This service bulletin provides information on the proper Reflective High Temperature Heat and/or Insulating Tape to use for certain repairs, such as Wiring Harness Repairs.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2018 Chevrolet Colorado electrical problems
moderate 22 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $850 · see electrical across all vehicles →
Complaints
22
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
1fire
What stands out
No new NHTSA electrical complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 3 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering electrical on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other diagnostic methods to identify them.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and resolution information.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This service bulletin provides information to diagnose batteries that have set for a long period of time and/or cold weather climates and testing those batteries.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2018 Colorado electrical system is plagued by intermittent shutdowns. Owners report the engine cutting off without warning lights while driving at low speeds, turning, or parking lot crawling—some occurring 3+ times with no check engine codes. The vehicle restarts fine, but dealerships cannot duplicate the failures. Related issue: steering wheel sticks in turn position and refuses to center, requiring force.
Infotainment and gauge sensors are unreliable. Dashboards freeze mid-drive, backup cameras flash on at highway speeds, apple carplay won't connect, and displays show false destinations. The fuel gauge swings wildly (116 miles to 50 miles in minutes). Cooling fans stay on high after cold starts with temperature gauges going dark. One owner's backup camera display is stuck blue.
Ignition key sticks and won't turn to OFF or come out—owner had to restart the engine repeatedly or suffered dead battery. It's a weekly problem for some.
Wiring hazards are serious: harnesses melt against AC lines causing random faults, cruise cuts off without warning, and one truck caught fire near a rear car seat. AC lines chafe fuel lines creating fire risk. Cup holders drain directly onto electrical switches; one owner paid $632 for switch replacement.
Dealers often misdiagnose or say "nothing is wrong" despite confirmed failures. Chevrolet refuses warranty assistance on stalling and other issues, citing inability to reproduce—a cop-out when multiple owners describe identical patterns.
Same Chevrolet Colorado electrical reports on nearby years: 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2019
Failure modes owners describe
Engine stalling without warning
Engine shuts off without warning lights or audible cues during low-speed driving, turns, or acceleration. Radio and steering remain functional. Vehicle restarts normally. Dealerships unable to reproduce.
When: Intermittent, 3 months after purchase through multiple subsequent months; low-speed city driving, turns, parking lot operations
Symptoms owners cite: Engine cuts off without check engine light; No warning vibrations or noises; Dash goes dark; Radio continues to work; Steering wheel remains responsive; Restarts normally
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Chevrolet notified but stated unable to assist if dealership cannot duplicate problem
Steering wheel sticking in turn position
Steering wheel catches and sticks after turning right, requiring force to return to center position. Occurs almost daily.
When: Starting 3 months after purchase; happening almost daily
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel catches in turn position; Wheel catches after turning right; Requires force to return to center
Cup holder liquid intrusion into electrical switches
Dual cup holders next to shifter are poorly sealed and drain directly onto exposed electrical DIP switches for transmission shifting. Any spill or drip flows into the switches.
When: Design issue from new
Symptoms owners cite: Liquid leaks from cup holders onto electrical switches; Rubber reservoir does not contain liquid; Hard plastic container has drainage holes leading to electrical switches
Repairs/costs cited: Electrical switch replacement cost $632
Cooling fan staying on high speed with inoperative temperature gauge
Cooling fan kicks to high speed immediately upon cold start and remains high even after engine shuts off. Temperature gauge becomes inoperative during episodes. Pattern is intermittent.
When: Cold morning start, intermittent thereafter
Symptoms owners cite: Cooling fan kicks to high immediately after cold start; Fan remains on high for several minutes after engine off; Temperature gauge inoperative during episodes; Normal radiator hose temps and cab heat delivery; Intermittent normal function between episodes
Codes mentioned: Thermostat problem code
Repairs/costs cited: Thermostat and housing replaced 2/15/21; problem recurred several days later
Multiple sensor malfunctions
Wheel speed sensors, fuel level sensor, and temperature sensors provide inaccurate readings. Fuel gauge shows wildly inconsistent values. Vehicle does not alert to overheating despite low coolant.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Wheel speed sensors not functioning correctly; Fuel level sensor erratic (shows 116 miles then 50 miles minutes later); Temperature gauge not warning of overheating; Temperature gauge becomes inoperative intermittently
Ignition key stuck in ignition
Ignition key cannot be turned to OFF position and cannot be removed from steering column. Key turns to ACC (position 1) but not to OFF (position 0). Requires multiple restart cycles to release key.
When: Intermittent, occurring several times
Symptoms owners cite: Key cannot turn to OFF position; Key cannot be removed from column; Key stuck in ACC position; Requires multiple engine restart cycles to release
Repairs/costs cited: One incident resulted in battery drain and need for jump start after key left in position 1 for several hours
Transmission enters limp mode with low oil pressure codes
Transmission enters limp mode intermittently during driving with fault codes indicating low oil pressure in solenoid valve circuit. Restricts acceleration and requires engine shutdown and restart to reset.
When: Occurs during city and freeway driving, especially with acceleration or on/off ramp transitions
Symptoms owners cite: Transmission enters limp mode; Low oil pressure message displayed; Sudden downshifts startle driver; Requires shutdown and restart to reset
Codes mentioned: P2738 Pressure Control Solenoid Valve 6 Control Circuit Low Voltage, P0700 MIL Request From TCM
Wiring harness chafing and melting
Wiring harness touches air conditioning condenser line. AC heat melts harness insulation causing random electrical faults, loss of cruise control, and unexpected downshifts. Fire hazard present.
