The Chevy Trax is among the least satisfying vehicles to own, according to a new study from Consumer Reports.
CR recently put out a report entitled “10 Least Satisfying Cars, According to Consumer Reports,” which ranks new vehicles based on the average degree of owner satisfaction reported by its readers. CR also used its own road test and reported reliability scores when deciding where to rank vehicles on the list.
This study indicates the Chevy Trax is the third least satisfying vehicle to own, behind only the Ford EcoSport and Toyota C-HR. While the Chevy Trax has decent reliability ratings, per CR’s data, owners report a less-than-stellar driving experience and substandard ride comfort, along with poor value for money and lackluster exterior styling. Only 37 percent of Chevy Trax owners say they’d purchase the same vehicle again, compared to 64 percent of Volvo XC40 owners – the best-performing model in the subcompact crossover segment. Owner satisfaction remains low across all Chevy Trax model years CR has data for, which includes the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 model years.
Small crossovers feature prominently on CR’s list of the least satisfying vehicles to own. Of the ten vehicles on the list, eight of them are subcompact or compact crossovers. This includes the Cadillac XT4, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, Infiniti QX50, Nissan Rogue Sport and the aforementioned Trax, EcoSport and C-HR. The Kia Forte and Infiniti Q50 sedans are the only exceptions. Poor ride comfort and value for money are often cited as reasons owners did not enjoy their subcompact crossover.
Chevy Trax sales totalled 6,259 units in Q3 2021, a decrease of about 79 percent year-over-year. This decrease was mainly due to inventory shortages as a result of the ongoing global semiconductor microchip shortage. The Trax also has internal competition from the Chevy Trailblazer, which is more up-to-date and solves many of the issues owners had with the ageing Trax – including exterior and interior styling and overall refinement.
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Comments
How can an owner complain about the exterior styling? Didn’t they see it before they bought it?
Consumer Reports… LMAO.
You must be a hater because they criticized a gm vehicle. Fan girl much?
Definitely a hater
Owner of 2016 Trax
Could not make it through a winter. Totally unreliable car. Wish we had lemon law in Canada. Insulting offer from Chev when we decided enough was enough. We are a family of Chev owners 8 new cars over our lifetime.
Bigger screen would move it to most satisfying to own.
What’s up with gmauthoritys obsession with Consumers Reports?
I know, I don’t even look at em even if they recommend a GM vehicle
Could it also possibly be, that those buyers bought a vehicle to fit in with the crowd, and then become disappointed there are hundreds w/ the same color in their region? 😂
Just because there’s a trend, doesn’t mean you should always follow it. Just look at this 90’s clothing trend. Hard pass
Is mask wearing a trend we should follow? Or testing for covid when 100% asymptomatic?
In all fairness, the article did make the interesting distinction that Trax owners appeared to be more unsatisfied with human factors such as driving experience and styling rather than with problems of build quality.
Styling – that’s an interesting one. You’d think styling would be something a prospective buyer would weed out prior to purchase. That says purchasers perhaps bought regardless of looks in order to fill a functional need, or maybe they put up with a homely car to obtain reliability.
Just today I was riding with a friend who said, “Who would buy that?,” pointing at an eggshell white Chrysler Pacifica which in all honesty is no paragon of style. I replied, maybe someone who needs a lot of rolling space.
Ha I own a Trax 2017 to be exact. I was satisfied until my mileage scheduled maintenance of my Trans came up. The dealer won’t even do the recommended maintenance. They told me once they open the trans it’s all downhill from there. So now it’s chugging and I have to drive it til it breaks down or I just get something else. Semi heartbreaking because I’m a chevy girl
If you have high mileage on the car maybe that’s why they won’t touch it and be responsible.
Actually Sir I have made Every scheduled maintenance…. Mileage has Nothing to do with it. . It’s is a sealed transmission that was made subpar One of the things I found out after my purchase. My own fault. GM is aware of the problem and has since changed the type or transmissions in the newer model.
call GM file a complaint about the problem or tell the dealer to do the service if they run to trouble file a case and get GM to pick the repair cost or at the least. I have done it twice on two cars first they paid thousands to fix it after I paid thousands got almost all the engine seals replaced on 13 year old car. Just got to pay half to repaint my hood cause chips on my 16 Malibu. They will help you!!
Style is relative…to tastes and over time. Someone who bought a 2016 Trax, and then saw what competitors subsequently put on the road realize they like the others’ even better…as for the Pacifica, there are many who think it’s not only the most stylish mini, but also a pretty stylish vehicle in its own right. Again, not everyone thinks alike…
I own a 2018 TRAX and would never buy it again. Basically it is too small. CHEVY SHOULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT. It is an Equinox shortened. The back seat folds and everything in the front becomes uncomfortable. It is a little piece of ….
I have a 2020 Chevy Trax Premier and I’ love my car, perfect for me
I had one as a loner car for a few days. It was fun to drive and peppy enough. Just a tad loud on the highway but I’m coming from a Cadillac.
Did the car shrink after you bought it?
Honey I shrunk the car.
Who do you have to blame besides yourself? Why would you buy a vehicle that’s too small for your needs?
ALICE L SCHAAF that’s your fault for buying to small a vehicle not GM’s fault for selling it to people who actually like the Trax! I mean how can you people impulse buy ANY VEHICLE without first saying to yourself on the test drive… Ummm yeah this vehicle is to SMALL or I really DON’T LOVE the styling. And on a last not the CHEVY TRAX IS IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM RELATED TO ANY YEARS OF THE CHEVY EQUINOX… Trust me I own a 2010 Chevy Equinox LTZ V6 and it’s a much nicer vehicle then ANY TRAX! Then again… YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
I have a 2014 trax there is paint peeling off and lots of rattling. Typical gm low quality. This is the last new gm I will ever buy.
I had a rental with over 60K miles and it was as solid as my Cadillac!
Good post john. Thanks for sharing. When you are out looking for your 98.00 biweekly payment at Lexus, please let us know which one best fit your budget. Let me guess, you are a TB12 hater as well. Haters gonna hate!!
call GM they pay for the paint if it is a defect sounds like it to me just paid half to repaint the hood on my 2016 Malibu.
I inherited a 2016 tracks and it bothered me whenever I stopped the car the air conditioner would stop blowing cold air. Going down the road it blew like normal but every time I had the car not moving the AC would not get cold at all as a matter of fact I had it overheating waiting at a fast food restaurant. I really guess buyer beware means everything.
Buyer beware? You paid 0. How about putting a little money into that free car.
“2016 tracks”? WOW, you don’t even know the name of the car you drive??
The Trax has a Trailblazer problem today.
🥱 YAWN 🥱…. Just another boring Consumer Reports review. I will stick with motor trend, car and driver, and road&track … At least they test based on real world testing not some Joe home owners who probably don’t even know how to change the oil 😂 lol.
So they bought a Trax(way too small for me with today’s idiot drivers) and expected it to ride like a Tahoe, no sympathy. A “sealed” transmission. What, they repurposed it from a lawn tractor? Sometimes I think CR is just full of it.
I never trust Consumer Reports car reviews – they seem so arbitrary… I had a 2021 TRAX as a loaner, and – granted- a new car doesn’t have the problems that show up later – but it seemed certainly ok for a subcompact and the mileage was acceptable.
The worst CHEVY I ever drove was the Chevy Monza… I had thought my stripped, used 1967 Chevy Camaro was the most uncomfortable car that I’ve ever driven – but the Monza was much worse, something I thought was impossible… The TRAX is fantastic in comparison with those cars.
We have a 2015 Trax we bought new. In 80K miles, it has only needed a new water pump and routine maintenance. Still averages 28 mpg with all wheel drive. Plenty of power and comfort. It is a little car, but we knew that when we got it. I would certainly buy another Trax!
I notice a lot of people call them Trax
“TRACKS” and say it proud. I have a Trax and I work at a place called TRACC and some people say I see you got a”TRACC”. Why is it so hard to say “TRAX” smh
I own a 2014 Trax. All was peachy until repairs needed to happen. I only have 130k km’s on it. Oil pan is leaking 1200$… Wiper motor stopped working 400$… Check engine line diagnostic 160$, led to Cracked intake manifold 860$… Replace valve cover gasket 1200$… Reseal turbo 1900$… Water outlet housing 380$
Time to get rid of this pos…
Man, some of the responses are vicious. I have a 2020 Trax, and I purposely bought it because it was smaller than my Pick-Up. It’s perfect for the city. It handles the snow perfectly, and for the most part, it’s just myself in it. I have no problems with 3 people in it. But the back/storage is a bit small. But what did I expect? Like I said, it’s perfect for two people. My only real complaint, that you don’t realize on a test drive, is that the passenger seats are a bit stiff. So, not good for trips over 3 or 4 hours. Other than that, I absolutely love it. And when I stop loving it, off it goes!
Before buying, make sure to research the issues with the chevy Sonic. I wish I’d done this before my purchase.
There will be a very good chance any Trax will have the same common issues.
I had an Aveo for 15 years and had not one problem with it. I would talk to other owners who absolutely hated it, but that thing was so reliable. I know there are lemons or inherent issues with every vehicle. I’ve had mine for 2-years and 23k miles, with no problems so far! ::knock on wood:::
I have a 2020 bought it new . I love it and would buy another one , great gas mileage , roomy , lacks back space .
Great car. I absolutely love it