The amount of mud and gravel, snow and salt our work trucks see is alot harder on a vehicle than just pavement with the odd trip down a gravel road. I figured this truck would hold up better. Thanks for watching and commenting!
60K miles on my ZR2 diesel including a bunch of hard wheeling, zero issues from mine. I haven't even run a sway bar for the last 25K miles and have Eibach 1.25" leveling springs, no diff drop and I haven't had a single tie rod or CV issue. I abuse mine off-road and daily it, it's been a fantastic truck. I did the 589 Fab shock relocation, it's easy and not very expensive. The factory rear shock location is definitely trash. As far as the seats, I do 14 hour drives and the seats are fine for me.
Obviously mine was a lemon, but after all the chevy trucks ive had i still rate the colorados seats the worst by far. This truck was a work truck, and i was easy on it, the roads we drive should not even be considered roads, so even being easy on it the roads still torcher the truck. Luckily they moved me to a new area and the roads afe alot better. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Dude, think yours might have been built on a Monday...have a '20 ZR2 diesel with 34k km on it and so far so good and it's been off-roading a few times on trails I wouldn't take say a Denali version on. With the diesel, I regularly get 800km out of the 80 liter tank too. Once with 80% highway...got 920 km out of it. But your replacement...we have a 3L Duramax here at work to, very nice truck, you will like it! Cheers and happy trucking!
Yeah its possible, our roads out here though can pretty much be concidered off road, they are terrible. So 40,000 of the 50,000kms i had on the truck when i traded it in would be concidered "off road" im sure if it was mainly highway driven with offroad here and there it would be fine. The seats though, are horrible flat hard seats, the seats in my new 1500 are lightyears ahead..lol and it gets awesome fuel mileage...sofar. Thanks for your comment!
I am sure glad I seen this. I was getting ready to trade in my TRD Sport because this thing had front & Rear Lockers versus spending the money on lockers for mine and suspension. I’ve owned Toyotas forever and I was getting ready to trade in for one of these. You probably just saved me a big headache!!!!
Well the video is not meant to discourage you from buying, but to give guys some things to think about before buying. Lots of guys are happy with them.
Great rundown of things to be aware of. I've got a ZR2 and love it, there's not another mid-sized truck I'd consider and full size are too big for where I go. The only issue I've had relates to wiring behind the parking break. I used to mash the parking break and it rubbed through the wires. So wiring seems to be a general issue. I'm going to go crawl under mine and check the one you show in the video. Always carry extra fuses and watch out for the smaller ones in these trucks. I don't treat mine as a pavement princess but at least 10k miles of off road so far.
Thanks, yeah of the 50,000km on it 40 to 45,000 of it would have bern gravel, mud, deep snow and rough roads. If they would have addressed these few thing the truck would be really great. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I wanted to love my 2022 ZR2 but after only 800 or so miles I already have cv boot issues. Haven’t even taken it off road either. Seems to me like this will be a bigger issue. What do you think?
It doesn't matter what truck you buy, if you drive something off the lot and want it for the work you do, you are going to be looking at modifications to make that happen and have the truck last. I get that some of that is out of your control (like the rear shock placement and CV boots), but there are easy corrections out there like a number of aftermarket shock skids, shock re-location mounts, and full skid plate protection from the front bumper to the gas tank (if you didn't want to fab them up yourself), and better aftermarket CV boots. The Duratracs are P rated, and honestly, a decent tire for the road where 98% of the buyers are going to take this truck for 95% of their driving. Driving oil patch, logging roads and cut lines, the duratracs are good enough to get you to the tire shop to get proper tires...The 8 speed auto has known issues and factory recalls. If you were to replace this with another mid-sized truck for the same tasks you put your trucks to, you would probably have the same or similar issues, especially if you didn't mod it to suit your work.
Well the other guys at work dont modify their trucks and have way less troubles, of course they are 1/2 and 3/4 tons, but its not tbat the colorado wasnt tough enough, it is just designed poorly as an off road truck. I shouldnt have to add skid plates to stop gravel from sand blasting stupidly exposed wiring harnesses. Or relocate shock mounts or spare tires. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Not a zr2 but I have a GMC canyon and freaking love it! Aside from terrible ground clearance in stock form, it has done everything I have asked it to do! And it does it easily!
Ive got a 2WD 2016 Colorado and its been rock solid. I towed 10,000 Lbs from CA to PA and back with no issues. I thought about upgrading to a ZR2, but I honestly have no need for all the offroad stuff. Sucks you had so much trouble with this one.
Yeah i think the truck would be fine for the occasional off road trip, but not every day. If it seen pavement 99 percent of the time it would be an ok little truck. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@THEYGOTYUH he’s right on the mark, i’m in the same field as him and these trucks are all looks, they can’t handle real world work. built for the mall crawling crowd 👎
Thanks for your video and telling your story. I’m looking to replace my 2003 S10 Crew Cab with another Crew Cab, so it’s good to hear advice straight from the owners.
My experience may differ from yours and others, so check them out for yourself. This was a 2019 model, the newer ones have probably changed. Thanks for watching!
I tend to think the author has been extremely hard on this truck but one thing I can agree with is the seats and long distances. I can’t stand to drive more than 2 hours before I have to get out and stretch. I have bought a memory foam seat cushion which helps. I heard the 2023 has improved the seats so I am looking forward to trading in my 2022 when the new one comes out. I will say I’ve owned 3 of the current colorado, 2016, 2019 and 2022 all z71 and they haven’t given me any trouble.
Im not hard on my stuff as it needs to go to work every day and i have to foot the repair bills. My older duramax has double the miles in the patch with zero troubles.
Im glad i could help, it was not meant to deter you from buying the truck, but to give you points to look at that i missed when we decided to buy the truck, it was an expensive decision! Just hoping to help people from over looking some things. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear of your woes. I have 31k on mine and it has been utterly flawless. Maybe you just got a bad deal or it was part of a bad production run. I have asked around and nobody I spoke with has heard of, let alone had any of the issues you listed. No, the MPG isn't very impressive, and sure, they could have put some super supportive buckets in the truck, but then again, it's a midsized truck,. Hope you're happy with your new truck.
Yeah unfortunately it didnt turn out to be the truck i hoped it would be, i think with a few improvements to a fee things it could be a great little truck. Ive been hearing a few horror stories about them and other guys use them for the same job but on better roads and they love it....who knows..lol Sofar i love the new half ton 3.0L diesel we got! But only have 5000km on it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Traded my used "17 ZR2 x cab in on a "21 two door Rubicon this past summer... I loved my ZR2, and while I didn't have quite the number of problems that you had with yours, I definitely had to replace one of my rear shocks which I did myself since those are easy to do. I put the Bison rear diff skid plate on and put on aftermarket shock skids too. Did the trans flush for the shudder issue as well. I put leveling springs on the front and new bump stops and put on E rated BFG's 33's and did the Trifecta tune which really gave the V6 a really great throttle response. The issue that got me to trade it in was that I had a bearing in the rear diff go out with a fairly loud whine. One shop wanted to replace the whole diff for over $3K (but none were available from GM) and another shop had to close down unexpectedly so they couldn't do the work. So I drove it to a Jeep dealership and got me a new Rubicon. One of the other issues that was becoming known about these trucks was that there is an aluminum(?) part in the rear diff that wears down and turns the diff fluid to a silverish gray color. I think the idea was that the aluminum part would take the beating instead of the gears. I don't know but mine was definitely the dark gray color. I'm sure the E rated 33's didn't help me either and might have contributed to the bearing going out. I bought the ZR2 used at 50K on the clock and traded it in at just under 100K miles. I never had a single check engine light or any electrical issues out of that truck though, and at the time, I was getting ready to upgrade the CV boots to aftermarket ones and had aftermarket tie rod sleeves (which I then had been debating with myself about maybe not putting on after all)... I wanted that truck to be around a while and get some good use out of it, but I wasn't able to get that diff issue resolved and truthfully, a truck like that should not have had that issue. Not for the money we pay for these things nowadays. I try to keep in mind that this truck was never designed to be a real off-roader. What I mean is, the engineers at GM took their existing basic Colorado pickup design and tinkered with it and added stuff to it to make the ZR2... Yes racing development played into it a bit, but it wasn't built from the ground up to be a real off road vehicle like a Jeep Wrangler or the new Bronco. Hence the rear shock placement that they never corrected from the original design in order to make the ZR2 a real off road vehicle. Just my two cents. Good video. High five.
Been pretty hard on my 2019 Colorado ZR2. Cutting firewood in the woods, hunting and fishing trips, and just some general off-road use. Had her in places nobody else would bring their trucks and she's still holding strong after 60k miles. Sure a couple minor issues, but this has been a great rig for me overall, doing work that no other stock truck would do for me. If you're in 4WD too much on hard ground, that'll tear your axles and suspension apart. Could of been part of your problem perhaps...
It's an off road truck not a work truck not built for comfort you should have done your homework before buying it it's not a suburban it's a sport truck made for trails not highway
Well lucky you, 34k miles of gravel, mud, trenches and deep snow, or pavement. I bought mine brand new also and failures began at 18,000km bad engineering on these trucks.
Mine has almost 50k on it. Check engine light came on...probably misfire due to the way its driving. Transmission is shit. The paint rubs off the rocker guards, trim around rear window is lifting. I keep it clean. Love the way the truck looks...but ready to get rid of it.
Yeah unfortunately i think that truck could could have been engineered a helluva lot better, and it seems some quality control is slipping and the paint they use is horrible, chips from "bug hits" I just couldnt justify keeping the turd even after stuff getting fixed, was gonna end up being a money pit. Thanks for watching and commenting, and good luck with your truck.
The thing with that particular truck along with the new Ranger..theyre global platforms that were originally for the European and Asian markets..they've brought them over to the US and made minor changes but imho not enough.
Isuzu has a similar truck sold in austrailia and seemed like it would be a great truck, but unfortunately not, definitely need more engineering from someone who actually goes off roading. Thanks for your comment!
Factory tires generally are made with a different rubber compound specified by the car manufacturer. They are made to be softer and quieter to have more mass appeal for customer test drives.
Well these were good year duratracs,which i have run alot, but the duratracs they put on from the factory were only 4 ply and had punctures non stop. I typically dont keep the factory tires because tbey usually suck, but i was duped into thinking these were normal duratracs. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks for an honest review! I have been thinking about getting a GMC Canyon Crew Cab with the 2.8L diesel when it gets closer for my daughter to start driving. I had planned to let her drive my Honda Pilot and for me to drive the GMC Canyon. I am disappointed in the shock mount position and the CV joint life. I have over 150K on my Pilot and only had one warranty claim with a factory defect in the front hubs. That was within the first year of ownership and it's been trouble free ever since. It's a 2013 so, for over 9 years with only general maintenance I can't complain. Gravel is tough on blasting the underneath of a truck. My 1988 GMC was a testament of that before we had as many paved roads were I use to live. I had to keep it recoated on the frame each year to prevent rust when we went to the beach. I will keep my eye on the things you listed to see if they improve them before it's time for me to buy a new truck. Thanks again for the heads up!
