NHTSA Complaint #11680331 — 2024 CHEVROLET TRAX

Purchased the 2024 Trax in April 2024 and immediately received a critical engine and transmission notification the same day we took delivery. Returned the vehicle to the dealership and was told it was an faulty oil sensor issue, which they took care of. The car now has ~9,500 miles and the engine failed yesterday. While accelerating on the freeway, we heard a loud pop, saw smoke coming from the engine and tail pipe, the engine light and oil light came on, and a message on the dashboard said to turn off the engine immediately. The engine seized and began leaking all of the oil/fluid out onto the pavement. We had to pull onto the left shoulder of the freeway because the engine seized, which is extremely dangerous (the tow truck driver was nearly hit trying to load the vehicle onto the flatbed tow truck). The Trax had just been serviced at a local dealership for scheduled maintenance (oil and filter change, tire rotation and 27-point vehicle Inspection) on Friday, August 8th. The car was towed back to the same dealership, at which time we were informed that a rod was loose inside the engine and created a hole, which caused the engine to run on 2 cylinders and fail. The dealer claims the damage is unrelated to the recent oil change and confirmed that they did NOT inspect the engine during the scheduled maintenance appointment. We pay for OnStar and receive monthly vehicle health reports. Besides the critical engine and transmission notice we received when we first picked up the vehicle and a recall notice - which we had resolved - there have been no other messages or symptoms before yesterday's engine failure. The vehicle is still at the dealership and we are waiting to hear how this situation will be resolved.