Reliable Auto DB

2017 Chevrolet Trax reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2017 Chevrolet Trax has 113 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 13 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 3 recalls on file, including Front lower ball joint and Frontal.

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

113

Per year

13

Recalls

3

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (43 of 113), then Electrical system (25) and Steering (19). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Trax has 117 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2018 has 101 complaints, 13 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

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 2017 Chevrolet Trax. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

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 Front lower ball joint 2019-04-18 · NHTSA campaign 19V312000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 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 June 14, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A182202370.
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.

Complaints by component (113 total)

Engine
43
Electrical system
25
Steering
19
Powertrain
10
Suspension
10
Fuel and propulsion system
9
Service brakes
9
Speed control
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
6
Air bags
5
Visibility and wipers
5
Engine and engine cooling
4
Structure
4
Exterior lighting
2
Wheels
2
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Seat belts
1
Seats
1
Tires
1
Visibility
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

10

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

42017132018222019142020820218202213202310202412202592026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "This car has experienced the same dangerous symptoms as reported in many cases on this site. Similar examples are NHTSA ID# 11756485, 11766116, 11756485 (nearly identical). What can I do. This 2017 vehicle was purchased…"
    Powertrain, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-24
  • "I am filing this formal complaint regarding a severe, recurring, and catastrophic electrical and vehicle control system failure in my 2017 Chevrolet Trax. On multiple occasions while driving at highway speeds (70+ mph),…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-09-22
  • "Turbocharger on my 2017 Chevy Trax failed at approximately 80,000 miles. Took it in for repair and they reported that upon examination a 299 code appeared and the turbocharger needed to be replaced. Check engines light…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-21
  • "I work from home, so I drive my car maybe once a week and only on flat highways. One day, I heard a loud booming crack and then suddenly the vehicle was making a grinding noise and pulling strangely. I drove directly to…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-07-08
  • "Vehicle engine light came on XXX and was driven immediately to Auto Zone to check the code. The code showed P0299. The vehicle was then taken 2 miles home and parked. It was towed to Lake Chevrolet in [XXX] on XXX to…"
    Engine · filed 2026-06-12

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Chevrolet Trax SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 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 25 33 28 MPG $2300
Trax all-wheel drive 1.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 24 30 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 2016 Chevrolet Trax Next year 2018 Chevrolet Trax See every Chevrolet Trax model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Trax reliable?

The 2017 Chevrolet Trax has 113 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 13 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 3 recalls on file, including Front lower ball joint and Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2017 Chevrolet Trax?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (43 of 113), then Electrical system (25) and Steering (19). Those filings include 10 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Trax more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Trax has 117 complaints, 9 per year, and the 2018 has 101 complaints, 13 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

Has the 2017 Chevrolet Trax been recalled?

The 2017 Chevrolet Trax has 3 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 2017 Chevrolet Trax?

Owners have filed 113 complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Trax with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Chevrolet Trax get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Chevrolet Trax is 27.5 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.