2016 Chevrolet Trax Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine sputtered and the check engine warnig light illuminated. The vehic ewas taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. The contact was informed that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The amnufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referecned an extended warranty coverage program, however the contact was informd that the the title was a salvaged title. The failure mileage 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11741269

Incident

May 18, 2026

Mileage

70,000 mi

The vehicle was brought to an authorized GM dealership for a scheduled appointment to address a check engine condition related to a purge valve and an open safety recall for the lower control arm. The VIN was provided and confirmed at the time the appointment was made; however, the recall was not completed during the visit. The dealership replaced the purge valve without documenting diagnostic testing to confirm the cause or verify the repair. The vehicle was returned with the same check engine light still present. Additional issues were communicated through technician video and text, including a potential oil leak and possible fluid mixing, but none were documented or diagnosed in the service record. A dealership manager later stated that the vehicle was “not safe to drive,” but no written explanation or safety guidance was provided, and the vehicle was released without clarification. No diagnostic records, technician notes, or findings have been provided by either the dealership or GM despite escalation. The consumer has worked through appropriate dealership and manufacturer channels for approximately one month without resolution. The consumer is now being directed to return the vehicle for additional diagnostics at the consumer’s expense without defined scope or explanation. The vehicle remains with an unresolved condition and an open safety recall, without clear guidance regarding safe operation. This lack of clear, documented information is particularly concerning for senior-aged owners who rely on accurate guidance to make safe decisions.

NHTSA ID

11739353

Incident

Apr 24, 2026

I have had replaced the valve cover 4 times already about ever 3 months or so and it is starting to chirp and act up by lagging and jumping on acceleration. My mother is [XXX] old and does not drive it hard or in excess. The 1st was in summer of 2024 the 2nd was December 2024 3rd was april 2025 4th November 2025 and it just started chirping again & its jyst now February. This is absolutely ridiculous. Ther are so many more things wrong with this car. Most of those are on the dealerships & their lies about this car are completely at fault; Unfortunately, they went out of business 2 weeks after my mother got the car. We found this news out when I brought it up to them to explain why her touch screen for the radio no longer responded. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11716067

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

I have replaced five catalytic converters since I have owned this vehicle. Please advise.

NHTSA ID

11706023

Incident

Apr 4, 2025

This site is useless. There are so many complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax on here, but yet nobody is doing anything about it! I believe it is a severe safety hazard for all vehicles on the highway when a vehicle loses power without warning , whether it is on the interstate, or a residential street! But I guess the manufacturer does not think it's a safety hazard, but apparently if your vehicle doesn't remind you to take your key out of the car when you turn it off, or to put your seatbelt on ,Now, that's what they consider to be a REAL SAFTEY HAZARD!!! Forget the bells and buzzers, if that's the most important thing, you shouldn't be driving anyway. This vehicle has been a problem since we purchased it 2yrs ago and now it is sitting in the driveway and will not start at all. We had to purchase another vehicle.The manufacturer knew there was problems with the 2016 Trax and instead of fixing the problem, the continued to sale them, now we are stuck with the problem. I guess the Lawsuit concerning this situation didn't teach this site anything . Good Luck Consumers

NHTSA ID

11698475

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and an oil change was performed; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that a diagnostic test was performed, and the vehicle was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and discovered an unknown recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ID

11697868

Incident

Oct 23, 2025

Mileage

87,000 mi

We have had problems with this vehicle since we purchased it 2yrs ago. It started with loosing power once in awhile, then the AC quit working, both sets of keys have lost the buttons on the keypad, we have to manually lock and unlock the doors and the auto start is unusable, and now it stalls out at a speed above 30mph and starts smoking severely. It is not drivable. I have to pull over every 2 to 3 miles, because it overheats. We had it towed to a mechanic 2 weeks ago and he did what he could for what we could afford, but we didn't get 10 miles before it started again. The mechanic said this vehicle had a lot of problems. We are [XXX] and we always have our grandchildren [XXX] and [XXX] with us. You can imagine how frightening it is when this happens and we pull over and get everyone out. People pull off and try to help, but we worry about the wrong person stopping for the wrong reason. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11680355

