Check a VIN

Chevrolet Colorado fire or smoke problems

43 of the 3,667 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Colorado describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2005 model year.

owner complaints
43
worst model year
2005
typical mileage
47,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2025
    1
  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    1
  • 2022
    1
  • 2021
    1
  • 2020
    3
  • 2019
    4
  • 2018
    2
  • 2017
    3
  • 2016
    2
  • 2015
    3
  • 2012
    1
  • 2009
    4
  • 2008
    4
  • 2007
    2
  • 2005
    6
  • 2004
    4

What owners say

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Brakes · 42,400 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from the front tires, and the tires were extremely hot. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact became aware of the burning tire odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic after a tire rotation. The contact was informed that the calipers and brakes had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was scheduled for the necessary repairs. The mechanic contacted the dealer about the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,400.

Filed Apr 7, 2026 · Engine · 124,000 miles · IA · fire

The contact owned a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven and parked in the garage. Upon exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed an abnormal burning smell and smoke coming from under the hood. It was unknown whether a warning had illuminated. The contact opened the hood and noticed that the engine compartment had caught on fire. The contact closed the hood and attempted to restart the vehicle to drive out of the garage; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and was able to push the vehicle out of the garage. The contact stated that the vehicle burned significantly from the front end to the windshield. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. No fire department report was filed. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. There was no property damage. The contact stated that the vehicle was a total loss and was in the process of being towed to a salvage yard. The vehicle did not have full insurance coverage but had liability coverage. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

Filed Jan 25, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · OK

in december 2025 i was driving my 2022 chevy colorado with 2.5 liter all of a sudden with no prior warning or lights i have an extremely hard brake pedal could barely stop i wasnt far from home when i pulled into drive i left it running to check brake fluid saw some smoke . i pop hood and saw brake fluid full but smoke coming from the back of motor i couldn't tell where so i walked around to look underneath and saw oil all over. i shut engine off and had towed to chevy dealership diagnosis vacuum pump failure with engine damage.

Filed Oct 1, 2025 · Engine · 41,000 miles · PA · fire

The contact's husband owned a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while her husband was driving and she was a passenger, their vehicle shuddered and then lost power at approximately 55 MPH. The vehicle was guided to the side of the road, where the contact and her husband noticed smoke emerging near the gear shift. For safety reasons, they both exited the vehicle and moved away from it. The contact then observed flames appearing between the driver's side of the cab and the bed of the vehicle, which quickly burst into flames. Another motorist attempted to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher, but it ran out before the fire could be contained, and the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. Although the police were called, a formal report was not filed. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

Filed Aug 8, 2025 · Brakes · 141,540 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving on a service road at 35 MPH and attempting to bring the vehicle to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal was extremely firm, requiring excessive force to depress for the vehicle to come to a stop. The contact stated that there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vacuum pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 141,540.

Filed May 23, 2025 · Electrical · TN · fire · 1 injury

I was driving the truck and first I got a "Software Update Needed Vehicle must be parked and off" this was followed quickly be a "low tire pressure alarm" 3 times in a short distance then I got a message "Antilock brake issue do not drive over 62 MPH or vehicle may not stop" then the brakes began to randomly slam on and release and smoke began to come out of the air vents. The next alarm was "ESV Shutting down " and I lost power steering and brakes; I tried getting the vehicle off the road out of the traffic lanes and the smoke was rapidly increasing in the cab then the engine shut down and I did my best to get the truck out of the traffic lanes and flames started coming from under the hood. A man stopped to help me out of the truck and by then the engine compartment was fully involved quickly and spreading into the interior of the cab. This all happened on country roads at about 40 MPH. I went to the medical center 2 days later as I was still having problems breathing from all the smoke. This was a new truck I bought in early November and only had 6900 miles on it.

