UsedScore

2021 Chevy Trax: Solid

Owners filed 17 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 29 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× 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 (12% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.6×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Trax year
Rank
2nd of 8
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
17
first five years; 29 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
0
campaigns
1st generation, 2015–2022 · Updated November 9, 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 bags12% · 2 complaints
  2. Electrical35% · 6 complaints
  3. Engine24% · 4 complaints
  4. Seats and belts6% · 1 complaints
  5. Brakes24% · 4 complaints
  6. Suspension6% · 1 complaints
  7. Fuel and propulsion12% · 2 complaints
  8. Powertrain12% · 2 complaints
  9. Driver assistance6% · 1 complaints
  10. Other18% · 3 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 most often report the instrument panel going blank, sometimes for hours, leaving speed and tire pressure unreadable. A few describe dead batteries, a failed AC compressor, power loss or a fire, and some say repairs did not solve it.

Warning signs:
Owners report the cluster flickering, showing static or going black for seconds to hours, CarPlay dropping out, warning messages appearing, a battery repeatedly dying, and in one case smoke from the engine compartment.
What shops did:
Some owners say dealers could not reproduce the problem or never diagnosed it, while others report parts replaced by shops, including a turbo, throttle body, spark plugs and an ignition coil, with problems continuing.

“It would flicker, go black and then come back after a few seconds.”

“Sometimes it comes back on and sometimes it stays off for hours”

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 2021 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 528 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2021 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.
  • N252499670 · October 2025Certain vehicles, equipped with a 1.4L engine, may have a condition that could cause the turbocharger to fail.
  • 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.
  • 24-NA-139 · April 2025This service bulletin provides a procedure to replace the FPDCM if found to cause customers concerns of Crank No Start, Stalling, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated – DTC P023F or P129F Set.
  • 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…

All 2021 Trax bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Trax reliable?
Owners filed 17 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Trax in its first five years on the road, about 29 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× 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 2021 Trax problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (12%), the electrical system (35%) and the engine (24%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2021 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet Trax.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of November 9, 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 2021 Chevrolet Trax on NHTSA.gov · How we rate