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2016 Chevrolet Trax

Gas Compact SUV

2026202520242022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
C
Safety Signal
70 / 100
CSafety Signal · 70 / 100
5Recalls · NHTSA campaigns
117Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
29 mpgFuel economy · best combined

The 2016 Chevrolet Trax is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Trax, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 117 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
TraxGasFWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo263429$2,150
Trax AWDGasAWD1.4L 4-cyl turbo243127$2,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

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Recalls (5)

Suspension

high
93,722 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Chevrolet Trax vehicles. A joint in one or both of the front lower control arms may have been improperly welded. An improperly welded joint may break, resulting in the partial separation of the lower control arm from the vehicle.

Risk: A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, impacting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left and right front lower-control arms, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A192261870.

NHTSA campaign 19V652000 · reported Sep 12, 2019 · General Motors LLC

Air Bags

high
40,683 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) softw

Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

NHTSA campaign 17V437000 · reported Jul 10, 2017 · General Motors LLC

Air Bags

high
3,640,162 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

NHTSA campaign 16V651000 · reported Sep 8, 2016 · General Motors LLC

Equipment

minor
18,780 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."

Risk: Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.

NHTSA campaign 16V422000 · reported Jun 10, 2016 · General Motors LLC

Equipment

minor
317,572 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."

Risk: Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.

NHTSA campaign 16V257000 · reported Apr 28, 2016 · General Motors LLC

Owner complaints

117 complaints filed

9 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 4 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2016: 6 · 2017: 13 · 2018: 7 · 2019: 22 · 2020: 18 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 7

Most-cited components

  • Engine — 43
  • Electrical System — 21
  • Air Bags — 19
  • Unknown Or Other — 15
  • Steering — 14
“THE KEY WAS BARELY BUMPED WHILE IN THE IGNITION AND DRIVING ON A HIGH SPEED ROAD TWICE AND THE KEY TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION SO MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP TO THE POINT I CAN BARELY GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SAFELY PUT THE CAR IN PARK TO RESTART IT. HAVING A BABY IN THE BACKSEAT TOO BOTH TIMES MADE IT A VERY SCAR…”May 30, 2017 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“VISIBILITY DROPS DRAMATICALLY TO LOW BEAM , IT IS TERRIBLE AT NIGHT IN RAIN.I HAVE TO BRAKE WHEN ONCOMING CARS APPROACH,ALMOST TO A STOP.HIGH BEAMS VERY BRIGHT GLARE FROM ROAD SIGNS.IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO ADJUST FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM,VERY DANGEROUS .THIS HAPPENS WHEN NIGHT DRIVING ON ALL ROADS.HAPPENS IN ALL RA…”May 25, 2017 · Visibility/Wiper · NHTSA owner report
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET TRAX. WHILE DRIVING LOW SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, IT OPERATED NORMALLY UNTIL THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, BUT THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED…”May 8, 2017 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆18%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆20%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Trax model years

A

2026 Trax

0 recalls · 14 complaints

A

2025 Trax

0 recalls · 84 complaints

A

2024 Trax

1 recalls · 169 complaints

A

2022 Trax

0 recalls · 9 complaints

A

2021 Trax

0 recalls · 24 complaints

A

2020 Trax

0 recalls · 94 complaints

B

2019 Trax

2 recalls · 133 complaints

B

2018 Trax

2 recalls · 101 complaints

C

2017 Trax

3 recalls · 111 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36493, 36769). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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