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated that while her niece was driving 40 MPH, she became aware there was coolant leaking from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable until arriving at the residence. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir and became aware there was coolant leaking on the driveway. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact there were no recalls associated with the VIN, and that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ID

11670852

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

Mileage

87,000 mi

My 2016 chevy Trax has had 4 replacement of the the thermostat housing assembly with sensor. It causes the engine light to come on and can make the car idle rough, die at a red light, can cause the car to suddenly just go to 5 miles an hour. I have 79,900 miles on this chevy trax and this is the 4th replacement in less then 2 or 3 month.

NHTSA ID

11650974

Incident

Feb 22, 2024

The air bag light randomly came on about two yeatago and never went off. The engine(turbo) has been having problems for two years now. I’ve been to the dealership several times over the year. I was almost hit by another vehicle because of slow take off

NHTSA ID

11645847

Incident

Feb 4, 2021

2016 Chevrolet Trax experienced turbocharger failure in June 2024. Initial minor acceleration inconsistencies progressed to dangerous turbulence and power loss during acceleration at both high and low speeds, with check engine light temporarily illuminating. Initial Firestone diagnostic (June 7) documented 'TURBULENCE AS ACCELERATES - CEL BLINKED.' After diagnosis, completed repair June 11. Searched for recalls at time of failure but found none listed. Given 50-minute highway commute and unsafe acceleration issues, immediate repair was necessary. Due to expected dealer costs and wait times, repair was completed at Firestone Complete Auto Care for $3,036.81. Double-checked for recalls after repair with no results. On February 3, 2025, while organizing digital records, discovered original GM Special Coverage Program notice from November 2021 covering turbocharger wastegate actuator linkage issues. Program promises coverage for 10 years/120,000 miles. At 68,283 miles, vehicle is well within coverage period. On February 3, 2025 at 4:19pm, called GM customer service (case #[XXX], 29 minute call). Rep Takesha spoke with supervisor Britney but refused transfer. Put on hold 4 times totaling over 6 minutes. When requesting Special Coverage Program information, rep repeatedly stated 'it was not done at a dealership' over 15 times as blanket response. Initially cited expired bumper-to-bumper warranty from 2019 (irrelevant to Special Coverage). When pressed, shifted to claiming 'no active recalls' for VIN. Stated 'the decision has already been made, and a supervisor will tell you the same decision,' refusing escalation or document review. All attempts to discuss Program terms met with same non-dealer repair response. Refused to provide submission process information or contacts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11640484

Incident

Feb 3, 2025

Turbo has gone out and vehicle won't accelerate

NHTSA ID

11615769

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

11/12/2023 Loss of power when driving up a hill.- felt some backwards drift. 11/13-14/2023 Shuttering vibration and engine revving during acceleration but no forward movement. 11/15/2023 Total power loss when attempting to merge with traffic.

NHTSA ID

11565533

Incident

Nov 12, 2023

My 2016 Chevrolet Trax experienced loss of power while driving on the highway. I experienced moments where it would not accelerate. This put myself and other drivers at risk due to the random loss of power. There was no warning there was any issue with the vehicle prior to this event. In addition, I have experienced A/C failure. I have had this inspected and multiple components replaced by a service shop, but it still is not working.The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11552506

Incident

Sep 12, 2023

Mileage

126,912 mi

The air in the car started blowing warm in 2021. I took it to the dealership and they said maybe a leak. They did a leak test and put something I. It to make it cold for a couple days. I’ve been having g the same complaint since. After looking online, I saw that it is a compressor issue. I had an oil change done last week and asked them to look at it. They said it was my compressor. The car is only 7 years old with 77k miles. The cost to replace is too high for a manufacturer’s issue.

