Chevrolet Colorado Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 5 to 105 complaints, under twice the 65.5 complaints of a typical Colorado year.
Best years: 2021 and 2022 Under three quarters of the 65.5 complaints of a typical Colorado year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 25 mpg combined, arrived in 2016. Chevrolet sold no Colorado for 2013 or 2014.

Colorado problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Colorado year drew 65.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (43). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (65.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2023 Colorado Most described: the check engine light coming on	105	142	3
2016 Colorado Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	103	716	4
2015 Colorado Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	83	499	7
2018 Colorado Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	71	183	1
2017 Colorado Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	70	217	1
2019 Colorado Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	61	151	0
2021 Colorado Best Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	25	80	1
2022 Colorado Best Most reported: electrical system	24	57	1
2020 Colorado Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	20	88	0
2012 Colorado Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	14	43	2
2010 Colorado Most reported: electrical system	5	29	2
2011 Colorado Most described: the engine not starting	5	42	5

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Colorado for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	1	22
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	1	28
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	3	127
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	3	142
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	1	57
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	1	80
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	0	88
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	0	151
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	1	183
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	1	217
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	4	716
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	7	499
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	2	43	Not rated
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	5	42	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	2	29	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2023: 142 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Colorado
Model year	Complaints
2010	29
2011	42
2012	43
2015	499
2016	716
2017	217
2018	183
2019	151
2020	88
2021	80
2022	57
2023	142
2024	127
2025	28
2026	22

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 20 to 22 mpg (2010 to 2012, 2015 to 2026); highest in 2015. Diesel: 23 to 25 mpg (2016 to 2022); highest in 2016.

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2026: gas 21 mpg · diesel not offered

Show as a table

Chevrolet Colorado best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2010	21	–
2011	21	–
2012	21	–
2013	–	–
2014	–	–
2015	22	–
2016	22	25
2017	22	25
2018	22	25
2019	22	23
2020	22	23
2021	22	23
2022	22	23
2023	22	–
2024	22	–
2025	20	–
2026	21	–

Every Colorado year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Chevrolet Colorado vs Toyota TacomaMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Chevrolet Colorado years should you avoid?

No Chevrolet Colorado year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 65.5 owner complaints of a typical Colorado year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 5 to 105. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Chevrolet Colorado years?

The 2021 and 2022 Colorado are the best years: they drew 25 and 24 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 65.5 complaints of a typical Colorado year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chevrolet Colorado years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2023 (105) and 2016 (103) drew the most.

Which Chevrolet Colorado years have the most recalls?

The 2015 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (7), then the 2011 (5). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Chevrolet Colorado problems?

In the 2,424 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe power steering problems or locked steering (632 complaints, most of them for the 2015 and 2016); shaking, shuddering or vibration (227 complaints, most of them for the 2017, 2018, and 2019); and steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (111 complaints, most of them for the 2015 and 2016). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chevrolet Colorado year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 25 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 diesel version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.