2018 Chevrolet Colorado transmission and drivetrain problems
78 of the 183 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 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: 160 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 database1 of the 78 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 20 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 5
Half of the 35 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 6,000 and 35,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
183 complaints in all about the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado, 5 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.
Transmission has horrible shifting. Hard shifting at low speeds and when decelerating (feels like I was rear ended). Torque converter was replaced. From low speed, it doesn't downshift to accelerate unless the pedal is floored.
Chevrolet Colorado shaking and shuttering violently while drving. Extremely dangerous. Chevrolet is not listening to all the complaints. Are they waiting on a dangerous deadly accident before they acknowledge and recall the vehicle and repair this dangerous situation!
Hard shifting when you accelerate in the first two gear and hard downshifting when stopping
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado. While approaching a stop, the vehicle downshifted without warning. The failure occurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000
Hard/rough shifting up in gears and same down shifting in gears. Shaking/jerking/shuddering at speeds apx. 20-70 MPH. Transmission can down shift so hard, at times, it feels like someone hit your from behind. Wants to stall/slip shifting up in gears.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications160 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 78 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (43% of everything owners filed about it), and 160 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 1 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 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 19,214 miles; half of them between 6,000 and 35,000. 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.