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Chevrolet Colorado loss of power problems

304 of the 3,667 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Colorado describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2016 model year.

owner complaints
304
worst model year
2016
typical repair cost reported
$2,000
typical mileage
62,750
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

Often reported together

Power steering loss 193Check engine light 19Jerking 8Stalling 7Shudder 6Fuel pump 6Engine failure 6ABS 6

Trouble codes mentioned

C0545 8U0420 3P2138 3U0415 1U0101 1P2C1F 1P228C 1P2122 1P11CC 1P0601 1

What owners say

Filed Nov 6, 2026 · Fuel system · MD

I am following up on a VOQ already filed about my vehicle breaking down due to a defective fuel pump control module. GM has an emissions warranty for this issue, but it should be a safety recall. In addition, my vehicle was not included in the affected vehicle population. I had to pay $125 to have my vehicle towed, so I requested reimbursement from GM. GM will only reimburse $78. This should be covered as a safety recall, as the vehicle completely lost all power on the road, with no warning or indication that something was wrong

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Transmission · LA

Drive train shudders intermittently seams like a program issue. Chevy trying to achieve higher MPG creating a driving issue. Loss of power on the highway. Makes me wonder about total failure at highway speeds and getting hit from behind. Chevy knows about this and makes the owner eat the cost and refuses to address the issue. I truly believe Chevy knows how to fix it but refuses and refuses to release accurate information.

Filed Oct 30, 2026 · Steering · CA

Random loss of power steering

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · IA

2020 Chevrolet Colorado 2.5L, approximately 81,500 miles. I experienced a sudden loss of power brake assist. There was no warning noise associated with the failure; the brake pedal became extremely hard and required substantially greater pedal pressure to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by an independent professional mechanic. Inspection found that the brake booster vacuum pump itself was not the primary source of the failure. The failure was at the engine exhaust camshaft interface that mechanically drives the vacuum pump. The camshaft drive was damaged and no longer properly operated the vacuum pump, resulting in loss of brake vacuum assist. This is not normal brake-pad or rotor wear. The hydraulic brakes remained functional, but without the vacuum assist the pedal effort increased dramatically, creating a significant braking safety concern. The vehicle has been removed from normal use pending repair. I am reporting this because failure of an engine component that drives the brake vacuum pump can cause sudden loss of power brake assist.

Filed Oct 21, 2026 · Steering · SC

While driving, the truck can suddenly lose power steering and traction control without warning. When this occurs, steering becomes extremely difficult and creates a significant safety risk, particularly at higher speeds or when turning. Restarting the vehicle will sometimes restore power steering, but the problem can persist after restarting. Because the failure is unpredictable and can occur at any time while driving, I am concerned that it could result in loss of vehicle control or a crash.

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Steering · CA

Shortly after startup or while driving, my vehicle will suddenly lose power steering. The dashboard will illuminate the traction control light and warn "Service Staiblitrak" and "Power Steering Reduced Drive With Care" however this happens when the power steering is already lost. This has happened while pulling out of parking lots and also while pulling up to a red light in the street. If I turn the vehicle off and on 1-2 times then the fault clears and I can continue driving. A dealer could not reproduce the issue. They found two stored fault codes but could not diagnose further. There is no advance warning of the failure. The failure is random and has occurred about 2-3x per month for 3 months.

Filed Oct 9, 2026 · Steering · 79,000 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and operated as intended. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V213000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Oct 3, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · OH

The vehicle developed a rapid and moderate shudder followed by "Check Engine", "Service Traction Control", "Service ESC" messages and associated icons on the driver display. The shudder happened a second time within approximately 30 seconds and the engine lost power followed by "Reduced Power Warning" message. I engaged the emergency flashers and limped to the nearest side road. I had to stop on the road because of no shoulder. I waited there while assessing the situation and eventually was able to drive the short distance home. I disconnected the battery to reset the PCM. This action temporarily cleared the fault code and check engine light. The first dealer said it couldn't do anything without a fault code. A second dealer said it was unable to duplicate the malfunction. Two weeks later the vehicle began to shudder on a busy interstate, with the same warning lights and messages and had to pull off the interstate. It happened once more on the way home. The dealer duplicated the issue. It took them over 30 days with multiple repair attempts. The dealer replaced all four fuel injectors, fuel injector wiring harness, Engine Control Module (ECM), and wiring between the ECM and another connector. The dealer had to reach out to GM's Technical Assistance Team (TAC) to get it back on the road again. Approximately 8 weeks later, the vehicle began to shudder again, this time only while travelling up hills. There has not been any messages or warning lights associated with this event. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where is has been now for almost a week with no follow-up on the diagnosis or repair status. These events compromised safety and we were put at risk due to the sudden lack of power while in traffic, maintaining control of the vehicle while trying to understand the situation, and the possibility of other drivers adversely reacting to these events.

Filed Sep 30, 2026 · Steering · 77,000 miles · DE

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · TX

During a three point turn, the power turned off the car completely for a brief few seconds on the screens and the steering wheel locked. Was able to straighten it and all power was back on immediately. Stabilitrak warning has come out on the dash a few times. There seems to be a sudden power loss till the wheel is straightened. Luckily no one was behind, but this has happened a few times when turning.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Chevrolet Colorado loss of power

Which Chevrolet Colorado years have sudden loss of power problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2016 (123 complaints), 2015 (100 complaints) and 2018 (13 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix sudden loss of power on the Chevrolet Colorado?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 28 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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