2016 Chevrolet Trax: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
117 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The Chevrolet Trax's years to avoid are the two newest, 2024 (AVOID at 44 on 169 complaints, 84.5 per year on the road) and 2025 (47 on 80); the years to buy are the first-generation cars of 2015 to 2022, every one a BUY, with 2021 and 2022 at 94 each. The first generation runs 95, 117, 111, 100, 133, 94, 24 and 9 complaints with scores from 70 to 94, and Engine is first or second in every year to 2020. Read the full note on the model page. 2016 specifically: a year the record favours — 117 complaints, score 74/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Sonic, Trax and Blazer: the years to avoid, including 2016 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 117 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 11.7
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
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 all passengers. Federal Safety Standards (FMVSS 208/209): Mandates functional three-point seat belts. Selling a car with a missing passenger seat belt violates federal law and makes it legally "unroadw…
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 it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed turbo charger. The contact was informed that th…
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 only had 70,000 miles on the odometer when this occured.
Recalls: 5 campaigns (4 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V651000 | Air Bags:Frontal | 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… |
| 16V422000 | Electrical System:Software | 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. |
| 17V437000 | Air Bags:Frontal | 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… |
| 19V652000 | Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint | 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. |
| 16V257000 | Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc. | 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… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 29 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,100
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine43 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System21 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Air Bags19 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other15 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Steering14 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Power Train13 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
Other Chevrolet Trax years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Trax?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (43 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Trax a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 74/100, computed from 117 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2016 Chevrolet Trax's most common problem?
43 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2016 Chevrolet Trax sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2016 Chevrolet Trax cost to run per year?
About $4,392 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $21,960 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2016 Chevrolet Trax have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, 4 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 08/09/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other compact suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2016 Chevrolet Trax really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 117 complaints, 5 recalls on record
- 117 NHTSA complaints on record (11.7/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (12.4/yr)
- 5 recall campaigns, 4 touching safety-critical systems