Filed May 15, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · NY

On [XXX] after only 400 miles on the odometer, I experienced complete transmission failure while on a highway and was nearly hit by the vehicle behind me, luckily that did not happen. On April 29th, a new replacement transmission was installed by the Chevy dealer, and now on [XXX] I had experienced a severe burning smell from under the hood of the vehicle accompanied with a grinding sound, which lead to me to take it back to the dealer. On 05/15/25, the customer care manager informed me that the new transmission from the factory has metal debris inside the pan, and the vehicle would again require a complete "tear down". This is very unsafe for major powertrain components from the GM factory to keep failing, another failed transmission on a brand new truck like this is very unsafe especially because I drive on major highways to commute for work and transport my young children. This is unsafe for the public and my family, GM needs to be held accountable, they also refuse to refund me my money back on this vehicle, and are disregarding Lemon Laws in NYS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 6, 2025 · Electrical, Transmission · 88,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact stated the company they work for owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission would slip intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the transmission failed. The transmission was replaced. When attempting to start the vehicle it failed to start. They had to jump-start the battery to start the vehicle. The battery was replaced by O'Rileys, a battery specialty shop. Approximately a year later, while another employee was driving at approximately 65 MPH when smoke began coming from underneath the vehicle's hood. The driver pulled over and exited the vehicle. The fire department came and put the fire out. The fire department informed the contact that the cause of the fire was because the battery caught fire. The fire department filed a report. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled. There were no injuries or need for medical assistance. The contact spoke with the dealer who informed them that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

Filed Feb 3, 2025 · Fuel system · GA · fire

Fuel system leak and yes, it is available for inspection. My safety was at risk while I was driving the truck and smelled a very strong odor of gasoline enter the cab of the truck while I was driving with the windows rolled up. I immediately stopped the truck and got out and noticed flames coming out from underneath the bed in front of the left rear wheel, then the gas tank ignited shooting flames out like a flame thrower. The Fire Dept and the insurance company inspected it, and it was deemed a total loss. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of a problem prior to the fire. Here is what I found on the internet about this truck on the internet. The 2018 Chevrolet Colorado had one recall for a high-pressure fuel pump that could detach from its mounting flange. The recall began on July 2, 2018. What was the recall for? •The high-pressure fuel pump could detach from its mounting flange •The pump could damage the high-pressure fuel line What was the recall number? •the federal safety agency number for the recall was 18V‑358 What did GM do to fix the issue? •GM notified owners and dealers replaced the high-pressure fuel pump and high-pressure fuel pipe for free How can you check if your vehicle is affected? •You can check your vehicle for open recalls by: oInputting your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) at asburyauto.com oInputting your VIN at my.gm.com/recalls •2018 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab Recalls & Safety Notices Summary: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, Malibu and Colorado an... Kelley Blue Book •2018 Chevy Colorado Problems & Complaints One recall has been issued for the 2018 Chevy Colorado and involves the poor attachment of the high-pressure fuel pump to the fuel...

Filed May 28, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · PA · fire · 1 injury

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 shoulder of the road. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle did not stop as intended. The contact had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. In addition, the contact noticed that the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact's wife and [XXX] granddaughter were seated in the rear passenger seats. The contact's wife and granddaughter exited the vehicle first. The contact stated that just as the front driver's side door was opened for the contact to exit the vehicle, a big ball of fire entered the interior of the vehicle. The contact stated that after exiting the vehicle, the vehicle burst into flames. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The Police department arrived on the scene. However, there was not a Police report or fire report filed. The contact sustained a burn to his left eyebrow area and the left arm. Medical attention was provided to the contact. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was a total lost due to the fire. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Related recalls

Electrical system: ADAS: driver monitoring: camera/sensorReported February 22, 2024 · 55,755 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2023 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles. The front camera module (FCM) system may falsely detect an obstacle, causing the automatic emergency braking (AEB) to engage unexpectedly.
Risk
Unexpected automatic emergency braking can cause the vehicle to abruptly stop or slow down, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the front camera module (FCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is A232424660.

Recall number 24V133000 · Recall details

Questions about the Chevrolet Colorado fire or smoke

Which Chevrolet Colorado years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2005 (6 complaints), 2004 (4 complaints) and 2008 (4 complaints).

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used Chevrolet Colorado?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history