2020 Chevrolet Colorado: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
62%
48 of 77 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
62% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 83% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 6 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 58%).
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
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE05/28/2024FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owned a 2020 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the contact's wife advised the contact to pull the vehicle over because black smoke was exiting the rear vents. Simultaneously, the contact noticed white smoke exiting the front vents. The contact drove the vehicle to the sh…
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE09/01/2026
While driving my 2020 Chevrolet Colorado through [XXX], the truck began having difficulty accelerating. As I exited the highway and turned into a gas station, the truck suddenly lost power. The steering became extremely difficult, and I lost normal brake assist. The brake pedal became extremely hard, and I had to apply…
ENGINE08/13/2026
a/c control knocks out tempter senor and gauge goes to zero and check engine light comes on, gas mileage goings to hell, turn off engine clutch fan runs for several minutes, can still touch water hoses by hand and not even hot. This is a big safety problem because I'm looking at the gauge and now causing more smog! Che…
Three of 48 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Before you buy a 2020 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.
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.