AutoUtility currently tracks 117 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Trax. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 40 complaints (34.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 117 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (40 reports • 34.2% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Air Bags & Restraints (22), Electrical System (21)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 9 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
117
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
9
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
2
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
4
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Chevrolet Trax

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 34.2% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

40 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 1 fire report
#2 Problem Area 18.8% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

22 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 17.9% of complaints

Electrical System

21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#4 Problem Area 12.8% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#5 Problem Area 12% of complaints

Steering System

14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Chevrolet Trax

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 6% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

7 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 2.6% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

3 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Chevrolet Trax

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758319
Filed: 08/20/2026

"for the 3 years i have had this car the engine has just died no sensors no engine lights no dashboard indicators bells whistles NOTHING it just stops running and wont start the dealership replaced it the first 2 years it happened this time they are trying to say we drove it overheating and that..."

Incident Date: 08/10/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11749668
Filed: 07/10/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 03/24/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11741269
Filed: 06/01/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 05/18/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11739353
Filed: 05/21/2026

"The vehicle was brought to an authorized GM dealership for a scheduled appointment to address a check engine condition related to a purge valve and an open safety recall for the lower control arm. The VIN was provided and confirmed at the time the appointment was made; however, the recall was not..."

Incident Date: 04/24/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11733519
Filed: 04/24/2026

"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."

Incident Date: 04/20/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Chevrolet Trax

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Trax 95 13 7 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Chevrolet Trax Current Page 117 9 5 Current
2017 Chevrolet Trax 111 10 3 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Trax 100 2 2 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Chevrolet Trax 133 9 2 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Chevrolet Trax 94 5 0 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Chevrolet Trax 24 5 0 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Chevrolet Trax 9 1 0 View 2022 Problems →
2024 Chevrolet Trax 168 9 1 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Chevrolet Trax 79 9 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Chevrolet Trax 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Chevrolet Trax

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 54 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 18 0 1 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 9 3 0 2 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 8 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 1 1 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 6 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 5 2 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 5 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 1 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (117). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.