Yeah ive heard that also, i think our particular area and the fact that the company i work for dont believe in putting gravel on their roads or hardly ever running a grader down them makes for some extreme conditions. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Some real dumbells commenting here. Appreciate you sharing this. I’m a Detroit union carpenter., was looking around for one. not now. Thanks for the info.
Well as a buddy of mine used to say, "it takes all kinds to make the world go round" Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including you and me, not everyone will see eye to eye. I just wanted to give people some things to look at and think about. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good video . I know you like Chevy, I used to be a Chevy guy too. I got tired of constant problems and started buying Toyotas. I'm very happy with the Toyota quality and feel they are superior. Try something other than Chevy and you may have good experience.
Had a 2017 ZR2 and at about 8K miles had front passenger CV boot changed at dealer due to pin hole leak from factory. Truck had never been off-road. If you tow a trailer, be mindful of the 5K pound limit on the ZR2 2017 to 2022. Pulling too much may screw up those DSSV shocks.
I have a 2021 ZR2 that I have 81246 miles on. Some of the things you mentioned don't make sense. I have driven all over northern Arizona on some incredibly difficult off-road trails. Most of my miles are on job-sites and around ready-mix plants. Never once have I ruined a tire. To touch on a few things, shocks do suck the way they are hanging down. However 589 fabrication has guards for them. Never have I replaced the plastic guards. The tie rod end have guards also. Common problem with a IFS. The seats are okay but not perfect I agree, beats a milk crate. I wheel with a lot of different kinds of vehicles and they all have their downfalls. The factory puts the tires they do on for weight and comfort. If you want an all out four wheel drive them build itthe way you want. I feel this truck is one of the most capable trucks specially for the money. The wires you talked about with the transfer case are open at the plug from the factory. They are not in any way getting peppered with rock. Not sure what issue you had with cv boots but as I stated I have over 50,000 miles and still have the original pair. You should buy a unimog is what it sounds like.
Just to add a little food for thought to this.. I have a 1988 Dakota, which also is a 4x4 with independent front suspension, and a boxed frame. I raised the front of the truck 2.5 inches which increases the angle of the CV-Axles (anyone who knows CV's should know this is a deathwish for them lol, needless to say my first OEM set, the boots tore off around 200,000 miles I just kept driving it anyway and sprayed lithium grease in the bearings every once in a while... Mudded the truck, ran down dirt roads, went up and down dirt bike trails no issue, I then noticed they were loose around 350,000 miles and replaced them, which was super easy if I remember right 5 or 6 bolts on each side, then 1 large nut that secured them to the wheel bearing assembly. And I believe they were just over 120 bucks each. Truck is now somewhere around 450,000 miles still has the stock engine/trans, rear axle and suspension are still in it never failed me yet. Just wanted to give that context, of an American made truck from the 1980's Vs whatever this thing is, in the video. I still daily drive this every winter in the salt belt of the northeast, because it gets 22mpg around town with the 5 speed manual and big old L.A. 239.9 cui V6.🤠 edit: I forgot to mention it was a plow truck from 1988 - 2012 til the snow plow rotted in half, but the truck didn't so the truck turned into a daily commuter and the plow turned into 20 bucks for gas. They do not build them like they used to.
I was glancing at this truck but had been hearing a few things, enough negatives for me to go for the Ranger Tremor. Hopefully your next truck serves you better .
This was very informative, it would be interesting to see if other midsized trucks would have similar or different problems if they were used in similar daily working environments.
One of the other guys at work was running and older tacoma, he quit using it too mainly because fuel mileage and thr price and availability of parts for it. There are other guys using the Zr2 but not on the same roads and seem to like them, from what ive seen, our company has the worst, unkept roads of all the companies around. Thanms for watching and commenting.
Finally, a brutally honest truck guy. Hurts to hear this, especially since I'm a fan of the ZR2 look, this ZR2 sounds like a lemon. Hopefully you can do a review on Ram 1500 and 2500. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, i hate to beat on chevy as ive been a loyal chevy customer for a long time, but it is only my opinion, alot of other people have left some bad comments about my video and the things ive said. Thanks for not bashing my opinion! My dad actually had a new Ram 1500, he loves it, but i have not had a chance to drive it at all so i dont have any comment about it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Doesnt need to be a "work truck" our lead runs a ford ranger without much trouble. This truck is just not great and im a 100 percent chevy fan, so im not blasting chevy cuz i hate them, i even replaced the turd with a 1500 chevy diesel which has been great.
I want one of these - they look sharp- but after looking around Ive seen them under 110k miles and the interior is falling apart with the dash controls wore out looking. Thats an automatic no go! I have a 2008 infiniti FX45 with 193k miles and the drivers seat is the only seat showing some wear and tear. Changed out the radiator, alternator, front shocks, and head cover gasket over the last 13 years Ive had it ( bought it like new @ 62k miles in 2012) but runs like a champ. Im definitely passing after watching this! Thanx for your humble opinion!
They are a sharp looking truck, and it isnt easy for me to tear down chevy as im 100 percent a loyal fan, but it is what it is. And to be honest, they have been slipping for quite some time! I even considered buying a ford shortly after this video, but then i came to my senses..lol Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear you had all those troubles. Why did you keep the 4 ply tires and then compare them to 10 ply? Why not buy shock skids for the shock hangers? Also, some mud flaps would probably have helped with the gravel. Also, it's not 1,400 to change a shock. That's dealer price. You can get the shocks from rock auto for much less and change them yourself.
Well when all that stuff happens by 40,000 km i wasnt putting any more money into the turd. And it does have mud flaps, and they dont help the sand blasting effect when they hang a wiring harness down low with no protection like that. Tires get expensive, i normally dont keep the stock tires, but these were duratrac and like i said in the video ive had good luck with them, just didnt realize they were 4 ply till recently. I gave this piece of shit a fair try, i thought the first set of axles was just a fluke, but 2 sets in under 40,000 km is unacceptable especially when the other guys and myself with other vehicles get over 200,000km without axle trouble. Its had its chance, its gone! How long do you keep throwing money at a money pit? Thanks for your comment...
@@FabbinAdventures I mean, I put aftermarket flaps, aev transfer case skid and transmission skid on in the first 2 months to protect the underside of the truck since I knew I'd go offloading. As far as the tires, that's partially on you for not researching. Regardless, I hope your next vehicle treats you well.
Its not on me when they market it as an off road truck and they dont build it properly or put decent tires on it. If i wanted a regular truck i would have bought one, then lifted it and put the proper protection and tires on it. Look at the new ford bronco, that is built way better in my opinion, even comes factory with 35" tires.....and im not a Ford guy.....at all! Thanks for your comment.
@@FabbinAdventures it's a quarter ton, of course it's not going to have 10 plytires. It seems like you didn't know what you were buying. You would have been better served by a bison and swapping tires.
Well if it was just the tires that were junk, i could get past it, its all the crap that went on that even the bison would have. I bet it has the same wiring harness that hangs down, the same expensive shocks that hang down, the same failure prone front axle boots, the same uncomfortable seats, the same bad fuel mileage. The truck was not designed properly for offroad.. period. And i wasnt even off road..lol Thanks for your comment!
My '19 duramax zr2 has been great. I agree on the spare and the shock mounts, they both suck. And yes, the spool valve shocks cost a fortune. Just replaced mine at 214000 km. Mileage and towing are great. Off roading is good. The narrow cab gets me down a lot more trails here in BC. Comfort-wise, the seats arent made for pudgy old guys.
@@FabbinAdventures Thank you. One of our operators had a 2019 chev trail boss with 5.3 and it was one headache after the other for him as well. He has the 3.0 diesel now as well so far so good other then the price of diesel. Thanks for the reply!
Yeah the price of diesel blows right now, i actually use my 2016 duramax 3500 in the patch and saving the 21 3.0L duramax for when the 3500 is done. What problems was he having with the trailboss? We heard they were no good, but dont know what the common probs are?
@@FabbinAdventures He had 3 sets of brake pads wear out in the first 60k the first set only lasted 5k. Had major engine work at 80k then again at 160 then had to replace to motor at 190k, he had some electrical issues with the transmission and problems with the trail gate also 4x4 problems. The bosses 5.3 is in the shop right now to needing engine replacement. I’m running a 2019 f-150 with the 2.7 twin turbo and 10 spd right now it’s been good so far i average 13 LPH in summer and about 14.5 liters/100 in winter with the snowy roads and added miles in 4x4 run is about 150km per day all gravel. The only unexpected trips to the shop so far is for a catalytic converter(warranty covered) and snow packed in front end pulled a vacuum hose apart and froze a solenoid shut 125k on truck so far. I ran a 3/4 ton diesel for my last truck as well but I definitely prefer the 1/2 tons for the ride and easier to get in and out of. I had to replace the seat on my ram 3/4 ton the entire left side of the cushion was gone from getting in and out so much.
Holy hell, that is a ton of stuff gone wrong, not liking GM's quality control these days! Buddy of mine and his wife both run fords in the patch, they have their troubles too, but not like what i had with the colorado zr2 or your co workers truck, wow!
Sorry to hear about your troubles, sounds like you got a lemon. I will say that my ZR2 could definitely have better seat bolstering and gas mileage could be a bit better. That being said, I've literally beaten the piss out of mine for the past 40k miles, jumped it 3 times( not huge) and has been nothing but a pleasure. Will absolutely agree with the fact that stock duratracs suck but you're gonna want bigger tires anyways.
Yeah maybe a lemon, but the fact about the wiring harness hanging down and the stupid rear shock hangers and uncomfortable seating, bad fuel mileage still looms. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Yeah it's definitely a lemon. I have a 2022 ZR2 and only had it for 3 months, i've gone through mud up to the rocker panels, jumped it 5 times, always drifting gravel roads and have gone through whoops with it. No wear or tear on anything! It's got around 5500 miles and i'd say 2,000 of them are constant beatings on the shocks and axles. It's definitely a play truck for what i do but it's an awesome mid-sized truck.
