Most common 2016 Chevrolet Traverse problems
Share of the 292 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Traverse complaints by model year
Best Traverse years: 2013, 2021, 2020. Years to avoid: 2025, 2024, 2011, 2023, 2010. Compare all years →
2016 Chevrolet Traverse recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. GM began mailing final owner letters February 23, 2024 and will continue mailing through December 2025.
Air bags › Frontal
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022.
Air bags › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021.
Seats
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row left side lower seat frame, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2016.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used.
Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor cover assembly, free of charge. Owners are advised not to use their front windshield wipers until the wiper cover has been replaced.
What 2016 Chevrolet Traverse owners say
Air bags all 163 →
The contact's mother owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that as the vehicle was making a left turn at approximately 10 MPH, and entering a side street, the vehicle was crashed into by an ambulance that was not on call. The vehicle was struck on the passenger side door. From the force of the impact, the vehicle was spun to the left, and into a utility pole, and crashed the rear end. The side passenger door and the rear end were crushed from the impact. The passenger door damage had been rated by the police report as a "7" and the damage to the rear was rated as a "2". The ambulance went off of the roadway down a ditch and into a large pond. Both vehicles were undrivable and had to be towed from the scene. The contact's mother and her stepfather were transported by ambulance to a hospital. …
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the service air bag warning light intermittently illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Transmission & drivetrain all 37 →
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved from a dealer after a recall regarding the air bags; however, while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for 2 months and the dealer attempted to perform the air bag recall again. The contact stated that later, when the vehicle was picked up, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Stability Control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lunged forward while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. …
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to lose motive power and was making a loud abnormal sound coming from under the floorboards. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted and shifted to drive(D), the vehicle revved but failed to respond as needed. The contact shifted to reverse(R) however, the vehicle failed to move. The contact called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was determined that there were fragments of metal in the transmission and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
Engine & cooling all 31 →
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was retrieved from a dealer after a recall regarding the air bags; however, while driving approximately 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact stated that the Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the dealer, and the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for 2 months and the dealer attempted to perform the air bag recall again. The contact stated that later, when the vehicle was picked up, while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Stability Control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lunged forward while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. …
2 issues: 1: Brakes did not stop car nor did the abs braking system kick in causing the car to not stop on full demand! 2 cars slammed on their brakes at a yellow light instead of going thru causing a small number kiss Was going 35mph and when braking, car didn't fully stop and out brakes tho to the floor. Abs did not kick in. No lights on dash board. 2: The very Next morning, The traction control light came on saying service the stabilitrak, traction control. The car ins denied it was from car accident. When The traction control light comes on the dashboard, by itself) it causes the car to automatically brake when accelerating whenever it chooses to come on causing it to be unsafe in traffic. You cannot control the button to turn it off. This has been an issue coming on and off at random to current.
2016 Chevrolet Traverse engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 3.6L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 15 / 22 / 17 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse a good car?
Based on 292 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2016 Traverse rates average: 20% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Traverse at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse?
The air bags — 163 complaints, 56% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal › driver side › inflator module. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (37) and engine & cooling (31).
How many recalls does the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, the most recent from May 10, 2023 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Traverse?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2021 and 2020. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2025, 2024, 2011, 2023 and 2010. See the full Chevrolet Traverse years comparison.
At what mileage do 2016 Chevrolet Traverse problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 49,000 miles; 55% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.