AutoUtility currently tracks 72 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 18 complaints (25% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 2 report one or more injuries, 2 report one or more fatalities.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
18 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
17 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Iba sobre el freeway a 60 millas y de la nada el freno se puso duro no respondían me pasé a los carril de la orilla y fui metiendo freno de mano poco a poco bendito Dios me puse a salvo! La agencia me dijo que fue el booster ahora tienen que verificar que no halla fragmentos de metal en el motor!"
"The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the engine revved without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated that while turning onto an exit ramp, the brake pedal was depressed to slow the vehicle; however, there was..."
"We bought this truck from a dealer (used) and before delivery the driver seat belt recall was repaired as it was still open. Now, months later, the airbag light is on with a warning and it appears that the airbags are disabled. This started as an intermittent issue and now remains constant. Not..."
"Brake vacum pump experienced a catastrophic failure. I was unable to step on the break because the break pedal was hard. I ran thru a red light. I was told the brake vacume pump shattered & pieces of metal went into my engine"
"While driving downhill nearing a stop sign my wife went to apply the brakes to stop and all she had was an extremely hard brake pedal. She panicked that she “no brakes.” She was only going about 20 MPH, and was able to stop the vehicle but it took an extraordinary amount of effort to do so. Had she..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Chevrolet Colorado | 488 | 17 | 7 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Chevrolet Colorado | 698 | 14 | 4 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Chevrolet Colorado | 215 | 5 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Chevrolet Colorado | 181 | 3 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Chevrolet Colorado | 148 | 6 | 0 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Chevrolet Colorado | 81 | 1 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Chevrolet Colorado Current Page | 72 | 6 | 1 | Current |
| 2022 Chevrolet Colorado | 51 | 1 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Chevrolet Colorado | 130 | 2 | 3 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Chevrolet Colorado | 115 | 6 | 3 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Chevrolet Colorado | 27 | 1 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Chevrolet Colorado | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 38 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EQUIPMENT,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 18 records (25% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Brakes & Traction Control (17) and Electrical System (11).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 72 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 2 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.