AutoUtility currently tracks 291 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 167 complaints (57.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 6 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 291 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Air Bags & Restraints (167 reports • 57.4% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (36), Engine & Cooling (28)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 8 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 6 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
291
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
8
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
6
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
1
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Chevrolet Traverse

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

#1 Problem Area 57.4% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

167 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.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 5 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 12.4% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

36 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#3 Problem Area 9.6% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#4 Problem Area 8.9% of complaints

Electrical System

26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🩹 2 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 8.2% of complaints

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

24 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
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 Traverse

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 2.7% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

8 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 Traverse

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

Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11752464
Filed: 07/23/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 07/23/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11733800
Filed: 04/25/2026

"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)."

Incident Date: 04/13/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11723198
Filed: 03/10/2026

"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..."

Incident Date: 02/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS
Air Bags & Restraints NHTSA ODI ID: #11720675
Filed: 02/26/2026

"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."

Incident Date: 05/10/2023 • Raw NHTSA Component: AIR BAGS
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11714092
Filed: 01/28/2026

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

Incident Date: 12/10/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
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 Traverse

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

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Traverse 313 10 5 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Chevrolet Traverse Current Page 291 8 5 Current
2017 Chevrolet Traverse 360 13 3 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Traverse 456 9 2 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Chevrolet Traverse 403 14 3 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Chevrolet Traverse 219 11 8 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Chevrolet Traverse 88 4 3 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Chevrolet Traverse 95 3 1 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Chevrolet Traverse 85 5 2 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Chevrolet Traverse 132 0 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Chevrolet Traverse 172 4 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Chevrolet Traverse 0 0 1 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 Traverse

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 68 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 155 2 0 4 1
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 16 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 16 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 0 0 2 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 1 0 3 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 2 1 0 5 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
OTHER/I AM NOT SURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 1 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
TIRES,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 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 (291). 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.