Reliable Auto DB

2016 Chevrolet Trax reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Trax holds 117 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 9 per year. Trax years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 9 complaints per year. NHTSA has 5 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

117

Per year

9

Recalls

5

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (43 of 117), then Electrical system (21) and Air bags (19). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Trax has 96 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2017 has 113 complaints, 13 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2016 Chevrolet Trax. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

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.

Complaints by component (117 total)

Engine
43
Electrical system
21
Air bags
19
Steering
14
Powertrain
13
Service brakes
9
Fuel and propulsion system
7
Structure
7
Suspension
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
6
Seat belts
5
Exterior lighting
4
Speed control
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Equipment
2
Seats
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Wheels
2
Visibility
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

9

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

62016132017720182220191820208202110202292023820249202572026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "for the 3 years i have had this car the engine has just died no sensors no engine lights no dashboard indicators bells whistles NOTHING it just stops running and wont start the dealership replaced it the first 2 years…"
    Engine · filed 2026-08-20
  • "There wasnt a passenger side seat belts Legal Violations by LBurg Auto Sales (2016 Chevy Trax ​ KRS 189.125(2): State law strictly prohibits a dealership from selling any modern vehicle without working seat belts for…"
    Air bags, Seat belts · filed 2026-07-10
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine sputtered and the check engine warnig light illuminated. The vehic ewas taken to an independent mechanic where…"
    Engine · filed 2026-06-01
  • "The vehicle was brought to an authorized GM dealership for a scheduled appointment to address a check engine condition related to a purge valve and an open safety recall for the lower control arm. The VIN was provided…"
    Suspension, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-05-21
  • "The vehicle lost communication to the transmission causing the check engine light to come on when the vehicle key was turned off the vehicle would not restart. There was no warning signs of this happening. The vehicle…"
    Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2026-04-24

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Chevrolet Trax SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 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

Previous year 2015 Chevrolet Trax Next year 2017 Chevrolet Trax See every Chevrolet Trax model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Trax holds 117 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 9 per year. Trax years here cluster close together — the other years’ median is 9 complaints per year. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front lower ball joint, Frontal, and Electrical system, software.

What are common problems with a 2016 Chevrolet Trax?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (43 of 117), then Electrical system (21) and Air bags (19). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Trax has 96 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2017 has 113 complaints, 13 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?

The 2016 Chevrolet Trax has 5 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 2016 Chevrolet Trax?

Owners have filed 117 complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Trax with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Chevrolet Trax get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 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.