561 of the
4,956 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Colorado
are about the transmission —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2017.
561
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
13
Crashes
5
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
My 2020 Colorado at 14k miles, the dealer did the transmission oil flush and it helped till the warranty ran out. Now I have the same problem again at 32k miles. I bought the truck because GM said the problem with 8L/45 trans was fixed in 2019. To my knowledge there has been no update to the slipping clutch in GM's torque convertor. If I were to replace the convertor with another one just like it I could have the same problem. My Dealer ([XXX])says my lifetime warranty (that I got with my new Colorado) doesn't cover the transmission? And that if they do another $600 oil flush they don't guarantee it will fix anything. I think when the flush is done, they don't change the trans filter. I'm sure the clutch particles that are left behind after the flush are probably stopping up the filter. I just replaced the DOD/AFM cam and lifters in my GM car's 6.2 liter. It's a shame that manufacture's can get away with these kind of problems. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11764099 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Request to be added to any class action lawsuits with my Colorado Truck. Truck was purchased Jan 2015. On day one the truck had a shudder that was lite but noticeable, dealer said " this is normal and as the computer gets to understand your driving it will be less noticeable" I put up with until the transmission stopped working and had to replace the Torque Converter on Jan 2022 after to warranty ran out. $2788. The trunk still has a shudder issue...if the transmission temperature is less that 120 degrees the truck will shudder as your coming to a stop. Once the temperature is over 12 degrees the shudder stopes
NHTSA complaint #11760108 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving the vehicle, the power steering all of sudden goes out and I am unable to steer the vehicle properly. I know there was a recall for 2015 vehicles and wanted to know if the repair could be fixed on my vehicle as well. This is not safe for me to be driving with my children and grandchildren in the vehicle as it happens out of the blue and without warning, no matter what speed I could be going. This has occurred on multiple dates over the last month or so.
NHTSA complaint #11759930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle experienced severe transmission hesitation, rough shifting, and shuddering early on, which was brought to a Chevrolet dealership under factory warranty at 16,875 miles (April 2021). The issue was reproduced by the dealer at that time. The transmission has now suffered a complete failure at 97,277 miles, creating an immediate driving and safety hazard due to loss of propulsion while operating the vehicle. The failed transmission and vehicle are currently available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11760140 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Chevy Colorado experienced a distinct bucking and shuddering sensation under slow acceleration at lower RPMs, specifically when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. There were no dashboard warning lights or malfunction codes prior to the issue. The defect was officially reproduced, inspected, and confirmed by a GM technician at a certified Chevrolet dealership on October 28, 2025, at 46,437 miles. Diagnostic scanning using GM’s GDS software explicitly confirmed that the Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) slip speed was exceeding 100 RPM when the low-speed shudder occurred. The dealership determined the component was failing and replaced the entire torque converter assembly under warranty. This documentation is submitted to prove that the TCC defect remains uncorrected in post-2019 vehicles. My sister’s identical 2021 Colorado is now experiencing the same defect at 59,000 miles, but her symptoms have progressed significantly worse to include a severe high-speed drivetrain shudder alongside the low-speed acceleration bucking.
NHTSA complaint #11759346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission is shuddering, I had a transmission flush done, and a tune up, and neither helped. I am concerned the transmission is going to go out while driving, especially in a busy intersection and cause an accident. I have had problems with the vehicle no accelerating when need going uphill to get out of the way of traffic when turning. Problem is duplicated every day until I can get it fixed. It has been looked at by a dealership and other personal mechanic shops. No lights on the dash have appeared.
NHTSA complaint #11758641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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" and that the engine was in "lockout." We (my spouse, young child, and self) were surrounded by multiple commercial semi-trucks and passenger vehicles and had to weave and serve to avoid collisions at highway speeds and get to the shoulder of the highway in a few seconds. The root cause as diagnosed by a Chevrolet Dealership Service Department was failure of the magnetic strip that is press fit to the reluctor (tone) wheel. A 1/2in piece of the magnetic strip was missing and over 10 cracks within the strip itself observed. This magnetic strip is used by the Engine Control Module to measure engine RPMs. The strip's failure caused the EMC to shutdown the engine without warning which is a significant hazard for controlled vehicle movement at highway speeds. My vehicle's engine (LWN) is one of the few GM designs that have the press fit magnetic strip reluctor wheels. The rest use integrated wheels with the crankshaft or traditionally stamped steel with machined teeth. The vehicle and reluctor wheel has not been inspected by GM or any other representatives. I offered to send images to GM for records but they declined.
NHTSA complaint #11754282 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was made aware of a technical service bulletin which included replacing the transmission fluid. The transmission fluid was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that recently the transmission started slipping and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the transmission torque converter and the transmission valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 39,200.
