2018 Chevrolet Colorado Electrical Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the key was difficult to remove from the ignition. The dealer was contacted and informed that the shift interlock switch failed to recognize that the transmission was shifted to park(P). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but offered no assistance because the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ID

11750525

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

Mileage

60,000 mi

My 2018 Chevrolet Colorado diesel has had repeated diesel emissions/DPF-related failures that cause the vehicle to enter reduced-power or limp mode. This is a safety issue because the truck suddenly loses power and cannot accelerate normally. The most serious incident occurred while driving over Santiam Pass in Oregon. The vehicle went into reduced-power/limp mode on a mountain highway, leaving me unable to maintain normal speed or accelerate safely. I lost power needed to pass traffic and had limited ability to respond to road conditions. The problem has happened several times. It has also occurred while I was towing my boat, which left me unable to continue the trip safely and created a hazardous situation because the truck could not maintain normal towing power. The issue appears related to the diesel particulate filter/emissions system and repeated DPF/regen or exhaust aftertreatment problems. I am concerned that a design, calibration, or emissions-system defect is causing sudden power reduction during normal driving and towing. This creates an unreasonable safety risk, especially on mountain passes, two-lane highways, and while towing. I am requesting that NHTSA review this as a potential safety defect involving the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado diesel DPF/emissions system and reduced-engine-power strategy. I am also requesting that this complaint be considered with any similar complaints, recalls, technical service bulletins, or emissions campaigns related to DPF regeneration, particulate matter sensor diagnostics, reduced engine power, or limp mode on the 2.8L Duramax Chevrolet Colorado.

NHTSA ID

11748528

Incident

Jul 7, 2025

All the sensors seem to not be functioning correctly. Doesn't tell me the right measurements for the wheels, gas, over heating. Right front passenger door locks/unlocks when it wants. It chokes up when trying to accelerate. Theres a rattling noise that comes from under the car. First time I took it to the dealership, they stated it was a bolt that had come loose on the exhaust pipe. They placed a new one which lasted a year and a half and now its back to making the noise. I took it again to the dealership, this time they claimed they couldn't find anything. My airbag sensor keeps coming on constantly. My fuel sensor claims 116 miles one moments and 5 or 6 minutes later, it says I have 50 miles. My car was over heating and low on Anti-freeze, the car never notified it was over heating.

NHTSA ID

11694565

Incident

Oct 20, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to service the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 47,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 162,000.

NHTSA ID

11666279

Incident

Jun 10, 2025

Mileage

162,000 mi

Touch screen not responsive, apple carplay unavailable can’t connect phone, will randomly tap apps and puts calls on hold. Will flip pages on its own and even turn the back up camera on when driving down the road

NHTSA ID

11664135

Incident

Feb 5, 2025

P2738 Pressure Control Solenoid Valve 6 Control Circuit Low Voltage. Whenever you drive, the transmission will go into limp mode every now and then. It will say low oil pressure and throw another code of P0700 MIL Request From TCM. This is a common issue that I have researched and would like to know a way forward. I've only had the vehicle for 6 months. Within city limits as long as you don't push the accelerator too much (50mph within 2 minutes) it runs ok until the vehicle comes to a stop. Also, when you get on and off of the freeway, same issues make it go into limp mode in which you will have to shut the truck off and start up after a few minutes to reset.

NHTSA ID

11659645

Incident

Feb 27, 2025

The ignition switch will frequently lock when turning off and not allow the electrical system to fully turn off and prevent you from removing the key. It happens randomly but has been increasing in frequency.

NHTSA ID

11654227

Incident

Apr 11, 2025

Key can't be removed when the truck is in park. Locks go up and down when vehicle is moving. Transmission stuck in 3rd gear. Stabilitrack and traction control indicator lights appear on dashboard. Exhaust brake and traction control switches don't work.

NHTSA ID

11638431

Incident

Jan 20, 2025

Key cannot be removed front ignition. Put in park but does not release key . Unlocks doors but does not lock steering wheel or release key . Have to do several tricks to get key loose . No one in repair community seems to be able to fix or understand how to repair.

NHTSA ID

11605094

Incident

Jul 29, 2024

“Service trailer brake system” won’t turn over but will crank Transmission shifting very hard around 3rd and 4th gear

NHTSA ID

11589155

Incident

May 16, 2024

Truck bought in United States for use in US. All dash displays ( child or person in back seat or passenger seat, and gauges, emergency or vital messages, warnings etc) are in a foreign language. I only speak and read english. In addition, may go into mode where it changes channel and volume every few seconds which is distracting. Chevrolet dealer (Valmark) says they want 100-200 usd to diagnose and 2000.00 to replace. Reset did not fix. Vehicles for US should be in common language. Chevy should diagnose and repair free of charge. Screen is locked/frozen and cannot be accessed. Spoke with Ian at chevy hdqtrs who said diagnose fee is up to dealer, i will have to pay. Chevy forums say common problem and chevy won’t repair.

