2016 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Suburban years
- More complaints than other years 11th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. That ranks 11th out of 30 Suburban model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (78 complaints, 35%), typically at around 59,232 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 1 fire, 8 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 220owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2016 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems | 78 | 35% | 59,232 | “vacuum pump” (17%) | — |
| Power Train | 45 | 20% | 100,600 | — | — |
| Engine | 27 | 12% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 26 | 12% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 26 | 12% | 28,384 | — | — |
| Steering | 23 | 10% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 12 | 5% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 5% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 7 | 3% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 3% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 2% | 10,250 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 4 | 2% | 79,865 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 2% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 2% | 98,126 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 2% | 110,416 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 61,602 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | 3,250 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 1% | 141,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 88,786 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 66,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 600 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2016 Chevrolet Suburban recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes; service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:wheel speed sensor/tone ring; electronic stability control (esc)
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Visibility:rearview mirrors/devices:exterior
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet Suburban HD vehicles. These vehicles were assembled with a convex right-hand outside mirror, instead of with a non-convex (flat) right-hand outside mirror. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Risk: If equipped with the incorrect right-side rear-view mirror, the driver may misjudge the distance of other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the convex mirror with a non-convex mirror and provide a new page for the owner's manual with the customer notification letter, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17017.
Seat belts:pretensioner; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
Suspension:front:control armDo not drive
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Risk: Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure (PE18012) — opened Nov 20, 2018, closed Apr 10, 2022, led to recall 19V645000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
There is a defective paint on my 2016 ltz suburban
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud booming sound coming from the vehicle, and the sunroof glass exploded. During the failure, the sunroof cover was closed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered shards of glass…
The transmission failed suddenly and without warning. When I Went to pull out from a stop sign with cross traffic doing 55 mph, the vehicle shuddered and stopped pulling. We barely had enough momentum to get out of the way of oncoming traffic at the last second. The oncoming traffic had to brake…
While in the parking lot or stopping at the stop light the brakes will get hard and wonât brake .
Hood and roof of Suburban has discolored and lost its shine coat. The door and panels are fine
Other Chevrolet Suburban years
← 2015 Suburban · 2017 Suburban →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Suburban | 44 | 1 |
| 2023 Suburban | 130 | 3 |
| 2022 Suburban | 124 | 4 |
| 2021 Suburban | 200 | 12 |
| 2020 Suburban | 44 | 4 |
| 2019 Suburban | 78 | 3 |
| 2018 Suburban | 84 | 4 |
| 2017 Suburban | 141 | 5 |
| 2016 | 220 | 6 |
| 2015 Suburban | 430 | 11 |
| 2014 Suburban | 59 | 3 |
| 2013 Suburban | 118 | 4 |
| 2012 Suburban | 101 | 4 |
| 2011 Suburban | 148 | 3 |
| 2010 Suburban | 117 | 3 |
| 2009 Suburban | 106 | 5 |
| 2008 Suburban | 213 | 4 |
| 2007 Suburban | 292 | 4 |
| 2006 Suburban | 23 | 1 |
| 2005 Suburban | 129 | 6 |
| 2004 Suburban | 204 | 4 |
| 2003 Suburban | 301 | 5 |
| 2002 Suburban | 286 | 2 |
| 2001 Suburban | 440 | 6 |
| 2000 Suburban | 282 | 8 |
| 1999 Suburban | 634 | 1 |
| 1998 Suburban | 201 | 2 |
| 1997 Suburban | 414 | 2 |
| 1996 Suburban | 360 | 3 |
| 1995 Suburban | 457 | 6 |
See all Chevrolet Suburban problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
Owners most often report service brakes, power train, engine problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 78 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Suburban model years, the 2016 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.