Skip to main content

The 1 Annoying Chevy Colorado Problem Drivers Still Can’t Figure Out

If you’re in the market for a used pickup truck, you may want to think twice before you invest in a 2015 Chevy Colorado. The Chevy Colorado is a midsized pickup truck that was marketed to have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds while still achieving an impressive mileage of up to 20 MPG in …

If you’re in the market for a used pickup truck, you may want to think twice before you invest in a 2015 Chevy Colorado. The Chevy Colorado is a midsized pickup truck that was marketed to have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds while still achieving an impressive mileage of up to 20 MPG in the city and 27 MPG on highways.

The 2015 Colorado was built with two engine options, including a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 200 hp, and a 3.6-liter V6 with 305 hp. The six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive packages were offered as standard with an available six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive being very popular options. But, it wasn’t long before the concerning Chevy Colorado problems and reviews of annoying experiences began to appear, and the 2015 Chevy Colorado became one of the worst pickup trucks of 2015.

The No. 1 most annoying Chevy Colorado problem

The Chevy Colorado at the Annual Chicago Auto Show
The Chevy Colorado | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

There were some 2015 Chevy Colorado problems that are pretty significant, but this one problem was certainly the most annoying of all. So, what do you do when your car is running, and you can’t turn the ignition key to switch the car off? And furthermore, if you do manage to turn the ignition to the off position, with the 2015 Chevy Colorado, hundreds of consumers report that it was impossible to remove the key out of the ignition switch.

This problem brought a flood of complaints to Chevy dealerships across the nation. The response from corporate was typically to take the car – if still under warranty – to your nearest Chevy dealer for repair. The Chevy service departments proceeded to clean ignition switches; some repairs eventually resulted in replacing the entire key ignition system. But, for many, these were only temporary fixes. As it turns out, the problem was due to the smart electrical system not releasing the key lock.

Loss of power steering

Some Chevy Colorado owners in 2015 were facing a sudden loss of power steering. This can be a frightening event if you’re on a congested street or attempting to turn a corner and all of a sudden it takes Herculean effort to turn your steering wheel. For many Chevy Colorado owners, they eventually had to submit to a total replacement of the power steering rack. 

Today’s rack and pinion steering systems incorporate a power steering unit that requires the pressure of hydraulics (your power steering fluid) for easy and quick steering wheel handling. If your car’s steering becomes extremely tight and hard to turn, it is typically a symptom of a steering rack or gearbox problem.

A sluggish transmission

There were also a number of complaints that the 2015 Chevy Colorado exhibited a sluggish transmission which is often characterized by shift delays. There seems to have been a significant trend of transmission problems at around 10,000 miles of driving. The solution for some Chevy owners was a Trifecta tune, which is an aftermarket recalibration that introduces new coding into the car’s electronics systems. 

If you own a second-hand Chevy Colorado that was built for the 2015 model year, you may experience chugging and hesitation issues. This seems to happen most often when going uphill or stopping and starting after traffic lights. Refer to the Chevy service bulletin update #18-NA-145 which addresses the Chevy’s shake and/or shudder during light throttle acceleration between 25 and 80 MPH.

And finally, the 2015 Chevy Colorado has been notorious for intermittent engine stalls along with a rough idle at around 1000 RPMs that can cause the truck to vibrate. With these types of Chevy Colorado problems that include the ignition, engine, and transmission, you may find used 2015 Chevy Colorado pickup trucks at an excellent price, but our advice is – buyer, beware!