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2015 Chevrolet Trax: engine and transmission complaints

HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
51%
40 of 79 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

51% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 Chevrolet Trax are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.

Worse than 66% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 16 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 42%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
40
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
95
this model year
Fires reported
2
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
7
13 crashes · 6 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM22 · 23%
ENGINE22 · 23%
POWER TRAIN18 · 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER14 · 15%
STEERING13 · 14%
AIR BAGS12 · 13%

The years either side

2010
no data
2011
no data
2012
no data
2013
no data
2014
no data
2015
51%
40 of 95
2016
59%
55 of 117
2017
50%
52 of 111
2018
40%
39 of 101
2019
37%
47 of 133
2020
46%
37 of 94
2021
too few complaints
2022
too few complaints
2023
no data

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other subcompact SUVs with no elevated signal

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

STEERING,POWER TRAIN03/18/2026
Left red light on major hwy. Car stuck in first gear. Took MI turn around and no power steering. Limped home in first gear. Internet says there was a recall for 2014-15 Trax for same problems; Dealer says there's not, and told me to drive it there in 1st gear to check it out !
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE11/29/2025
While driving in the highway vehicle lost power and gray smoke came out off the exhaust, it was hard to accelerate and TCS warning light and check engine light popped up. TCS warning light extinguished but check engine light still on. Cars behind me could have hit me from behind, because it was a sudden loss of speed, …
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE10/19/2025
My radio turns up and changes by itself . It’s leaking oil an I’ve replaced everything a can’t figure it out , if anything it’s the engine it just won’t make sense . I dumped so much money into it already

Three of 40 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (7)

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
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…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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 Y…
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to February 9, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles man…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2015 Chevrolet Trax

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.