Chevrolet Silverado · model year

2016 Chevrolet Silverado

8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 2 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
8
Recalls
2

The verdict

The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.

Top 14%
fewest complaints, own model years
2
recall campaigns

The 2016ChevroletSilverado carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2016 Silverado is air bags with 2 filings, followed by steering (1) and unknown or other (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2016 Silverado, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

8
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2016 Chevrolet Silverado

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS2
STEERING1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
POWER TRAIN1

Recalls (2)

16V08400011/02/2016

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt

15V83000010/12/2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick up trucks manufactured October 13, 2015, to October 14, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the mounting stud used to secure the air bag sensing and diagnostic Module (SDM) may be incorrectly positioned

Recent Complaints

20240807POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

See attached document for complaint

20240807POWER TRAIN

See attached document for complaint

20210908CrashAIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado HD Crew. The contact stated while driving approximately at 55 mph when the vehicles in front of the contact began to stop abruptly which resulted in the contact crashing the vehicle into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was taken and 2 persons in the contact's vehicle sustained injuries; i.e contact's wife who was a passenger sustained a sprain on the right wrist and right ankle, and whiplash, pain in the right shoulder and neck. The contact sustained pain in the right shoulder and neck. They did not seek medical treatment until a couple of days post-accident. The vehicle was towed to an insurance lot and was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,545.

Mileage: 34,545

20160421AIR BAGS

ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LOSS OF NEEDED INFORMATION SUCH AS SPEED AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION. DEALER SAYS THERE IS A TSB THAT THE ENTIRE TRUCK HAS TO BE RE-FLASHED INCLUDING ALL MODULES IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. DURING THIS TIME, ALL SAFETY SYSTEMS FLASHED AND APPEARED TO BE INACTIVE. AIR BAG, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, TRAILER BRAKING ETC. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO SEE IF A RECALL MUST HAPPEN. IF WE GOT IN AN ACCIDENT DURING THIS OCCURRENCE WHO KNOWS IF ANY OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE WERE FUNCTIONING.

Mileage: 1,015

20160421ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LOSS OF NEEDED INFORMATION SUCH AS SPEED AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION. DEALER SAYS THERE IS A TSB THAT THE ENTIRE TRUCK HAS TO BE RE-FLASHED INCLUDING ALL MODULES IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. DURING THIS TIME, ALL SAFETY SYSTEMS FLASHED AND APPEARED TO BE INACTIVE. AIR BAG, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, TRAILER BRAKING ETC. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO SEE IF A RECALL MUST HAPPEN. IF WE GOT IN AN ACCIDENT DURING THIS OCCURRENCE WHO KNOWS IF ANY OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE WERE FUNCTIONING.

Mileage: 1,015

20160421ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LOSS OF NEEDED INFORMATION SUCH AS SPEED AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION. DEALER SAYS THERE IS A TSB THAT THE ENTIRE TRUCK HAS TO BE RE-FLASHED INCLUDING ALL MODULES IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. DURING THIS TIME, ALL SAFETY SYSTEMS FLASHED AND APPEARED TO BE INACTIVE. AIR BAG, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, TRAILER BRAKING ETC. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO SEE IF A RECALL MUST HAPPEN. IF WE GOT IN AN ACCIDENT DURING THIS OCCURRENCE WHO KNOWS IF ANY OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE WERE FUNCTIONING.

Mileage: 1,015

20160330UNKNOWN OR OTHER

HAS THE CHEVY SHAKES BETWEEN 38 AND 70 MILE PER HOUR .5.3 V8 MOTOR AND 8 SPEED TRANSMISSION 342 REAR AXEL LOCKING DIFFERENTIAL . BEEN SELLING GM'S FOR 55 YEARS AND IF THIS WAS A DEMENSTRATOR WE WOULD NEVER NEVER SELL ANOTHER TRUCK.

Mileage: 27

20160224STEERING

I PURCHASED A 2016 SILVERADO 1500 4WD LTZ CREW ON FEBRUARY 08, 2016. ON FEBRUARY 20, 2016 WITH JUST 312 NEW MILES DRIVEN ON THE NEW VEHICLE, THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING 60 MILES PER HOUR GOING WEST ON THE SOUTHERN STATE PARKWAY MIDDLE LANE IN NASSAU COUNTY NEW YORK. WITH NO POWER STEERING ON A SIX THOUSAND POUND TRUCK, I HAD TO STRUGGLE WITH TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AWAY FROM OTHER VEHICLE ON THE PARKWAY AND EXIT THE PARKWAY WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I IMMEDIATELY CALL FOR ROAD SIDE SERVICED AND THE TRUCK WAS TOWED AND RETURN TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, THE CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPARTMENT LOCATED IN VALLEY STREAM, NY STATED ON FEBRUARY 24, 2016 THAT THE ENTIRE ELECTRIC RACK OPINION FOR THE POWER STEERING WAS DEFECTED WHEN IT WAS INSTALLED DURING THE ASSEMBLY BY THE MANUFACTURE. THE 2016 SILVERADO 1500 TRUCK WAS PURCHASED NEW ON 2/08/2016, AND I HAVE CONCERNS THAT OTHER MECHANICAL PARTS IN THE VEHICLE MAY BE DEFECTED AND THE VEH

Mileage: 312

Compare 2016ChevroletSilverado to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado have?
The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado has 8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado?
Yes, the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado?
The most-complained component for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado is AIR BAGS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.