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Total NHTSA Complaints
291
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Air Bags & Restraints
167 reports (57.4%)
Crash Incident Reports
8
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
7
1 fire • 6 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 291 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 167 complaints (57.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 6 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 291 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Air Bags & Restraints accounts for 57.4% of submissions (167 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Powertrain & Transmission (36), Engine & Cooling (28).
  • • Crash Incidents: 8 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 1 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 6 injury filings • 1 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Air Bags & Restraints
167
57.4%
Powertrain & Transmission
36
12.4%
Engine & Cooling
28
9.6%
Electrical System
26
8.9%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
24
8.2%
#1 57.4% SHARE

Air Bags & Restraints

167 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 3 Crash 🩹 5 Injury
⚠️ 3 Associated Recall Campaigns
#2 12.4% SHARE

Powertrain & Transmission

36 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
#3 9.6% SHARE

Engine & Cooling

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
#4 8.9% SHARE

Electrical System

26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

🩹 2 Injury
Deterministic Text Analysis

Recurring Symptoms Identified in Owner Reports

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

Powertrain & Transmission 2.7%

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

8 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Air Bags & Restraints ODI #11752464
Filed: 07/23/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that four local dealers were contacted. The contact was informed that parts were on back order. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not..."

Powertrain & Transmission ODI #11733800
Filed: 04/25/2026
Defect Report

"The vehicle only has 145,xxx miles and I experience a "shudder" which could be caused by torque converter issues, often felt at highway speeds (approx. 40-60 mph)."

Air Bags & Restraints ODI #11723198
Filed: 03/10/2026
Defect Report

"There is an open recall on my 2016 Chevrolet Traverse that I have been trying to get resolved for almost 2 years. I finally opened a case with GM (#{XXX]) back on February 15, 2026 in an effort to escalate the repair. I received a call from a GM rep who has been less than helpful telling me the..."

Air Bags & Restraints ODI #11720675
Filed: 02/26/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (AIR BAGS) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted."

Powertrain & Transmission ODI #11714092
Filed: 01/28/2026
Defect Report

"the transmission lost power and almost caused an accident with the vehicle behind me"

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for Chevrolet Traverse

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Traverse 313 10 5 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Chevrolet Traverse Current Page 291 8 5 Current
2017 Chevrolet Traverse 360 13 3 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Traverse 456 9 2 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Chevrolet Traverse 403 14 3 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Chevrolet Traverse 219 11 8 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Chevrolet Traverse 88 4 3 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Chevrolet Traverse 95 3 1 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Chevrolet Traverse 85 5 2 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Chevrolet Traverse 132 0 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Chevrolet Traverse 172 4 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Chevrolet Traverse 0 0 1 View 2026 Problems →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 68 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 155 2 0 4 1
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 16 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 16 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 0 0 2 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 1 0 3 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 2 1 0 5 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
OTHER/I AM NOT SURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

What are the most common reported problems with the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse is Air Bags & Restraints, appearing in 167 records (57.4% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Powertrain & Transmission (36) and Engine & Cooling (28).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 291 consumer defect complaints and 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse.

Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, 8 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 6 report one or more injuries.

Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.