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 Tahoe owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the vehicle started to shudder. The contact stated that the odometer was moving erratically. The contact stated that the engine overheated quickly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving at 35-45 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering and overheated. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle intermittently lost motive power. The messages "Service Power Train", "Roll Down Driver Side/ Passenger Side Windows", along with several other unknown messages, were displayed on the instrument panel. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions, which required the codriver to wait several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the message "Trailer Brake System" was displayed, and an alarm sounded. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it diagnosed that the trailer brake system module needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that he would be charged a repair fee. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The vehicle electrical system malfunctions. The vehicle stalls when the turn signal lever is shifted. When the steering wheel is turn to the right or left the vehicle stalls. Upon acceleration, particularly on the highway, and when the turn signal lever is shifted, the vehicle's gauges go haywire. The engine light comes on, the gauges move rapidly back and forth, a "Stabalink" error appears, the doors lock and unlock. My family and I have been put in unsafe conditions because of the electrical issues with this vehicle. We have been traveling on the highway when the vehicle stalled out. We have turned into intersections when the vehicle has stalled in oncoming traffic. The vehicle has accelerated and decelerated spontaneously causing us to loose control. The issue started approximately one year ago. …
Hello, I has problems driving my car like by brakes braking out of nowhere. There was even a couple times I felt like the car swerved, even though I did not do anything to the steering wheel. Then I found out I had a recall that said not to drive the car because it was dangerous so I parked it in my driveway and I have not driven it for many months as I've been getting rental cars. Eventually, I brought it into Antelope Valley Chevrolet and they told me they were going to fix it but then they actually told me that I had to pay around $1000 for a part that I found out later only cost under $100 and takes three minutes to put in. This is apart from Chevrolet and not some knock off from China that I found for under $100 online. So I'm a little upset that I came in for a recall and they're trying to get me to do a repair for almost $2000. …
Hello to whom it may concern, I purchased a certified pre-owned 2016 Chevy Tahoe in November of 2019 from a Woodland Ca dealership. Over the last six years, I have put only 31k miles on the truck. In 2022 I have put in a new transmission at 120K and now not even a year later I'm getting a warning message popping up on the dashboard service Trailer brake system. I have NOT towed anything in the last two years since my move. However, on January 4th of this year 2023 when the warning started, I thought it was just that I accidentally hit the trailer switch. I hit the switch again and the warning went away. However, the warning is increasing in the number of times it's coming on. I took it to a mechanic and discovered they said that a wire needed to be replaced. When I went to YouTube, I noticed that there were several videos on the same issue. …
I was driving on the 405 freeway, passing through Orange,, County, CA. While adjusting the sound level of the radio, part of the Infotainment system, the volume jumped to maximum level. These automobiles have superior sound systems and the sound was at a painful level. Nothing that I could touch had any effect on the sound level. Also in the car was my wife and a young granddaughter who started crying. So I had to exit the freeway and find a parking place where I could stop the engine and allow the Infotainment system reset and I could then select a normal volume. This could have been the cause of an accident because all of my attention was turned to the electronics. Freezes and non operation of the other features of these electronics has also occurred which causes the driver to turn his attention to getting things working again. …
This complaint is with respect to the GM Infotainment System. While driving on the 405 freeway in Orange County, CA, the sound level of the infotainment system went to maximum. This being extremely painful, I tried to turn down the volume of the sound system. All controls were frozen and inoperative. I had to pull off the freeway and find a parking spot so I could turn off the engine for a short time to allow the electronics to reset. I had my wife and granddaughter with me. I have had this infotainment system freeze at other times such as using the navigation system, or the sound system. This could be a very dangerous condition while driving. I can imagine a driver being greatly distracted while attempting to deal with a problem such as this, or even a lesser problem. What is needed is a way to reset the electronics while driving. …
GM has a known problem with the sensors for the side detection system that are placed outside in the rear of the vehicle. Tires splash water and salt directly on the sensors causing them to short out. This short not only causes the side detection to misreport whether a vehicle is in your blind spot, it also manifests itself with lift gate malfunctions and various other messages displayed on the DIC like Service Park Assist System or Service Trailer Brake. My Tahoe has had all these issues. To date GM has not recalled my Tahoe or any other GM vehicle with this problem. The dealership quoted me $1,700 for the fix and are having trouble sourcing the new sensors since apparently I am not the only one affected. Howabout your agency looking into this and suggesting to GM to man up on this and cover the repair through a recall and a reimbursement for those who paid out of pocket.
Driving down the freeway at 75 mph and the headlight started flickering any time I would use my blinker. 5 minutes later the car automatically breaks hard all by itself along with the dash lights going off and the doors locking and unlocking. 3 days later driving in town taking a hard left suddenly I get alerts on the dashboard saying, "parking assist off" and "stabilitrak" then suddenly my steering wheel JERKS VIOLENTLY all the way to the right. This happened 2x when I am driving!!! It is available for inspection upon request. If this steering wheel malfunction happens to someone driving down an interstate someone could die. It just happened yesterday so I have not gotten it in to be looked at yet. There was zero warning it all happens suddenly and out of nowhere.
Electrical complaints in other Tahoe years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, 12% of the model year's 256 complaints. The component named most often is integrated trailer brake control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, though it has 8 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 Tahoe electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 33% 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.