NHTSA ID

11564954

Incident

Jan 24, 2024

He wiring harness to the 4wd kept coming on which wouldn’t allow me to ingage. Mountain Chevy citified mechanic found a chafing on the wiring harness. After filing it my truck started to light up like a Christmas tree, Stability service, trailer brake service, Locker service, Power streering service and they done turn off. Which is caused by more chafing wires that are to close to components of the engine bay getting to hot. Now my power steering turns off and when driving the truck it kicks on and make me loose control of the vehicle. Big diffect on Chevys manufacturing this vehicle. I’m not able to drive it and now they keep telling me that they don’t have the part or can’t find it.

NHTSA ID

11559139

Incident

Sep 4, 2023

The vehicle will not stop unlocking itself. even while moving.

NHTSA ID

11536218

Incident

Aug 3, 2023

Ignition interlock will stick and not allow key to be taken out of the ignition. The truck is off, in park and parking brake applied but key is stuck in ignition. Have to rapidly push shifter lever button until it unlatches and the key is able to be taken out. Occurs 2-3 times per week.

NHTSA ID

11520236

Incident

Sep 18, 2022

A/c lines near driver side wheel well has chafed through fuel line and wire harness.Causing a couple thousand dollars in damage.Nor warning indicators leading up to either incidents. My chevy dealership mis diagnosed it twice and has now found the issue. Fuel lines leak can cause fires and as far as the electrical issue I've been left stranded with my 3 year old daughter a couple of times..Have looked up forums and many people have had the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11499158

Incident

Dec 23, 2022

The wiring harness was touching the air condenser line. The line gets hot when air conditioning is used. It melted causing my truck to throw a lot of random alarms. It also would turn my cruise off and make it down shift all of a sudden startling me. Melted wires are also a fire hazard. There is a bulletin for wire harness chafing that GMC knows about this issue. If it had melted something major and shut my truck down while driving down the interstate it would put me and anybody around me in danger. It was wired back together but is still not fixed. Might need a new wiring harness.

NHTSA ID

11466441

Incident

May 24, 2022

Occasionally the ignition key cannot be turned to the OFF position and cannot be removed. After shifting to Park, the key can be turned to position 1 (ACC) but will not turn all the way to position 0 (OFF) and therefore the key cannot be removed from the steering column. So far I have been able to temporarily resolve the problem by re-starting and stopping the engine several times. The number of times the cycle must be repeated is not consistent. On one occasion, the driver was not able to remove the key so the key was left in position 1 for several hours. This resulted in a drained battery and the truck would not start. We needed a mechanic to come by and jump start the truck.

NHTSA ID

11455264

Incident

Jan 22, 2022

I put my car in reverse and the back up camera on the head unit is blue

NHTSA ID

11451638

Incident

Feb 11, 2022

Electrical problems with Chevrolet Mylink display. A variety of errors include backup camera flashing on at highway speeds, hands free phone calls put on hold, navigation screen flashing random inaccurate destinations. These distractions impair safe operation of the vehicle. Dealer verified issues but could not perform diagnostics on a timely basis. Issues continue.

NHTSA ID

11442772

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

It trys to constantly shif gears and when it does finnally shifts it starts to shutter bad have to pull off the road and shut it off sometimes it will stop it and sometimes it doesn't it very annoying and can't be safe or good I know that this specific transmission has a recall but for some reason my truck didn't I haven't even made my first car payment I noticed it the very first day I took it home the service porter said I had it in for wheel drive when it wasn't than blamed it on the tires .the dash lights go out .the radio changes stations Werth out me even touching the steering wheel

NHTSA ID

11431005

Incident

Aug 12, 2021

El vehículo en muchas ocasiones no quiere encender el tablero, se vuelve loco como si quisiera apagar ah blim, queda mucho ah, las luces del tablero y la radio se encienden y apagan

NHTSA ID

11426276

Incident

Jul 1, 2021

Ignition Key can't be removed and will not rotate all the way to the off position. Have to leave key in the ignition and the door unlocked. It does not do this all the time, but enough to know GM has a design problem and should figure out a solution and issue a recall. When I go on line I find that this seems to be a common problem with a lot of colorado owners.