Well... I have a 2019 ZR2 with the "Baby Max" and it has 70,000 plus. I have had none of these issues and get 25 plus average mileage with the best ever at 50 mpg. I've run through mud, sand, snow, ice, off road, fully locked in and just the rear diff locked in. 2 weeks ago I hauled a 20 foot trailer taking hay to my mothers house. 3 loads at 6500 pounds average each load, no issues. I've driven loads ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds to Missouri 3 times and Colorado 4 times. I've spent 15 plus hours in the driver seat on multiple occasions (I'm 310 pounds) and while it wasn't a recliner I didn't suffer. I've heard tons of complaints from Colorado owners and while valid I can confidently say I have had none of these issues at all. The only problem was those LOUD mud tires but we swapped them out. Our Colorado has been amazing and has never let us down in over 70,000 miles. If this truck is used for it's intended purpose and within it's capabilities it should have no problems serving your needs. But, if you choose to take it outside of it's intended use or capabilities it's safe to assume there may arise some problems. Not complaining, not accusing anyone of anything, but after over 40 years of being a mechanic I have seen the most horrific damage done to vehicles because said vehicle was abused outside of it's ability, and the operator always seemed to have an excuse as to why they used it that way when the owners manual clearly tells them it cannot do that and the warranty will be voided if so. Just throwing this out there, before you choose to complain about a vehicle make sure you aren't the reason for the complaint and that the causes of the problems aren't your use or abuse of said vehicle. Remember I'm speaking from a place of being an owner of this same truck that been used HARD, but within it's abilities. This truck isn't perfect, but can be broken if used improperly, like any other vehicle. Just my 2 cents.
Wow-------My wife and I bought a 2018 ZR 2 2.8 Diesel (January). The tires that came on it worked great in the snow and mud, But they made so much noise on the highway we had to change them. Here in northern Nevada a 4X4 is a must. Our diesel is getting us about 30mph gallon to 35 mph. (empty). Our truck tows our feather lit car trailer when we go logging. (for fire wood). pulls our trailer with no problem. We have blown tires on our trailer for being over loaded, with 50 lbs air.(my fault). I fell really bad for your problems with your ZR 2. (lemon ?)
The seats in the ZR2 Blazers/pick-ups were terrible also. And the front suspension components were crap. Fuel mileage was better in the 1/2 ton pick-ups but that was mostly because they had 3.73 rear diffs.
That was the main idea for the video, not to bash GM, as i am a huge fan, but to bring attention to the things i think should have been done better. I've never don a video like this before, so its not what i do, my channel is based around 4x4 fabrication. Thanks for watching and commenting!
HAD a '17 Colorado with the 8 speed automatic. Transmission was junk. Torque converter at 10k miles, shuttering again at 13k miles. Fluid flushed and sold!!!
Yeah the quality control of GM has gone down drastically in the last few years for sure. My new 1500 with the 3.0L duramax has been great! Though the auto start only works when it wants too..lol i hate the auto start anyways, it could stay off as far as im concerned!
Pros - good looking truck Cons - the entire truck Thank God I watched this video!! I had my eye on the same truck and I was about to go for it this weekend....not no more. Some engineers they have at Chevy.....smh!
Yeah, i mean, maybe mine was a lemon, other guys claim to have not had a problem. If you do look at buying one, make sure you look it over good and especially that wiring harness under there. If you only drive pavement, youll probably be fine, but if its lots of gravel, not so much..lol Glad i can make prople aware of these things. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear the troubles, I own a 2019 Zr2. I agree the shock hangers is a joke. That's the first thing ivw done is relocate the shock to the others side of the leaf spring and remove the spare tire.
Yeah, unfortunately i think GM could have done a better job engineering this truck. There are remedies for most of the problems, but i was not about to sink more money into something that shoulda been done right in the first place. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I respect honest reviews & no excuse for GM here. It does seem like you’d be better served by a Jeep Gladiator (solid axles) or perhaps just a full-size truck. I have a ZR2 & also a Jeep JLU; they’re very different in ride quality with the Jeep being more capable on rutted trails, but the ZR2 is a better road trip vehicle … smooth & comfortable, albeit with a simplistic interior. My wife’s F-150 is horrible off-road, but that’s because it’s on stock suspension.
Yeah i had a full size, the fuel mileage kills you, but the zr2 was not much better, i use my personal 1 ton duramax now and get better fuel mileage than the zr2 by a little. Bought myself a new 1/2 ton duramax for a personal vehicle, as some point ill demote the new 1/2 ton to a work truck and go buy another new one for personal use. Thanks for watching and commenting!
20 years ago they didn't bother to make the steering strong enough for the ZR2 package. I got mine fixed under warranty, it wore out again in a few months, traded it back in. I guess they are still letting the customer be the R&D team.
It is unfortunate that in this day and age GM still cant get things like that right, very frusterating, but GM is not the only one! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Lol, well we been working on it for the couple years that we've owned the property. Just went through a heat wave that burnt it pretty bad in places, but its making a come back! Check out this sundays video and you will see the back yard..lol Thanks for your comment!
Sounds like you got a lemon, unfortunately. Probably built on a Friday afternoon. I know GM has addressed the low hanging shock mounts for the next gen ZR2. I have heard Multimatic is working on making these shocks more durable and rebuildable. Hope you like your new truck.
I've been a Toyota guy forever but thought about getting a ZR2 diesel over another Tacoma. Boy am I glad I watched this. Those shock hangers are enough to walk away, what are thinking!?
Right?!, those damn things were dragging through the mud every where, and the chinsy little plastic guards offered little protection and did not last long! Glad i could help. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Yeah, i took a chance on the zr2, it was a mistake, running my 2016 1 ton duramax z71 with way more kms on it and no trouble too. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Ouch sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The shocks hanging low need skid plates or a relocation kit, it was my first thing done, tires got replaced asap with cooper stt pro's, tie rod sleaves by peak are a must and a tune by trifecta is worth every penny. Recovery of this little truck is 100% easier then recovery of a 1 ton and it will walk across the skeg much better too. I agree on the fuel mileage its no better then a v8. Lots of great info on the forums, all of these issues are addressed on there, could save ya a headache. I love my zr2.
Yeah but why should a guy pay $49,000 plus for a vehicle that is marketed for off road, then throw more money at it to make it the way it shoulda been from the factory, and the seats still blow, not to mention the stupid place to run a wiring harness or the fact that the front axles cant make it past 18,000 km...lol I agree being lighter is an asset, that was one of the reasons to buy it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FabbinAdventures I am so grateful for your posting. I was looking into the exact same truck but had reservations on reliability. You are saving me many head and hearth aches ;)
Well honestly, the truck is a nice little unit. I wanted to make people aware of a few thing that i over looked, and for my purposes, it was a bad decision. Go have a look at it and make your own decision. Mine was a 2019, maybe some things have been addressed since then. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I had the alternator fail on a 2017 colorado i owned just 20K miles in. Had the “100,000mi warranty” and chevy said it wasn’t covered and gave a bunch of sly sneaky verbiage to justify their laziness. Honestly, the colorados the coolest looking truck on the market there’s no question at all but it’s the absolute worst built truck known to mankind. i’ve never met a colorado owner that didn’t have problems starting 10K miles in.
The ZR2 has a great towing capacity....I know. I just towed one the other day with my 2013 Tacoma. The Colorado had transmission problems. It left the neighbourhood on a flat bed
I’m guessing based on you saying you’re in Canada, work oilfield, and are 14 hours from BC you’re likely working in Alberta/Sask and I know how demanding that industry can be on your trucks. I think right from the start a smaller truck like this isn’t cut out for such heavy duty workload. Working oil and gas you need a 1500 minimum ideally a 2500/3500. I think the Colorado is better suited as a daily commuter with some light workload sprinkled in. I’m thinking of getting one with the Duramax just as a daily commuter but like the fuel economy of diesel and would like ability to pull a small RV or horse trailer. I’ve had such bad experiences with gasoline trucks (08 Sierra that was such a lemon as just one example) that I’ll only consider diesel at this point.
Im only an hour and a half from B.C, work 10 hours a day and dont haul anything heavier than 300 or 400 lbs worth of tools, so i figured the truck would be fine, it wasnt a question of the suspension crapping out, it was everything else. Thanks for watching and commenting.
My cv boot failed at 5000 km with zero offroading, the hood scoop is chipping the hood paint, mechanic said oh gm has let that happen for the last 4 years from factory…well known issue. The alignment has always seemed a little off on it even after an alignment, the rear shocks seem like they are leaking, glass has scratches on it. The transmission has a very odd shifting feel to it compared to any other vehicle I have owned….only have 15,000 km on it so far and looking to trade it in for something else before a bunch of other stuff happens. Its a 2021 zr2, thought they would have the original issues worked out, but was told they didn’t really fix many of them.
WOW, glad I went with a Tacoma again. When I was a young pup and freshly married I had a base base S-10 that i purchased brand new. Biggest POS I have ever owned. constantly at the dealer. I would pick up the S10 and drop of the wifes Cavalier. both vehicles purchased new, both under warranty. I got rid of both vehicles before the warranty expired. leased a Geo Prism for the wife and realized how good the japanese cars were made. purchased a Nissan truck for myself. Neither vehicle had return trips to the dealer. I have had Nissan's and Toyota's ever since. Looks like nothing has changed for Chevy!
Yeah i think every manufacturer puts out a lemon every now and then, ive had nothing but great luck with GM products, thats why im still a customer, but....if they go strictly electric, it will be the last GM i buy. Thanks for watching and commenting!
We took a 10 days trip with the family from Las Vegas to Oregon, Washington and then back, about 700 pounds with passengers +overland gears nothing to report. My brother 16" has 90k miles nothing to report.
My 08 silverado 1500 had 267000 on it. Almost no problems. I've always had chevy and was looking at the ZR2. Not sure now. But I wouldn't be using it as hard as you were. 50k is a lot for a truck with a hanging wire harness exposed to rocks.
Yeah, our 2007 was problem free also and probably had the most comfortable seats in any truck weve owned. The new 3.0L diesel seems to be pretty awesome sofar. We have not experienced the long crank syndrome ive read about, hopefully we got one of the good ones. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I own 100th anniversary edition at 12 thousand miles you could be going up a hill on payment it started shuddering, when coming to a stop you get a loud bang . Took it to dealer they said it had the wrong fluid took them 2 weeks to change the fluid? The next thing was front axle shaft bearing went out again took about 2 weeks to replace. I have a 1979 that has about 300 thousand miles ( legends member )told dealer that truck had 130 thousand miles before I had to replace anything on except normal service these new trucks don't compare.
I have the ZR2 diesel. It’s been great overall so far but mine is a pavement princess and only has 33k miles on it. It’s a real shame about your issues. It seems like 90% of them are related to poor underbody design considerations. And for a off-road truck, that’s inexcusable. I have mud flaps similar (maybe the same) to yours, hoping it will prevent some amount of debris from getting thrown up onto the sensitive or poorly designed components.
