IllustrationHaving engin light come on.. Emissions issues. Already got a letter about a future recall. Don't want to pay out of pocket. Rough starting and weird noise. Either engin or exhaust issue. I know I'm not the only person.
2018 Chevrolet Trax
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Trax do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 94.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Trax years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
160–25K
1325–50K
650–75K
175–100K
3100–150K
0150K+
39 reports with mileage · 62 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
101 reportsAntifreeze leak from the turbo. Only 22500 miles. A search revealed that this is a constant and consistent problem. GM needs to issue a recall
Turbo coolant pipes leaking No check engine light no warning noticed anti freeze on driveway.Seems like there is a lot of this happening. Glad I was home and not far away.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Trax. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stopped independently with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,240.
AC NO LONGER WORKS. AC ONLY BLOWS WARM AIR NO COOL AIR. THREE YEARS IS VERY SOON FOR A CAR TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THE AIR CONDITION. THERE IS NO AC. THE HEATER WORKS FINE. HOWEVER, WHEN I TURN ON MY AC THE CAR VIBRATES AND MAKES A GRINDING SOUND. FEELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE.
-BACKUP CAMERA SENSOR SOUND STOPPED WORKING AROUND 55K MILES -WE BOUGHT OUT CAR BRAND NEW THREE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, AND THE TURBO UNEXPECTEDLY CRACKED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 68K-69K MILES. IT'S RELEASING A HORRIBLE SMELL IN THE CAR. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS COMING ON
THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CLUTCH MODULE SHORTED OUT. VERY EXPENSIVE PART AND IS NOT COVERED IN THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY IT SHOULD BE . WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY AND MESSAGE CAME ON TO HAVE THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE SERVICED. SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT ANY MONEY INTO A TWO YEAR OLD VEHICLE THAT ONLY HAD 38,653 MILES ON IT.
I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW WITH 49 MILES ON IT. FROM THE FIRST DAY IT HAS BEEN GIVING ME A SERVICE REAR CAMERA SYSTEM ERROR, THE ENTIRE DASH WILL COMPLETELY BLACKOUT ON ME AND TAKES A WHILE TO COME BACK ON AND MY CAR WAS SLIPPING WHILE SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND REVERSE TO DRIVE. WITH ALMOST 65K MILES ON IT, I STARTED TO G…
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I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW WITH 49 MILES ON IT. FROM THE FIRST DAY IT HAS BEEN GIVING ME A SERVICE REAR CAMERA SYSTEM ERROR, THE ENTIRE DASH WILL COMPLETELY BLACKOUT ON ME AND TAKES A WHILE TO COME BACK ON AND MY CAR WAS SLIPPING WHILE SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND REVERSE TO DRIVE. WITH ALMOST 65K MILES ON IT, I STARTED TO GET A SERVICE AWD, SERVICE POWER STEERING WITH A FAULTY POWER STEERING ISSUE WHILE DRIVING, MY CAR RANDOMLY WON'T START, DESPITE THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR ALL BEING GOOD. I WAS RECEIVING EVERY ERROR CODE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT RANDOMLY ON AND SHUTS OFF, WHEN I HAD THE CODES CHECKED, I HAD NEVER SEEN SO MANY ERROR CODES IN MY LIFE! LOW VOLTAGES, MAIN SYSTEM ERRORS, THE WHOLE BIT. NOW MY CAR THINKS I AM TRYING TO STEAL IT AS THE SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM LIGHT IS ON.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET TRAX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S DOOR LOCKS WOULD UNLOCK AND LOCK SUDDENLY. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THEY ENTERED THEIR VEHICLE AND WHILE STARTING, THE VEHICLE'S HORN SUDDENLY ACTIVATED AND CONTINUED TO MAKE NOISE FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET TRAX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S DOOR LOCKS WOULD UNLOCK AND LOCK SUDDENLY. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THEY ENTERED THEIR VEHICLE AND WHILE STARTING, THE VEHICLE'S HORN SUDDENLY ACTIVATED AND CONTINUED TO MAKE NOISE FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES AFTER THE CONTACT HAD REPEATEDLY PRESSED THE HORN IN HOPES TO DEACTIVATE IT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THEY STARTED THE VEHICLE AFTERWARDS, THE FAILURE REOCCURRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EMITTING A BURNING ORDER FROM THE HEATING/AC COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (SERPENTINI CHEVROLET OF WILLOUGHBY HILLS 2810 BISHOP RD, WILLOUGHBY HILLS, OH 44092; (440) 701-5417) WHO WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY OR DUPLICATE THE ISSUES. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE AND OPENED A CASE REGARDING THE MATTER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,600.
MY 2018 CHEVY TRAX DASHBOARD WENT BONKERS. THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF DASH WENT BLACK THEN AS I WAS DRIVING ALL THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS, OIL, ENGINE, DOOR OPEN, TIRE, ABS, BRAKE, BATTERY, STARTED GOING ON AND OFF, AND THE ANALOG SPEEDOMETER DIAL WOULD WOULD GO ALL THE UP AND ALL THE DOWN AND THEN GO BLACK. THIS IS…
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MY 2018 CHEVY TRAX DASHBOARD WENT BONKERS. THE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF DASH WENT BLACK THEN AS I WAS DRIVING ALL THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS, OIL, ENGINE, DOOR OPEN, TIRE, ABS, BRAKE, BATTERY, STARTED GOING ON AND OFF, AND THE ANALOG SPEEDOMETER DIAL WOULD WOULD GO ALL THE UP AND ALL THE DOWN AND THEN GO BLACK. THIS IS VERY SCARY WHEN DRIVING, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TELL HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. IT HAS HAPPENED ON REGULAR SURFACE ROADS AND THE HIGHWAY. I WAS USING BLUETOOTH, WITH MY PHONE PLUGGED IN TO THE CAR LIGHTER THING AND A USB AND I HAD GOOGLE MAPS AND SPOTIFY GOING THROUGH MY CAR RADIO. THIS HAPPENED IN OCTOBER 2020 AND THE RADIO WAS REPLACED. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 30 2020. I RECORDED A VIDEO AT A CORNER NEAR MY WORK. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR DECEMBER 3. AT MY APPOINTMENT, I SHARED THE VIDEO WITH THE SERVICE PERSON TO PROVE I AM NOT A CRAZY, HYSTERICAL PERSON. THE SERVICE TECH COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE AND EVEN HAD THEIR TECH TALK TO GM ENGINEERING TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE. I GOT MY CAR BACK ON JANUARY 4, 2021, BUT IT WAS NOT FIXED. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR.
Official recalls
219V652000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
Sep 12, 2019
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 & remedy
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.
Remedy: 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.
19V312000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
Apr 18, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 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 & remedy
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.
Remedy: 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 June 14, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A182202370.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.