2018 Chevrolet Colorado: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
59%
101 of 171 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
59% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 79% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 11 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 55%).
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
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES11/08/20172 INJURED
I HAD TRUCK STATIONARY PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE ON A DIRT ROAD FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES WHEN I HEARD A ODD SOUND LIKE "ARRRRR CLUNK" AND MY CAR ROLLED DOWN A HILL. I HAD MY CAR ON PARK WHILE ON 4LOW WITH THE ENGINE OFF. I DID NOT HAVE MY PARKING BRAKE ON THOUGH BUT THE INCLINE WAS SO SLIGHT I FEEL I DID NOT NEED IT. MY TR…
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE08/02/2026
While driving at normal and safe highway speeds, without warning (no audible or visual warning from the vehicle information display) my vehicle experienced engine lockout, loss of all non-electric power, and no control over vehicle speed. A few seconds after loss, the information display did show a "check engine light"…
POWER TRAIN07/21/2026
I purchased the truck at the end of March 2025. Within a few weeks I was noticing different issues in the transmission. It would occasionally shudder, have jerky or long shifts, would jump gears and lose power. The shudder was random but mostly on the highway, the jerky or long shifts would mostly occur when the egjne…
Three of 101 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 (1)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaC…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
1 recall campaign on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
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.