Yeah its unfortunate that a truck that is marketed as an off road truck would have that many cons about it underneath. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I traded in that zr2 and ordered a 1500 with the 3.0L duramax and that thing gets phenominal fuel mileage! I have avout 14,000kms on it sofar and ive seen it do 37mpg or 7.5L/100km. I find the suspension a little soft maybe, but its very comfortable to drive. I have a video out on it on my channel if you want to give it a watch.
The fact that the dealership told you how you bent the tie rod infuriated me beyond words can explain. Petty sure they would have had police remove me from the property had it been me.
Oh believe you me i was pissed! That was the mechanic that told the service manager thats what had to have happened. I argued and raised a big stink so the sales manager who i buy all my vehicles through got the dealership to pay me back $1000, then a few months later when it did it again and the local dealership warranteed it, i rose another stink! They paid me back another $1000 If they wouldnt have done that i was gonna be done with that dealership, and i was actually contemplating changing brands! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Well thats a good question, closest we could figure is the cv locked up in the turn, the motion of the vehicle wanted to go forward, the locked up cv said no way and something had to give. I have no real idea how its possible, but it surely did and i have 5 witnesses at work that seen it happen. Thanks for watching and your comment!
Not sure I'd ever buy a midsized truck but regardless, I'll always be a GM guy...ESPECIALLY for trucks. With that being said, the Colorado and Canyon have always been GM's last priority as far as trucks go and they really make it obvious! Hopefully the 2023 refresh will improve reliability as well as that horrible interior and sedan-esque front end lol. Also, I don't know why GM ditched the old formula for their seats. From first-hand experience I can say that the seats in both my brother's 06 Sierra Denali and my 06 Z71 Tahoe (identical to those in their pickups) were more comfortable than those in a brand new Ram platinum and that's no exaggeration.
I concur, my 07 silverado had the most comfortable seats of any truck ive had, unfortunately GM seems to be going down hill. I just cant see myself buying a different brand, but you never know. Thr colorado was severly dissappointing!
Have a Colorado z-71 diesel. 3” Icon lift, Warn and FabFours bumpers and winch etc. Had Green Diesel tune in it from 20,000 K. Torched a piston at 135.000k. 3 of 4 pistons were cracked up to ring land and conrod bearings all worn through first layer just after TDC. $14k to rebuild with new pistons, rings, pins, conrod bearing, injectors, lines and nearly every friggin bolt in the thing! Torque to yield…. Have it for sale, but not a single serious buyer. Replaced with a 1500 6.2 10 speed, medium load. I agree comp,Evelyn shock mounts suck! 589 fab makes a relocation kit. I have tie rod sleeve kit. No issues with CV boots, but I’m not in ‘patch mud. The interior wears way too quickly as well. I wondered if a Colorado diesel would have been a good operators truck…guess not. Chevy electrical.. I have mine skidplated. I’ll check that harness! My rear springs are shite as well. Replaced once. Seems like too low spring rate. Aggravated the rear window is not power.
There are other guys running the diesel and loving them for operating i hear. Most of the other companies roads around hear are way better, the company i work for dont spend money on roads apparently..lol Still too many damn problems with the truck for my liking. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have a 2018 but the problem is the dsv shocks last 40k or less. They are now 2000$ each, in the last year they went from 650/shock to 2000. Warning to anyone looking to buy a zr2. This also goes to their other parts and you will find out when replacing parts.
@deeejayeee that sucks man, there are lots of guys who reponded to this video offended..lol saying i dont know what im talking about, thats fine, they can have their opinion. I've a chevy guy 100 percent loyal my whole "driving years" so its not real easy to call one of their products out, but it is what its is. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@FabbinAdventures I like my zr2 but the issues you've brought forward are real for most of us who own them. It's still the most capable vehicle on the road but these are the realities that we have to except owning a zr2.
@deeejayeee yeah, its unfortunate that chevy after all these years could put something out there like this. That being said, my wife bought a 2024 1500 zr2 with the 3.0l diesel and it is a very nice truck, though its a highway princess..lol it is way more comfortable, has the lockers and all the goodies but in a full size truck.
I have the diesel and it is running at 8 liters per hundred. 32+ mpg It’s a 2018 and has been amazing. I think your front boot problem is from driving in the ruts. The boots are getting beat up at they are dragging through the high part of the mud. Wheels in the ruts with CV boots dragging through the.mud. The diesel is better than you think. I pull a dual axle 6000lb travel trailer with ease and still get good mpg of approximately 16…. My only complaint so far is my black paint is getting blasted away in front of the rear wheels from the tires throwing rocks ect. Not good.
I have no doubt the diesel would get great fuel mileage, i traded this turd in on a brand new 1500 with the 3.0 duramax and the mileage has been awesome! Well the boots dont actually drag in the mud because your lower control arms are lower than the axle and none of the other trucks out there (chevy) have that trouble. And yes the paint they use now is not durable at all, mine too was getting "sand blasted" It was a lemon plain and simple. Thanks for watching.
@@FabbinAdventures I call BS on 32 mpg on a diesel ZR2. Maybe on a 2wd Colorado but not a 4wd version of the Colorado. I owned a 2019 ZR2 for 2 years and the best it would do was mid 20s.
Well i cant comment on that as mine was a gas job, and horrible fuel mileage to boot. My new 1/2 ton with the 3.0l duramax gets excellent mileage though...like rediculously good!
Cv boots, axles, notorious key stuck in ignition, replaced transmission at 30K, the harmonic balancer seems to be loose, rack and pinion is fragile. I feel you im tired of my 22 midnight edition
Yep, thatll do it, but the boots should last way longer than 10,000 km, i have 170,000km on my one ton i use for work and the boots are original and still fine. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Excellent video,,,Not holding back,,,sorry to all the Chev lovers but informative on great points and definitely steers me away from buying one,,,,whew!!!close call
Glad you liked the video, there are lots of guys saying im being whiny or too picky or dont like chevy..lol i love my chevy trucks, its all ive ever driven, so it is kinda hard to bash them. I just want to be honest with my findings, so you guys have something to think about. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sounds like you just got a lemon, mine has been flawless with hard off roading. I did put 10 ply duratracs on and shock skids though. V6 fuel is brutal, thankfully I drive the diesel and the bison so no plastic!
I watched your video though blaaa he had some bad luck so I went a head and bought a chevrolet colorado zr2 1st computer problems lose wires then transmission let go with no parts in north America this truck has less than 5000 km on it so now it sits at the dealership and they gave me a Kia reo as a rental
Oh man, that sucks, sorry about your luck with the turd. Like i said, i am a true chevy fan, but this truck fall well below par, and it hurts to say that this chevy product blows! Lots of guys seem to love it though
Sorry for the troubles. I have an 18 and have had zero issues. And I abuse the hell out of mine. Moab, Colorado mountains, sand dunes, etc.
The amount of mud and gravel, snow and salt our work trucks see is alot harder on a vehicle than just pavement with the odd trip down a gravel road. I figured this truck would hold up better.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
This guys is under rated ! Where’s the hundreds of thousands of views he deserves
Lol thanks
60K miles on my ZR2 diesel including a bunch of hard wheeling, zero issues from mine. I haven't even run a sway bar for the last 25K miles and have Eibach 1.25" leveling springs, no diff drop and I haven't had a single tie rod or CV issue. I abuse mine off-road and daily it, it's been a fantastic truck. I did the 589 Fab shock relocation, it's easy and not very expensive. The factory rear shock location is definitely trash. As far as the seats, I do 14 hour drives and the seats are fine for me.
Obviously mine was a lemon, but after all the chevy trucks ive had i still rate the colorados seats the worst by far.
This truck was a work truck, and i was easy on it, the roads we drive should not even be considered roads, so even being easy on it the roads still torcher the truck.
Luckily they moved me to a new area and the roads afe alot better.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
80k miles on my 2017 ZR2 and it’s been nothing but a great truck
Wish I could say the same
Yep, mine was a total GM failure.
Any chance you still have it man?
@petermello55 lol, nope traded that piece of crap off the next day after i shot the video.
Just bought one,a 2022. I'll be checking on all these things you talk about. Thanx for the video. Have a good one.
Hope you dont have any troubles, thanks for watching and commenting!
Dude, think yours might have been built on a Monday...have a '20 ZR2 diesel with 34k km on it and so far so good and it's been off-roading a few times on trails I wouldn't take say a Denali version on. With the diesel, I regularly get 800km out of the 80 liter tank too. Once with 80% highway...got 920 km out of it. But your replacement...we have a 3L Duramax here at work to, very nice truck, you will like it! Cheers and happy trucking!
Yeah its possible, our roads out here though can pretty much be concidered off road, they are terrible. So 40,000 of the 50,000kms i had on the truck when i traded it in would be concidered "off road" im sure if it was mainly highway driven with offroad here and there it would be fine.
The seats though, are horrible flat hard seats, the seats in my new 1500 are lightyears ahead..lol and it gets awesome fuel mileage...sofar.
Thanks for your comment!
I am sure glad I seen this. I was getting ready to trade in my TRD Sport because this thing had front & Rear Lockers versus spending the money on lockers for mine and suspension. I’ve owned Toyotas forever and I was getting ready to trade in for one of these. You probably just saved me a big headache!!!!
Well the video is not meant to discourage you from buying, but to give guys some things to think about before buying. Lots of guys are happy with them.
Great rundown of things to be aware of. I've got a ZR2 and love it, there's not another mid-sized truck I'd consider and full size are too big for where I go.
The only issue I've had relates to wiring behind the parking break. I used to mash the parking break and it rubbed through the wires. So wiring seems to be a general issue. I'm going to go crawl under mine and check the one you show in the video.
Always carry extra fuses and watch out for the smaller ones in these trucks.
I don't treat mine as a pavement princess but at least 10k miles of off road so far.
Thanks, yeah of the 50,000km on it 40 to 45,000 of it would have bern gravel, mud, deep snow and rough roads.
If they would have addressed these few thing the truck would be really great.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
hes an idiot. my '18 has had no problems. Why take it to a second dealer if the first dealer did right"?
I wanted to love my 2022 ZR2 but after only 800 or so miles I already have cv boot issues. Haven’t even taken it off road either. Seems to me like this will be a bigger issue. What do you think?
@@bigd2256 I haven't heard of others having CV boot issues so I'd be hopeful that is a one off. Was it replaced under warranty?
