UsedScore

2016 Chevrolet Trax: Solid

Owners filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 83 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Trax year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (15% of complaints, median 46,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.1×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Trax year
Rank
6th of 7
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
62
first five years; 83 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
5
campaigns
1st generation, 2015–2022 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2016 Chevrolet Trax LT

Photo: 2016 Chevrolet Trax LT · HJUdall, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags15% · 9 complaints · median 46,000 miles
  2. Brakes24% · 15 complaints · median 14,000 miles
  3. Engine23% · 14 complaints · median 44,000 miles
  4. Steering18% · 11 complaints · median 25,000 miles
  5. Electrical18% · 11 complaints · median 40,000 miles
  6. Suspension5% · 3 complaints
  7. Body and structure8% · 5 complaints
  8. Fuel and propulsion8% · 5 complaints
  9. Powertrain8% · 5 complaints · median 22,000 miles
  10. Lights6% · 4 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners of this Trax report that air bags sometimes failed to deploy during collisions, including ones severe enough to total the vehicle. Others describe an ongoing passenger air bag sensor issue where the system shows as off even with someone seated, and dealers were not always able to resolve it.

Warning signs:
Many note the passenger air bag status light staying off or cycling on and off when someone sits in the seat, sometimes with a seatbelt that unbuckles unexpectedly.
What shops did:
Some owners took the vehicle to a dealer, who in several cases could not find the cause or offer a repair, while others received only a repair estimate.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 45,000 miles, among 9 complaints that give it

“the passenger’s side air bag sensor would not recognize an occupant seated in the passenger’s seat that weighed under approximately 150 pounds”

“Passenger side air bag sensor isn't registering someone sitting in the seat, when stationary and in motion.”

Brakes

Owners commonly report squealing or squeaking brakes, often from the rear, that dealers frequently could not diagnose or fix. A few owners also describe more serious incidents of brakes freezing, failing to hold, or losing function while driving.

Warning signs:
Many report a loud squealing or squeaking noise from the rear brakes during driving and stopping, sometimes constant.
What shops did:
Dealers often test drove the vehicles, heard the noise, but said they could not find a problem; a few had brakes regreased with limited improvement.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 50,000 miles, among 11 complaints that give it

“Trax has squeaky and squealing brakes every time brakes are applied.”

“The brake froze, it would not continue to press down, I ended up hitting another car.”

Engine

Owners of this Trax commonly report sudden stalling, loss of power, and turbocharger or ignition-related failures, often with the check engine light on. Many describe repeated repairs and continuing symptoms even after parts were replaced.

Warning signs:
Many report rough idling, hesitation, sputtering, shaking, squealing or chirping noises, and loss of power before stalling or turbo failure occurred.
What shops did:
Dealers and shops replaced ignition coils, spark plugs, valve covers, turbochargers, catalytic converters, or thermostat housings, though some issues recurred or could not be duplicated.
Mileage:
most between 40,000 and 85,000 miles, among 18 complaints that give it

“Diagnostic p0300 coil pack failure causing spark plug to misfire and car became a safety issue on the road”

“a diagnostic test was performed, and the vehicle was diagnosed with turbocharger failure”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (5)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 19V652000September 201993,722 vehicles

    Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint

    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.

  • NHTSA 17V437000July 201740,683 vehicles

    Seat belts: pretensioner · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive · Air bags: frontal

    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) 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.

  • NHTSA 16V651000September 20163,640,162 vehicles

    Seat belts: pretensioner · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive · Air bags: frontal

    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.

  • NHTSA 16V422000June 201618,780 vehicles

    Electrical system: software · Equipment: electrical: radio/tape deck/cd etc.

    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.

  • NHTSA 16V257000April 2016317,572 vehicles

    Electrical system: software · Equipment: electrical: radio/tape deck/cd etc.

    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.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Chevrolet sent NHTSA 1,114 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2016 Trax. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 00-06-01-026R · June 2025This service bulletin provides information on replacing the intake manifold when the engine is replaced after severe internal engine damage.
  • 23-NA-153 · May 2025The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle response when the throttle plate is opened rapidly and advises the customer that it is normal…
  • 15-NA-010 · May 2025This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel for new vehicles with less than 1,000 miles that may not pass California smog inspection or smog inspection in other states.
  • 25-NA-052 · March 2025This bulletin advises the technician to flush the cooling system multiple times if oil has been found in the cooling system and replace the parts that may be contaminated due to oil in system.
  • 25-NA-065 · March 2025This informational bulletin instructs the tech when fuel/fluid is needed to be tested and where it can be sent for analysis.
  • 21-NA-043 · January 2025This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
  • 22-NA-074 · January 2025This service bulletin provides service information to technicians on guidelines to replace Oil Cooler, Oil Cooler Lines and Oil Tank if the engine was replaced where large amounts of debris has…
  • 09-06-04-026Z · January 2025This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using the Tech 2 or GDS 2.

All 2016 Trax bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax reliable?
Owners filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 83 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Trax year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Trax years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2016 Trax problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (15%), the brakes (24%) and the engine (23%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2016 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, the most recent in September 2019 (suspension). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Chevrolet. The 2016 Chevrolet Trax on NHTSA.gov · How we rate