2023 Chevrolet Colorado: What to check before buying

The digital instrument panel and infotainment screen go blank or restart while driving. Speed can disappear for up to a minute. Headlight controls sit inside that screen, so a frozen display can leave the lights unusable until the battery is disconnected. Batteries drain overnight, sometimes after a failed over-the-air update, and jump starts bring a string of warning lights. Many reports also describe false automatic emergency braking from highway speed, with one crash and 4 injuries. Several of those reports came after the front camera recall repair. Random alarms, false blind spot alerts, and a dead backup camera stuck waiting on a back-ordered harness round out the list.

The truck brakes hard on its own with nothing ahead, sometimes to a full stop from 40 to 75 mph. It happens on empty highways, in intersections, during turns, and with adaptive cruise control on. Several drivers were nearly rear-ended, one was sideswiped, and one was hurt. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault or say the system is working as designed, and some owners say the recall repair did not stop it. A few have switched the system off. Less often, the system stops warning at all, and a software update clears only the dash light.

Many of these reports describe the same false automatic braking: sudden stops on highways and in parking lots that leave seatbelt marks and sore necks, sometimes even after the recall software update. Separately, the brakes turn spongy at speed while a brake failure warning limits the truck to 60 mph. Rotors warp early, as soon as 17,000 miles, and the whole truck shakes under braking. Dealers often refuse to cover it. Other reports describe a front caliper that wore its pad to nothing, brakes locking while the truck was flat towed, and false brake pad monitor messages.

Upper radiator hoses leak where they connect to the radiator, and owners describe it as a widespread failure on these trucks. Coolant can spray onto a hot engine, and owners worry about fire or overheating. Other reports describe sudden power loss at highway speed. In one, the engine downshifted and shut off at 75 mph and needed a new fuel pump power control module. In another, the truck slowed from 70 to 30 mph with a misfire at 3,000 miles, and repeated dealer visits did not fix it. One oil leak after a recall repair left the dipstick dry.

Reports here cover the cooling system, the electronics, and the transmission. Low coolant flow codes come back even after a warranty coolant pump replacement, and the upper radiator hose leaks where it meets the radiator. Body control module faults knock out the locks, the windows, and the 4WD display, and dealers repeatedly find no fault. The transmission shifts hard between first and second on the first drive of the day, which dealers call normal. One transmission failed on the freeway. A crankshaft seal failed at 69,000 miles and drained the oil without turning on any warning light.

After a right turn, the left turn signal flashes on its own for a few seconds. This is the most common complaint in this category. It happens at any speed, and owners whose dealers replaced the turn signal switch say the problem remains. Other drivers can misread the false signal. With a trailer connected, the left signal may flash rapidly and fail the onboard trailer light test. Single reports describe an instrument panel that stays blank at startup and false braking under adaptive cruise control.

The same right-to-left turn signal fault shows up most often here. One dealer tried 3 times to fix it without success, and drivers report near collisions when others misread the signal. More serious reports pair heavy steering with weak brakes, along with "Service Power Steering" and "No Assist Soon" warnings. In one truck this happened twice, the second time at about 24,000 miles, and another owner linked it to an aging battery. A front suspension squeak at low speed continues even after the bushings were replaced.

The blind spot warning lights up with no vehicle nearby, often at night, and sometimes misses real cars. With lane assist on, a false alert can steer the truck back as the driver changes lanes. Some reports say both mirror lights stay on and the windows stop working. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault, and in one case a door sensor replacement did not help. Problems start early, within days of purchase or near 3,000 miles. Several owners also report sudden automatic braking to a full stop, including once at 75 mph.