What breaks most · 2004 to 2019 model years
Chevrolet Colorado problems by year
Owners have filed 1,595 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Colorado across model years 2004 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2004 for electrical system complaints, 2005 for electrical system complaints and 2006 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2013, 2014 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2005, 2006
- Fewest complaints: 2013, 2014, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 15952004 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004333 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 7641 fires · 64 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 44kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 40Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 333 | 11 | 3 | Electrical system (83) | |
| 332 | 25 | 3 | Electrical system (63) | |
| 219 | 6 | 4 | Electrical system (62) | |
| 131 | 9 | 3 | Electrical system (42) | |
| 71 | 6 | 2 | Electrical system (29) | |
| 55 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (33) | |
| 26 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 26 | 2 | 5 | Air bags (8) | |
| 28 | 2 | 2 | Air bags (7) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 165 | 7 | 7 | Steering (88) | |
| 120 | 6 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (50) | |
| 48 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (28) | |
| 29 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (12) | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (8) |
What fails on the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 25% |
83 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 15% |
49 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 13% |
42 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
34 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| Air bags | 8% |
28 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 8% |
28 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
26 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 8% |
26 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2004 Chevrolet Colorado |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Vehicle was repaired at bacon chevrolet in milledgeville, ga. I am still getting letters to the effect that it was not repaired. I personally saw new part on vehicle.
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My cruise control stopped working and then my break lights. Put in new break bulbs and they still do not work! I was dri ing when cruise control went out and my husband noticed my breaks while i was driving.
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Passlock truck willnot start only sitting for fifteen minutes ,had it replaced once 12/27/2013 now its doing it again i need this truck because my wife is verry sick but i cant depend on it it has under 34,000 miles on it.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Colorado years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2005, 2006 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Colorado. The 2004 alone has 333 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Chevrolet Colorado problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 83 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Colorado problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Colorado complaints that include mileage is about 44,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.