2016 Chevrolet Corvette Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Caution The 2016 Chevrolet Corvette has a complaint index of 60 and ranks 9th worst out of 21 model years, earning a Caution verdict. NHTSA logged 104 complaints, mostly suspension/wheel/tire issues (60 complaints, 58% share), plus 2 recall campaigns.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 60/100
- #9 of 21 Corvette years
- Verdict
- Caution
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 104
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 2
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 1
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Top issue
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 19
- 15.5 city / 25.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 1 / 0
Top 2016 Chevy Corvette problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires60 (58%)
- Fuel System14 (13%)
- Transmission & Powertrain12 (12%)
- Engine7 (7%)
- Electrical System6 (6%)
- Steering5 (5%)
- Other3 (3%)
- Structure & Body3 (3%)
- Airbags2 (2%)
- Visibility & Wipers2 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Wheels crack and lose air pressure after several thousand miles, sometimes on optional chrome wheel packages.
- Steering wheel and interior panels develop high-frequency vibration linked to bent front wheels that dealers struggle to balance.
- Fuel tanks leak gas near the tailpipe area, in some cases recurring after a dealer replacement.
- Torque tube coupling at the driveshaft-to-differential joint fails, a problem owners link to earlier C7 model years.
- Clutch pedal drops to the floor without warning at speed due to master cylinder failure.
- Convertible top seals let air leak in on both sides despite repeated dealer visits.
2016 Chevrolet Corvette recalls
2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 17V437000Jul 10, 2017Seat Belts40,683 vehicles
Seat belts:pretensioner
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.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 16V651000Sep 8, 2016Airbags3,640,162 vehicles
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
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.
Remedy: 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.
2016 Chevrolet Corvette fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 15.5 MPG
- Highway
- 25.5 MPG
- Combined
- 19 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $4,225
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Premium
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2016 compared with other Corvette years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2016 Corvette a complaint index of 60 and a Caution verdict, ranking 9th worst among 21 model years of the Corvette. Suspension, wheel, and tire complaints make up 58% of reported issues.
- What is the most common problem with the 2016 Corvette?
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires is the top problem area, with 60 complaints (58% of all complaints) and a median failure mileage of 17,181.5 miles.
- Does the 2016 Corvette have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2016 Corvette, covering seat belts (SDM software reflash) and airbags. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- How does the 2016 Corvette compare to other years?
- The 2016 model's complaint index of 60 is worse than top years like 2018, 2021, and 2022 (Best verdict, indexes of 10, 0, and 5) but better than 2008 or 2005, which scored 100 and 95 with Avoid verdicts.
- What is the median mileage for 2016 Corvette failures?
- Across all reported problems, the median mileage at failure is 14,500 miles, though fuel system complaints appeared much earlier, at a median of 2,750 miles.