2016 Chevrolet Trax
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 120 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trax | Gas | FWD | 1.4L 4-cyl turbo | 26 | 34 | 29 | $2,300 |
| Trax AWD | Gas | AWD | 1.4L 4-cyl turbo | 24 | 31 | 27 | $2,500 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36493, 36769.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trax | 6 / 10 | Bin 4 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | SmartWay |
| Trax AWD | 6 / 10 | Bin 4 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV] |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 1.4 L |
| Engine configuration | In-Line |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | FWD/Front-Wheel Drive |
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: 1LT, LS, LTZ). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 167.7 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 70.1 in |
| Height | 65.7 in |
| Wheelbase | 100.8 in |
| Track, front | 60.6 in |
| Track, rear | 60.6 in |
| Curb weight | 3,047–3,254 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 60/40 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: Ls/Lt/Ltz FWD 4-door SUV, Lt/Ltz AWD 4-door SUV. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2016 Chevrolet Trax is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (5)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseAir Bags
17287Air Bags
16007Equipment
45340Equipment
17130These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Whether any of this applies to one specific Trax
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Chevrolet publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Trax →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database9 involved a crash · 2 a fire · 4 injuries · 0 deaths reported
Filed per year: 2016: 6 · 2017: 13 · 2018: 7 · 2019: 22 · 2020: 18 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 10
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. When the contact started the vehicle, the steering wheel seized and was unable to be turned. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnose or repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000
I was driving the car on a busy highway and suddenly the vehicle was difficult to control, the engine light and traction control light came on. Later I learned that the vehicle was running on three cylinders. The vehicle had under 40,000 miles.
While driving at around 40 miles the 2016 chevy Trax loss power to 5-10 MPH, the steering wheel got stiff, the transmission and engine got idle. I took it to the chevy dealer. For fortune I was not driving in the highway. I AM very concern as I don't feel this car is safe to drive.
I was slowing down to a red light and the brake froze, it would not continue to press down, I ended up hitting another car. I put the car in park, turned it off and turned it back on and the brake was still stuck
Vehicle received side impact on drivers side, air bags never deployed and drivers side rear wheel was ripped off from vehicle
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 scary situation
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.
Reported by Chevrolet itself: 44 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 killed, 51 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every Trax model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
When owners reported it
miles, typically
Half the 61 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 23,000 and 68,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.
Median mileage by component
| Component | Reports | Median miles | Vs same age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 20 | 70,000 | 1.13× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2016-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.
Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Equipment, Engine, Electrical System, Power Train, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.
- PIT5698F Service bulletin2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- PIP4902W Service bulletin2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5099J Service bulletin2026-07-21 · Unknown Or Other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- PIT3271Q Service bulletin2026-04-01 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
- PIP6104 Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
- PIP4902V Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIP4902U Service bulletin2026-01-08 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5214G Service bulletin2025-11-20 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does no
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0299 P0299 on Chevrolet → | The turbocharger or supercharger is not making the boost the computer asked for. | Engine | 16 bulletins · 2 owner reports |
| P0300 P0300 on Chevrolet → | Misfire detected, but not isolated to one cylinder. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 14 bulletins · 1 owner report |
| P0234 P0234 on Chevrolet → | The turbocharger or supercharger is making more boost than the computer asked for. | Engine | 13 bulletins |
| B3055 B3055 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 10 bulletins |
| B3060 B3060 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 10 bulletins |
| B3935 B3935 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 10 bulletins |
| P0308 P0308 on Chevrolet → | Cylinder 8 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 7 bulletins |
| P050D P050D on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Engine | 7 bulletins |
| P0171 P0171 on Chevrolet → | The engine is running lean on bank 1: too much air, or not enough fuel, for the mixture the computer wants. | Engine · Mass air flow sensor → | 6 bulletins |
| P1101 P1101 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Equipment | 5 bulletins |
| U0101 U0101 on Chevrolet → | A module has stopped hearing from the transmission control module. | Equipment | 5 bulletins |
| B101D B101D on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 4 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Chevrolet Trax failed the emissions check on 9.7% of first inspections — higher than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.9% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%).
failed emissions
2,992 initial inspections of 2,870 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2016 Trax | Every 2016 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 9.7% | 4.2% | 2,987 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 2.9% | 2.2% | 2,992 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.23% | 0.27% | 2,992 |
| Miles driven a year | 8,592 | 10,028 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 88,362 | 103,109 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Trax by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2016 Trax
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2016 Chevrolet Trax have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The most serious on file is 19V652000, covering Suspension. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
NHTSA gave the 2016 Chevrolet Trax 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it C (74/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, the best EPA combined figure is 29 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
Transport Canada measured it at 167.7 in long, 70.1 in wide (body, without mirrors), 65.7 in tall, on a 100.8 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,047–3,254 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, most often about engine, electrical system, air bags. Of those, 9 involved a crash, 2 a fire, 4 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax is 6 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. The certificate names the standard as Bin 4.
Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
The manufacturer has filed 1110 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, most often covering equipment, engine, electrical system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-26. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2016 Chevrolet Trax do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Chevrolet Trax failed the emissions check on 9.7% of first inspections — higher than the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.9% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 2 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 2 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 5 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 120 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 2 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 1110 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 8 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
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). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.