Chevrolet Colorado Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 185 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Colorado across 19 model years. The 2005 model year has the most (33). The words owners use most often: “air bag” (42% of reports).
- 185air bags complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 55mention a crash
- 39mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 26%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 78 of 185 complaints (42%)
- Seat belt: mentioned in 29 of 185 complaints (16%)
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 17 of 185 complaints (9%)
- Rear door: mentioned in 14 of 185 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 148 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 185 complaints, 55 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 39 an injury.
Chevrolet Colorado air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Colorado | 1 | 6% | 5,952 |
| 2024 Colorado | 1 | 1% | 14,152 |
| 2022 Colorado | 1 | 2% | 7,950 |
| 2021 Colorado | 6 | 8% | 47,500 |
| 2020 Colorado | 1 | 1% | 26,000 |
| 2019 Colorado | 3 | 2% | 2,000 |
| 2018 Colorado | 7 | 4% | 3,412 |
| 2017 Colorado | 9 | 4% | 31,810 |
| 2016 Colorado | 10 | 1% | 40,100 |
| 2015 Colorado | 12 | 2% | 44,900 |
| 2012 Colorado | 9 | 21% | 59,563 |
| 2011 Colorado | 10 | 24% | 51,226 |
| 2010 Colorado | 4 | 14% | 77,500 |
| 2009 Colorado | 6 | 9% | 53,500 |
| 2008 Colorado | 14 | 17% | 58,073 |
| 2007 Colorado | 12 | 9% | 90,000 |
| 2006 Colorado | 17 | 7% | 65,000 |
| 2005 Colorado | 33 | 9% | 96,000 |
| 2004 Colorado | 29 | 8% | 97,344 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17387.
Air bags:frontal
Model years: 2016
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Model years: 2015
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured September 15, 2014, to January 21, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured October 3, 2014, to December 9, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front driver air bag inflator that may be misaligned to the air bag module backplate. This can cause the inflator to separate from the backplate during a deployment.
Risk: If the inflator separates from the back plate in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, this may cause the air bag or steering wheel components to separate and be propelled into the interior compartment, potentially seriously injuring the driver or other occupants. Additionally, the air bag may fail to properly inflate, increasing the risk of injury to the driver.
Fix: GM has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the driver air bag module inflator for proper alignment, replacing the air bag, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15037.
Air bags
Model years: 2015
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2014, to October 1, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the driver air bag connections may have been wired incorrectly. This could reverse the deployment sequence and disrupt the deployment timing of the driver air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: If the driver air bag does not deploy as designed, there is an increased risk of driver injury in the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the inflatable restraint sensing and diagnostic module (SDM), free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet) or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14690.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a crash after the contact fell asleep while driving 15 MPH. The vehicle came to a complete stop after crashing into a tree. The front of the vehicle was damaged. The contact stated that the air bags had…
We bought this truck from a dealer (used) and before delivery the driver seat belt recall was repaired as it was still open. Now, months later, the airbag light is on with a warning and it appears that the airbags are disabled. This started as an intermittent issue and now remains constant. Not…
The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the passengerâs side air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken for tire maintenance, and the contact was informed that the air bag warning light should not be constantly…
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that the air bag warning had been turning off and on intermittently for almost 2 years. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was recently taken to an…
I was travelling at approximately 32 miles per hour when I rear ended a vehicle that was in front of me, the vehicle in front of me was stopped. The airbags did not deploy in my vehicle. Damage to the vehicle was substantial enough to declare the vehicle a total loss.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Colorados have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 185 owner complaints about air bags for the Chevrolet Colorado. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Colorado air bags?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the Chevrolet Colorado?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 78 of 185 complaints, followed by “seat belt” (29).
Other Chevrolet Colorado problems
- Steering problems (962)
- Electrical System problems (773)
- Power Train problems (562)
- Engine problems (326)
- Service Brakes problems (251)
- Exterior Lighting problems (203)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (159)
- Structure problems (157)
See all Chevrolet Colorado problems.