2017 Chevrolet Trax: engine stalls while driving

Filed Oct 7, 2026 · Engine · MO

My 2017 Chevrolet Trax experiences intermittent engine rough running, hesitation and loss of power when accelerating from a stop. It runs especially rough around the shift into second gear. At idle, such as in a drive-through, the engine shakes and the RPM repeatedly drops and rises as though it may stop. This is near-stalling; I have not confirmed a complete engine shutdown. The unpredictable hesitation and loss of power when moving away from a stop raise concern that the vehicle may not accelerate adequately to clear an intersection or move with traffic. We drive it only short distances around town, not on the highway. Symptoms occur more often during or shortly after rain and in cold weather; it can run normally in warm, dry weather. Check-engine and StabiliTrak warnings appear intermittently during these episodes. The current symptoms were present before the October 2025 turbocharger replacement and continued afterward. The exact date they first appeared, and whether the warning lights preceded the symptoms, are unknown. There is a documented history of engine and turbocharger repairs. In February 2021, at approximately 91,586 miles, a Chevrolet dealership confirmed a cylinder 2 misfire, low compression, a cracked piston and a cracked turbo housing. All four pistons and rings and the turbocharger were replaced. Handwritten notes also document PCV hose replacement. An independent shop replaced the turbocharger again in October 2025 at approximately 195,510 miles. Its invoice records the complaint that the vehicle sputters when taking off from stop signs. Those symptoms continued after the repair. On October 6, 2026, at 197,216 miles, an O’Reilly scan recorded stored P0304 (cylinder 4 misfire) and P1101 (intake airflow system performance). A separate shop’s scanner also displayed stored P0304. These scans document codes, but the cause of the current intermittent problem has not been diagnosed. Another cracked piston or turbocharger failure has not been confir

Filed Jan 15, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · CA

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally request reimbursement or goodwill assistance for the repair of the turbocharger on my Chevrolet Trax, which failed unexpectedly and caused my vehicle to stall in the middle of the freeway, creating a serious safety hazard. I had previously reported concerns related to the turbo, and after the failure occurred, I learned that General Motors issued a Special Coverage Adjustment for turbocharger malfunction on certain Chevrolet Trax vehicles. Unfortunately, I never received any notification or letter informing me of this coverage. Had I been made aware, I would have taken appropriate action prior to the failure. Because this vehicle was my only means of transportation, I had no choice but to immediately repair it at my own expense. I later contacted GM Customer Assistance to inquire about reimbursement and was informed that my request was denied solely due to the vehicle exceeding 120,000 miles, despite the fact that: This is a known defect The failure resulted in a dangerous loss of power while driving I was never notified of the special coverage I was also advised that the notification was sent by a government department, yet no department could be identified, and despite multiple requests, I have not received a call back from a manager. Given the seriousness of the safety risk, the lack of notice, and the documented nature of this defect, I am respectfully requesting that GM reconsider my case for reimbursement or goodwill assistance for the turbocharger repair. I have attached copies of my repair invoice, proof of payment, and vehicle documentation for your review. I would appreciate escalation of this matter to a Senior Advisor or District Manager for further consideration. Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] 2017, Chevy Trax [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 31, 2025 · Engine · OH

1) Component - Evaporative Emissions Purge Valve 2) Car temporarily stalling on freeway in traffic 3) Independent Service Center, yes 4) Others, yes, Independent Service Center. 5) No warning lamps appeared until after many incidents

Filed Nov 20, 2024 · Engine · AZ

Around early Feb the engine started having issues. The vehicle would jerk and stall while driving and stopped in the middle of a busy street at a red light. And another time when going around a high traffic uphill turn. Around February 14 the car stopped on me and I had to have it towed to my mechanic and rent a vehicle so that everyone in the household could get to work and not lose our jobs. My mechanic confirmed that the turbo engine was failing just like it did in April of 2022. That time it was still covered under the manufacturer's warranty. In March I received a letter from GMC announcing issues with their Turbo Gas engine, stating all the issues I had experienced both times. I was directed to a GMC dealer near me, but they refused to fix the issue and instead told me they can "break my car down for $560 and then when they find the issue they would quote me a price for repairs." They refused to only order the turbo engine and repair it for free like the GMC letter stated. I have not been able to get the issue addressed.

