Crankcase (pcv) Problems of Chevrolet Trax

My 2017 Chevrolet Trax experiences intermittent engine rough running, hesitation and loss of power when accelerating from a stop. It runs especially rough around the shift into second gear. At idle, such as in a drive-through, the engine shakes and the rpm repeatedly drops and rises as though it may stop. This is near-stalling; I have not confirmed a complete engine shutdown. The unpredictable hesitation and loss of power when moving away from a stop raise concern that the vehicle may not accelerate adequately to clear an intersection or move with traffic. We drive it only short distances around town, not on the highway. Symptoms occur more often during or shortly after rain and in cold weather; it can run normally in warm, dry weather. Check-engine and stabilitrak warnings appear intermittently during these episodes. The current symptoms were present before the October 2025 turbocharger replacement and continued afterward. The exact date they first appeared, and whether the warning lights preceded the symptoms, are unknown. There is a documented history of engine and turbocharger repairs. In February 2021, at approximately 91,586 miles, a Chevrolet dealership confirmed a cylinder 2 misfire, low compression, a cracked piston and a cracked turbo housing. All four pistons and rings and the turbocharger were replaced. Handwritten notes also document pcv hose replacement. An independent shop replaced the turbocharger again in October 2025 at approximately 195,510 miles. Its invoice records the complaint that the vehicle sputters when taking off from stop signs. Those symptoms continued after the repair. On October 6, 2026, at 197,216 miles, an o’reilly scan recorded stored p0304 (cylinder 4 misfire) and p1101 (intake airflow system performance). A separate shop’s scanner also displayed stored p0304. These scans document codes, but the cause of the current intermittent problem has not been diagnosed. Another cracked piston or turbocharger failure has not been confir.

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The vehicle suffers from an extreme, unresolved internal crankcase pressure defect stemming from the factory 1. 4l ecotec pcv system and intake manifold check valve. This pressure cascade has caused a total turbocharger failure, multi-gasket oil blowouts, water pump failure, and has now completely blown a critical coolant housing hose off its connection, causing total coolant evacuation. The vehicle is currently parked and available for inspection upon request. The safety of the driver and minority passengers is severely compromised. The vehicle actively smokes from under the hood when turned on, which worsens immediately when the cabin heater is utilized. This indicates highly flammable oil and coolant are leaking directly onto hot exhaust/turbo components, presenting an active vehicle fire hazard. Furthermore, the pressure defect previously caused a catastrophic engine oil blowout while traveling at highway speeds, risking sudden power loss, engine seizure, and traffic collisions. The vehicle is currently deemed completely unsafe to operate. The vehicle's core turbocharger failure was previously confirmed and replaced by an authorized manufacturer dealership under a factory warranty extension. However, the dealership failed to diagnose or repair the underlying pcv/intake pressure defect, causing the new components to fail immediately upon vehicle delivery. The manufacturer has been notified of the failure cascade but is refusing to inspect or intervene without requiring out-of-pocket consumer diagnostic fees. No police or insurance inspections have occurred. Began over two years ago with random, intermittent check engine lights accompanied by random error codes, a high-pitched engine squeak, rough idling, severe fuel economy drops, and intermittent engine stalling. The engine eventually developed a heavy knocking sound resembling a diesel engine. Currently, the check engine lamp does not illuminate, but all physical symptoms remain active and increasing in sever.

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In February on zero degree day my 2018 Trax had blue smoke coming out of the tail pipe and almost stalled car running. I saw another Trax that same day with blue smoke coming out of the tail pipe. When I was at the dealership they were returning some one elses Trax and it had blue smoke coming out of it. The Trax has a 1. 4 turbo engine and gm seems to have a problem with the pcv system on this engine. Gm needs to come up with a fix for this problem and there should be a recall on this. You can look on youtube and the mechanics there are aware of the problem. The dealerships and gm seem to not have any interest in correcting this problem. The 1. 4 turbo is put in many gm cars. I would think if nothing else this should be a pollution control recall.