NHTSA ID

11542377

Incident

Sep 12, 2021

My trax turbo went out at like 60K and caused my car to shake and stall whenever I was breaking. This would happen at lights and stop me from being able to start my car and placing me and other drivers in a dangerous situation. I have seen online this is a common issue and also a safety violation that should be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11522105

Incident

Oct 11, 2022

While driving on the highway at 80mph engine light came on and the car began to lose speed and would not accelerate. I had the code checked and the code P0299 OBD-II Trouble code: Turbo Supercharger Underboost Condition. My vehicle has just 51K miles. There have also been issues with the passenger seat airbag not working. A year ago, the majority of the pipes in the undercarriage of my car had to be replaced because they had corroded.

NHTSA ID

11507706

Incident

Feb 2, 2023

the turbo leaked into the converter causing the engine to catch fire

NHTSA ID

11490345

Incident

Oct 10, 2022

This vehicle has turbo problems which can lead to a fire and potentially explosion, there should be a recall in place for this issue.. I have spoke with several people with the same care having the same problem

NHTSA ID

11487130

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

After having the car for 3 years with only 45000 miles, purchased in 2019 with 7000 miles on it, my car keeps jerking like there is an emission issue. Car takes forever to get up to speed properly when merging onto the interstate. I see there's not s recall for the turbo and the emissions purge valve but I have the notices for special coverages?? When I go to the dealership they say there's nothing they can do without a recall??

NHTSA ID

11486896

Incident

May 1, 2022

Bought 2016 Trax January 2019 with 19000 miles. In 2022, with only 31000 miles, I have had multiple issues. First, my dashboard display suddenly went black; no radio, backup camera or sound with directional signals. Before I could take car to dealer my battery died and when a new battery was installed all issues were corrected. Then in March the water pump needed replacing, at which time I was told that the compressor also needed replacing. I also have peeling paint on the hood. The car is bright blue and other people have reported this peeling paint problem with their blue cars. Windshield wipers are not efficient and leave streaks. I’ve replaced them and they work well for about a year only. The wipers must be purchased through the dealer. And now, at 33000 miles my dashboard display is black again, and battery is at 100% charge. I replaced the water pump ($1,000), but don’t know how to proceed with the compressor and black screen. Don’t know why dealer has high rating with AAA as I have had nothing but unpleasant interactions with them. Staff is rude and dismissive.

NHTSA ID

11478633

Incident

Mar 1, 2022

The turbocharger in my Chevrolt Trax suffered a stuck wastegate actuator on an interstate while coming up to speed, which caused dramatic loss of power and an inability to safely merge onto the road (top speed was now 35; I-49 has a 70 mph limit. This is the second time the actuator stuck while coming onto a highway. I have had the part replaced twice now, and yet it still sticks. It is a danger to me and to others on the road and should be a mandated recall.

NHTSA ID

11471348

Incident

Aug 14, 2021

I purchased the 2016 Chevy Trax used. The car has 68,000 miles on it. I've had issues with this car since I purchased it. The check engine light came on once again with same code as always P0420. I brought it to a Chevy dealer and they finally replace the catalytic converters. Today I get a letter from Chevrolet stating my cars engine 1.4L may have a condition that could cause the turbocharger to fail due to sticking wastegate actuator linkage. Shouldn't this be a recall? No right now it says to keep this letter safe and if anything happens to engine within the 10 years after car was made or 120,000 miles then they will pay for repair. I would think it would be cheaper to fix the part now then replace everything that gets damaged after the fact no?

NHTSA ID

11443960

Incident

Dec 14, 2021

Delayed sensor response for ignition coil failure causing a breakdown in a freeway

NHTSA ID

11433054

Incident

Sep 13, 2021

I Brought This Car As Is Bical Auto Mall. (The Dealership), I Took The Car To Get Checked Out The First Time And It Had A Weak Battery And I Had To Constantly Get A Boost To Drive My Car 2 Weeks Later I Was Advised To Go To A Gm Dealer Because My Engine Light Was On, The Mechanic Explained Something Was Wrong With The Valve And It Was A Leakage. A Few Day Later My Engine Light Turned On Again And I Had The Same Problem But Only This Time The Car Started Surging And Stalling Out Every Time I Stopped. I Returned To The Gm Dealer Again & The Problem Is Still Ongoing.

NHTSA ID

11420904

Incident

Apr 6, 2021