What 694 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado

My 2016 Chevrolet Colorado lost all power steering while driving down the road. My young daughter was in the vehicle with me on a busy highway when I lost my ability to safely steer the vehicle. The stabilitrak light came on and that is when the power steering failed and I had to force my vehicle off the roadway manually to avoid getting into a collision. Had I needed to quickly steer to avoid another vehicle, obstacle, or maneuver a sharp turn at those speeds that could have been fatal for me, my daughter, and potentially other drivers or pedestrians. The vehicle was diagnosed and the issue was reproduced and confirmee at an independent service center as described. It was determined this was a known issue with similar make and model Chevrolet Colorados that were already on recall however my VIN was not included. It was determined to be a defective steering wheel torque sensor (code C0545) and required a complete steering rack replacement. They inspected the wiring harness had not chafed causing any damage, and that it was the sensor. There were no warning lights prior to the failure and it was abrupt while driving. The stabilitrak light came on simultaneously to the power steering failing.

NHTSA ODI 11707692

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. In addition, the “Service Stabili-trak” message was displayed, and the “Power Steering Failure” warning light was illuminated. The contact held the steering wheel tightly and pulled on the steering wheel, preventing the vehicle from crashing into a wall. The vehicle was driven to the intended destination. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was driven very slowly, and the contact used added force to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall for the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado with a similar description of a failure; however, the VIN was not under recall. The contact stated that an online forum advised the contact to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11704048

The electric power steering system on my vehicle intermittently fails while I am driving. When the failure occurs, the steering suddenly becomes extremely heavy and difficult to control, creating an immediate safety risk to me and to others on the road. The loss of power steering has happened multiple times with no advance warning. Each time, the only way to temporarily restore normal steering is to pull over, turn the vehicle off, and restart it. The problem occurs randomly and without a pattern. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The issue has been evaluated by the dealer’s service center. They were not able to reproduce the failure during their inspection, but they did confirm that the vehicle had stored a diagnostic trouble code indicating a power steering failure. The service center reported that the code was too generic to determine the root cause, and no repair was performed. They acknowledged that the steering failure had occurred based on the stored code, but could not identify why it was happening. During the failures, the vehicle displays warning messages stating that both Stabilitrak and Power Steering have failed. These messages appear only at the moment of failure, with no prior warning lights or symptoms. This intermittent loss of power steering severely compromises safe operation of the vehicle, especially when turning at low speeds, entering or exiting parking lots, or navigating intersections. It puts me, my passengers, and the surrounding drivers and pedestrians at risk because the vehicle cannot be steered normally when the failure occurs.

NHTSA ODI 11704062

POWER STEERING AND STABILITAK UNABLE TO STEER . CHECKED OWNERS MANULE IT SAYS TURN TRUCK OFF THEN START AGAIN. iT ALSO STATES IT IS STILL SAFE TO DRIVE I don't think so!!! it comes with no warning and you have to pull over and shut the truck off let it sit just a short while then it will steer just fine ....again for a while . the warning lamps and chimes worked just fine. at the same time the system is failing. 202

NHTSA ODI 11700459

Steering of the truck. No, it has not been reproduced by a dealer No has not been inspected Does not do it all the time, does in over period of times cannot specify any specific time you be driving and all sudden the wheels seem to lock and hard to steer and turning is very hard.

NHTSA ODI 11699725

My steering failed. I was driving under 30 mph and my steering locked up and I was presented with a Service notification "Stabilitrak". I can not turn my wheel and was not able to go down my driveway.

