2021 Chevrolet Colorado problems and complaints

Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado. The most-reported areas: Service Brakes (19), Engine (18), Unknown Or Other (16).

Key takeaways

  • 75 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 6 involve a crash, 1 a fire, 4 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Service Brakes1925%
Engine1824%
Unknown Or Other1621%
Power Train1115%
Electrical System1115%
Steering1013%
Air Bags57%
Seat Belts34%
Suspension34%
Visibility/Wiper34%
Hydraulic23%
Fuel System23%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2021 Chevrolet Colorado PU/CC 2WD4/54/55/53/5
2021 Chevrolet Colorado PU/EC 2WD4/54/55/53/5
2021 Chevrolet Colorado PU/CC 4WD4/54/55/53/5
2021 Chevrolet Colorado PU/EC 4WD4/54/55/53/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Service Brakes - filed 2026-09-12

Both rear calipers have become frozen or stuck, causing the brakes to seize and not work correctly. This happened around 53,000 miles. There was a burning rubber smell as well as the tire/brake temp was 5 times the normal. This created a severe driving hazard.

Service Brakes - filed 2026-09-02

Brake boost vacuum pump failure. While approaching a traffic light that was red, I applied the brakes. The pedal was very hard to press and required me using both feet to bring the vehicle to a stop. Stopping distance was much longer than normal. I removed the vacuum pump and found it had seized and broke apart.

Power Train - filed 2026-08-25

My 2021 Chevy Colorado experienced a distinct bucking and shuddering sensation under slow acceleration at lower RPMs, specifically when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. There were no dashboard warning lights or malfunction codes prior to the issue. The defect was officially reproduced, inspected, and confirmed by a ...

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More for the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.