Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Chevrolet Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the electrical power fluctuated, and the steering wheel jerked abnormally and became difficult to turn. The instrument panel lights turned off with an audible bell chime. The contact stated that during the failure, the engine remained operable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the battery, and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure later reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no service was performed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 117,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving slower speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. Due to the failure, the vehicle was coasted to a stop before being restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic discovered high resistance in the negative ground battery cable. The contact was informed that the cable needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 18-na-161 and linked the TSB to the failure. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified of the failure and the TSB. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
As I was driving 75 mph down the highway my collision alert flashed all my lights turned off, including my headlights and all interior lights as it was dark time and they flashed back on a couple of times until they finally stayed on. I pulled over and as I came to zero, speed, the vehicle completely shut down. It did start back up, but this is not the first time I get a light on my dash that says stability track and then everything resets and I don't have any lights on at all after that this has been happening off and on I also have three coworkers that have the same make, and year that experienced the same problems ! My situation on the highway was very dangerous. It was pitched dark outside and I lost vision due to my lights going off at 75 mph and my steering wheel also locking up. The next time the vehicle does it I will take a video for proof. …
The vehicle will just stop operating while driving. This past Sunday, December 18, 2022, I was driving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game and turning into the parking lot and the vehicle just stopped operating, completely turned off. Couldn't turn steering wheel, put into neutral or anything. Police assisted me as I was blocking the main road to the parking lot. No electrical in the vehicle. This happened a few times before but the car would usually restart quickly. This time it sat for over 5 minutes and then for some reason I was able to get it restarted. There is a service bulletin for this issue from Chevrolet TSB PIT5405, however there are no parts available for this fix. This is a very dangerous situation as this happened in the middle of a major road and could happen at anytime without any warning. Luckily no one has been hurt or any accident but it is scary to say the least.
Reduced or loss of power steering assist. Steering wheel jerks or kicks back when turning. Service Stabilitrak message with warning chime. Engine stall. IPC going blank or inoperative. Radio/ICS going blank. HVAC going blank. Hood ajar message and/or dome lamps flash when shifting into reverse. Alarm sounds when locking doors or door locks cycling. Wipers continue to run for a short time after turning off and then stop/park in the incorrect location Engine stall and loss of steering almost caused a collision putting mine and others lives at risk. This has happened seven times since I bought the car in July 2021. No warning its going to happen other than dash lights flicker , warning lights on, steering fails, car dies, won't restart. GM has a Technical Service Bulletin #18-NA-161 . I hope you can do something about this serious problem before someone is serious hurt or dies. Thank you
Had the transmission replaced after 100,000 miles. Not even a year later the whole engine blew. With zero warnings lights or signs the engine gave 5 gallons of gas was in the engine along with other issues. We replace the engine and everything starts falling apart. Another $1,400 later it's still throwing codes which come to find out the computer is now bad. Less the 300 miles have been put on the engine since it was replaced. Constant cam shaft sensors are going off causing the car to not run. $10,000 was put into it to have a running car and huge mechanical issues continue to happen with maybe 150,000 miles. Maintenance was done regularly. Zero issues prior to the transmission which thankfully was covered under warranty.
Loss of steering, jerks the week right out of your hand and then you are unable to turn the wheel. Engine stalls and you have to try to coast to the side of the road, put in park and try to restart the vehicle. Service Stabilitrak warning appears on display, Alarm Sounds, Radio beeps and display goes blank, navigation compass does not work. There is a current Technical Service Bulletin for these issues: #18-NA-161, document ID 5075841 that lists the years from 2014 to 2020. There were Product Safety Recalls issued: 17276 Loss of Steering Assist, Reference Number:N172085440 for vehicles listed in this TSB for 2014 and 2015 but no Recalls for later vehicles with the same problems.
At low speeds while steering, the steering wheel locks up for 1 or 2 seconds causing the vehicle to drive in an unintended direction. This is sometimes accompanied by the electrical system rebooting, and sometimes, there is no warnings at all. It has happened to us 4 times in the last six months. The dealer has had the car twice and is unable to reproduce or diagnose. In addition, sometimes the car has rebooted while driving 60 mph on highways. When this happens, it has engaged cruise control at least three times. I don't view this as unsafe as the steering description given above.
Car dies randomly while driving taken it to multiple dealerships and they can't figure it out changed batteries tightened grounds had dealership check everything and they can't see any problem but have almost been hit and in bad accidents due to this. Car will drive fine then randomly die while in motion losing power steering and brakes and then locked into car without any thing working can't use flashers or anything just stuck until about 15 mins car will randomly start again.
Purchased my 2016 suburban on 1/14/23 and since it has been "service trailer brake" distracting me from driving . The service chime stops me from listening to music , my turn signals , constantly making me look down . I drove around in total for 4 hours throughout my day and non stop. I've contacted the dealership and told me to wait till the end of the week.
Electrical complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the electrical system of the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban, 12% of the model year's 220 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery › cables (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Chevrolet Suburban electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Chevrolet Suburban electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.