2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Problems, Recalls & Reliability

352 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 23/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 52,500 miles.

352Complaints
23/100Trouble index
8Recalls
48,000Typical trouble mileage

Typical

Where 2016 sits among all Tahoe years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Brakes & stability 93 complaints (26%) · typically ~52,500 miles
“When driving at low speeds after i depress the brake pedal a few times, the brake pedal gets very stiff and is almost impossible to stop the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tahoe
Other 53 complaints (15%) · typically ~48,000 miles
“Gps navigation system is faulty. Not communicating with on star. Map position shows tahoe somewhere in the atlantic ocean.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tahoe
Transmission & drivetrain 47 complaints (13%) · typically ~60,000 miles
“Vehicle is not even 10 years old and has only 105,000 miles and the transmission failed while I was on the highway. Needed a complete rebuild.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tahoe
Electrical 37 complaints (11%) · typically ~49,000 miles
“On 4 plus occasions, the steering wheel would lock up, I would get warnings that the stabilitrak, the park assist was disabled. The engine shut off. This happens during driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tahoe
Steering 20 complaints (6%) · typically ~33,000 miles
Suspension 19 complaints (5%)

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 165 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 48,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 30,000 and 65,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (8)

POWER TRAIN 26V289000 2026 Do not drive

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020…

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters…

SEAT BELTS 21V245000 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have received an incorrect replacement tensioner cable assembly as part of a previous recall remedy or…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat belt lap pretensioner, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 19V761000 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer…

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 19V645000 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…

SEAT BELTS 18V291000 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe Police Pursuit and Special-Service vehicles. The flexible steel cable connecting the driver's seat belt to the outboard side of the seat may be repeatedly bent over the…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pretensioner cable and seat side-shield, free of charge. The recall began June 19, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…

AIR BAGS 17V437000 2017

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.…

AIR BAGS 16V651000 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.…

SUSPENSION 16V256000 2016 Do not drive

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been…

Federal defect investigations

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure PE18012 opened 2018, closed 2022

Led to recall campaign 19V645000.

Technical service bulletins

1,765 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2016 Tahoe TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2016peak 60 in 20192026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe reliable?

The 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe drew 352 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 23/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).

What are the most common 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe problems?

The top reported problems for the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe are brakes & stability (93 complaints), other (53), and transmission & drivetrain (47).

At what mileage do 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe problems show up?

Owners most often report 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe problems around 48,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 30,000 and 65,000 miles.

Does the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe have recalls?

8 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.

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Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.