CSR

Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2016 Chevrolet Express

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

15

Complaints

0

Crashes

2

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Express have filed 15 safety complaints with NHTSA between April 2016 and January 2025. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 3 of them (20%). The typical failure was reported at 21,253 miles, the median across the 9 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

19V387000 · May 23, 2019

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles. One or both of the rear-quarter windows may be tempered glass instead of laminated glass. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
The risk
Tempered glass increases the risk of injury in the event of a side impact or rollover crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tempered glass windows with laminated glass windows, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N192218960.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,159 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

18V655000 · September 21, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Express and GMC Sierra vehicles equipped with a single, manual, rear climate control module (CCM). If the temperature is set to maximum heat or the mode knob is set to maximum floor vent and an electrical short occurs, components within the CCM may overheat.
The risk
If the CCM overheats, there is an increased risk of a fire in the vehicle's headliner.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the electrical insulation from a wiring connector within the CCM to remove the fire risk, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18299.

General Motors LLC · up to 30,448 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

18V295000 · May 3, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles equipped with power windows. Liquid may leak into the driver's power window switch and cause corrosion, resulting in high electrical resistance.
The risk
High electrical resistance can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side window switch, free of charge. The recall began August 10, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18155.

General Motors LLC · up to 207,483 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT

18V267000 · April 26, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
The risk
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.

General Motors LLC · up to 6,154 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES

16V700000 · September 29, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Express manufactured September 25, 2015, to August 22, 2016, and 2016 GMC Savana cargo and cutaway vans manufactured January 28, 2016, to May 18, 2016. The affected vehicles were manufactured without an inside rearview mirror and with a right-hand convex exterior review mirror. These vehicles are required to have either an inside rearview mirror or both left and right-hand flat exterior rearview mirrors. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The risk
If the driver does not have a clear unobstructed view to the back of the vehicle, it can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will instal a right-hand flat rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16036.

General Motors LLC · up to 40 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS

16V184000 · April 1, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana incomplete vehicles equipped with a 159 inch wheel base manufactured August 2, 2013, to January 30, 2016. The affected vehicles were shipped to final stage manufacturers without a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
The risk
Without a TPMS, the driver would not be alerted if one or more tires became under inflated. Driving with under inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install the hardware and software necessary to equip the vehicles with a TPMS, free of charge. The recall began on May 25, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15819.

General Motors LLC · up to 321 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 15.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 20%
STRUCTURE 3 20%
ENGINE 2 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 13%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 7%
POWER TRAIN 1 7%
SEAT BELTS 1 7%
SUSPENSION 1 7%
TIRES 1 7%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2016 at 4.

2016 2025
2016 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

fire

I'd be driving down the street and the brakes would start applying themselves by themselves . I took the van to Ganly Chevrolet the first time and they did a brake job and said it was fixed . I drove it about a half mile and was doing about 35MPH when the brakes locked , if I wasn't buckled in I probably would have gone through the window . I immediately took it back by putting the gas pedal to the floor . you could smell and see the brakes burning . later Ganly said I needed a Brake Module and kept the car After about 6months of having my Van . they finally admitted they couldn't get a Brake Module and they had been on back order for about a year and didn't know if they would ever get one

NHTSA complaint 11452869, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

fire

I'd be driving down the street when my brakes would apply by them selves slowing my car down . after that my dash would bong and the ABS light would come on . I took it to my Chevy dealer and they replaced the brakes and said it was fixed . I pulled out of the dealers lot and was driving at 35MPH when the brakes locked and a skidded to a stop . If I hadn;t been buckled in I would have gone thru the windshield . I held the gas pedal to the floor and returnd to the dealer at about 20 MPH and some salesman came running out and said my van was on fire .I got out of my van but I didn't see any fire but there was heavy smoke coming from around the brakes . THE cHEVY DEALER HAD MY VAN

NHTSA complaint 11454858, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

towed · 1,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING OPERATED AT 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A FUEL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW TRUCK LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. UPDATED 10/21/16*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FUEL LINE SEPARATED, DUE TO A MISSING RETAINING CLIP. ALSO, TWO BRACKETS THAT WERE SUPPOSE TO ATTACH TO THE FUEL LINE WERE MISSING. UPDATED 10/25/16. *JB

NHTSA complaint 10899303. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 88,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Express. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the “Service Engine” warning light flashed on and off. The contact stated that after arriving to the residence and shifting into reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and the contact was able to park the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Progressive Snapshot device had caused the failure. The vehicle was repaired, and the Snapshot device was removed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA complaint 11634601. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
ABS Module Broken. Needs repair. No part available. Part Number 84055065 needed. Vehicle was on highway slowed on to onramp when ABS went off for no reason. Van Pulled to right drastically.

NHTSA complaint 11580460. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
LT245/75R16 The fist tire failure was rear driver's side which caused a code service stable trac- this caused the vehicle to lose power and engine to die. I made home at 20mph in yraffic.I spent $500 for diagnostic check and new tire. The tire is misshapen and alerts sensor that caused engine to lose power and ultimately die. With new tire the problem was solved. But then the rear passenger tire while on the freeway acted up and caused the van to shake and rattle violently. Drove home at lower speed . I replace that tire with the spare which is a different brand and the van ran fine. Checked the bad tire and it is higher on one side than the other. Checked front tires and there are flat

NHTSA complaint 11535732, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

21,253 miles

PROBLEM: POWER WINDOW WOULDN'T WORK, REAR DEFROSTER WOULD NOT WORK, VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, VEHICLE WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. THE RELAYS WERE DEFECTIVE AND WERE REPLACED. UPON TAKING THE RELAYS APART , I FOUND THAT THEY WERE RUSTED INSIDE AND THE RUST WAS FLAKING OFF. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET AND I WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND IT WOULD NOT COVER RUSTED PARTS.THE REPRESENTATIVE ALSO SAID THAT HE HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE RELAYS FAILING.THERE ARE TEN OF THESE RELAYS IN THIS VEHICLE AND FOUR HAVE FAILED DUE TO RUST. THERE IS NO WAY TO TEST THE REMAINING UNITS FOR RUST UNTIL THEY FAIL. THIS IS A REAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint 11311860. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Express

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 13 2
2020 16 1
2019 8 4
2018 11 6
2017 20 6
2015 8 3
2014 14 7
2013 22 8
2012 13 6 2
2011 12 5
2010 15 5

Other 2016 Chevrolet models

Every Chevrolet on this site — 298 vehicles, 747 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst