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 ↗2020 Chevrolet Trax electrical problems
severe Owners of the 2020 Chevrolet Trax have filed 16 NHTSA complaints about the electrical at roughly $850 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See electrical across all vehicles →
Complaints
16
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
| Model year | electrical complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 Trax | 18 |
| 2017 Trax | 15 |
| 2018 Trax | 15 |
| 2019 Trax | 22 |
| 2020 Trax (this page) | 16 |
| 2021 Trax | 6 |
| 2024 Trax | 55 |
1crash
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
Sixteen complaints center on the electrical system. The most common failure is the instrument cluster display blanking out or displaying a garbled snowy screen without warning. This happens intermittently from 30,000 to 88,000 miles, sometimes for years. Owners lose speedometer, mileage, and temperature readings while driving—a serious safety issue. One engine overheated and blew while the display was dark and no warning was visible. Dealership diagnostics have not identified the cause; one shop suspected an electrical short or fault module. A 2024 Trax was recalled for the same display problem.
Seat belts in at least two vehicles fail to stay latched during normal driving and hard braking. One passenger was thrown against the dash, and the OnStar system did not alert the driver.
Owners also report the dashboard and touch screen becoming too hot to touch—so hot in one case that plastic on the air vent nearby melted. One vehicle loses power entirely when the AC is turned on, forcing the driver to pull over and restart the engine.
Other reported issues include StabiliTrak and warning lights cycling on and off with no diagnostic codes appearing, radio screens going black and unresponsive, and CarPlay navigation drifting off route. Three separate shops could not diagnose the StabiliTrak issue.
Same Chevrolet Trax electrical reports on nearby years: 2017 · 2018 · 2019
Failure modes owners describe
Instrument cluster display failure
The driver information center and instrument cluster display intermittently goes black, garbled, displays white dots, or becomes snowy. Owners lose ability to monitor speed, mileage, oil pressure, temperature, and gear selection. Failures last from minutes to hours and recur unpredictably. One owner's engine overheated and blew while the display was out with no warning visible.
When: 30,000 to 88,000 miles; some ongoing for 1-3 years
Symptoms owners cite: Instrument cluster display goes black or completely blanks out; Display shows white dots or snowy/garbled screen; Loss of speedometer reading while driving; Unable to see gear selector information; Unable to monitor trip information and vehicle data; No warning lights or trouble codes present; Display intermittently returns to normal operation; Distracting while driving and safety concern
Repairs/costs cited: Dealership inspection ($222.79 for one diagnostic visit) indicated entire cluster replacement may be needed. One repair involved replacing the instrument cluster. Cause not determined by multiple mechanics; one mechanic suspected electric short or fault module.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: 2024 Chevy Trax was recalled for the same display issue citing safety concern. No TSB or service bulletins mentioned for 2020 model. GM received report but offered no further options.
Dashboard/infotainment screen overheating
The touch screen on the front dashboard and interior lights become so hot that owners cannot touch them. Part of the air vent next to the touch screen has melted from heat. Described as electrical issue. Concurrent with air conditioning power loss symptom.
When: During summer months; no specific mileage cited
Symptoms owners cite: Touch screen too hot to touch; Interior lights overheat; Air vent plastic next to touch screen has melted; Occurs during warmer seasons
Seat belt latch failure
Seat belts fail to remain latched during normal driving and braking. In at least one case, a passenger was slammed into the dash when the seat belt unlatched during hard braking. Owner reports seat belt unlatching without warning and no alert through OnStar system.
When: November 2023; June 2024 incident; ongoing
Symptoms owners cite: Seat belt will not stay latched; Unlatches during hard braking; Passenger-side front seat belt problematic; No warning alert when unlatched; OnStar system does not alert to seat belt failure
Repairs/costs cited: One owner reported issue covered under warranty
Engine power loss with air conditioning engaged
When air conditioner is turned on, the vehicle loses power and cannot accelerate normally. Owner reports having to increase RPMs to nearly 5000 to reach 30 mph. Only resolution is to pull over, turn off the engine, and restart without AC. Issue persists throughout warm months.
When: Spring/summer months; ongoing all summer long
Symptoms owners cite: No power when AC is on; Requires excessive RPM increase to reach normal speed; Difficulty maintaining speed with AC engaged; Issue recurs after engine restart with AC off
Repairs/costs cited: Owner suspects possibly a transmission issue
StabiliTrak and warning light malfunction
StabiliTrak and three other warning lights activate intermittently, causing loss of speed control and difficulty maneuvering. Lights come on and off inconsistently. Three separate shops cannot diagnose the root cause. No diagnostic codes are reproduced during testing.
When: No specific mileage or timing provided
Symptoms owners cite: StabiliTrak warning light on; Three other warning lights activate together; Loss of speed control when lights engage; Difficulty maneuvering vehicle; Lights turn on and off at random intervals; Issue worsens over time
Repairs/costs cited: Three shops unable to diagnose root cause; no warning codes present
Radio and infotainment system malfunction
Radio screen goes black and becomes unresponsive. Buttons will not function and radio will not turn off. In one case, after instrument cluster replacement, radio and backup camera failed to restore function. Back-up camera also fails concurrently.
When: June 2024; recurrent after 6 months
Symptoms owners cite: Radio screen goes black; Radio buttons unresponsive; Radio will not turn off; Backup camera stops functioning; Dashboard lights flicker on then off
Repairs/costs cited: One repair involved replacing instrument cluster; radio/backup camera issue recurred
CarPlay directional inaccuracy
Apple CarPlay and Google Maps provide inaccurate directions. Directional arrow drifts on map display and sends driver off route instead of direct navigation path.
When: No specific timing or mileage provided
Symptoms owners cite: CarPlay directional arrow drifts on map; Navigation sends driver off intended route; Issue persists with both Google Maps and Apple Maps; Problem occurs with both mapping applications
Synthesized from 16 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 6 most recent
Stabilitrak keeps coming on along with 3 other warning lights. I lose speed driving is off and it's hard to maneuver. Had 3 tests ran no response lights went off. then back on on a consistency that is getting annoying and now 3 shops can't diagnosis whats wrong. I don't have thousands to send to dealership for what was supposed to be a brand new car and this is driving like it's a 25 year old…
June 2024 all dashboard lights flickered on then went off, radio wouldn't turn on so dealership replaced the instrument cluster. Last night had to jump car off, the battery and alternator checked out fine. However, the radio/back up camera didn't come back on. This is the only car I have and now in the shop 2 tines in 6 months for the same thing.
The dashboard goes in and out with the screen, can't see mileage, speed, or etc control panel. The seat belt came unlatched in the process of slowing down, person was slammed into the dash. Nervous to drive the car with seatbelt delatching no message due to the dash being out, and no alerts through on star. Dash lights going out for about a month, seatbelt incident happened two days ago, still…
Since purchasing the vehicle brand new, the transmission went out at 30,000 miles (mostly the accelerator components), the water pump, motor, and fuel pump all went out around 90,000 miles. Have gotten all things fixed, but lights keep popping back up no matter what gets repaired. Excessive overheating—three signs light up on the dashboard: red thermometer indicating an overheating engine; check…
Radio screen goes black and no buttons will work nor the radio will not shut off
The driver information center in the cluster intermittently goes completely black or glitches while driving. It will go into all white dots, completely black out, or be garbled. You lose the ability to monitor your speed digitally and it causes issues with safety because it will change in and out at random times and you are forced to change your attention to the needle instead of focusing on the…
Had electrical trouble with your 2020 Chevrolet Trax?
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 2020 Chevrolet Trax?
It's a meaningful issue. 16 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $850.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Based on the 16 complaints filed, electrical issues most often appear around 59,000 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/2020/Chevrolet/Trax.
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.