Today (Oct. 5, 2024) my chevy trax ls gave out. Heard a loud pop and smoke behind me. Immediately pulled over. Turned on my hard lights. Looked under the suv. Smoke and liquid. I thought a fire was going to start. I got my family out. Turns out the liquid is oil so my motor is shoot. Just my luck as towing is closed near me and the nearest dealership to me. SMH! BTW I am over 2 hours from home. My car is near 35,500. I got my car near February of 2024 with just 18 miles on it.

 

 

General Motors approved my buy back - cant wait until the lemon Trax is a distant memory

 

Were you still under warranty

 

I have about 3,900 miles currently. I wonder when my 24 1RS is gonna go bye bye. 🚓🚓🚓🚓

 

Have you changed your driving style any. The service manager recommended on 1st start in the morning or after it sits parked say as a grocery store awhile to allow the engine to idle for about 30 seconds before leaving ... then upon the homeward trip for at least the last 1/2 to 3/4 mile drive at about 30 to 35 mph. This allows the 1.2 engine to properly warm up (along with the turbo) and the coolant to get closer to the operating temps. On the homeward leg (1/2 to 3/4 mile) running slower allows both the engine an turbo (turbo is always going to be very hot) to cool down. Also it's recommended to check the battery cables an make sure they are tight as needs to be. Two last things ... don't drive it like you stole it, master the art of the slow start/stop and do whenever you can ... and always switch off the auto start/stop feature as if you drive where you start/stop a lot inside of say a 10 mile run the battery won't charge enough, then electric issues crop up like "Phone Connectivity" as the cars main CPU processor will turn off anything not needed to try an keep the engine running. One of our boys has a '20 Chevy Spark for a work car with the very same 1.2 Turbo engine ... close to 80,000 miles on the clock. Only thing we've done extra to the car is use Mobile 1 full synthetic motor oil and Mobile 1 oil filter ... and an approved GM ready to use collant ... oil changes every 7,000 miles, be bought the car new and puts about 90 miles a day on it for driving back an forth to work, he bought the car new his other car a 2002 Dale Earnhardt edition Monte Carlo he also bought new, not quite 10,000 miles on it.

 

The trax has a wet timing belt, its bathed in oil. Wont hold up like a timing chain or external belt. There are issues with wet timing belts, not just on chevy. The 1.3 turbo has a timing chain, better choice engine. I would not myself buy a wet timing belt engine equipped vehicle. The wet timing belt engine is cheaper to make, but questionable long term reliability.

 

Here's a answer to the wet timing belt ... don't use a synthetic blend motor oil or reg oil. My son's '20 Spark (commuter car) has the same 1.2 Turbo. We're a Mobile 1 Full Synthetic Family. Mobile 1 oil will protect the timing belt and get you to that 100,000 mile time frame before changing. His Spark ha over 80,000 miles on the clock (close to 85K) and don't leak nor use a drop of oil, as a daily commuter car he put about 90 miles a day on the car be bought new. The full synthetic also protects the turbo as well, and always have used an approved coolant ... on the motor oil my second choice would be the Castrol Full Synthetic, also remember to use a oil filter approved for full synthetics, they cost about 50 cents more ($5) for the Napa store brand which is a Purelator in disguise. The Chevrolet dealership Service Manager recommended this and said it would help, he is right. We change the oil at 7,000 intervals in our farm shop, cost to change the oil is about $30 with the filter. The used oil, I save it till we have about ten gallons in old metal gas cans and give it to the John Deere dealership I retired from for recycling.

 

Not disputing anything you said about wet belts but just want to add that the majority of the bad press about wet belts in the U.S. is generated by the Ford ( 3 cyl. Eco tech ???? ) wet belt failure recall. Caused by a silicone bushing failure that then caused the belt guiding system to misalign the belt and wear it prematurely. We can only hope that GM got it right but knowing GM’s past history I’m not that optimistic.

 

Thanks ... was going to report the same, another thing to make the belt last ALWAYS use a full synthetic oil like Mobile One or Castrol over reg/synthetic blend oils. And the second thing use a ready to use GM Coolant GM's AC/Delco Dexcool 50/50 premix (about $11) one jug will last/keep forever. You not just protecting the timing, belt but the engine an turbo as well.

 

It just happened to me yesterday morning on my way home from work. The exact same thing. I got a warning saying engine power is reduced, then the pop, smoke and all the oil poured into pavement. I had it towed to a Chevy dealer and they called later saying my engine needed replacing but they have no ETA on my engine.

 

How many miles do you have on it? I'm getting concerned because my daughter has one that's been running fine and it only has 2900 miles.

 

I'm sure the fuel dilution issue is the reason some are having blown engines.

 

I think so. My daughter 24 trax was at 4.3 percent at 3000 miles.

 

Just had mine replaced took 120 days to get mine back and now 4 days later I believe the same thing just happened on my husbands watch to work I’m waiting to hear back from him

 

Yes, I had this same thing happen to me on my 2024 Trax LT. I purchased mine on August 19, 2023 and while on the highway on August 24, 2023 the engine blew. There was white smoke coming from the vehicle, and I got the message on the dash to pull over. There was also a lot of oil leaking everywhere. I was towed to the nearest Chevrolet dealer and I was told that engine had to be replaced and would be covered under my factory warranty. I was fortunate enough that they were able to find a brand new engine in about 3 weeks that was at a different Chevy dealer. I had my vehicle back about 5 weeks later. I haven't had any problems since. There were only 533 miles on the vehicle when this happened to me.

