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I bought a 2024 Trax 1rs in Dec 2023. In may I had 3900 miles on it. Was driving on an express way. Went to accelerate and heard a pop bang sound in engine. Then black smoke poured out my exhaust. Everything started to shut down and the screen said to pull over. Oil was pouring out onto the pavement. I had the car towed to the nearest Chevy dealership. Here is what the service person told me:
"Hello sir per your request I put together a description of the failure that took place for the motor on your vehicle
It would seem that one of the engine piston rod bearings flew out of place and out of the motor at high enough force to create a hole in the motor causing the motor to have catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle will be getting a replacement motor covered under your factory warranty."

He told me they had one other Trax with the same problem already. He had no idea when they would have a replacement engine. A couple weeks later I went back to the dealership to get things out of my car. And it was just sitting there untouched. When I opened the door the cabin smelled like burnt oil. The car was covered in oil.
My brother who was a mechanic said the catalytic converter may need to be replaced. And probably the air filter to the cabin. When I asked the service guy about this, and asked if the car can be detailed and cleaned, he said no GM will only pay for an engine replacement.

My salesperson at a different dealership happened to call me a few days later. I told him what happened and asked if he could help. He spoke to their service manager. He said it's a minimum of 60 to 90 days to get a new engine from Korea. My salesman said they hadn't had it happen at their dealership yet, but I guess they did now since I bought from them. He said he knows all the dealerships around them had at least one with the same problem. He did say that they had another model Chevy recently have this happen on a test drive.

Has anyone else experienced this or heard of this on the 2024 Trax?
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.
 
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.
 
My brand new 2024 Chevy Trax's engine just started popping and banging as I was moving over on the highway from the slow lane , for oncoming traffic to come on from the on ramp. It was 1am returning from the Green Day Concert at Fenway . I had my daughter and her friend with me and the engine just died and wouldn't start. We sat for hours on the highway in pitch black darkness waiting for a tow . Now I'm supposed to just accept THIS car back with a "supposedly" brand new engine and feel comfortable in it . Well I'm NOT!! I'm not sure IF we can trade it in at the same dealer or not , but I'm afraid honestly to ever drive THIS Trax again . IDK what to do .
 
The same thing happened to my daughter and her 2024Trax. I told her to buy a Honda or Toyota but she liked the look of the Trax. The initial ratings were good. Now she has a blown engine with 3500 miles on it. I had her file a report NHTSA. I am thinking of hiring a lemon law lawyer. If i dont get an engine in 30 days, i will goto BBB autoline or get a lawyer. After I flipped out on the service manager, they had a chevy Silverado for her to take as a loaner. They wont get that back until this is resolved one way or another. I have a feeling that this car is going to be a major problem for Chevy and they are going to alienante many first time car buyers. I hope GM does the right thing, but I have my doubts
I think we / GM needs to do an analysis on the 2024 Trax and see how many had the same size engine and where they wereade-- Mexico vs S. Korea.
Knock on wood, I special ordered mine in July 2023 and it started getting made around Oct 2023. I received delivery in Texas in Feb 2024. I did get the larger engine and the Active package
I've been a Chevy owner for most of my adult life with an Olds once or twice. My last car, a 2006 HHR LT lasted me 18 years with never a major problem. I sold it with 76,000 miles on it to a teenager as her first car.
 
My brand new 2024 Chevy Trax's engine just started popping and banging as I was moving over on the highway from the slow lane , for oncoming traffic to come on from the on ramp. It was 1am returning from the Green Day Concert at Fenway . I had my daughter and her friend with me and the engine just died and wouldn't start. We sat for hours on the highway in pitch black darkness waiting for a tow . Now I'm supposed to just accept THIS car back with a "supposedly" brand new engine and feel comfortable in it . Well I'm NOT!! I'm not sure IF we can trade it in at the same dealer or not , but I'm afraid honestly to ever drive THIS Trax again . IDK what to do .
Made in Mexico or South Korea
 
I bought a 2024 Trax 1rs in Dec 2023. In may I had 3900 miles on it. Was driving on an express way. Went to accelerate and heard a pop bang sound in engine. Then black smoke poured out my exhaust. Everything started to shut down and the screen said to pull over. Oil was pouring out onto the pavement. I had the car towed to the nearest Chevy dealership. Here is what the service person told me:
"Hello sir per your request I put together a description of the failure that took place for the motor on your vehicle
It would seem that one of the engine piston rod bearings flew out of place and out of the motor at high enough force to create a hole in the motor causing the motor to have catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle will be getting a replacement motor covered under your factory warranty."

