- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 5
- on record
- MPG
- 29
- combined
Open recalls on record
5 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Chevrolet Trax
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 116
- Complaints citing a crash
- 9
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
5 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 19V652000high
Suspension issue
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. An improperly welded joint may break, resulting in the partial separation of the lower control arm from the vehicle.
Consequence
A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, impacting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 16V651000high
Airbag system issue
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 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.
Consequence
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 16V422000high
Electrical issue
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. 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."
Consequence
Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 17V437000high
Airbag system issue
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 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.
Consequence
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 16V257000low
Electrical issue
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 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."
Consequence
Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 19.8%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2016 Chevrolet Trax 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 5 comparable 2016 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 19.8% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
26
City
34
Hwy
29
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $2,100
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 310 g/mi
How this compares
At 29 MPG combined, the 2016 Chevrolet Trax ranks 1st of 5 small SUVs (2WD) EPA rated for 2016 — 4 MPG better than the 25 MPG median for that group.
That places it in the upper third of its class. Fuel cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor against its direct rivals.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,100, $350 less than the $2,450 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $10,500, a $1,750 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 310 grams per mile — about 4.7 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
116 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 116
- Total
- 9
- Crashes
- 2
- Fires
- 4
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE49
- AIR BAGS19
- STEERING10
- OTHER9
- ELECTRICAL7
Notable Issues
116 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 4 reports involve injuries. 9 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax, newest first.
- Recall
A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, impacting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.
- Recall
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Recall
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Recall
Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
- Drive type
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Engine
- 1.4L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Automatic (S6)
- Seats
- 0
Fuel economy
26
City
34
Hwy
29
Comb
- Annual cost
- $2,100
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Compare with
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A partial separation of the lower-control arm from the vehicle could cause the attached front wheel to toe outward, impacting the vehicle's handling and steering and increasing the risk of crash.
- Recall
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Recall
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
- Recall
Without audible indicators, the driver may not fasten their seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
Without audible indicators, the driver may leave the key in the ignition, increasing the risk of theft.