AutoUtility currently tracks 59 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Buick Verano. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 23 complaints (39% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 1 cites a fire, 1 reports one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 59 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Air Bags & Restraints (23 reports • 39% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (15), Engine & Cooling (8)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
59
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
1
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Buick Verano

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 39% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

23 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🩹 2 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 25.4% of complaints

Electrical System

15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🔥 1 fire report
#3 Problem Area 13.6% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#4 Problem Area 11.9% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

7 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#5 Problem Area 10.2% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

6 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Buick Verano

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 6.8% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

4 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Buick Verano

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11727752
Filed: 03/29/2026

"While driving on the highway there was a random harsh jerk on my car, and I was immediately unable to maintain safe speeds driving nearly causing a serious crash. All of the service lights (Service Parking Assist, Service Power Steering, Service StabiliTrak, and Check Engine Light) should up on the..."

Incident Date: 03/28/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11715188
Filed: 02/03/2026

"I am submitting this complaint to report a safety-related issue involving my 2016 Buick Verano. At approximately 112,000 miles, the vehicle experienced a major transmission failure that significantly affected drivability. Shortly thereafter, an airbag warning light illuminated, indicating a..."

Incident Date: 01/05/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11677381
Filed: 07/30/2025

"After consulting with a certified technician, I’ve learned this model uses the same 6-speed transmission (6T40) found in several GM vehicles, and that it’s widely known to fail prematurely—many as early as 100K–117K miles. There are dozens of similar consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and..."

Incident Date: 07/25/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Body & Structure NHTSA ODI ID: #11676782
Filed: 07/28/2025

"The paint has severely faded, chipping, and it is not from environmental factors- I have less than 30,000 miles on a 2016 Buick Verano. There are multiple websites confirming other consumers have had the same issues with their 2015/2016 Buick Verano."

Incident Date: 01/01/2023 • Raw NHTSA Component: STRUCTURE
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11670260
Filed: 06/30/2025

"The contact owns a 2016 Buick Verano. The contact stated that the doors of the vehicle were locking and unlocking independently, and the radio failed to turn off as needed. The contact stated that an unknown relay and sensors were previously replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer and..."

Incident Date: 06/30/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Buick Verano

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2017)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Buick Verano 58 2 0 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Buick Verano Current Page 59 1 2 Current
2017 Buick Verano 9 1 1 View 2017 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Buick Verano

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 37 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 11 1 0 2 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 3 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SEATS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (59). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.