2016 Chevrolet Trax Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Trax years
- About as many complaints as other years 3rd of 13 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax. That ranks 3rd out of 13 Trax model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (46 complaints, 38%), typically at around 67,945 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 2 fires, 4 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 120owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Chevrolet Trax 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 46 | 38% | 67,945 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 24 | 20% | 49,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 19 | 16% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 15 | 13% | 28,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 14 | 12% | 37,628 | — | — |
| Power Train | 13 | 11% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 8% | 8,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 6% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 6% | 46,890 | — | — |
| Suspension | 7 | 6% | 66,795 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 6 | 5% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 4% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 3% | 200 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 3% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 3% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | 179,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | 10,200 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 68,300 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Chevrolet Trax recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint
Problem: 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. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A192261870.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive; seat belts:pretensioner
Problem: 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. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Electrical system:software; equipment:electrical:radio/tape deck/cd etc.
Problem: 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. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
Electrical system:software; equipment:electrical:radio/tape deck/cd etc.
Problem: 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. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Was driving the car,when started losing power up a hill,started making a loud puttering noise..Check engine light and traction control along with tire light all came on,ran a diagnostic at auto store said it was the plugs,so bought plugs and changed them,still doing the same thing..went back for…
Was driving the car,when started losing power up a hill,started making a loud puttering noise..Check engine light and traction control along with tire light all came on,ran a diagnostic at auto store said it was the plugs,so bought plugs and changed them,still doing the same thing..went back for…
Was driving the car,when started losing power up a hill,started making a loud puttering noise..Check engine light and traction control along with tire light all came on,ran a diagnostic at auto store said it was the plugs,so bought plugs and changed them,still doing the same thing..went back for…
for the 3 years i have had this car the engine has just died no sensors no engine lights no dashboard indicators bells whistles NOTHING it just stops running and wont start the dealership replaced it the first 2 years it happened this time they are trying to say we drove it overheating and that…
There wasnt a passenger side seat belts Legal Violations by LBurg Auto Sales (2016 Chevy Trax â KRS 189.125(2): State law strictly prohibits a dealership from selling any modern vehicle without working seat belts for all passengers. âFederal Safety Standards (FMVSS 208/209): Mandates functional…
Other Chevrolet Trax years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Trax | 17 | 0 |
| 2025 Trax | 91 | 1 |
| 2024 Trax | 178 | 1 |
| 2022 Trax | 9 | 0 |
| 2021 Trax | 25 | 0 |
| 2020 Trax | 98 | 0 |
| 2019 Trax | 135 | 2 |
| 2018 Trax | 102 | 2 |
| 2017 Trax | 114 | 3 |
| 2016 | 120 | 5 |
| 2015 Trax | 96 | 7 |
| 2014 Trax | 0 | 2 |
| 2013 Trax | 0 | 1 |
See all Chevrolet Trax 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 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
Owners most often report engine, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 46 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Chevrolet Trax a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Trax model years, the 2016 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.