It doesn't matter what truck you buy, if you drive something off the lot and want it for the work you do, you are going to be looking at modifications to make that happen and have the truck last. I get that some of that is out of your control (like the rear shock placement and CV boots), but there are easy corrections out there like a number of aftermarket shock skids, shock re-location mounts, and full skid plate protection from the front bumper to the gas tank (if you didn't want to fab them up yourself), and better aftermarket CV boots. The Duratracs are P rated, and honestly, a decent tire for the road where 98% of the buyers are going to take this truck for 95% of their driving. Driving oil patch, logging roads and cut lines, the duratracs are good enough to get you to the tire shop to get proper tires...The 8 speed auto has known issues and factory recalls. If you were to replace this with another mid-sized truck for the same tasks you put your trucks to, you would probably have the same or similar issues, especially if you didn't mod it to suit your work.
Well the other guys at work dont modify their trucks and have way less troubles, of course they are 1/2 and 3/4 tons, but its not tbat the colorado wasnt tough enough, it is just designed poorly as an off road truck. I shouldnt have to add skid plates to stop gravel from sand blasting stupidly exposed wiring harnesses. Or relocate shock mounts or spare tires.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Not a zr2 but I have a GMC canyon and freaking love it! Aside from terrible ground clearance in stock form, it has done everything I have asked it to do! And it does it easily!
Yes, i think if they are not a dedicated 4x4 they would be a fine little truck.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have a 2015 canyon that I put 3 inches of lift on, a 12,000 winch and I love it. It's gone everywhere I've asked of it without any troubles.
Good deal
Ive got a 2WD 2016 Colorado and its been rock solid. I towed 10,000 Lbs from CA to PA and back with no issues. I thought about upgrading to a ZR2, but I honestly have no need for all the offroad stuff. Sucks you had so much trouble with this one.
Yeah i think the truck would be fine for the occasional off road trip, but not every day. If it seen pavement 99 percent of the time it would be an ok little truck.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
How did the tie rod bend “right in the driveway” was it fricken magic. I have a 2020 and it’s been great
Yes, apparently it was magic
For real… I’ve enjoyed the darn thing… Carolina beach didn’t hurt her… and I was ballin with the forest rangers out there… it was hilarious
Well bring it out here next spring/ winter and run our lease roads for 6 months and see how she handles it.
Glad you havent had trouble with yours.
@@THEYGOTYUH he’s right on the mark, i’m in the same field as him and these trucks are all looks, they can’t handle real world work. built for the mall crawling crowd 👎
What field are you in JB?
Thanks for the heads up. Was thinking about buying a friends ZR2… but not anymore.
Yeah id look it over real carefull before id buy one if i were you.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for your video and telling your story. I’m looking to replace my 2003 S10 Crew Cab with another Crew Cab, so it’s good to hear advice straight from the owners.
My experience may differ from yours and others, so check them out for yourself. This was a 2019 model, the newer ones have probably changed.
Thanks for watching!
Your lawn is amazing, nice job
Lol, thanks!
Thanks for your comment!
Good feedback, GM should take notice!!!
Yeah unfortunately, they wont takr notice from the "little guy".
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I tend to think the author has been extremely hard on this truck but one thing I can agree with is the seats and long distances. I can’t stand to drive more than 2 hours before I have to get out and stretch. I have bought a memory foam seat cushion which helps. I heard the 2023 has improved the seats so I am looking forward to trading in my 2022 when the new one comes out. I will say I’ve owned 3 of the current colorado, 2016, 2019 and 2022 all z71 and they haven’t given me any trouble.
Im not hard on my stuff as it needs to go to work every day and i have to foot the repair bills. My older duramax has double the miles in the patch with zero troubles.
Thank you for this OUTSTANDING REVIEW. I WAS CONSIDERING BUYING THIS TRUCK. NOT NOW. YOU SAVED ME MONEY AND ENDLESS HEADACHES. THANKS AGAIN
Im glad i could help, it was not meant to deter you from buying the truck, but to give you points to look at that i missed when we decided to buy the truck, it was an expensive decision!
Just hoping to help people from over looking some things.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear of your woes. I have 31k on mine and it has been utterly flawless. Maybe you just got a bad deal or it was part of a bad production run. I have asked around and nobody I spoke with has heard of, let alone had any of the issues you listed.
No, the MPG isn't very impressive, and sure, they could have put some super supportive buckets in the truck, but then again, it's a midsized truck,.
Hope you're happy with your new truck.
Yeah unfortunately it didnt turn out to be the truck i hoped it would be, i think with a few improvements to a fee things it could be a great little truck.
Ive been hearing a few horror stories about them and other guys use them for the same job but on better roads and they love it....who knows..lol
Sofar i love the new half ton 3.0L diesel we got! But only have 5000km on it.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Your complaints are very valid and it sounds like Chevy fixed them in the newer models... especially the shock placement.
Thank you sir, i do love chevys, and sure hope they are listening and can start to compete more with the other "off road" trucks produced.
Some interesting points raised, though if we are being honest, the oil/gas industry is hard on every kind of vehicle.
Lol yes it is hard on every vehicle, just the others dont have this kind of trouble, this early..
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Traded my used "17 ZR2 x cab in on a "21 two door Rubicon this past summer... I loved my ZR2, and while I didn't have quite the number of problems that you had with yours, I definitely had to replace one of my rear shocks which I did myself since those are easy to do. I put the Bison rear diff skid plate on and put on aftermarket shock skids too. Did the trans flush for the shudder issue as well. I put leveling springs on the front and new bump stops and put on E rated BFG's 33's and did the Trifecta tune which really gave the V6 a really great throttle response. The issue that got me to trade it in was that I had a bearing in the rear diff go out with a fairly loud whine. One shop wanted to replace the whole diff for over $3K (but none were available from GM) and another shop had to close down unexpectedly so they couldn't do the work. So I drove it to a Jeep dealership and got me a new Rubicon. One of the other issues that was becoming known about these trucks was that there is an aluminum(?) part in the rear diff that wears down and turns the diff fluid to a silverish gray color. I think the idea was that the aluminum part would take the beating instead of the gears. I don't know but mine was definitely the dark gray color. I'm sure the E rated 33's didn't help me either and might have contributed to the bearing going out. I bought the ZR2 used at 50K on the clock and traded it in at just under 100K miles. I never had a single check engine light or any electrical issues out of that truck though, and at the time, I was getting ready to upgrade the CV boots to aftermarket ones and had aftermarket tie rod sleeves (which I then had been debating with myself about maybe not putting on after all)...
I wanted that truck to be around a while and get some good use out of it, but I wasn't able to get that diff issue resolved and truthfully, a truck like that should not have had that issue. Not for the money we pay for these things nowadays. I try to keep in mind that this truck was never designed to be a real off-roader. What I mean is, the engineers at GM took their existing basic Colorado pickup design and tinkered with it and added stuff to it to make the ZR2... Yes racing development played into it a bit, but it wasn't built from the ground up to be a real off road vehicle like a Jeep Wrangler or the new Bronco. Hence the rear shock placement that they never corrected from the original design in order to make the ZR2 a real off road vehicle.
Just my two cents. Good video. High five.
Yep, like i said, shoulda been built proper from the beginning.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Been pretty hard on my 2019 Colorado ZR2. Cutting firewood in the woods, hunting and fishing trips, and just some general off-road use. Had her in places nobody else would bring their trucks and she's still holding strong after 60k miles. Sure a couple minor issues, but this has been a great rig for me overall, doing work that no other stock truck would do for me. If you're in 4WD too much on hard ground, that'll tear your axles and suspension apart. Could of been part of your problem perhaps...
I dont use 4wd on hard ground out there, there is no need.
It was just a lemon.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Sounds to me that you overloaded the truck over it's gvw tie rods just don't bend by magic
It's an off road truck not a work truck not built for comfort you should have done your homework before buying it it's not a suburban it's a sport truck made for trails not highway
Well it still couldnt handle the trails, work had nothing to do with it.
@@FabbinAdventures I disagree I have a 2022 and it handles the trails better then my buddies Rapter
Bought my 2019 brand new with 0 miles on it. It still had to be completely put together. Has 34k miles on it now and haven't had any issues with it
Well lucky you, 34k miles of gravel, mud, trenches and deep snow, or pavement.
I bought mine brand new also and failures began at 18,000km bad engineering on these trucks.
Mine has almost 50k on it. Check engine light came on...probably misfire due to the way its driving. Transmission is shit. The paint rubs off the rocker guards, trim around rear window is lifting. I keep it clean. Love the way the truck looks...but ready to get rid of it.
Yeah unfortunately i think that truck could could have been engineered a helluva lot better, and it seems some quality control is slipping and the paint they use is horrible, chips from "bug hits"
I just couldnt justify keeping the turd even after stuff getting fixed, was gonna end up being a money pit.
Thanks for watching and commenting, and good luck with your truck.
Very informative video, brother! Thanks!
Just hoping to give people something to think about or look at.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have a 2021 zr2 and absolutely love it
Awesome, hope you have no troubles with it.
Best purpose offroad truck built today. Excellent truck 40k miles on my 19 zero issues and I offroad all the time. Your truck was user error
It was not user error, it is bad engineering and a lemon
You’re a lemon 🍋
Thanks dude, your a real peach.
The thing with that particular truck along with the new Ranger..theyre global platforms that were originally for the European and Asian markets..they've brought them over to the US and made minor changes but imho not enough.
Isuzu has a similar truck sold in austrailia and seemed like it would be a great truck, but unfortunately not, definitely need more engineering from someone who actually goes off roading.
Thanks for your comment!
Factory tires generally are made with a different rubber compound specified by the car manufacturer. They are made to be softer and quieter to have more mass appeal for customer test drives.
Well these were good year duratracs,which i have run alot, but the duratracs they put on from the factory were only 4 ply and had punctures non stop. I typically dont keep the factory tires because tbey usually suck, but i was duped into thinking these were normal duratracs.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks for an honest review! I have been thinking about getting a GMC Canyon Crew Cab with the 2.8L diesel when it gets closer for my daughter to start driving. I had planned to let her drive my Honda Pilot and for me to drive the GMC Canyon. I am disappointed in the shock mount position and the CV joint life. I have over 150K on my Pilot and only had one warranty claim with a factory defect in the front hubs. That was within the first year of ownership and it's been trouble free ever since. It's a 2013 so, for over 9 years with only general maintenance I can't complain. Gravel is tough on blasting the underneath of a truck. My 1988 GMC was a testament of that before we had as many paved roads were I use to live. I had to keep it recoated on the frame each year to prevent rust when we went to the beach. I will keep my eye on the things you listed to see if they improve them before it's time for me to buy a new truck. Thanks again for the heads up!
That was my intention (to give guys a heads up)
I did end up ordering a 2021 1500 with the 3.0L diesel, the thing has been great at 12,000km sofar!
Weird. I know a few dude that have been running ZR2s in the oilfield here and they absolutely love it with minimal issues.
Yeah ive heard that also, i think our particular area and the fact that the company i work for dont believe in putting gravel on their roads or hardly ever running a grader down them makes for some extreme conditions.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the heads up, I was just about to purchase one here in Ontario.....
