Chevy Colorado's Common Problems (And How Much It Will Likely Cost To Fix)

Depending on who you ask, the Chevy Colorado is either a perfectly serviceable midsize truck, or a never-ending nightmare of technical issues. Hundreds of drivers have complained about a number of problems across a wide variety of models from 2005 up to 2023, and it's not always the same thing from year to year (or person to person).

It can also be difficult to know whether or not you can expect your Colorado to begin acting up because these problems don't crop up for everybody. The timing is also seemingly random, with some reporting issues within the first couple of months of ownership and others not encountering them for years (or thousands and thousands of miles). But if you do own a Colorado or are thinking about buying one, it's worth taking the possibility of these "quirks" into account. Maybe you'll never have any trouble, maybe your on-board computer will start displaying a multitude of warning messages out of the blue — ultimately, the decision is up to you.

With all of that said, here are some of the most commonly-reported problems drivers have encountered with the Colorado over the past several years, and how much you can expect to shell out to fix them if yours starts to act up. Though you might also want to look into your state's motor vehicle laws, as some could save you money or extend the length of your warranty.

One such problem several drivers have run into is a touchy transmission. The truck might rev but not change gears as quickly as it should, or manual shifting might not engage properly or stay in the gear you put it in. There are a number of factors that could create these problems, and how much it'll cost you really depends on what's gone wrong.

Your transmission fluid could be low or contaminated, in which case you can expect anywhere from $200 to $400 on your bill to change it out. A leak could cost you a bit more, from around $150 to over $1,000 depending on the situation.

Bigger problems like a buggy transmission control module aren't quite as hard on your wallet, though. You can try to reset it yourself for free (if you're certain you can do so properly), or pay a garage to do it for you for around $75 to $200. But if the transmission needs more extensive work, or a full replacement, then you're looking at something closer to $3,000 or more — possibly as high as $5,000.

A more serious issue involves the power steering system failing, which not only makes it far more difficult to turn but also puts your vehicle at risk for damage. It's also very unsafe in general to drive when your power steering is acting up as it makes responding to situations much slower, and runs the risk of everything locking up on you while you're on the road.

This particular issue doesn't appear to be common with all models of Colorado, however. It's been reported most often in the 2015 model, so if yours is older or newer you may not have to worry as much. Though, of course, that doesn't mean your truck (or any vehicle, for that matter) is immune to a power steering failure.

If your Colorado's power steering fails, slowly and carefully pull over immediately and assess the situation. You may have to call for a tow it to a garage for servicing due to the risks involved in driving it at that point. And once you do bring it in for repairs, you can expect to pay around $1,000 to $1,500 (or possibly more, depending) before you can safely take it back out on the road.

Not all of the Colorado's reported issues are tied to its mechanical elements, however. Many drivers also had to deal with a Check Engine light that would never shut off, across a variety of models. Sometimes it will light up if the truck is hauling anything up an incline, but other times there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it. Regardless, it's something that could cost over $2,000 to set right again.

Other times, the air conditioning could stop working for seemingly no reason — either entirely, or when set to a particular fan speed. This issue tends to crop up in several models from 2004 through 2012 after anywhere between 10,000 and 240,000+ miles. Thankfully it's one of the Colorado's easier and less expensive fixes, with an estimated part cost of around $70 to $80. Though that doesn't necessarily include the cost of labor if you take it in for repairs.

Even the CD player, which typically came with 2004 through 2012 Colorado models, has occasionally gone kaput after anywhere from around 5,000 up to 175,000 miles. It's something that could set you back between $80 and $100+ to take to a radio repair shop, but considering the age of the affected models it might be simpler to replace it outright with a new one.

Perhaps the most common issue found in the Chevy Colorado is the tendency for the engine to misfire (or backfire) — something that's been documented to impact models as old as 2004 and as new as 2016.

This issue can be a particularly tricky one to solve as there's more than one potential cause, so you'll first need to figure out exactly what's happening. This will likely require a diagnostic test, and that will probably cost about $90 to $100 or more, depending on the garage or mechanic. If it turns out to be the valve seats, you're looking at around a $300 to $400 bill — though there's also a chance it may require more than a basic replacement, in which case it'll likely cost more. But it could also be the cylinder head, which is a much more expensive repair that could cost $1,000 to $2,000 or more.

Keep in mind these estimates only pertain to the cost of repairing the problem causing the engine misfires. If said misfires have led to additional damage, that's a whole other (and varied) expense to take into consideration.