Got a Chevy Colorado that isn't worth fixing?

The model year matters before you sell. A 2015 may still have an open steering recall. A 2016 with the same symptom has none. A 2023 may be due a free camera software update for emergency braking that fires at nothing.

Three trucks and a two-year gap

• 2004-2012, built in Shreveport, Louisiana. Through 2006 it had a 2.8-liter four or a 3.5-liter five-cylinder. From 2007 those grew to 2.9 and 3.7 liters, and a 5.3 V8 joined for 2009-2012. Gearboxes were an Aisin five-speed manual or the four-speed 4L60-E.
• No 2013 or 2014 was sold in the US. Shreveport stopped building it in August 2012.
• 2015-2022, built in Wentzville, Missouri. It launched with a 2.5 four and a 3.6 V6. A 2.8 Duramax turbodiesel came for 2016, a first for its class in the US. Automatics were the six-speed 6L50 and the 8L45 eight-speed; the manual left during the 2019 model year.
• 2023 on, still Wentzville. Crew cab only, with a 2.7-liter turbo four and the 8L80 eight-speed.

The first trucks: brake lights, frames and wiring

The 2004 and 2005 are the most complained-about first-generation years, at 361 and 356. The electrical system leads most early years, and the brake lamp switch is the best-documented fault. Recall 06V139 says the switch on 2004-2006 trucks could fail and leave the brake lamps dark or stuck on, and knock out cruise control. It covered 404,733 GM pickups. A second campaign, 09V310, reached 2004-2009 Colorado, GMC Canyon and Isuzu pickups that were sold new in, or are registered in, certain listed states: 185,903 trucks in all.

Rust and brakes show up too. The 2004 has 53 complaints about structure, and one owner said a mechanic found the frame too rotted to drive. The 2005 has 59 hydraulic brake complaints; one describes the ABS engaging on warm, dry pavement and the truck failing to stop.

Later first-gen trucks picked up smaller recalls. Recall 12V594 covers 2010-2012 Colorado and Canyon trucks, 118,800 of them, that may lack the secondary hood latch. GM also ran two coverage programs here. Special coverage 15111 dealt with 2012 trucks with the 2.9 or 3.7 and the 4L60E that lit the check-engine lamp and shifted hard from first to second. Dealers swapped the transmission wiring harness only if they found code P0741. Program 14582 covered a throttle position sensor on 2008-2012 trucks that could cause rough running and reduced power. Each lasted a decade or 120,000 miles, so nearly every truck has aged out.

2015 and 2016: steering assist that quits

These two years hold 1,200 complaints, and 686 of them name steering: 290 on the 2015 and 396 on the 2016. Owners describe the assist vanishing at speed. One 2016 driver lost it at 70 mph and got it back only by pulling over and restarting.

GM recalled the 2015 twice for a poor electrical connection inside the steering gear. Recall 16V054 covered trucks built from January 6 to March 17, 2015, and 21V213 later took in 60,681 2015 Colorado and Canyon trucks for the same kind of fault. In both, dealers replace the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly. NHTSA's file has no steering recall for the 2016.

Early 2015 builds also drew three more recalls, each shared with the Canyon: leaking front brake calipers (15V278), seat-frame hooks not fastened to the body (15V267) and miswired driver air bag connections (14V645).

2017-2020: shifting, shudder and a diesel harness

Power train tops the complaint list each year from 2017 to 2020, with 92, 66, 57 and 30 complaints. One 2017 owner described a hard shift at low speed and a shudder on the highway. GM's preliminary note PIP5747 covers some 2017 trucks with the M5T automatic that develop a harsh 5-4 downshift and 1-2 upshift when hot after about 25,000 miles, and says engineering did not yet know why. GM-wide bulletin 16-NA-175, titled "Shake and/or Shudder During Light Throttle Acceleration Between 25 and 80 MPH," is written by transmission, not by model: 2015-2017 GM cars and trucks with the 8L90 or the 8L45, which is the Colorado's eight-speed. Repairs under it fall to normal powertrain coverage. Neither adds warranty time, and no recall exists.

On 2016-2022 diesels, bulletin 22-NA-003 lists warning lamps, DEF messages, no-starts and rough running from a chafed engine harness or a connector not fully seated.

2023 on: brakes that fire at nothing

Recall 24V133 covers 55,755 2023 Colorado and Canyon trucks whose front camera can see an obstacle that isn't there and set off the automatic emergency brakes. Dealers update the camera software. One 2023 owner reported the brakes engaging several times with nothing ahead. On the 2024, recall 24V491 checks a fuel pump lock ring that may not be fully seated on 8,622 Colorado and Canyon trucks.

Colorado complaints and recalls, year by year

From NHTSA's flat files, October 10, 2026. Grouped rows count a recall once.

Worth fixing, or time to sell?

1. Check the VIN with NHTSA's recall search. On a 2015 that loses steering, the recall repair costs you nothing.
2. Shudder or hard shifts on a 2017-2020? Ask a transmission shop for a written price and hold it against the going rate for the same truck in running shape. The bad transmission guide covers the symptoms.
3. Frame rot on a 2004-2012? A rotted frame can fail inspection on its own. See failed inspection before you spend on anything else.
4. Not sure what it's worth broken? What a junk car is worth lists what moves an offer.

Selling your Colorado whole

1. Write down the VIN, mileage, engine, cab style and what's wrong.
2. Ask for an offer online, or phone (877) 421-6008.
3. Where is it? A driveway, the street, a back field, a mechanic's lot. Add whether it rolls and steers.
4. Leave it complete, bed, wheels and catalytic converter included. Say what's already gone.
5. When the tow truck shows up, keep the title, keys and your ID within reach. After you sell explains plates and insurance by state.

No title? Read selling without a title first. Other Chevy pickups: the S-10, the Silverado 1500 and the full Chevrolet list.