2016 Chevrolet Corvette Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
CautionComplaint Index
67/100
#6 most-complained of 16 Corvette years
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
The 2016 Chevrolet Corvette has a Complaint Index of 67 and ranks 6th worst of 16 model years, earning a Caution verdict. NHTSA lists 104 complaints, 2 recalls, and a top problem area of Suspension, Wheels & Tires at 58% of complaints.
- Complaints
- 104
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes / fires
- 1 / 1
- Injuries / deaths
- 1 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 19
- 15.5 city / 25.5 hwy
Top 2016 Chevrolet Corvette problems
NHTSA owner 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%)
What owners report
- Wheels crack or bend and lose air pressure, sometimes after only a few thousand miles.
- Steering wheel and interior panels vibrate at highway speeds due to bent or unbalanced front wheels.
- Fuel tanks leak gas, in some cases requiring the tank to be replaced and then leaking again shortly after.
- The clutch pedal drops to the floorboard without warning while driving, tied to master cylinder failure.
- The torque tube coupling connecting the driveshaft to the differential fails, a problem owners say goes back to 2014 models.
- Convertible top seals let air leak in on the driver or passenger side despite multiple dealer repair attempts.
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?
- Compared to other Corvette model years, 2016 carries a Caution verdict with a Complaint Index of 67, ranking 6th worst out of 16 years tracked by NHTSA.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2016 Corvette?
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires is the top problem area, accounting for 60 of 104 complaints (58%), largely involving wheel cracking and vibration issues.
- Does the 2016 Corvette have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2016 Corvette, one covering seat belt software reflashing and one covering airbag control module software.
- How does the 2016 Corvette compare to the 2017 and 2018 models?
- The 2017 Corvette has a higher Complaint Index of 100 and an Avoid verdict, while the 2018 Corvette has a much lower index of 13 and a Best verdict.