CSR

Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2016 Chevrolet Traverse

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

291

Complaints

8

Crashes

1

Fires

15

Injuries

1

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse have filed 291 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2015 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 163 of them (56%). The typical failure was reported at 48,500 miles, the median across the 89 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints halved year on year: 11 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 63 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

23V334000 · May 10, 2023

The defect
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.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232404980.

General Motors, LLC · up to 995,085 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

21V782000 · October 7, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.

General Motors, LLC · up to 555 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

21V246000 · April 8, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
The 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. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.

General Motors, LLC · up to 108 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

15V833000 · December 11, 2015

The defect
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.
The risk
If the seat frame is not welded in the correct places, the seat may not perform as intended, and in the event of a crash, the seat occupant could be at an increased risk of injury.
The 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. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21930.

General Motors LLC · up to 2,633 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

15V609000 · September 29, 2015

The defect
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.
The risk
A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
The 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. If weather conditions prevent operation of the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle for servicing. The recall began on September 30, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15780.

General Motors LLC · up to 29,295 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 291.

AIR BAGS 163 56%
POWER TRAIN 36 12%
ENGINE 31 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 26 9%
STEERING 24 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 18 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 18 6%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 15 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 2%
STRUCTURE 5 2%
WHEELS 5 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 93.

2015 2024 2026
2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

AIR BAGS

1 death · 2 injured · crash · towed · 70,000 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 11495503, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

5 injured · crash · towed

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER MOTORIST. AS A RESULT, THE FRONT AND THIRD ROW SEATS BECAME DETACHED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT SURE WHETHER OR NOT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED OR IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. ALL FIVE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE PASSENGER IN THE THIRD ROW SEAT WAS INJURED SEVERELY WITH CERVICAL AND RIB FRACTURES AND BRAIN HEMORRHAGING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM THE SCENE AND LATER DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. ...UPDATED 08/01/16 *BF UPDATED 06/18/18*JB

NHTSA complaint 10876441. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

3 injured · crash · towed · 52,500 miles

I WAS DRIVING MY 2016 TRAVERSE AFTER A CANCER TREATMENT HOME WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MSGS ON MY DASH STARTED APPEARIBG. SERVICE STABILITRAK, TRACTION CONTROL OFF. THE CAR STARTED SHUTTERING AND THE GUY BEHIND ME REAR ENDED ME WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. SINCE THEN I HAVE PUT 2 POWER STEERING PUMPS IN, AND HAD IT ST THE SHOP FOR SEVERAL TIMES THAT IT HAD SAID ABOUT SERVICIB SRABILITRAK. I HAVE READ OVER 300 HRS OF COMPLAINTS GAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE STABILITRSK. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED SPEED SENSORS AND MODULES. THIS IS A TRASH VECHILE AND NO ONE FROM GM CARES OR RESPONDS. WHEN SOMEONE CHILD DOES MAYBE IT WILL GET THEIR ATTENTION. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS WHAT I PLAN ON PURSUING. THIS

NHTSA complaint 11349981, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

The car was broadsided on Interstate 40 Westbound outside of Knoxville, TN on 3-12-22 by a Tractor Trailer and totaled. The airbags did not deploy allowing the driver to hit her head on the window of the vehicle causing her head trauma. In Oct of 2021 The same vehicle hit a 200 pound dear head on at 65mph and destroyed the front end and the air bags did not deploy then either.

NHTSA complaint 11457981. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
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 experienced a failure associated with the unrepaired recall repair.

NHTSA complaint 11752464. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
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).

NHTSA complaint 11733800. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
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 recall was completed in February of 2024 at a dealership in South Carolina. I explained to him that my vehicle is housed in Florida and has never been to South Carolina. It is clear he is not interested in finding a resolution to my issue. He calls once a week to inform me he's working on it and will get back to me next week. This has been going on for a month. My grandchildren are often passengers

NHTSA complaint 11723198, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
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.

NHTSA complaint 11720675. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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

NHTSA complaint 11714092. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V334000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed that parts were in the warehouse, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint 11711165. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Traverse

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 20 1
2025 171 0
2024 130 0
2023 85 2
2022 95 1
2021 86 3
2020 218 8
2019 401 3
2018 454 2
2017 360 3 1
2015 313 5
2014 547 7
2013 161 4
2012 354 5
2011 608 5 1
2010 668 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