NHTSA ODI 11699991

The stabiltrack and power steering fail while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11698287

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the stabili-trak activated independently, and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. In addition, the message “Service Power Steering” was displayed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact used force to steer the vehicle. The stabili-trak feature was activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the rack and pinion assembly. The vehicle was retrieved, and the contact was informed that a leak was found. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil pan was leaking. The dealer performed a tune-up and a fuel injection service. The timing cover gasket was replaced, the engine front cover was resealed, and the oil pan assembly was resealed. The contact arrived to pick up the vehicle, and there was a puddle of fluid on the ground underneath the vehicle. The dealer inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the water pump had failed. The vehicle remained at the dealer pending the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11697743

COMPONENT: The piston in cylinder #1 cracked and created conditions for the fuel injector to bore a hole through it. SAFETY: This led to sudden loss of engine power and violent shaking of the vehicle at highway speeds. CONFIRMATION: Multiple reports of the exact same incident can be confirmed and researched at ColoradoFans.com, specifically on these threads https://www.coloradofans.com/threads/looks-like-my-number-finally-came-up-engine-failure.444376 https://www.coloradofans.com/threads/poll-how-many-blown-up-2-8-diesels-please-indicate-on-poll.396705/ https://www.coloradofans.com/threads/documented-2-8l-duramax-lwn-engine-catastrophic-failures-thread.427244 INSPECTION: Confirmed the crack and the hole in piston #1 with borescope. WARNINGS: Prior to catastrophic failure, there was an ongoing intermittent issue chasing down DTC P11CC - NOx1 Performance Low. Not sure if that was a harbinger or completely unrelated.

NHTSA ODI 11697475

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message “Service Power Steering” was displayed, and the stabili-trak warning light was illuminated. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 178,000.

NHTSA ODI 11697210

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated while driving approximately 27 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the failure initially occurred while making turns but had started occurring while driving straight. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent, requiring the contact to pull over to the side of the road, restart the vehicle, for the vehicle to operate as designed. The stabili-trak warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

NHTSA ODI 11697251

Stablitrak has come on 2x now on the highway, completely losing power steering. Very scary. Resets after turning the car off and on. 2016 , should have a recall. Same issue as the 2015s.

NHTSA ODI 11696896

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the vehicle stalled but restarted. The contact continued driving, but the failure recurred. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure should be covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering). The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly needed to be replaced; Part Number: 23232310. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 122,998.

NHTSA ODI 11696544

When the truck is driven there are times at random that the steering wheel locks into place while driving at any speed on the road. This warrants me to slowly try and get the car off the road to shut it down and restart it and then the steering goes back to normal. This has happened multiple different times on different days. This has not happened on the highway yet, but if this occurs while driving on the highway this poses a huge risk for an accident to occur. Chevy has had this similar recall on previous 2015s and it seems that 2016 owners are complaining about this issue but it is yet to be a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11696658

On October 3, 2025 the driver of the 2016 Chevy Colorado we own, left our house and drove .5 miles where he stopped for a red light. The light turned green and he accelerated to make a left turn. At that time, the gas gauge dropped to "E", the truck engine turned off, and gas emptied from the gas tank. The driver managed to coast the truck onto the curb and out of traffic. The gas smell was overpowering. This could have ended badly in many ways. Had he been driving on interstate, he would have been trapped, and any spark could have ignited the truck. Even the tow truck driver knew there was a gas leak without even examining the truck. The truck was towed to our house until arrangements were made tor the repair. The truck was towed again to the Chevy dealership (Total Tow Charges $344.85 invoices not available at this time). The repair shop found both the fuel pump and fuel feed cracked allowing gas to spew out. The VIN number was searched for the NHTSA recall number 18V-358 and the Chevy recall number 18188 and was not found. There were no warnings of the impending failure and no one was injured due to the failure. The vehicle repair was completed on October 15, 2025. Removed parts are available for inspection. We contend that the problem is related to the recall for the fuel pump in above recall numbers.

NHTSA ODI 11694553

Happened twice now while driving, power steering suddenly lost and two messages on dash: Loss of Power Steering and Stabilitrak. Pulled over and turned off ignition. When restarted all errors automatically cleared and systems appear to be functioning correctly. Steering without power assist is very difficult and high safety concern at low speed driving.

