2016 Chevrolet Colorado transmission and drivetrain problems
97 of the 708 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 152 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 97 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 24 · 2017: 15 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 11 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 2
Half of the 55 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 3,000 and 36,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
708 complaints in all about the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Colorado transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Chevy said there are no fixes for the following complaints. Transmission is acceptable and smooth shifting under light loads. Under a need for downshifting for acceleration the down shifting is delayed or hesitates momentarily and then the truck jerks forward to a excessively lower gear & the upshifts to the gear it should have in the…
Delayed or no downshift. Traveling about 2 MPH and turning either right or left and applying throttle the truck does not respond until the throttle is increased steeply . The transmission does then shift to a much lower gear and acceleration is dramatic
While driving on a hilly highway at 55 MPH, the truck suddenly lurched into an extreme downshift as I was going downhill. I had not been making any significant braking or acceleration motions--just driving normally with the flow of traffic and I had nothing in tow. The truck decelerated quickly and the rpms climbed significantly.
Vehicle stalls sometimes when I stop. Se light is now on. Service brake assist comes on now. Truck surges and shutters and is annoyingly hunting for gears and can't find them. Sluggish throttle like i'm trying to pull a bull dozer out of the mud. This mostly happens between 15 and 40 MPH back roads and highway stop-n-go.
The transmission hesitates while trying to find the correct gear..i spoke to a maintenance rep at the dealership where I bought my truck and he said that the engineers made the truck that way for fuel efficiency. He also told me to just floor the accelerator to get power when I need it.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications152 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado
Source: the same files- electrical problems 120 complaints
- engine problems 50 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 97 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (14% of everything owners filed about it), and 152 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the transmission and drivetrain on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 13,451 miles; half of them between 3,000 and 36,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.