Well it gives you some points to think about. Ive had lots of comments from guys that love it.
Some real dumbells commenting here. Appreciate you sharing this. I’m a Detroit union carpenter., was looking around for one. not now. Thanks for the info.
Well as a buddy of mine used to say, "it takes all kinds to make the world go round"
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, including you and me, not everyone will see eye to eye.
I just wanted to give people some things to look at and think about.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FabbinAdventures Yes sir. You got that right. Thank you.
Good video . I know you like Chevy, I used to be a Chevy guy too. I got tired of constant problems and started buying Toyotas. I'm very happy with the Toyota quality and feel they are superior. Try something other than Chevy and you may have good experience.
I may have to some day, thanks!
Had a 2017 ZR2 and at about 8K miles had front passenger CV boot changed at dealer due to pin hole leak from factory. Truck had never been off-road.
If you tow a trailer, be mindful of the 5K pound limit on the ZR2 2017 to 2022. Pulling too much may screw up those DSSV shocks.
Yeah i read that the cv boot early failure is common.
I traded the turd off right after the video.
I have a 2021 ZR2 that I have 81246 miles on. Some of the things you mentioned don't make sense. I have driven all over northern Arizona on some incredibly difficult off-road trails. Most of my miles are on job-sites and around ready-mix plants. Never once have I ruined a tire. To touch on a few things, shocks do suck the way they are hanging down. However 589 fabrication has guards for them. Never have I replaced the plastic guards. The tie rod end have guards also. Common problem with a IFS. The seats are okay but not perfect I agree, beats a milk crate. I wheel with a lot of different kinds of vehicles and they all have their downfalls. The factory puts the tires they do on for weight and comfort. If you want an all out four wheel drive them build itthe way you want. I feel this truck is one of the most capable trucks specially for the money. The wires you talked about with the transfer case are open at the plug from the factory. They are not in any way getting peppered with rock. Not sure what issue you had with cv boots but as I stated I have over 50,000 miles and still have the original pair. You should buy a unimog is what it sounds like.
Lol well it is what it is, not 100 percent perfect.
Just to add a little food for thought to this.. I have a 1988 Dakota, which also is a 4x4 with independent front suspension, and a boxed frame. I raised the front of the truck 2.5 inches which increases the angle of the CV-Axles (anyone who knows CV's should know this is a deathwish for them lol, needless to say my first OEM set, the boots tore off around 200,000 miles I just kept driving it anyway and sprayed lithium grease in the bearings every once in a while... Mudded the truck, ran down dirt roads, went up and down dirt bike trails no issue, I then noticed they were loose around 350,000 miles and replaced them, which was super easy if I remember right 5 or 6 bolts on each side, then 1 large nut that secured them to the wheel bearing assembly. And I believe they were just over 120 bucks each. Truck is now somewhere around 450,000 miles still has the stock engine/trans, rear axle and suspension are still in it never failed me yet. Just wanted to give that context, of an American made truck from the 1980's Vs whatever this thing is, in the video. I still daily drive this every winter in the salt belt of the northeast, because it gets 22mpg around town with the 5 speed manual and big old L.A. 239.9 cui V6.🤠 edit: I forgot to mention it was a plow truck from 1988 - 2012 til the snow plow rotted in half, but the truck didn't so the truck turned into a daily commuter and the plow turned into 20 bucks for gas. They do not build them like they used to.
Yes they definitely dont make em like they used to!
I was glancing at this truck but had been hearing a few things, enough negatives for me to go for the Ranger Tremor. Hopefully your next truck serves you better .
Thanks for watching and commenting, sofar so good on the new truck, though i only have 2500km on it, it gets awesome fuel mileage sofar!
This was very informative, it would be interesting to see if other midsized trucks would have similar or different problems if they were used in similar daily working environments.
One of the other guys at work was running and older tacoma, he quit using it too mainly because fuel mileage and thr price and availability of parts for it.
There are other guys using the Zr2 but not on the same roads and seem to like them, from what ive seen, our company has the worst, unkept roads of all the companies around.
Thanms for watching and commenting.
Finally, a brutally honest truck guy.
Hurts to hear this, especially since I'm a fan of the ZR2 look, this ZR2 sounds like a lemon.
Hopefully you can do a review on Ram 1500 and 2500.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks, i hate to beat on chevy as ive been a loyal chevy customer for a long time, but it is only my opinion, alot of other people have left some bad comments about my video and the things ive said.
Thanks for not bashing my opinion!
My dad actually had a new Ram 1500, he loves it, but i have not had a chance to drive it at all so i dont have any comment about it.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Don't listen to this guy. For 1 it's not a work truck. He doesn't get it. My 22 has been thru hell with no problems.
Doesnt need to be a "work truck" our lead runs a ford ranger without much trouble.
This truck is just not great and im a 100 percent chevy fan, so im not blasting chevy cuz i hate them, i even replaced the turd with a 1500 chevy diesel which has been great.
I want one of these - they look sharp- but after looking around Ive seen them under 110k miles and the interior is falling apart with the dash controls wore out looking. Thats an automatic no go! I have a 2008 infiniti FX45 with 193k miles and the drivers seat is the only seat showing some wear and tear. Changed out the radiator, alternator, front shocks, and head cover gasket over the last 13 years Ive had it ( bought it like new @ 62k miles in 2012) but runs like a champ. Im definitely passing after watching this! Thanx for your humble opinion!
They are a sharp looking truck, and it isnt easy for me to tear down chevy as im 100 percent a loyal fan, but it is what it is. And to be honest, they have been slipping for quite some time!
I even considered buying a ford shortly after this video, but then i came to my senses..lol
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear you had all those troubles.
Why did you keep the 4 ply tires and then compare them to 10 ply? Why not buy shock skids for the shock hangers?
Also, some mud flaps would probably have helped with the gravel.
Also, it's not 1,400 to change a shock. That's dealer price. You can get the shocks from rock auto for much less and change them yourself.
Well when all that stuff happens by 40,000 km i wasnt putting any more money into the turd. And it does have mud flaps, and they dont help the sand blasting effect when they hang a wiring harness down low with no protection like that. Tires get expensive, i normally dont keep the stock tires, but these were duratrac and like i said in the video ive had good luck with them, just didnt realize they were 4 ply till recently.
I gave this piece of shit a fair try, i thought the first set of axles was just a fluke, but 2 sets in under 40,000 km is unacceptable especially when the other guys and myself with other vehicles get over 200,000km without axle trouble.
Its had its chance, its gone! How long do you keep throwing money at a money pit?
Thanks for your comment...
@@FabbinAdventures I mean, I put aftermarket flaps, aev transfer case skid and transmission skid on in the first 2 months to protect the underside of the truck since I knew I'd go offloading. As far as the tires, that's partially on you for not researching.
Regardless, I hope your next vehicle treats you well.
Its not on me when they market it as an off road truck and they dont build it properly or put decent tires on it. If i wanted a regular truck i would have bought one, then lifted it and put the proper protection and tires on it.
Look at the new ford bronco, that is built way better in my opinion, even comes factory with 35" tires.....and im not a Ford guy.....at all!
Thanks for your comment.
@@FabbinAdventures it's a quarter ton, of course it's not going to have 10 plytires. It seems like you didn't know what you were buying. You would have been better served by a bison and swapping tires.
Well if it was just the tires that were junk, i could get past it, its all the crap that went on that even the bison would have. I bet it has the same wiring harness that hangs down, the same expensive shocks that hang down, the same failure prone front axle boots, the same uncomfortable seats, the same bad fuel mileage.
The truck was not designed properly for offroad.. period.
And i wasnt even off road..lol
Thanks for your comment!
My '19 duramax zr2 has been great. I agree on the spare and the shock mounts, they both suck. And yes, the spool valve shocks cost a fortune. Just replaced mine at 214000 km. Mileage and towing are great. Off roading is good. The narrow cab gets me down a lot more trails here in BC. Comfort-wise, the seats arent made for pudgy old guys.
Thanks for the video was looking for a truck for the oilfield and was thinking ZR2 for the same reasons you stated. What year is your truck ?
That was a 2019, shes gone now, traded it in and ordered a 2021 1500 with the 3.0L duramax, this unit has been great!
@@FabbinAdventures
Thank you. One of our operators had a 2019 chev trail boss with 5.3 and it was one headache after the other for him as well. He has the 3.0 diesel now as well so far so good other then the price of diesel. Thanks for the reply!
Yeah the price of diesel blows right now, i actually use my 2016 duramax 3500 in the patch and saving the 21 3.0L duramax for when the 3500 is done.
What problems was he having with the trailboss? We heard they were no good, but dont know what the common probs are?
@@FabbinAdventures
He had 3 sets of brake pads wear out in the first 60k the first set only lasted 5k. Had major engine work at 80k then again at 160 then had to replace to motor at 190k, he had some electrical issues with the transmission and problems with the trail gate also 4x4 problems. The bosses 5.3 is in the shop right now to needing engine replacement. I’m running a 2019 f-150 with the 2.7 twin turbo and 10 spd right now it’s been good so far i average 13 LPH in summer and about 14.5 liters/100 in winter with the snowy roads and added miles in 4x4 run is about 150km per day all gravel. The only unexpected trips to the shop so far is for a catalytic converter(warranty covered) and snow packed in front end pulled a vacuum hose apart and froze a solenoid shut 125k on truck so far. I ran a 3/4 ton diesel for my last truck as well but I definitely prefer the 1/2 tons for the ride and easier to get in and out of. I had to replace the seat on my ram 3/4 ton the entire left side of the cushion was gone from getting in and out so much.
Holy hell, that is a ton of stuff gone wrong, not liking GM's quality control these days!
Buddy of mine and his wife both run fords in the patch, they have their troubles too, but not like what i had with the colorado zr2 or your co workers truck, wow!
LOVE my ZR2
I did too, till i started having all the trouble.
Sorry to hear about your troubles, sounds like you got a lemon. I will say that my ZR2 could definitely have better seat bolstering and gas mileage could be a bit better. That being said, I've literally beaten the piss out of mine for the past 40k miles, jumped it 3 times( not huge) and has been nothing but a pleasure. Will absolutely agree with the fact that stock duratracs suck but you're gonna want bigger tires anyways.
Yeah maybe a lemon, but the fact about the wiring harness hanging down and the stupid rear shock hangers and uncomfortable seating, bad fuel mileage still looms.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Yeah it's definitely a lemon. I have a 2022 ZR2 and only had it for 3 months, i've gone through mud up to the rocker panels, jumped it 5 times, always drifting gravel roads and have gone through whoops with it. No wear or tear on anything! It's got around 5500 miles and i'd say 2,000 of them are constant beatings on the shocks and axles. It's definitely a play truck for what i do but it's an awesome mid-sized truck.
