2016 Chevrolet Corvette reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette holds 104 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 9 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Corvette years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

2012 Chevrolet Corvette
Photo by Lothar Spurzem, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Complaints

104

Per year

9

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Wheels (59 of 104), then Fuel and propulsion system (14) and Powertrain (12). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Corvette has 65 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2017 has 256 complaints, 41 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Chevrolet Corvette. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall air bags, frontal 2017-07-10 · NHTSA campaign 17V437000
Summary 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 Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy 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. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
Recall air bags, frontal 2016-09-08 · NHTSA campaign 16V651000
Summary 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 Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy 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. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

Complaints by component (104 total)

Wheels
59
Fuel and propulsion system
14
Powertrain
12
Electrical system
6
Engine
6
Steering
5
Structure
3
Air bags
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Hydraulic brakes
1
Speed control
1
Suspension
1
Show 4 more Show less
Crash-flagged

1

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

72016820171220182320191620201420216202272023220248202512026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The system that was affected was the power steering. As I was driving home doing residential speeds, I noticed a message pop up in my heads up display “Power Steering, Drive with Caution” as I selected okay, the…"
    Steering · filed 2026-09-18
  • "Experiencing sudden loss of power steering while driving - unsafe condition. Experiencing sudden loss of electric power steering assist while driving. Loss of power steering persists until ignition recycling (stop, put…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2025-12-04
  • "Experiencing sudden loss of power steering while driving - unsafe condition. Experiencing sudden loss of electric power steering assist while driving. Loss of power steering persists until ignition recycling (stop, put…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2025-12-04
  • "I would be driving and get a notification in the panel that says power steering is out and to drive with care. It is extremely difficult to drive my vehicle, with no power steering. I would just be driving, and I would…"
    Steering, Electrical system · filed 2025-10-13
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while shifting from second gear to third gear. The transmission was skipping a gear. The…"
    Powertrain, Speed control · filed 2025-09-24

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Chevrolet Corvette 2 DR RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2016 Chevrolet Corvette C RWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Corvette 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 16 29 20 MPG $4000
Corvette 6.2L, 8-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Rear-wheel drive 13 23 16 MPG $5000
Corvette 6.2L, 8-cyl Manual 7-speed Rear-wheel drive 15 22 18 MPG $4450
Corvette 6.2L, 8-cyl Manual 7-speed Rear-wheel drive 17 28 21 MPG $3800

Specs and fitment

C7, 2014–2019
Body styles Coupe, Convertible
Oil 5W-30 (Stingray); 0W-40 (Z06 where specified) , 7 qt capacity
Tire size 245/40R18 to 245/35R19 (front; trim-dependent) front / 285/35R19 to 335/25R20 (rear staggered; trim-dependent) rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-086 and the expanded recall 25V-175 cover certain 2017 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles among other GM models: the electric power steering assist system may fail, increasing steering effort. Dealers replace the EPS module as needed.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette holds 104 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 9 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Corvette years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Frontal.

What are common problems with a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette?

The complaints owners file most often name Wheels (59 of 104), then Fuel and propulsion system (14) and Powertrain (12). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Corvette has 65 complaints, 6 per year, and the 2017 has 256 complaints, 41 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette been recalled?

The 2016 Chevrolet Corvette has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette?

Owners have filed 104 complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette is 18.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette debut?

The C8 generation launched for the 2020 model year with a mid-engine layout.

What oil does a C8 Chevrolet Corvette take?

C8 US notes list 0W-40 (dexos1); earlier C7 Stingray notes often list 5W-30.

What body styles does the Chevrolet Corvette offer?

US Corvette generations on this site include coupe and convertible body styles.