Filed May 3, 2020 · Driver assistance, Engine · 48,500 miles · FL

The first major repair I had with my vehicle happened shortly after I serviced it for it's regular oil change at the end of 2018. I notice my AC was going in and out and I checked my coolant, the reservoir was empty. When I made an appointment at the service department they discovered a leak under neath the turbo. In 2019 a valve was replaced that was sticking as "courtesy" at one of my oil changes. This year my vehicle stalled out on me at the gas station. I turned off my vehicle to pump gas and it wouldn't turn back over. When I finally got it to start again it was jerking very hard even while idling. It was difficult to get my vehicle running again. I got it to the dealership and they replaced the purge valve and I paid for an induction service since my vehicle is slowly approaching 50k. After a couple days of having my vehicle back I noticed my vehicle is still shifting very hard and is especially noticable in 30-50mph range, I drop my vehicle back off at the dealership 05/02/2020. The check engine light is not on it but, hey're getting a reading that there is a problem with the stability.

Filed Dec 4, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 16,200 miles · VA

I've received two notices from gm, once that has an actual recall. Both notices were received after my 2017 trax had been taken to the dealership for check-ups/repairs because of presenting symptoms of both issues of the notices/recall. The first being an evaporaive emissions purge valve that may not fully close, causing the engine to run cold, hesitate or stall at idle speeds. I experienced idling and jerking when my car was in lower gears, jerking so badly, with running in high rpms. I did not know if I would make it home and had to drive with my hazards on. This was experienced on sept. 2, 2019 (labor day) and I had my car towed from my parking garage to the dealership on sept. 4th, 2019. They could not replicate the problem or address it and were not aware of the notice gm had sent out. They did find a tear in some arm on the vehicle, caused by a defective ball bearing which was replaced but unrelated to why it was there. Late october, I experienced other issues with clicking on my breaking system, with my stabilitrack and check engine lights turning on, but then off when I went in reverse. At this time, I knew about the recall (# a192261870) and brought my car back in on nov. 1, 2019. Again they couldn't "replicate" the issue, but inspected the car with regards to the recall and returned it with no immediate resolution. They ordered a speed-control part and all the recall parts. It's now december 4 and they still do not have the replacement control arms & the bolts that go with them (page chevrolet service dept; alexandria, va 22312; 703‑349‑4011. My vehicle continues to have braking/idling/spudering issues on occasion, it is not constant. I have had to call regularly to get updates, and have attempted to call chevrolet's customer assistance center to open an inquiry but am getting the run around of rover a month. I do not consider this timely.

Filed Oct 15, 2019 · 20,981 miles · WI

I was driving down the street, normal speed and the car was stalling ( like a putt putt). I took the car in to chevy, they had it for a couple of days and stated they could not figure out what was wrong with it. I picked the car up and about 15 miles out, I put the car in reverse and it cut off. I then put the car in park, it cut off, I did that about 5 times. I called to have them tow it. The dealership stated it cut off on them the next day but after 65 days and less than 200 miles later they couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. They returned the car to me and a week later 10/15/2019 its back to the putt putt.

Filed Nov 23, 2018 · Acceleration, Electrical · 9,591 miles · NY

Vehicle was at highway speed when systems began to fail and vehicle abruptly lost acceleration. Warning lights and messages began to appear abruptly without warning. Rpm, and MPH digital dial/ number jumped to 0 and back up to a random speed and then back down to 0. Accelerator pedal did not have any bearing on speed control. Uncontrolled stalling at highway speed without any warning. Vehicle was driven off active roadway at next available exit and parked. Vehicle maintained error codes. Dealer contacted for tow. After waiting for tow and engine off, all error codes cleared. Driven to dealer and currently in service. Vehicle fairly new and repair under warranty. Problem uncertain but technician pointed to a grounding problem. Error lights during incident: power steering warning light (steady on), tcs/stabilitrak warning light (steady on) and check engine light (steady on). Plus, vehicle service messages: service power steering and service stabilitrak. I have taken pictures of the instrument cluster. Cluster errors began around 13:42 est and cleared around 15:42 est after parking and cutting engine off for some time (maybe 20 minutes) then restarting. Also, '.' in place of 'p' in bottom right corner next to odometer reading. Also, after initially parking and the first restart, power steering seemed completely inactive.