 

"why aren't we hearing about it"

What about all the turbo-oiling, EGR, and main bearing failures all over the net for the A14NET(ecotec 1.4 turbo) going back to 2013?

They are especially famous for the 10k mile EGR valve replacement, but second come turbos oil feed which will nuke a engine quick as described..

A14NET also has some weird valve tolerance issue that are well documented..

To be fare: Every time any car has been made that was <200HP and at least 2.5 tons it's ended up in a junk yard before 200k without heavy investment. Trax is a 2.5 ton car with a 140HP i4.. It's a recipe for spun bearings and blown head gaskets, and add the poorly engineered turbo..

The infinite-life trans and PU fluid design is also asking for trouble.. What kind of crazy person would want to check their tranny fluid? huh..

it's designed to fail like every other 2.5+ ton vehicle with a <160HP engine.. ever

 

Yes. .my sister had a 2024 Trax that blew the head gasket...and may have other problems. Chevy is going to install another engine under warranty.

 

Have 4300 miles on my 24 rs bought beginning of June last year no problem what so ever, if you read the manual it says to drive about 500 miles then change the oil, the oil in the motor is motor oil but also break in oil, glad I did change it minor glitter but that to be expected when they get filled with oil and just sit until they are bought. Some do have an oil problem so I installed a fuel pump cut off crank the car 5 to 10 revolutions then flip the pump on this was if it's cold at least the motor has some oil pressure there should be an oil pressure gauge also been saved a few times when pressure dropped and was able to kill the car before it blew up

 

Interesting……Break in oil? Glitter in the oil? Turning off fuel pump before engine blew up?
I haven’t heard talk of break in oil in decades. Bearing or ring dust in first oil change definitely something wrong.….and turning off fuel pump at start up will give engine time to build up oil pressure but again shouldn’t be necessary with today’s modern oils.

 

Sorry to hear all the bad problems with these Chevy Trax.
Why. don't they tell us before we buy them?
That they are a Koren or Mexion car, not USA?

 

I was told the parts come from the US but the car is assembled in another country. Mine came from South Korea and I had no problems in around 7,000 miles, mostly highway

 

They do, it's listed on the window sticker and driver door jam.

 

Hi there, I just had the same problem with my trax, it was 11 months old and only had a 11,000 miles on it. No warning just a clunk in a bang and smoke everywhere. My Car was just towed to the shop a couple days ago. But I was told it needed a new motor. I will have more details in about a week. It is under a warranty and they are replacing the motor. I’m starting to wonder if there’s a problem with these cars

 

High fuel dilution in the oil

 

Which can only come from bad piston rings or a valve wear that would have been obvious before failure. Maybe some crazy injector or ECM fault that would of also been obvious prior to failure.

If too much fuel came through injector valves it would of washed the cylinders and caused other types of failures before taking out crank bearings.

I don't frequent these forums much do to low community, but FYI: Most shops will swap a used LKQ warranty engine for $3,000.00, LKQ warranty AWD transmission for $2,500(model is 6T40), and a head gasket for $1,400.00; a new head is around $900.00(they warp easy) If you live close to a AAMCO they are a pro shop with 4+ bays and will do any of those jobs in days.

A little secret about <180HP i4 cars that weigh two-tons: You either drive it like a grandma and keep under 3k and let everyone pass you, or you keep doing head gasket repairs and crank bearings every 80k-130k. Something that heavy isn't suppose to have that little power. For reference those 80s v8 conversion vans you use to see were only hundreds of pounds heavier; it's dumb..

I not only work on a lot of these but I own one. I have about 6k in to mine just off swaps alone and I do 3k OCI with maxlife and keep cabin and intake filters changed etc..

 

Yes I bought my 2024 Chevy Trax little over a year ago brand new. Leaving work about a month ago and my engine threw a rod through the engine block. Gave no warning sign. I was on the interstate with traffic all around me. Could have caused a massive multi vehicle crash. Anyways I've not gotten a date on my engine. Dealership said they've done their part it's up to GM. There is no inventory for these engines in the country the dealership told me. These engines failures are on going and GM needs to do something about it. Iam not happy at all! I don't want a replacement engine and months down the road do the same thing! Make and build in the USA

 

2013 all the way up to 2022 were only available with the A14NET A.K.A. Ecotec 1.4 turbo engine. It was used in Buick Encore, Cruze, and some Opel cars too.

There is no new inventory.. I just got a warranty used from LKQ two weeks ago for $2,200..

A company called Spartan supplies "new"/remanufactured engines to Oreilly, Advance, and AutoZone, and they are $3,100-$4,200 before a $420.00 core rebate.

FYI to ALL: 2 ton cars aren't suppose to have a 140hp i4 engine in them.. People take them over 3k RPM to keep up with traffic, and even when the turbo doesn't take out the engine the head gasket or bearings going out somewhere between 50,000 and 140,000 miles.. Even grandma driving doesn't keep the turbo from taking out the engine eventually through oil feed or wastegate..

 

My 2024 Trax engine light went on and when I accelerated, the noise was like crunching glass and banging. Car started smoking and would not accelerate. Oil light said no oil, and yes, it gets changed every 3500 miles,ended up being towed to dealership. Will find out tomorrow what is wrong. Very scary.

 

Happened to me yesterday. Car is at dealer and waiting for word on it.

 

Yes, bought mine in December 2023. Engine seized while driving 70/75 mph on NJ Turnpike with 26,400 miles on it.

 

Bought mine June 2023, seized while driving up a hill. 29,000 miles on it. At dealership waiting for new engine to be delivered. I think GM needs to be bombarded by emails. This should be some sort of recall.