2016 Chevrolet Suburban Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2016 Chevrolet Suburban has a complaint index of 75, ranking 6th worst out of 21 model years, and carries an Avoid verdict. Brakes account for 37% of its 220 complaints, with six recalls including one do-not-drive campaign.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 75/100
- #6 of 21 Suburban years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 220
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 6
- 1 Do Not Drive
- Crashes
- 9
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 8
- Top issue
- Brakes
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 18
- 15.5 city / 22.5 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 8 / 0
Top 2016 Chevy Suburban problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Brakes82 (37%)
- Transmission & Powertrain45 (20%)
- Engine30 (14%)
- Electrical System27 (12%)
- Other26 (12%)
- Steering23 (10%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires17 (8%)
- Structure & Body16 (7%)
- Airbags6 (3%)
- Collision Avoidance & Cameras5 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Brake pedal becomes stiff or fails to stop the vehicle, sometimes at low speed and resulting in collisions.
- Front passenger wheel has detached from the axle while driving, causing loss of control.
- Transmission slips or fails to engage when shifting from park to drive, and can lose power at speed.
- Engine has thrown a rod through the engine block on the highway, producing heavy smoke and loss of power.
- Roof and body panels vibrate and produce wind buffering noise reported as loosening from the roof bows.
- Vibration starting around 43 mph persists even after tire balancing.
2016 Chevrolet Suburban recalls
6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 19V761000Oct 24, 2019Brakes652,967 vehicles
Service brakes
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.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 19V645000Sep 6, 2019Brakes3,456,719 vehicles
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum
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.
Remedy: 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.
- 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.
2016 Chevrolet Suburban fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 15.5 MPG
- Highway
- 22.5 MPG
- Combined
- 18 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $3,600
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Gasoline or E85
- 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 Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2016 Suburban a complaint index of 75, the 6th worst of 21 model years, with brakes being the top complaint area (37% of 220 complaints). It carries an Avoid verdict relative to other Suburban years.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
- Brakes are the top problem area, with 82 complaints (37% of the total), 6 crashes, and a median failure mileage of 62,000 miles.
- Does the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban have a do-not-drive recall?
- Yes. Of its six recalls, one is a do-not-drive campaign (16V256000) covering front upper control arms.
- How does the 2016 Suburban compare to other model years?
- Its complaint index of 75 ranks 6th worst among 21 years tracked, worse than years like 2012-2014 and 2024-2025 which earned Good or Best verdicts, but better than 2015 (index 100) and 2007 (index 95).
- What mileage do 2016 Suburban brake problems typically occur at?
- NHTSA complaint data shows a median mileage of 62,000 miles at failure for brake-related complaints.