NHTSA ID

11422331

Incident

Jun 25, 2021

THIS STARTED ABOUT 3 MONTHS AFTER I GOT THE TRUCK AND HAS BEEN DOING IT SINCE. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, TRUCK ENGINE SHUT OFF AFTER STOPPING THEN TURNING RIGHT ON CITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. FIRST TIME I PULLED OUT ON A ROAD WHERE THE SPEED LIMIT IS 55 SO I WAS LUCKY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME WHEN THE ENGINE CUT OUT. ON THE FOURTH OCCASION, TRUCK SHUT OFF AFTER BACKING UP FROM PARKING SPOT AND PUSHING ON GAS TO GO FORWARD. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS, NO NOISES OR VIBRATIONS TO TELL ME TRUCK IS GOING TO SHUT OFF. I HAVE TO LOOK AT DASH TO SEE IF IT HAS GONE BLACK. RADIO STILL WORKS, AND I'M ABLE TO STEER OFF TO SIDE OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE IT'S STILL IN MOTION FROM AFTER THE TURN. I CAN PUT GEAR IN PARK POSITION, TURN KEY TO OFF, THEN START THE TRUCK LIKE NORMAL. HAVE GONE TO MECHANIC AND DEALERSHIP AND THEY CAN'T GET IT TO DUPLICATE. CHEVROLET HAS BEEN NOTIFIED BUT HAS SAID THEY CANNOT HELP IF DEALERSHIP CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. STEERING WHEEL ALSO STARTING TO GET STUCK IN TURN POSITION WHEN TURNING RIGHT. RIGHT AFTER THE TURN IT FEELS LIKE IT CATCHES IN SOMETHING AND I HAVE TO FORCE THE WHEEL BACK TO CENTER. STARTING TO HAPPEN ALMOST DAILY, BUT NOT FOR DEALERSHIP. I FEEL DRIVING THE TRUCK IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR NOT ONLY ME BUT OTHERS ON THE ROAD.

NHTSA ID

11413117

Incident

Feb 4, 2020

Mileage

41,000 mi

STARTED THE TRUCK ON A COLD MORNING, COOLING FAN KICKED IN ON HIGH WITHIN SECONDS OF START. TEMPERATURE GAUGE ON DASH NOTED TO BE INOPERATIVE AT THAT TIME. HOSES FROM RADIATOR BECAME WARM AS NORMAL, HEAT DELIVERY TO CAB ALSO NORMAL. DROVE FOR A FEW MILES WITHOUT CHANGE IN FAN SPEED. ENGINE TURNED OFF, FAN SPEED REMAINED HIGH FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. SAME PATTERN OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY, WITH NORMAL FUNCTION OTHERWISE, INCLUDING NORMAL FUNCTION OF DASH TEMPERATURE GAUGE. CODES READ AT REPAIR SHOP DURING ONE EPISODE SHOWED PROBLEM WITH THERMOSTAT. THERMOSTAT/HOUSING REPLACED ON 2/15/21. TRUCK DRIVEN SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT PROBLEM, BUT SEVERAL DAYS LATER, PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN, FAN ON HIGH, TEMP GAUGE INOPERATIVE. HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT SINCE, WITH NORMAL FUNCTION IN BETWEEN IDENTICAL MALFUNCTION EPISODES.

NHTSA ID

11404493

Incident

Jan 7, 2021

Mileage

31,200 mi

DUEL DRINK (COFFEE) CUP HOLDERS NEXT TO SHIFTER LEAK FROM ANY DRIP OR SPILL. IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO CONTAIN ANY SMALL OR INSIGNIFICANT SPILL OR DRIP. ANY LIQUID LEAKS DOWN DIRECTLY UPON SENSITIVE EXPOSED ELECTRICAL DIP SWITCHES NEEDED TO SHIFT THE TRUCK. THIS INCLUDES THE RUBBER RESERVOIR (DOES NOT HOLD WATER AND DIRECTS LIQUIDS THROUGH KNOBBIES TO UNDERSIDE) AND THE HARD PLASTIC CONTAINER (HARD PLASTIC COMPARTMENT HAS DRAINAGE HOLES THAT LEAD DIRECTLY TO TOP OF ELECTRICAL SWITCHES) IS DESIGNED LIKE A STRAINER. REPLACING ELECTRICAL SWITCHES COST ME $632. I CANNOT USE THE BEVERAGE HOLDERS AS I INFERRED THAT THEY WERE DESIGNED TO USE, TO NOT ONLY HOLD MY BEVERAGE IN PLACE BUT CONTAIN IT FROM LEAKING ABOVE ANY SENSITIVE EXPOSED ELECTRICAL SWITCHES. I UNDERSTAND THE SAME DESIGN IS IN THE CHEVY EQUINOX THIS YEAR. GOOD LUCK.

NHTSA ID

11403472

Incident

Mar 9, 2021