2004 Chevrolet Colorado Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Colorado years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 23 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 361 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado. That ranks 3rd out of 23 Colorado model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (88 complaints, 24%), typically at around 74,030 miles. Complaints mention 11 crashes, 13 fires, 14 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 361owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 11complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Chevrolet Colorado problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 88 | 24% | 74,030 | “fan works” (6%) | — |
| Structure problems | 61 | 17% | 115,220 | “frame rusted” (11%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 43 | 12% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 35 | 10% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 34 | 9% | 40,880 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 29 | 8% | 97,344 | — | — |
| Power Train | 27 | 7% | 16,400 | — | — |
| Visibility | 26 | 7% | 44,250 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 23 | 6% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 22 | 6% | 98,833 | — | — |
| Tires | 18 | 5% | 13,650 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 15 | 4% | 7,483 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 15 | 4% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 | 4% | 40,250 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 2% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 2% | 29,525 | — | — |
| Steering | 6 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 1% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 1% | 96,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 3 | 1% | 8,100 | — | — |
| Wheels | 3 | 1% | 998 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 28,750 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 998 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | 7,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 13,742 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 0% | 13,742 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Chevrolet Colorado recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Child seat
Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2004-2011, chevrolet colorado, gmc canyon, model year 2006, isuzu i-280/i-350, and model year 2007-2008, i-290/i-370, regular cab vehicles and extended cab vehicles without a rear seat and equipped with a front 60/40 split bench seat. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the top tether anchor for the front center seat is not accessible and the owner manual does not include instructions regarding how to use the top tether.
Risk: Both nhtsa and gm discourage placement of a child in a front seat. Nevertheless, there are individual circumstances that may require placement of a child in a restraint in the front center seating position of this vehicle that does not offer a rear seat. Lack of access to the top tether anchor and a lack of instructions as to how to use it, may result in improper installation of a child restraint. Improper installation of a child restraint can result in a reduction in the restraint's performance in the event of a crash and an increased risk of injury or death to the child seated in the restraint.
Fix: Dealers will cut a hole into the back panel trim cover to allow access to the top tether anchor for the front center seat position and will provide supplemental information as to use in the owner's manual. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727 or visit gm's website at www.gmownercenter.com.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: Gm is recalling 185,903 model year 2004-2009 colorado, gmc model year 2009-2004 canyon, model year 2006 i-280, i-350, model year 2007-2008 i-290, and i-370, passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of alabama, arizona, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, nevada, new mexico, puerto rico, south carolina, texas, u.s. Virgin islands and utah. Some of these vehicles have a brake lamp switch that may not work as designed due to contamination in the switch.
Risk: This condition could cause the simultaneous loss of all brake lamps or cause all of the brake lamps to stay on continuously. Both of these conditions could fail to warn others of the driver's intentions and could lead to a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the necessary components as specified in the recall bulletin free of charge. Gm anticipates that parts will be available by june 2010. A special coverage for vehicles registered in all other states will be implemented in the same time frame. In the interim, owners who experience the failure can obtain a free repair, however they will be required to return when the new design part becomes available. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, isuzu at 1-800-255-6727 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: Certain pickup trucks may experience the permanent loss of brake lamp function or brake lamps that are illuminated at all times. The center high-mounted stop lamp (chmsl) is affected in both instances. Also, if equipped, the cruise control will become inoperative. Any trailer brake lamps which are connected to the vehicle's brake lamp wiring will mimic the vehicle's brake lamps when either condition occurs.
Risk: A following driver may not know when the brakes have been applied, and a rear-end crash could occur without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will replace the brake lamp switch assembly. The recall began on december 5, 2006. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; gmc at 1-866-996-9463 or isuzu at 1-800-255-6727.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake lamp switch malfunction (RQ09001) — opened Feb 25, 2009, closed Jul 30, 2009, led to recall 09V310000.
- Inadvertent front airbag deployment (PE04076) — opened Nov 10, 2004, closed Mar 14, 2005.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Tire size 245/45R20 I purchased a set a 4 Cooper Discoverer H/T Plus tires for my truck in 2022. I haven't driven a lot of miles on them due to the fact that I live on the Island of Oahu, in Honolulu, Hawaii and have a lot of thread life left. I noticed that the sidewalls on 2 of 4 tires are…
There apparently was fuel dripping onto the starter and soaking the starter so when we went to start the truck. It caught on fire ð¥ð¥ And my truck is a total loss
One day, after I turned my truck off, I noticed that my taillights and overhead cargo light remained on. Key was out, truck was off, but the lights stayed on. So for the time being, I disconnected the battery. I brought it to a mechanic, who ran the codes that came back that the rear driver turn…
The frame on my 2004 Chevy Colorado has rusted/rotted to the point that it snapped, causing the bed to rub against the cab. Mechanic said it is not fixable.
Frame rust
Other Chevrolet Colorado years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Colorado | 18 | 1 |
| 2025 Colorado | 27 | 1 |
| 2024 Colorado | 123 | 3 |
| 2023 Colorado | 137 | 3 |
| 2022 Colorado | 56 | 1 |
| 2021 Colorado | 79 | 1 |
| 2020 Colorado | 85 | 0 |
| 2019 Colorado | 150 | 0 |
| 2018 Colorado | 183 | 1 |
| 2017 Colorado | 216 | 1 |
| 2016 Colorado | 712 | 4 |
| 2015 Colorado | 492 | 7 |
| 2014 Colorado | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 Colorado | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 Colorado | 42 | 2 |
| 2011 Colorado | 42 | 5 |
| 2010 Colorado | 29 | 2 |
| 2009 Colorado | 67 | 3 |
| 2008 Colorado | 81 | 2 |
| 2007 Colorado | 140 | 3 |
| 2006 Colorado | 236 | 4 |
| 2005 Colorado | 356 | 3 |
| 2004 | 361 | 3 |
See all Chevrolet Colorado problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado?
Owners most often report electrical system, structure, exterior lighting problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 88 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Colorado model years, the 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.