UsedScore

2020 Chevrolet Trax: Best bet

Owners filed 49 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 45 for every 100,000 sold: 0.5× the rate of a typical Trax year. That's among the fewest of any Trax year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (8% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.5×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Trax year
Rank
2nd of 7
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
49
first five years; 45 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
0
campaigns
1st generation, 2015–2022 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2018 Chevrolet Trax LT

Photo: 2018 Chevrolet Trax LT · Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags8% · 4 complaints
  2. Powertrain22% · 11 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  3. Electrical20% · 10 complaints
  4. Engine14% · 7 complaints
  5. Suspension14% · 7 complaints
  6. Seats and belts10% · 5 complaints
  7. Brakes16% · 8 complaints
  8. Steering6% · 3 complaints
  9. Fuel and propulsion6% · 3 complaints
  10. Body and structure2% · 1 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

Electrical

Owners describe the dashboard display randomly blacking out or glitching, sometimes along with brake or stability-control warnings and reduced braking response. Repairs have ranged from replaced fuse boxes and instrument clusters to repeated shop visits where the cause could not be pinpointed.

Warning signs:
Many report dash lights flickering before blackout, loss of speedometer/mileage/tire pressure readouts, and some note warning lights or brake pedal resistance accompanying the display failures.
What shops did:
Owners report dealers replacing instrument clusters, fuse blocks, master cylinders, ABS modules or brake boosters, though several say mechanics could not find or duplicate the cause.

“It will go into all white dots, completely black out, or be garbled. You lose the ability to monitor your speed digitally”

“The brakes lock up without warning and the traction control error light and stabilitrak error light come on.”

Powertrain

Owners of this Trax describe transmission and drivetrain hesitation, jerking, and rolling back at stops, sometimes alongside stalling or overheating. Many say dealers struggled to find a cause, leaving the issue unresolved even after repeated visits.

Warning signs:
Owners report shuddering, jerking or lunging at low speed or highway speed, hesitation to accelerate, rolling back on hills despite Hill Assist, and occasional dashboard warning lights.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate or diagnose the problem and returned vehicles unrepaired; a few owners report replaced parts such as shifters, ignition coils, spark plugs, or a turbo unit.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 20,000 miles, among 6 complaints that give it

“The contact removed her foot off the brake pedal and the vehicle rolled backwards.”

“When I'm stopped and I take my foot off the brake the transmission slips and slams into gear”

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

Recalls

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2020 Chevrolet Trax.

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 612 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2020 Trax. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 22-NA-244 · May 2024 · Warranty extensionThis service bulletin provides information about GM Accessories - Dealer-Installed, Repaired or Replaced During Warranty Coverage Period.
  • PI0281L · April 2025This preliminary informational (PI) bulletin provides information to dealership personnel that may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers.
  • 25-NA-087 · April 2025This service bulletin provides information on the proper Reflective High Temperature Heat and/or Insulating Tape to use for certain repairs, such as Wiring Harness Repairs.
  • 13-08-116-001K · March 2025The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other diagnostic methods to…
  • 24-NA-098 · March 2025This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492,…
  • 15-06-03-001F · March 2025This service bulletin provides information to diagnose batteries that have set for a long period of time and/or cold weather climates and testing those batteries.
  • 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.
  • 23-NA-064 · January 2025This service bulletin provides information on the Transport Mode Feature, also known as Logistics mode, which is used to increase the 12V Battery stand time of the vehicle during transit and or long…

All 2020 Trax bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2020 Chevrolet Trax reliable?
Owners filed 49 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 45 for every 100,000 sold: 0.5× the rate of a typical Trax year. That's among the fewest of any Trax 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 2020 Trax problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (8%), the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (22%) and the electrical system (20%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2020 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2020 Chevrolet Trax.

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 2020 Chevrolet Trax on NHTSA.gov · How we rate