NHTSA complaint #11751766 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 was cold and more often in cold weather. The lose of power and jumping gears would occur when towing and when I was in the mountains, once losing power as I was turning onto a major highway. I took the truck in three times to get diagnosed but they couldnt replicate the issue or find a code. I finally decided to pay for a flush with the fluid that was recommended by a TSB. After the flush the issues were then replicated by the service techs. I have an extended warranty. The representative then inspected the truck and found the same issues and approved a transmission replacement. I took the truck in on June 22nd 2026. As of July 21 the dealership is still waiting for the replacement transmission to be shipped from GM.
NHTSA complaint #11751922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the parkway, the engine revved, and then the brakes became hard as a brick. The truck was unable to be stopped. There were no warning lamps or indications there was a problem, it happened suddenly and immediately. Other drivers' and my own safety was at risk because I could not stop the truck. Here is the diagnosis from the GM service center where it was towed to: "After the removal of the valve cover, the tech found the pump in pieces, and the end of the exhaust camshaft was damaged, as presented in the photos. The quote attached depicts all that is being replaced with this repair." The is a know and acknowledged GM defect that has affected well over 3 million vehicles to date. There was a recall issued for some models, but not the Chevrolet Colorado. There are many reports online of other Colorado owners having the exact brake vacuum pump failure, resulting in damage to the camshaft.There is also a class action lawsuit filed in Michigan in early 2026, involving the same brake vacuum pump failure, for some of the models that were not included in the recall. This is an extremely dangerous mechanical failure that GM is aware of.
NHTSA complaint #11748403 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact's husband owns a 2025 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that after exiting a car wash tunnel and parking the vehicle on the side of the car wash building, the vehicle continued to roll forward at a high speed without warning. The contact used both feet and excessive force on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle; however, the vehicle continued to roll forward. The vehicle ran over the parking pillar and crashed into a brick column attached to the building. The vehicle continued to roll forward after the crash and eventually stopped once it rolled over the car wash road indentation. The contact reversed out of the car wash indentation and called her husband for assistance. After her husband arrived at the scene; the vehicle was driven to the residence without any further issues. The vehicle remained at the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 111,817.
NHTSA complaint #11745625 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2023 Chevrolet Colorado (2.7L, approx. 49,000 miles) experiences sudden, intermittent loss of motive power involving the 8-speed automatic transmission. The transmission sets codes and the vehicle drops into limp mode, capped at roughly 45 mph, without warning. The most dangerous symptom is a total loss of acceleration from a stop, especially on inclines — pressing the accelerator produces no response. On one occasion, stopped on a slight incline, the vehicle rolled backward toward the car behind me when it failed to move forward on accelerator input. I narrowly avoided a collision. On a separate occasion, after pressing the accelerator with no response, the vehicle then suddenly lurched forward into cross traffic; repeated presses produced inconsistent, delayed engagement, nearly causing a collision. To climb inclines I now have to hold the brake while applying throttle and slowly release the brake to prevent rollback. These are unpredictable loss-of-control events that create a serious crash risk in traffic. I believe this relates to a known issue affecting the GM 8-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle is currently at a GM dealer and I have an open GM Customer Care case. No crash, fire, or injury has occurred yet, but two near-collisions have.
NHTSA complaint #11744039 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine fails it violenty thumps and studders and drops from highway speed with no warning. This is a mfg. defect and also an EXTREME SAFETY CONCERN. The engine studders and thumps and we were almost rear ended by a truck when our truck could not go into gear properly. It is very scary! Dealership confirmed that they have many vehicles with same issue and recommended a Super Flush of transmission but not sure this will correct problem or cause more problems. There is no warning when these incidents occur and the driver has no control to avoid it. It is commonly referred to as the Chevy thump and studder and a known mfg defect in which GM refuses to pay for repairs causing consumers an extreme hardship! This is an ongoing issue affecting thousands of vehicles and someone is going to die! There is no negligence of operator of vehicle, it is a manufacturing defect that affects thousands of GM vehicles and they are doing NOTHING about it except expecting customers to keep incurring cost to try to remedy a repair at our own expense which is unfair! The government needs to force a recall at GM's expense!
NHTSA complaint #11741750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle intermittently lunges forward during the 2nd-to-1st downshift, even while the brakes are being applied. When this occurs, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerates or surges forward slightly, travels farther than anticipated, and feels similar to being bumped from behind. Because the condition occurs at low speeds, often in tight areas such as parking spaces, stop-and-go traffic, or before a crosswalk, it creates a risk of collision with pedestrians, vehicles, or objects. The issue has been reported to Cox Chevrolet in Bradenton, Florida multiple times, but continues to happen.
NHTSA complaint #11741859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brake vacuum pump appeared to fail creating brake system malfunction. Appears determined by mechanics to have seized and caused damage to cam shaft. Driver’s safety issue caused when trying to brake vehicle not functioning. Vehicle was towed to mechanic shop. There were no warning signs of impending failure of system. Note that earlier years for this model may have had recalls for safety issue and malfunction.
NHTSA complaint #11738935 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.