Total Complaints
378 filings
CHEVROLET TRAVERSE · model year
378 NHTSA complaints, 16 crash reports, and 5 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2016CHEVROLETTRAVERSE carries 378 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 16 crashes, 1 fire, 17 injuries, and 1 fatality. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 TRAVERSE is air bags with 159 filings, followed by power train (35) and engine (31). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 5 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2016 TRAVERSE, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
378 filings
Crashes Reported
16 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 159 |
| POWER TRAIN | 35 |
| ENGINE | 31 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 25 |
| STEERING | 24 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 18 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 18 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 15 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 8 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 6 |
| WHEELS | 5 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 4 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 4 |
| SEAT BELTS | 4 |
| LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION | 4 |
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used.
SEATS
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
the transmission lost power and almost caused an accident with the vehicle behind me
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed that parts were in the warehouse, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was made aware of the issue and stated that parts were not yet available. The contact was informed that a call would be received when parts became available; however, the contact had not yet received a call. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Transmission solenoid. Common. Needs to be reported. Its know as the week link to this vehicle. The manufacturer knows and there are many complaints. This vehicle needs to be recalled. Safety concern while driving.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved from a dealer after a recall regarding the air bags; however, while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for 2 months and the dealer attempted to perform the air bag recall again. The contact stated that later, when the vehicle was picked up, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Stability Control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lunged forward while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and had referred the contact to the second dealer. The fa
Mileage: 140,000
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved from a dealer after a recall regarding the air bags; however, while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for 2 months and the dealer attempted to perform the air bag recall again. The contact stated that later, when the vehicle was picked up, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Stability Control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lunged forward while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and had referred the contact to the second dealer. The fa
Mileage: 140,000
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved from a dealer after a recall regarding the air bags; however, while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for 2 months and the dealer attempted to perform the air bag recall again. The contact stated that later, when the vehicle was picked up, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Stability Control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lunged forward while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and had referred the contact to the second dealer. The fa
Mileage: 140,000
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Front lights started dimming about the middle of April 2025 and now both back lights are out at the same time on June 3rd 2025.The car makes a rough grinding noise as it switches gears.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I had to replace the timing chain. I had to replace the Torque Converter. New issues: Interior lights on the dash and radio have been going out while driving. Message center warning has been not working sometimes when using remote start in winter. Sometimes it just goes blank while driving.
I had to replace the timing chain. I had to replace the Torque Converter. New issues: Interior lights on the dash and radio have been going out while driving. Message center warning has been not working sometimes when using remote start in winter. Sometimes it just goes blank while driving.
I had to replace the timing chain. I had to replace the Torque Converter. New issues: Interior lights on the dash and radio have been going out while driving. Message center warning has been not working sometimes when using remote start in winter. Sometimes it just goes blank while driving.
The blindspot modules are put behind the wheel well in the bumper exposed to the elements. Water gets in these modules and cause them to swell and fail. Each module is sold at the dealer for $340 a piece and gm recommends you replace both along with the wiring harness. This job if done at the dealer is costing consumers $1300-$1600. If you replace the modules yourself then the dealer charges you a programming fee of $195-$215 in my area. This is a design flaw and other GM vehicles like the Acadia have a recall. Why doesnât the Chevrolet Traverse have the same?
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
My vehicle has had issues starting off and on with in the last year of having the vehicle. I replaced the battery and alternator. and now we think it's the neutral safety switch. I went to go check the recalls and I see that I had a recall on the front air bag module needs replaced too. I have not received anything in the mail by the dealership or calls.
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.