YearToAvoid

2016 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Caution

Complaint Index

67/100

#6 most-complained of 16 Suburban years

The 2016 Chevrolet Suburban has 220 NHTSA complaints, a complaint index of 67, and 6 recalls, ranking 6th worst of 16 model years. Brakes are the top problem area at 37% of complaints, giving it a Caution verdict relative to other Suburban years.

Complaints
220
Recalls
6
incl. Do Not Drive
Crashes / fires
9 / 1
Injuries / deaths
8 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
18
15.5 city / 22.5 hwy

Top 2016 Chevrolet Suburban problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Brakes82 (37%)
  2. Transmission & Powertrain45 (20%)
  3. Engine30 (14%)
  4. Electrical System27 (12%)
  5. Other26 (12%)
  6. Steering23 (10%)
  7. Suspension, Wheels & Tires17 (8%)
  8. Structure & Body16 (7%)
  9. Airbags6 (3%)
  10. Collision Avoidance & Cameras5 (2%)

What owners report

  • Brake pedal becomes stiff or unresponsive, causing drivers to fail to stop in time at intersections or parking lots.
  • Front wheel detached from the axle while driving around 30 mph, leading to loss of control.
  • Transmission slips out of gear when shifting from park to drive and revs the engine without moving the vehicle, and can lose power at speed.
  • Airbags failed to deploy during a crash despite a strong impact.
  • Engine threw a rod through the block while driving on the interstate, producing thick smoke and loss of power.
  • Roof and body panels reported coming loose from roof bows with vibration and wind noise at highway speeds.
2016 Chevrolet Suburban complaints: complaints filed per quarter212016 Q12017 Q32019 Q12020 Q32022 Q12023 Q32025 Q2
291 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2016 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2019 Q3 (21).

2016 Chevrolet Suburban recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

See all 6 recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban →

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

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2014Best059317
2015Avoid10042811 !18
2016Caution672206 !18
2017Caution601415 !18.5
2018Best20814 !18.5

All Chevrolet Suburban years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, the 2016 Suburban has a complaint index of 67 and ranks 6th worst out of 16 model years, earning a Caution verdict compared to other Suburban years.
What is the biggest problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
Brakes are the top problem area, accounting for 82 of 220 complaints (37%), including reports of a stiff pedal and failure to stop, with a median mileage at failure of 62,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2016 Suburban covering brakes, seat belts, mirrors, airbags, and suspension, including one do-not-drive recall for front upper control arms.
How does the 2016 Suburban compare to other years?
The 2016 model's complaint index of 67 is worse than years like 2014 (0) and 2020 (7), but better than 2015 (100), 2021 (87), and 2023 (93), which carry Avoid verdicts.
What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
The 2016 Suburban is EPA-rated at 18 mpg combined (15.5 city / 22.5 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,600.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.