Chevrolet Colorado: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chevrolet Colorado: 13 model years scored from 1,207 NHTSA owner complaints and 23 recall campaigns. Worst year 2015, best year 2012.
Chevrolet Colorado: which years to avoid
Across 10 scored model years the Chevrolet Colorado ranges from 29/100 in 2015 to 92/100 in 2012 — a 63-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Colorado at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Steering (356 of them).
Avoid: 2015, 2023, 2024 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
The Chevrolet Colorado's years to avoid are 2015 (AVOID at 29 on 489 complaints, 356 of them Steering) and the redesigned 2023 and 2024 trucks (46 and 40 on 131 and 121). The years to buy are 2019 to 2022, which score 81, 90, 86 and 89 on 149, 82, 73 and 51 complaints. The 2015 steering has a documented cause: campaigns 16V054000 and 21V213000 both cover a poor electrical connection in the steering gear that can cause a loss of power assist, and the 2015 truck carries 7 campaigns, 6 safety-critical, including 15V278000 for front brake calipers that may leak fluid. There is no record for the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 or 2018 model years. The 2023 truck's top component is Forward Collision Avoidance at 45, matched by 24V133000 for a front camera that may falsely detect an obstacle and brake; Electrical System leads the 2024 truck at 35, which also carries 24V491000 for a fuel pump lock ring. The 2025 truck scores 77 on 27 complaints.
Read the guide
Used mid-size pickups: Colorado, Canyon and Ridgeline years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Colorado changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 3 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2012
Mean score 92/100, about 3 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (22 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2019–2022
Mean score 86/100, about 16 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (111 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2023–2024
Mean score 43/100, about 52 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (75 complaints). The record falls 43 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2012 (score 92). Worst: 2015 (score 29, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 77 | BUY | $4,143 | 27 | 1 |
| 2024 | 40 | AVOID | $4,620 | 121 | 3 |
| 2023 | 46 | AVOID | $4,440 | 131 | 3 |
| 2022 | 89 | BUY | $3,992 | 51 | 1 |
| 2021 | 86 | BUY | $4,167 | 73 | 1 |
| 2020 | 90 | BUY | $4,940 | 82 | 0 |
| 2019 | 81 | BUY | $4,574 | 149 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,310 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,450 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,590 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 29 | AVOID | $5,724 | 489 | 7 |
| 2012 | 92 | BUY | $5,357 | 42 | 2 |
| 2011 | 91 | BUY | $5,492 | 42 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Colorado, through the years →
Colorado sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Colorado on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Colorado
Across every Colorado model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Steering414 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Electrical System217 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train172 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine146 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other119 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Service Brakes114 complaints across all Colorado years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Chevrolet Colorado years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2015, 2023, 2024 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2015 is the weakest at 29/100, with its complaints concentrated in Steering.
What are the best Chevrolet Colorado years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2012 at 92/100, on 42 complaints and 2 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Chevrolet Colorado problem?
414 of the complaints filed against the Colorado across all its model years sit in the Steering group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04