2011 Chevrolet Colorado Engine Problems

Your vehicle's security system (PassLock) occasionally fails to recognize your key, preventing the engine from starting and triggering a security warning light on the dashboard. When this happens, you need to turn the ignition off and on and wait about 10 minutes before the vehicle will start again — but the problem returns unpredictably. This can be inconvenient and dangerous if you need to start your car in an emergency. The fix typically involves replacing the ignition lock housing, replacing the ignition key, and reprogramming the new key.

Your 2011 Chevrolet Colorado wouldn't start while parked. The dealer diagnosed that the timing belt had stretched, which prevented the engine from starting properly. They installed a new starter to fix the issue. This happened at 77,306 miles.

15% OF THE TIME MY 2011 CHEVY COLORADO WILL NOT TURN OVER. IT IS COMPLETELY SPORADIC. SOMETIMES IT WON'T START FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, MAKING ME LATE TO WORK. SOMETIMES, I GET ALL THE WAY TO MY DESTINATION, OR TO A GAS STATION AND WHEN I TURN THE TRUCK OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON IT WON'T TURN OVER. EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE, MY RADIO, MY AIR CONDITIONING, ALL MY LIGHTS FUNCTION JUST AS THEY SHOULD BUT MY MOTOR WILL NOT TURN OVER. THERE ARE NO CLICKING NOISES, OR OTHER STARTING NOISES WHEN I TRY TO TURN THE KEY. I HAVE SAT AND TRIED TO START THE CAR 5-100 TIMES, NOTHING. I THOUGHT MAYBE IS WAS USER ERROR, NOPE. NOTHING I HAVE DONE WILL START MY TRUCK. AFTER WAITING 20 MINUTES TO AN HOUR IF I TRY TO START IT, IT STARTS RIGHT UP LIKE THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS ISSUES. I WORK IN ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN AMERICA. MY BIGGEST FEAR IS HAVING AN UNRELIABLE VEHICLE. I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 9 DIFFERENT TIMES. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK FOR 6 MONTHS, AND IT HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 7 WEEKS NON-CONSECUTIVELY. WHEN I BRING MY TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TELL ME THAT THEY CAN NOT "RECREATE THE PROBLEM" WHICH MAKES ME BELIEVE THEY DO NOT CARE TO RECREATE IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE HAD IT FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS, THEN THE SECOND I GET IT BACK IT IS STILL NOT STARTING 100% OF THE TIME. I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND I HAVE COME ACROSS MANY STORIES SIMILAR TO MINE. THEY ALSO ALL SAY THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. I HAVE GOTTEN THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU INVOLVED IN MY CASE, AND I AM DREADING CONTACTING AN ATTORNEY JUST BECAUSE I LOVE GM. I WILL NEVER BUY A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT GM. I JUST NEED A RELIABLE TRUCK. *TR

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2012 I WAS DRIVING ON A CLEAN, DRY, STRAIGHT, AND LEVEL ROAD AT 35MPH. I WAS NOT ACCELERATING, BRAKING, OR CORNERING. THE ALARM BELL RANG AND THE DASH BOARD DISPLAY INDICATED "TRACTION FAULT, REDUCED POWER, SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM". THE VEHICLE DRAMATICALLY REDUCED IT'S ENGINE POWER TO THE POINT IT COULD NOT BE SAFELY OPERATED IN TRAFFIC. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCELERATE WITH TRAFFIC, MERGE, OR MAKE A LEFT TURN. I WAS ABOUT 3 MILES FROM THE DEALER. I DROVE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT RIGHT AWAY. THEY TOLD ME I HAD NO APPOINTMENT SO THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT IT. I GOT THE NEXT AVAILABLE APPOINTMENT TWO DAYS LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN FROM THE TIME OF THE ALARM UNTIL THE TIME OF THE APPOINTMENT. ON FEBRUARY 16TH I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND IT OPERATED AT FULL POWER. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS OR ALARMS. THE DEALER SAID THE COMPUTER HAD A HISTORY OF SOMETHING BUT DID NOT RETAIN THE DETAILS. THEY SAID GENERAL MOTORS WARRANTY POLICY WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A SPECIFIC TROUBLE CODE THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO MINIMIZE THE WARRANTY EXPENSE. I INFORMED THEM THAT THEY MADE ME LEAVE TWO DAYS PRIOR WHEN IT WAS OPERATING UNDER REDUCED POWER AND SHOWING ALARM DETAILS IN THE DASH DISPLAY. THEY SHOULD HAVE DIAGNOSED AND/OR FIXED IT THEN. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT THE VEHICLE CREATES A SAFETY ISSUE BY REDUCING ENGINE POWER WHEN THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. IT IS EQUALLY UNACCEPTABLE THAT AN ISSUE SERIOUS ENOUGH TO CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER IS NOT RETAINED BY THE COMPUTER SO IT CAN BE DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THIS IS LIKELY TO CAUSE A VEHICLE ACCIDENT WHERE SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED OR WORSE. THEY DID TELL ME THAT IF I PAID FOR THE EXTRA COST ONSTAR SYSTEM IT COULD HAVE GIVEN THE DETAILS ON THE PROBLEM. IF THE VEHICLE REQUIRES ONSTAR TO SAFELY OPERATE, IT NEEDS TO BE A FREE SERVICE. *TR