Reliable Auto DB

2015 Chevrolet Trax reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Trax over 12 years — 10 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Trax years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Front lower ball joint, Frontal, and Electrical system, software.

2013 Chevrolet Trax
Photo by L.Willms, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

96

Per year

10

Recalls

7

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (23 of 96), then Engine (22) and Powertrain (18). Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Trax has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2016 has 117 complaints, 9 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Chevrolet Trax. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall Front lower ball joint 2019-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 19V652000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Chevrolet Trax vehicles. A joint in one or both of the front lower control arms may have been improperly welded. An improperly welded joint may break, resulting in the partial separation of the lower control arm from the vehicle.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left and right front lower-control arms, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A192261870.
Recall air bags, frontal 2017-07-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V437000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-09-08 · NHTSA campaign 16V651000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Recall electrical system, software 2016-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 16V422000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax, and 2013-2015 Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver fails to fasten their seatbelt or if the driver leaves the key in the ignition. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208 "Occupant Crash Protection" and 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 22, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 45340.
Recall equipment, electrical, radio 2016-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 16V257000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Chevrolet Sonic and Trax vehicles and 2013-2015 Chevrolet Spark vehicles equipped with a Bring Your Own Media radio. The affected radios may fail to provide an audible warning chime when the driver, after turning off the ignition and leaving the key in the cylinder, waits 10 minutes or longer to open the door. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114 "Theft Protection."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17130.
Recall Labels 2015-03-20 · NHTSA campaign 15V162000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured August 26, 2014, to February 9, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured October 13, 2014, to February 3, 2015. The affected vehicles have tire placards that do not provide the rim size information for the front or rear wheels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and will send owners a corrected label, free of charge. The recall April 29, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15166.
Recall Electric power steering 2015-03-13 · NHTSA campaign 15V146000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick Encore vehicles manufactured November 27, 2014, to February 24, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Trax vehicles manufactured November 18, 2014, to February 17, 2015. The steering column assembly housing may contact the power steering printed circuit board causing the circuit board to wear.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the steering column assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 24, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15168.

Complaints by component (96 total)

Electrical system
23
Engine
22
Powertrain
18
Steering
14
Air bags
12
Service brakes
8
Suspension
7
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Seat belts
5
Speed control
5
Structure
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
3
Wheels
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

13

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

6

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

220152520164201792018152019142020820215202262023220243202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Trax. The vehicle was recently purchased. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, the vehicle lost steering functionality, with several unknown warning lights illuminated.…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2026-09-11
  • "Dash shuts down shutting off power steering, and power breaks, no dash readout, no turn signals breaklights or headlights, happens suddenly"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-19
  • "Left red light on major hwy. Car stuck in first gear. Took MI turn around and no power steering. Limped home in first gear. Internet says there was a recall for 2014-15 Trax for same problems; Dealer says there's not,…"
    Steering, Powertrain · filed 2026-03-18
  • "While driving in the highway vehicle lost power and gray smoke came out off the exhaust, it was hard to accelerate and TCS warning light and check engine light popped up. TCS warning light extinguished but check engine…"
    Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2025-11-29
  • "My radio turns up and changes by itself . It’s leaking oil an I’ve replaced everything a can’t figure it out , if anything it’s the engine it just won’t make sense . I dumped so much money into it already"
    Suspension, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2025-10-19

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Chevrolet Trax SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 Chevrolet Trax SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Trax 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 26 34 29 MPG $2250
Trax all-wheel drive 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 24 31 27 MPG $2400

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2013–2023
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (1.4L turbo); 0W-30 alternative where listed , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 195/70R16 to 215/55R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 19V-652 covers certain 2015-2018 Chevrolet Trax vehicles: a joint in one or both front lower control arms may have been improperly welded and can break, partially separating the control arm so the front wheel toes outward and raising crash risk. Dealers inspect and replace the arms as needed. This expands an earlier population under 19V-312. Campaign 16V-422 covers certain 2015-2016 Trax vehicles with Bring Your Own Media radios that may fail to chime for an unfastened seat belt; dealers update radio software. Campaign 15V-146 also names certain early-2015 Trax builds for steering-column wear that can cause sudden loss of electric power steering assist.

Compare

Next year 2016 Chevrolet Trax See every Chevrolet Trax model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Trax reliable?

Owners have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Chevrolet Trax over 12 years — 10 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Trax years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Front lower ball joint, Frontal, and Electrical system, software.

What are common problems with a 2015 Chevrolet Trax?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (23 of 96), then Engine (22) and Powertrain (18). Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Trax more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Trax has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2016 has 117 complaints, 9 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?

The 2015 Chevrolet Trax has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Chevrolet Trax?

Owners have filed 96 complaints about the 2015 Chevrolet Trax with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Chevrolet Trax get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Chevrolet Trax is 28 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What model years use the second-generation Chevrolet Trax?

The redesigned Trax returns for the 2024 model year in the US catalog.

What oil does a first-generation Chevrolet Trax take?

US notes list 5W-30 for the 1.4L turbo, with 0W-30 as an alternative where listed; 2024-on 1.2L turbo notes list 0W-20.

What tire sizes does a Chevrolet Trax use?

First-gen fits often run 195/70R16 to 215/55R18; second-gen trims commonly use 225/55R18 to 245/45R19.