AutoUtility currently tracks 795 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 279 complaints (35.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 42 filings cite a crash, 10 cite a fire, 11 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 795 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Brakes & Traction Control (279 reports • 35.1% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (191), Electrical System (120)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 42 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 10 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 11 injury filings • 1 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
795
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
42
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
10
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
11
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
1
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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

#1 Problem Area 35.1% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

279 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns 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.
⚠️ 29 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 24% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

191 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#3 Problem Area 15.1% of complaints

Electrical System

120 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.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🔥 7 fire reports
#4 Problem Area 14% of complaints

Steering System

111 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.
⚠️ 10 crash reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 8.6% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

68 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 2 fire reports
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 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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 4% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

32 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 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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

Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11757832
Filed: 08/18/2026

"This truck is a 1500 Silverado custom with extended tail. There was a loud sound as if something happened , I moved to the shoulder and there was nothing visibly wrong. All tires had air in them, continued driving but did noticed a difference when I would back or turned to the right. Then days..."

Incident Date: 08/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,WHEELS
Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11756540
Filed: 08/12/2026

"For the past 2 years ive been having issues of losing power steering. Lots of parts and modules have been replaced out of pocket. Still not fixed. When it goes out it can be out for days to weeks and is extremely hard to steer. Its gone out or come back in during a turn which is very problematic..."

Incident Date: 08/15/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING
Steering System NHTSA ODI ID: #11752802
Filed: 07/25/2026

"Approximately one week ago I was driving at a safe speed on a two-lane highway. Suddenly, my steering wheel and truck jerked to the right. For 8-10 seconds a warning message was displayed "Power Steering ... Drive Carefully." I took the truck to my local dealership. They scanned for trouble codes...."

Incident Date: 07/16/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11750018
Crash Cited Filed: 07/13/2026

"Vehicle suffered a failure cascade of the brake booster vacuum pump system. During a low-speed bumper collision on July 4 and a boat ramp slide, the pedal triggered abnormal ABS-like pulsing as the computer tried to hydraulically compensate for dropping vacuum pressure. This resulted in truck front..."

Incident Date: 07/04/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11742829
Filed: 06/08/2026

"Doors automatically unlock while driving or parked and not running."

Incident Date: 06/02/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1184 61 18 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Current Page 795 42 13 Current
2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 836 49 6 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 514 10 7 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 1059 27 10 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 708 13 12 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 792 20 8 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 604 10 6 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 365 7 3 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 289 7 2 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 90 1 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 0 0 3 View 2026 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 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 117 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 211 20 0 3 1
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 136 1 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 48 3 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 0 1 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 38 0 5 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 33 0 1 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 13 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 12 4 0 8 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 12 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 11 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 9 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 8 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 7 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 7 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 7 1 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 7 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 6 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 6 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 4 2 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,WHEELS 4 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 4 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 4 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS 3 1 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 2 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,STEERING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 2 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 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 (795). 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 NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

1 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE18012
Opened: 2018-11-20 • Closed: 2022-04-10

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES

On November 20, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (MY) 2014 through 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and MY 2015 through 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon SUVs.If th...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 19V645000 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

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.