He told me they had one other Trax with the same problem already. He had no idea when they would have a replacement engine. A couple weeks later I went back to the dealership to get things out of my car. And it was just sitting there untouched. When I opened the door the cabin smelled like burnt oil. The car was covered in oil.
My brother who was a mechanic said the catalytic converter may need to be replaced. And probably the air filter to the cabin. When I asked the service guy about this, and asked if the car can be detailed and cleaned, he said no GM will only pay for an engine replacement.

My salesperson at a different dealership happened to call me a few days later. I told him what happened and asked if he could help. He spoke to their service manager. He said it's a minimum of 60 to 90 days to get a new engine from Korea. My salesman said they hadn't had it happen at their dealership yet, but I guess they did now since I bought from them. He said he knows all the dealerships around them had at least one with the same problem. He did say that they had another model Chevy recently have this happen on a test drive.

Has anyone else experienced this or heard of this on the 2024 Trax?
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.
 
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.
 
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.
I got my 2024 chevy trax about 4 months ago. It had 13 miles on it brand new. Now it has 8100 miles on it. It quit on me last week and wouldnt start. Had it towed to the dealership n they couldnt find anything wrong with it. It said "Fraud Deterent System" or some crap. Idk. It runs but not like it use to.
 
I got my 2024 chevy trax about 4 months ago. It had 13 miles on it brand new. Now it has 8100 miles on it. It quit on me last week and wouldnt start. Had it towed to the dealership n they couldnt find anything wrong with it. It said "Fraud Deterent System" or some crap. Idk. It runs but not like it use to.
Check your battery cables for a loose connection. That can cause loss of power and problems.
 
I bought a 2024 Trax 1rs in Dec 2023. In may I had 3900 miles on it. Was driving on an express way. Went to accelerate and heard a pop bang sound in engine. Then black smoke poured out my exhaust. Everything started to shut down and the screen said to pull over. Oil was pouring out onto the pavement. I had the car towed to the nearest Chevy dealership. Here is what the service person told me:
"Hello sir per your request I put together a description of the failure that took place for the motor on your vehicle
It would seem that one of the engine piston rod bearings flew out of place and out of the motor at high enough force to create a hole in the motor causing the motor to have catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle will be getting a replacement motor covered under your factory warranty."

He told me they had one other Trax with the same problem already. He had no idea when they would have a replacement engine. A couple weeks later I went back to the dealership to get things out of my car. And it was just sitting there untouched. When I opened the door the cabin smelled like burnt oil. The car was covered in oil.
My brother who was a mechanic said the catalytic converter may need to be replaced. And probably the air filter to the cabin. When I asked the service guy about this, and asked if the car can be detailed and cleaned, he said no GM will only pay for an engine replacement.

My salesperson at a different dealership happened to call me a few days later. I told him what happened and asked if he could help. He spoke to their service manager. He said it's a minimum of 60 to 90 days to get a new engine from Korea. My salesman said they hadn't had it happen at their dealership yet, but I guess they did now since I bought from them. He said he knows all the dealerships around them had at least one with the same problem. He did say that they had another model Chevy recently have this happen on a test drive.

Has anyone else experienced this or heard of this on the 2024 Trax?
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.
 
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.
 
Check your battery cables for a loose connection. That can cause loss of power and problems.
Agreed, as now more ICE autos depend on more computer power than the space shuttle a constant flow of power is critical. A friend of mine whose a retired IBM engineer had a few problems with his wife's "Active" trim Trax, but his LS Trax has been trouble free for close to 2 years. He finally solved his wife's car problems when he "tightened" the cables when a new higher amp battery was used he put in. He looked at the problem like he did a computer when the lack of "energy" caused the IBM systems to slow down,or crash. He finally found that the same CPU that was in his LS Trax was the same one used in his wife's Active trim Trax. He finally deduced that turning off the VPN on their cell phones solved the "phone connection / dropping calls issues" they too like everyone else was experiencing. And to help advised to turn off the auto start/stop feature every time behind the wheel as they really put a drain on the battery when short trips (less than 10 miles) were done as the battery really didn't run long enough to recharge in the usual stop an go traffic . Well, that's the view from Raleigh NC at least.
 
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.
 
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