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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%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
48
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
83
this model year
Fires reported
3
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
0
1 crashes · 4 injuries

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN32 · 39%
ENGINE17 · 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER15 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES10 · 12%
STEERING10 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6 · 7%

The years either side

2010
41%
9 of 28
2011
31%
8 of 42
2012
35%
11 of 42
2013
too few complaints
2014
too few complaints
2015
16%
74 of 490
2016
20%
140 of 701
2017
67%
137 of 216
2018
59%
101 of 182
2019
62%
89 of 149
2020
62%
48 of 83
2021
42%
28 of 74
2022
18%
9 of 51
2023
24%
30 of 133

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

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other midsize pickups with no elevated signal in 2020

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

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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.