehicle control. Prior dealer confirmation: yes. Curry Chevrolet (scarsdale, NY) has had the vehicle in service for the same defect category on multiple prior occasions, including stays of over a week on at least two visits. The dealer has not permanently resolved the issue — symptoms have now recurred at sixth time. An additional early service visit at the same dealer was not documented with a repair order; I retain contemporaneous text messages establishing that visit occurred. Other inspections: inspected only by curry Chevrolet to date. Gm customer assistance engaged (case #xxx). No police, insurance, or independent inspections. New case has been filed with gm, linked to the previous (case #xxx). Next service visit will be at a different authorized Chevrolet dealer for an independent diagnostic. Warning indicators: yes. In the most recent incident, multiple warning lamps and system alerts activated simultaneously at the moment of deceleration, with no advance warning. Prior incidents showed the same multi-system warning pattern, consistently without predictive indicators. Vehicle is a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado, VIN [xxx], delivered January 2026 with 2,209 miles on the odometer at delivery. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The turn signal system intermittently malfunctions. When using the turn signal, the auto-cancel function sometimes activates the opposite signal, and at times the stalk does not stay engaged when attempting to signal. This creates a safety risk because surrounding drivers may receive the wrong turning/lane-change indication or no indication at all. The issue has occurred intermittently while driving and has been presented to cox Chevrolet in bradenton, florida multiple times. Cox Chevrolet has verified turn-signal over-cancel and performed prior repairs/programming. However, the issue has not been entirely resolved and continues to occur intermittently. No crash or injury has occurred, but the condition creates a risk of collision during turns, merges, and lane changes.

During a three point turn, the power turned off the car completely for a brief few seconds on the screens and the steering wheel locked. Was able to straighten it and all power was back on immediately. Stabilitrak warning has come out on the dash a few times. There seems to be a sudden power loss till the wheel is straightened. Luckily no one was behind, but this has happened a few times when turning.

My key was getting stuck in the ignition back in 2024 and the dealership replaced my shifter assembly. I am now having the same issue later after 2 years and I am out of warranty and now having to pay out of pocket. My sister has the same truck, year and color and had hers replaced. Also the service advisor said they’ve had two others come in with the same truck and had the same issue. I am unable to remove my key for quite some time once it gets stuck and I called Chevrolet themselves and they are telling me there is nothing they can do.

My truck has used automatic emergency braking multiple times while driving at variable speeds with no obstacles or vehicles in front of me causing whiplash and further damage to my neck that has 5 budging discs. Since I’m only allowed to add a specific mileage and speed below, I’ll note here that it’s happened since I purchased the truck with roughly 35000 miles on it to the current mileage of 44000 and between speeds of 30mph-75mph.

On may 15, 2026, my 2023 Chevrolet Colorado (2. 7l l3b turbocharged engine, approximately 49,000 miles) lost its entire engine oil charge while in normal operation, and at no point did the low-oil-pressure warning light illuminate to alert me. While driving, a loud buzzing/vibrating noise developed near the upper engine and the center dash area. The vehicle continued to run with no oil-pressure warning of any kind — no low-oil-pressure light and no audible oil-pressure chime. Concerned by the noise, I immediately pulled into a parking lot and checked under the hood. The engine oil dipstick was completely dry, showing no oil whatsoever. I added 3 quarts of oil and the dipstick still showed no reading, indicating the engine had been operating with a critically low or empty oil level. Throughout this entire event, no oil-pressure warning activated. There was no external oil leak, no puddle where the vehicle is normally parked, and no oil in the coolant reservoir, which suggests the oil was being consumed or lost internally rather than dripping out — a condition the driver cannot see or anticipate without a functioning warning system. Drivers depend entirely on the oil-pressure warning system to alert them before oil starvation causes catastrophic engine damage or sudden engine seizure. An engine that seizes without warning while the vehicle is in motion creates an immediate and severe crash risk — sudden loss of motive power in traffic, on a highway, or in an intersection. The complete failure of this warning system to illuminate during a total loss of oil is, by itself, a safety defect independent of whatever is causing the oil loss, because it removes the driver's only opportunity to stop the vehicle safely before failure. These symptoms also align with existing gm service documentation: TSB 25-na-309 addresses high idle, oil consumption, oil leaks, and mil illumination caused by internal failure of the pcv oil separator, and service campaign n232415060 addresses a.

When turning off the ignition, the key will not go all the way "off" and the key will not release. If I turn the ignition back on and drive forward and backwards and slowly put the vehicle into park, and then attempt to turn off the vehicle, it will occasionally allow it at that point. It appears to be a disconnect of the system recognizing the vehicle is truly in park and when it isn't and thereby releasing the ignition off function. The engine does shut off but I think it remains in acc and will not release. Maybe safety switch in the shifter assembly.

The backup camera view does not appear on my dash screen along with all other camera views. There were no warnings or indicators. It was working the last time the vehicle was driven and then failed on the next vehicle start up.

Blind spot monitoring system consistently malfunctions, illuminating the driver mirror warning light when no other vehicles are present. It occurs more frequently after dark, which flickers the bright light continuously, or leaves it on constantly, creating a significant distraction and mistrust of the systems reliability. Dealer had no recommendation for fix.

In and out of the shop for the last 3. 5 years (warranty is expired now) with multiple engin codes (cel). Most having to do with the fuel delivery systems. Most common p026d, and p1089. It has been in the shop at least 6 or more times. Gm won't stand by their product. Since the warranty ended I've put mor than $4,000 in to repairs for this and now I'm told it will cost me anouther $6000 to $7000 to repair. I bout this truck used with 60,000 miles on it and paid cash $50,000 to the dealer the originally sold it to the previous owner. I just want them to fix the issue once and for all. To date they have just thrown parts at it but it never fixes the problem. They have changed the map sensor, the fuel rail and pressure regulator, the injectors, and they've re-wired part of the wiring harness. None of this has solved the issues.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

Infotainment system will start changing on the screen to navigation and also on the odometer screen to audio settings. After turning vehicle off it will seem like a reset then do it again. A big distraction. Has done this multiple times in the last 3 months.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Colorado 🔎.

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle started, however the battery became drained. No warning lights were illuminated. After the battery was drained, the doors failed to unlatch, and the contact was stuck inside the vehicle. The tow truck driver arrived and assisted the contact with exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,800.

The infotainment system does not operate correctly. The screen where the backup camera and all other information is you can not view since the screen is black most of the time. That is also where the light switch is for headlights and such.

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.

The headlights flicker/pulse creating visibility issues at night. This occurs when the heated seats are activated. This is a safety concern for myself, passengers, other drivers, and pedestrians. Flickering lights can cause an accident due to poor visibility and the creating of false shadows. This would also hinder the ability to see pedestrians. The problem was reproduced at the local Chevrolet dealer, they said they would contact Chevrolet, at my insisting. Initially they told me I should replace the stock halogen light bulbs with aftermarket led bulbs at my cost. They said it is extremely unlikely that gm will do anything to rectify the issue because from the design standpoint of the vehicle everything is operating within its standards on paper. The manufacturer has initiated a case. There are no warning lights of any kind. This is a 2025 with 2,300 miles.