Glad you are having good luck with yours!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Well... I have a 2019 ZR2 with the "Baby Max" and it has 70,000 plus. I have had none of these issues and get 25 plus average mileage with the best ever at 50 mpg. I've run through mud, sand, snow, ice, off road, fully locked in and just the rear diff locked in. 2 weeks ago I hauled a 20 foot trailer taking hay to my mothers house. 3 loads at 6500 pounds average each load, no issues. I've driven loads ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds to Missouri 3 times and Colorado 4 times. I've spent 15 plus hours in the driver seat on multiple occasions (I'm 310 pounds) and while it wasn't a recliner I didn't suffer. I've heard tons of complaints from Colorado owners and while valid I can confidently say I have had none of these issues at all. The only problem was those LOUD mud tires but we swapped them out. Our Colorado has been amazing and has never let us down in over 70,000 miles. If this truck is used for it's intended purpose and within it's capabilities it should have no problems serving your needs. But, if you choose to take it outside of it's intended use or capabilities it's safe to assume there may arise some problems.
Not complaining, not accusing anyone of anything, but after over 40 years of being a mechanic I have seen the most horrific damage done to vehicles because said vehicle was abused outside of it's ability, and the operator always seemed to have an excuse as to why they used it that way when the owners manual clearly tells them it cannot do that and the warranty will be voided if so. Just throwing this out there, before you choose to complain about a vehicle make sure you aren't the reason for the complaint and that the causes of the problems aren't your use or abuse of said vehicle. Remember I'm speaking from a place of being an owner of this same truck that been used HARD, but within it's abilities.
This truck isn't perfect, but can be broken if used improperly, like any other vehicle. Just my 2 cents.
Well i have over twice the mileage on my other duramax in the same road conditions with zero trouble...i assure you, its not me.
I LOVE my ZR2, but you are correct, they have issues!!
Yeah it is unfortunate, good looking truck.
Wow-------My wife and I bought a 2018 ZR 2 2.8 Diesel (January). The tires that came on it worked great in the snow and mud, But they made so much noise on the highway we had to change them. Here in northern Nevada a 4X4 is a must. Our diesel is getting us about 30mph gallon to 35 mph. (empty). Our truck tows our feather lit car trailer when we go logging. (for fire wood). pulls our trailer with no problem. We have blown tires on our trailer for being over loaded, with 50 lbs air.(my fault). I fell really bad for your problems with your ZR 2. (lemon ?)
Definitely a lemon, ive had alot of chevys and this one was the worst by far, all the others have been great.
The seats in the ZR2 Blazers/pick-ups were terrible also. And the front suspension components were crap. Fuel mileage was better in the 1/2 ton pick-ups but that was mostly because they had 3.73 rear diffs.
Truely a lemon, worst gm vehicle ive ever had.
agree with the seats. 2017 coloraido here. i couldn't imagine 6 hours in my truck lol
Yep, they were terrible to sit in all day!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the video now I know what to watch out for on my truck and maintenance it and put a shield for the wiring harness
That was the main idea for the video, not to bash GM, as i am a huge fan, but to bring attention to the things i think should have been done better.
I've never don a video like this before, so its not what i do, my channel is based around 4x4 fabrication.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
HAD a '17 Colorado with the 8 speed automatic. Transmission was junk. Torque converter at 10k miles, shuttering again at 13k miles. Fluid flushed and sold!!!
Yeah the quality control of GM has gone down drastically in the last few years for sure.
My new 1500 with the 3.0L duramax has been great! Though the auto start only works when it wants too..lol i hate the auto start anyways, it could stay off as far as im concerned!
I have a 2019 Bison 3.6 V-6 and everything works like new. 28,800 miles. I take into Ocala National Forest regularly.
Beauty, glad shes workin for ya
Pros - good looking truck
Cons - the entire truck
Thank God I watched this video!! I had my eye on the same truck and I was about to go for it this weekend....not no more. Some engineers they have at Chevy.....smh!
Yeah, i mean, maybe mine was a lemon, other guys claim to have not had a problem.
If you do look at buying one, make sure you look it over good and especially that wiring harness under there. If you only drive pavement, youll probably be fine, but if its lots of gravel, not so much..lol
Glad i can make prople aware of these things.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sorry to hear the troubles, I own a 2019 Zr2. I agree the shock hangers is a joke. That's the first thing ivw done is relocate the shock to the others side of the leaf spring and remove the spare tire.
Yeah, unfortunately i think GM could have done a better job engineering this truck. There are remedies for most of the problems, but i was not about to sink more money into something that shoulda been done right in the first place.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I respect honest reviews & no excuse for GM here. It does seem like you’d be better served by a Jeep Gladiator (solid axles) or perhaps just a full-size truck. I have a ZR2 & also a Jeep JLU; they’re very different in ride quality with the Jeep being more capable on rutted trails, but the ZR2 is a better road trip vehicle … smooth & comfortable, albeit with a simplistic interior. My wife’s F-150 is horrible off-road, but that’s because it’s on stock suspension.
Yeah i had a full size, the fuel mileage kills you, but the zr2 was not much better, i use my personal 1 ton duramax now and get better fuel mileage than the zr2 by a little. Bought myself a new 1/2 ton duramax for a personal vehicle, as some point ill demote the new 1/2 ton to a work truck and go buy another new one for personal use.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
20 years ago they didn't bother to make the steering strong enough for the ZR2 package. I got mine fixed under warranty, it wore out again in a few months, traded it back in. I guess they are still letting the customer be the R&D team.
It is unfortunate that in this day and age GM still cant get things like that right, very frusterating, but GM is not the only one!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I just watched this same video but it was about a Ford, no, a Toyo, or was it a Dodge, I remember, it was a Jeep.
The best part is you watched it and commented!
Thanks!
That lawn looks perfect!😂
Lol, well we been working on it for the couple years that we've owned the property. Just went through a heat wave that burnt it pretty bad in places, but its making a come back!
Check out this sundays video and you will see the back yard..lol
Thanks for your comment!
I was about to comment the same thing. Not sure about the wiring harness, but that grass looks amazing
Thank you for the info Sir. Glad I watched your video 👏
Glad i could help!
Sounds like you got a lemon, unfortunately. Probably built on a Friday afternoon. I know GM has addressed the low hanging shock mounts for the next gen ZR2. I have heard Multimatic is working on making these shocks more durable and rebuildable. Hope you like your new truck.
Yeah, all the makers make lemons, hope they make some necessary changes.
The new truck is awesome sofar.
I've been a Toyota guy forever but thought about getting a ZR2 diesel over another Tacoma. Boy am I glad I watched this. Those shock hangers are enough to walk away, what are thinking!?
Right?!, those damn things were dragging through the mud every where, and the chinsy little plastic guards offered little protection and did not last long!
Glad i could help.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Makes me happy I decided on the Z71 instead of the ZR2 lol. Problem free so far
Yeah, i took a chance on the zr2, it was a mistake, running my 2016 1 ton duramax z71 with way more kms on it and no trouble too.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Glad i got the Z71 too its been flawless
Good deal!
I feel you bemt the tie rod. Who removes the spark wheel unless your going off road.
Nope, and whats a spark wheel
Ouch sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The shocks hanging low need skid plates or a relocation kit, it was my first thing done, tires got replaced asap with cooper stt pro's, tie rod sleaves by peak are a must and a tune by trifecta is worth every penny. Recovery of this little truck is 100% easier then recovery of a 1 ton and it will walk across the skeg much better too. I agree on the fuel mileage its no better then a v8. Lots of great info on the forums, all of these issues are addressed on there, could save ya a headache. I love my zr2.
Yeah but why should a guy pay $49,000 plus for a vehicle that is marketed for off road, then throw more money at it to make it the way it shoulda been from the factory, and the seats still blow, not to mention the stupid place to run a wiring harness or the fact that the front axles cant make it past 18,000 km...lol
I agree being lighter is an asset, that was one of the reasons to buy it.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FabbinAdventures I am so grateful for your posting. I was looking into the exact same truck but had reservations on reliability. You are saving me many head and hearth aches ;)
Well honestly, the truck is a nice little unit. I wanted to make people aware of a few thing that i over looked, and for my purposes, it was a bad decision.
Go have a look at it and make your own decision. Mine was a 2019, maybe some things have been addressed since then.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I had the alternator fail on a 2017 colorado i owned just 20K miles in. Had the “100,000mi warranty” and chevy said it wasn’t covered and gave a bunch of sly sneaky verbiage to justify their laziness. Honestly, the colorados the coolest looking truck on the market there’s no question at all but it’s the absolute worst built truck known to mankind. i’ve never met a colorado owner that didn’t have problems starting 10K miles in.
Yeah its unfortunate that chevy is on the down hill slide.
Thanks I was thinking of buying 1
Its just some stuff for you to think about and have a look at.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The ZR2 has a great towing capacity....I know. I just towed one the other day with my 2013 Tacoma. The Colorado had transmission problems. It left the neighbourhood on a flat bed
Mine alao took a few rides on a flat bed.
My 2018 2wd Silverado has aluminum control arms and it goes out of alignment easily.
Well that sucks, i got rid of that truck right after that video came out
I’m guessing based on you saying you’re in Canada, work oilfield, and are 14 hours from BC you’re likely working in Alberta/Sask and I know how demanding that industry can be on your trucks. I think right from the start a smaller truck like this isn’t cut out for such heavy duty workload. Working oil and gas you need a 1500 minimum ideally a 2500/3500. I think the Colorado is better suited as a daily commuter with some light workload sprinkled in. I’m thinking of getting one with the Duramax just as a daily commuter but like the fuel economy of diesel and would like ability to pull a small RV or horse trailer. I’ve had such bad experiences with gasoline trucks (08 Sierra that was such a lemon as just one example) that I’ll only consider diesel at this point.
Im only an hour and a half from B.C, work 10 hours a day and dont haul anything heavier than 300 or 400 lbs worth of tools, so i figured the truck would be fine, it wasnt a question of the suspension crapping out, it was everything else.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
My cv boot failed at 5000 km with zero offroading, the hood scoop is chipping the hood paint, mechanic said oh gm has let that happen for the last 4 years from factory…well known issue. The alignment has always seemed a little off on it even after an alignment, the rear shocks seem like they are leaking, glass has scratches on it. The transmission has a very odd shifting feel to it compared to any other vehicle I have owned….only have 15,000 km on it so far and looking to trade it in for something else before a bunch of other stuff happens. Its a 2021 zr2, thought they would have the original issues worked out, but was told they didn’t really fix many of them.