NHTSA ODI 11694152

I was making a left turn all of the sudden my power steering assist and stabilization light came on and I struggled to get the truck into the parking lot. In my readings and research there are a lot of complaints and recalls for the chevrolet Colorado for both 2015 and 2016. In my research you are aware of the issue and one of the solutions is turn off car/truck and wait 15 minutes and the computer might reset and be okay. It did just that! I had to walk home with my grandchildren and have someone drive me back to the truck the next morning. It started up with no lights or warning and I was able to drive it to the repair shop. I was told they can not fix it I have to take it to the dealership. I have grandchildren and I drive about 25 miles to work. This was very dangerous and could cause death if it goes out on the expressway!! Please recall and fix right away.

NHTSA ODI 11692341

While driving, my 2016 Chevrolet Colorado experiences sudden voltage drops and intermittent loss of power steering assist — the same symptoms described in the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado recall (NHTSA #16V054000). When the failure occurs, the steering becomes extremely heavy and unsafe, especially during low-speed turns or lane changes. In September 2024, I brought my truck to an authorized Chevrolet dealership for sudden loss of power steering and electrical issues. A diagnostic was performed, and a fuse was replaced — they claimed that fixed the issue. Not even a month later, in October 2024, I brought my truck back to the dealership for the exact same issues. They confirmed a voltage drop but could not identify a specific cause. They verbally advised me they “cleaned the connectors,” which temporarily fixed the problem. Approximately one year later, in October 2025, the same issue returned — identical symptoms and voltage behavior. My truck was manufactured in August 2015, which is close to the recalled 2015 production window. Based on the symptoms and timing, I believe my truck may have been built using the same steering components or wiring harnesses as the recalled vehicles. This appears to be the same safety defect that caused the 2015 recall, only affecting a slightly newer VIN range. I request that NHTSA investigate whether additional 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles built in mid-to-late 2015 should be included in the recall for loss of steering assist. No service lights will be on and suddenly while driving I will get “service stabilitrak”, “no traction control”, and “service power steering”. Turning off my vehicle and restarting will temporarily fix the issue. Chevrolet Colorado, 2016, steering assist loss, voltage drop, power steering failure, recall 16V054000, safety defect, connector corrosion, torque sensor wiring harness, electrical failure, early production 2016

NHTSA ODI 11691584

power steering loss of power steering while driving. reported and serviced twice over $2000 loss. problem still exists. message service power steering. freq loses power steering

NHTSA ODI 11691591

2016 Chevy Colorado power steering failed going 55 mph on a straight road (luckily) happened 3 times on 10/04/2025. Know issue on the 2015 year and a recall was put out for that year. Was reading a lot of forums on the 2016 a lot of other people have been complaining of the same issue. GM needs to address this before it ends up taking someone’s life. These trucks are very hard to steer when the electronic power steering fails.

NHTSA ODI 11691412

Turning into a parking lot and power steering went out. Immediately followed service lights of stabilitrack and power steering. Turn the truck off and back on and the problem was resolved. Took the vehicle to the dealership the next day and they stated the power steering rack was failing. After research, it was found the the power steering was recalled on the 2015s but nothing on the 2016s. The issue with the 2016s is the same issue as the 2015s

NHTSA ODI 11690809

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as the stabili-trak warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact declined to have a diagnostic test performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

NHTSA ODI 11690524

The Stabiltrak light comes on and I immediately lose power steering WHILE DRIVING. This is an extremely dangerous situation. Took vehicle to dealer and they are not 100% certain of the problem to fix. But they would start to try steering parts and sensors but no guarantee those would work.

NHTSA ODI 11690122

The power steering turned off SUDDENLY twice, once on the highway at 60 miles per hour and the other time around a sharp turn of an exit ramp--EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

NHTSA ODI 11689518

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering and stability-trak warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The vehicle was almost involved in a crash because of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the warning lights were no longer illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

NHTSA ODI 11689559