When: During air conditioning use
Symptoms owners cite: Random electrical alarms triggered; Cruise control cuts off randomly; Sudden downshifts occur; Wires visibly melted; Fire hazard condition
Repairs/costs cited: Wires rewired but not permanently fixed; may need new wiring harness
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: GMC bulletin exists for wire harness chafing issue
Complete electrical shutdown while driving
All electrical systems shut off simultaneously while idling in drive gear, similar to turning off the ignition key. No warning lights. Vehicle restarts normally.
When: Intermittent, occurs 3+ times during low-speed parking lot driving
Symptoms owners cite: All lights shut off; AC shuts off; Radio shuts off; Engine shuts off; No warning lights before shutdown; Vehicle restarts fine
AC line chafing through fuel line and wiring harness
AC lines near driver-side wheel well chafe through fuel line and electrical wiring harness. Creates potential fire hazard and leaves vehicle stranded.
When: Identified at 3+ years of ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Fuel line chafed through; Wiring harness chafed through; Hundreds to thousands in damage; No warning indicators before failure
Repairs/costs cited: Dealership misdiagnosed issue twice before identifying it; damage estimated several thousand dollars
Backup camera display brightness uncontrollable at night
Backup camera display automatically goes to full brightness when vehicle is in reverse and cannot be dimmed with interior brightness control knob. Severely impairs night visibility and mirror usability.
When: Occurs every time vehicle is in reverse
Symptoms owners cite: Backup display switches to full brightness in reverse; Brightness control knob has no effect on backup display; Passenger side mirror becomes unusable at night; Almost caused accidents when backing up
Electrical fire in rear seat area
Seat area where rear-facing infant car seat was installed began smoking while driving, then flames erupted. Fire department identified as electrical fire. No seat warmers present on rear seats.
When: During normal city street driving
Symptoms owners cite: Burned plastic smell detected; Smoke began coming from seat area; Flames ignited from behind seat; Fire department confirmed electrical origin
MyLink display system malfunctions
Infotainment system displays various errors including unexpected camera activation, call hold-ups, and false navigation directions. Issues are intermittent but recurring and cause driver distraction.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Backup camera flashes on at highway speeds; Hands-free calls put on hold; Navigation shows random inaccurate destinations; Screen flashing and unreliable
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer verified issues but could not perform timely diagnostics
Dashboard display language in foreign language with lock-out
All dash displays, warning messages, and gauges are in foreign language instead of English on US-market vehicle. Display is also frozen/locked and cannot be accessed. Reset does not resolve.
When: From purchase on
Symptoms owners cite: All displays in foreign language; Cannot read warnings or vital messages; Screen locked and frozen; Cannot change settings
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer (Valmark) quotes $100-200 for diagnosis and $2000 for replacement; Chevy states diagnosis fee is dealer-determined and customer responsibility; forum reports indicate this is common problem Chevy will not repair
Dimmer switch failure
Dimmer switch does not activate while vehicle is in motion. Interior lights remain bright and impair vision at night; instrument panel remains too dim during daytime.
When: Early in ownership, diagnosed at approximately 50 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Interior lights stay bright and impair night vision; Instrument panel too dim in daytime; Dimmer switch does not respond
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Diagnosed as short in computer system; manufacturer notified and did not assist; vehicle not repaired
Dashboard controls freezing
Dashboard control buttons and touchscreen freeze and become unresponsive intermittently. Only way to restore function is to pull over and shut vehicle off and on again.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Dashboard buttons freeze; Touchscreen becomes unresponsive; Requires shutdown and restart to reset
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer states nothing is wrong with vehicle despite repeated freezing incidents
Touchscreen unresponsiveness and erratic behavior
Touchscreen does not respond to inputs and Apple CarPlay will not connect. Screen randomly taps apps, puts calls on hold, and flips pages on its own. Backup camera turns on unprompted while driving.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Touchscreen not responsive; Apple CarPlay unavailable; Random app activation; Calls put on hold unexpectedly; Pages flip on their own; Backup camera activates while driving at highway speeds
Right front passenger door intermittent lock/unlock
Right front passenger door locks and unlocks unpredictably independent of driver input.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Door locks when it should not; Door unlocks when it should not
Vehicle continuously unlocking itself
Vehicle unlocks itself repeatedly, even while moving.
When: Intermittent throughout ownership
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle unlocks itself without input; Occurs even while vehicle is in motion
Engine choking on acceleration
Engine hesitates and chokes when driver accelerates.
When: Intermittent during acceleration
Symptoms owners cite: Engine chokes up when accelerating
Backup camera display blue instead of showing feed
When vehicle is put in reverse, backup camera display shows only blue color instead of camera feed.
When: When in reverse
Symptoms owners cite: Backup camera display is blue
Synthesized from 22 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 2 most recent
A/c lines near driver side wheel well has chafed through fuel line and wire harness.Causing a couple thousand dollars in damage.Nor warning indicators leading up to either incidents. My chevy dealership mis diagnosed it twice and has now found the issue. Fuel lines leak can cause fires and as far as the electrical issue I've been left stranded with my 3 year old daughter a couple of times..Have…
Electrical problems with Chevrolet Mylink display. A variety of errors include backup camera flashing on at highway speeds, hands free phone calls put on hold, navigation screen flashing random inaccurate destinations. These distractions impair safe operation of the vehicle. Dealer verified issues but could not perform diagnostics on a timely basis. Issues continue.
Had electrical trouble with your 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the electrical problem on the 2018 Chevrolet Colorado?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 22 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $850 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Based on the 22 complaints filed, electrical issues most often appear around 63,425 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to electrical?
No active recalls currently cover electrical issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/Chevrolet/Colorado.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.