WOW, glad I went with a Tacoma again. When I was a young pup and freshly married I had a base base S-10 that i purchased brand new. Biggest POS I have ever owned. constantly at the dealer. I would pick up the S10 and drop of the wifes Cavalier. both vehicles purchased new, both under warranty. I got rid of both vehicles before the warranty expired. leased a Geo Prism for the wife and realized how good the japanese cars were made. purchased a Nissan truck for myself. Neither vehicle had return trips to the dealer. I have had Nissan's and Toyota's ever since. Looks like nothing has changed for Chevy!
Yeah i think every manufacturer puts out a lemon every now and then, ive had nothing but great luck with GM products, thats why im still a customer, but....if they go strictly electric, it will be the last GM i buy.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
We took a 10 days trip with the family from Las Vegas to Oregon, Washington and then back, about 700 pounds with passengers +overland gears nothing to report. My brother 16" has 90k miles nothing to report.
Lucky you...
I own a 2019 zr2 with 60,000 miles and I don't have any of these problems.
Lucky you, if you stay on the pavement you shouldnt have any problems
You just explained every reason why I bought a Tacoma
Yeah, im sure they all have their problems, but that zr2 was a fail as far as im concerned.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
My 08 silverado 1500 had 267000 on it. Almost no problems. I've always had chevy and was looking at the ZR2. Not sure now. But I wouldn't be using it as hard as you were. 50k is a lot for a truck with a hanging wire harness exposed to rocks.
Yeah, our 2007 was problem free also and probably had the most comfortable seats in any truck weve owned.
The new 3.0L diesel seems to be pretty awesome sofar. We have not experienced the long crank syndrome ive read about, hopefully we got one of the good ones.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for this very informative commentary
Glad you found it informative, thanks for your comment.
I own 100th anniversary edition at 12 thousand miles you could be going up a hill on payment it started shuddering, when coming to a stop you get a loud bang . Took it to dealer they said it had the wrong fluid took them 2 weeks to change the fluid? The next thing was front axle shaft bearing went out again took about 2 weeks to replace. I have a 1979 that has about 300 thousand miles ( legends member )told dealer that truck had 130 thousand miles before I had to replace anything on except normal service these new trucks don't compare.
Yep, they dont make them to last any more, cheap/expensive junk these days.
Very informative. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Just bought one in a v6 we shall see about these problems for the last year of the 1st gen zr2.
Hope you have better luck than me!
@@FabbinAdventures Thanks! Me too lol
I'd pay money to see someone getting stuck from the spare being behind and above the rear diff.
Exactly how much would you pay, it happens.
@@FabbinAdventures $10
What year is your truck mine is a 2018 and no problems
2019
I have the ZR2 diesel. It’s been great overall so far but mine is a pavement princess and only has 33k miles on it. It’s a real shame about your issues. It seems like 90% of them are related to poor underbody design considerations. And for a off-road truck, that’s inexcusable. I have mud flaps similar (maybe the same) to yours, hoping it will prevent some amount of debris from getting thrown up onto the sensitive or poorly designed components.
Yeah its unfortunate that a truck that is marketed as an off road truck would have that many cons about it underneath.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
If you could pick a midsize truck to drive in general what mode size would you buy? I also drive long distances. Thank you
I traded in that zr2 and ordered a 1500 with the 3.0L duramax and that thing gets phenominal fuel mileage! I have avout 14,000kms on it sofar and ive seen it do 37mpg or 7.5L/100km. I find the suspension a little soft maybe, but its very comfortable to drive.
I have a video out on it on my channel if you want to give it a watch.
The fact that the dealership told you how you bent the tie rod infuriated me beyond words can explain. Petty sure they would have had police remove me from the property had it been me.
Oh believe you me i was pissed! That was the mechanic that told the service manager thats what had to have happened. I argued and raised a big stink so the sales manager who i buy all my vehicles through got the dealership to pay me back $1000, then a few months later when it did it again and the local dealership warranteed it, i rose another stink! They paid me back another $1000
If they wouldnt have done that i was gonna be done with that dealership, and i was actually contemplating changing brands!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
How would you cv axle cause your tie rod to bend??
Well thats a good question, closest we could figure is the cv locked up in the turn, the motion of the vehicle wanted to go forward, the locked up cv said no way and something had to give.
I have no real idea how its possible, but it surely did and i have 5 witnesses at work that seen it happen.
Thanks for watching and your comment!
Not sure I'd ever buy a midsized truck but regardless, I'll always be a GM guy...ESPECIALLY for trucks. With that being said, the Colorado and Canyon have always been GM's last priority as far as trucks go and they really make it obvious! Hopefully the 2023 refresh will improve reliability as well as that horrible interior and sedan-esque front end lol. Also, I don't know why GM ditched the old formula for their seats. From first-hand experience I can say that the seats in both my brother's 06 Sierra Denali and my 06 Z71 Tahoe (identical to those in their pickups) were more comfortable than those in a brand new Ram platinum and that's no exaggeration.
I concur, my 07 silverado had the most comfortable seats of any truck ive had, unfortunately GM seems to be going down hill.
I just cant see myself buying a different brand, but you never know.
Thr colorado was severly dissappointing!
Have a Colorado z-71 diesel. 3” Icon lift, Warn and FabFours bumpers and winch etc. Had Green Diesel tune in it from 20,000 K. Torched a piston at 135.000k. 3 of 4 pistons were cracked up to ring land and conrod bearings all worn through first layer just after TDC. $14k to rebuild with new pistons, rings, pins, conrod bearing, injectors, lines and nearly every friggin bolt in the thing! Torque to yield…. Have it for sale, but not a single serious buyer. Replaced with a 1500 6.2 10 speed, medium load. I agree comp,Evelyn shock mounts suck! 589 fab makes a relocation kit. I have tie rod sleeve kit. No issues with CV boots, but I’m not in ‘patch mud. The interior wears way too quickly as well. I wondered if a Colorado diesel would have been a good operators truck…guess not. Chevy electrical.. I have mine skidplated. I’ll check that harness! My rear springs are shite as well. Replaced once. Seems like too low spring rate. Aggravated the rear window is not power.
There are other guys running the diesel and loving them for operating i hear. Most of the other companies roads around hear are way better, the company i work for dont spend money on roads apparently..lol
Still too many damn problems with the truck for my liking.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
How much you selling your truck for?
That thing is long gone, traded it in the day after i shot the video.
I have a 2018 but the problem is the dsv shocks last 40k or less. They are now 2000$ each, in the last year they went from 650/shock to 2000. Warning to anyone looking to buy a zr2. This also goes to their other parts and you will find out when replacing parts.
Wow, $2000 each, thats insane! And the fact your only getting 40k out of them sucks also!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FabbinAdventures i agree with most of what you said about things wearing out for no reason or prematurely, my truck had the same mechanical issues.
@deeejayeee that sucks man, there are lots of guys who reponded to this video offended..lol saying i dont know what im talking about, thats fine, they can have their opinion.
I've a chevy guy 100 percent loyal my whole "driving years" so its not real easy to call one of their products out, but it is what its is.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@FabbinAdventures I like my zr2 but the issues you've brought forward are real for most of us who own them. It's still the most capable vehicle on the road but these are the realities that we have to except owning a zr2.
@deeejayeee yeah, its unfortunate that chevy after all these years could put something out there like this.
That being said, my wife bought a 2024 1500 zr2 with the 3.0l diesel and it is a very nice truck, though its a highway princess..lol it is way more comfortable, has the lockers and all the goodies but in a full size truck.
I have the diesel and it is running at 8 liters per hundred. 32+ mpg It’s a 2018 and has been amazing.
I think your front boot problem is from driving in the ruts. The boots are getting beat up at they are dragging through the high part of the mud. Wheels in the ruts with CV boots dragging through the.mud. The diesel is better than you think. I pull a dual axle 6000lb travel trailer with ease and still get good mpg of approximately 16….
My only complaint so far is my black paint is getting blasted away in front of the rear wheels from the tires throwing rocks ect. Not good.
I have no doubt the diesel would get great fuel mileage, i traded this turd in on a brand new 1500 with the 3.0 duramax and the mileage has been awesome!
Well the boots dont actually drag in the mud because your lower control arms are lower than the axle and none of the other trucks out there (chevy) have that trouble.
And yes the paint they use now is not durable at all, mine too was getting "sand blasted"
It was a lemon plain and simple.
Thanks for watching.
@@FabbinAdventures I call BS on 32 mpg on a diesel ZR2. Maybe on a 2wd Colorado but not a 4wd version of the Colorado. I owned a 2019 ZR2 for 2 years and the best it would do was mid 20s.
Well i cant comment on that as mine was a gas job, and horrible fuel mileage to boot.
My new 1/2 ton with the 3.0l duramax gets excellent mileage though...like rediculously good!
Cv boots, axles, notorious key stuck in ignition, replaced transmission at 30K, the harmonic balancer seems to be loose, rack and pinion is fragile. I feel you im tired of my 22 midnight edition
Yup i traded that turd off right after that video came out.
The new truck is great, suspension is a bit soft but no troubles yet.
@FabbinAdventures glad you got rid of it.
@MidnightZR2 me too, never had such a piece of gm junk in my life!
gravel got into the broken c v boot which you can see it troughs the grease in the wheel wells when torn
Yep, thatll do it, but the boots should last way longer than 10,000 km, i have 170,000km on my one ton i use for work and the boots are original and still fine.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
There are lemons with all brands. My ZR2 Bison seems so far to be a solid truck knock on wood.
Oh yes, for sure, thats why i got rid of it and got another chevy!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I was thinking about a 2022 ZR2 w/ diesel, but not now!
Yeah definitely some things to think about!
Excellent video,,,Not holding back,,,sorry to all the Chev lovers but informative on great points and definitely steers me away from buying one,,,,whew!!!close call
Glad you liked the video, there are lots of guys saying im being whiny or too picky or dont like chevy..lol i love my chevy trucks, its all ive ever driven, so it is kinda hard to bash them.
I just want to be honest with my findings, so you guys have something to think about.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Sounds like you just got a lemon, mine has been flawless with hard off roading. I did put 10 ply duratracs on and shock skids though. V6 fuel is brutal, thankfully I drive the diesel and the bison so no plastic!
Yep definitely a lemon!
I watched your video though blaaa he had some bad luck so I went a head and bought a chevrolet colorado zr2 1st computer problems lose wires then transmission let go with no parts in north America this truck has less than 5000 km on it so now it sits at the dealership and they gave me a Kia reo as a rental
Oh man, that sucks, sorry about your luck with the turd.
Like i said, i am a true chevy fan, but this truck fall well below par, and it hurts to say that this chevy product blows!
Lots of guys seem to love it though
Thanks for the video
No problemo