Reliable Auto DB

2016 Chevrolet Traverse reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse holds 292 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 16 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Traverse years here — over the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Critical fasteners.

2012 Chevrolet Traverse
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

292

Per year

16

Recalls

5

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (163 of 292), then Powertrain (37) and Engine (31). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Traverse has 313 complaints, 13 per year, and the 2017 has 361 complaints, 15 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as 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 Traverse. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2023-05-10 · NHTSA campaign 23V334000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. GM began mailing final owner letters February 23, 2024 and will continue mailing through December 2025. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232404980.
Recall air bags, frontal 2021-10-07 · NHTSA campaign 21V782000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Remedy Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.
Recall air bags, critical fasteners 2021-04-08 · NHTSA campaign 21V246000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
Recall Seats 2015-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 15V833000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row left side lower seat frame, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21930.
Recall visibility, windshield wiper, motor 2015-09-29 · NHTSA campaign 15V609000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used.
Remedy GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor cover assembly, free of charge. Owners are advised not to use their front windshield wipers until the wiper cover has been replaced. If weather conditions prevent operation of the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle for servicing. The recall began on September 30, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15780.

Complaints by component (292 total)

Air bags
163
Powertrain
37
Engine
31
Electrical system
26
Steering
24
Speed control
19
Electronic stability control (ESC)
15
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Service brakes
7
Structure
5
Wheels
5
Lane departure
4
Seat belts
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Exterior lighting
3
Tires
3
Seats
2
Back-over prevention
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Other or not sure
1
Suspension
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

6

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

220151320161520171920182120191520201720217202270202393202413202572026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My 2016 Chevy Traverse LT with 108,750 miles had issues with the rear brake lights, and the Traction Control light would come on and the Traction Control turns off. A message appears on the dash that shows Service…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Service brakes · filed 2026-09-21
  • "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…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-23
  • "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)."
    Powertrain · filed 2026-04-25
  • "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…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-03-10
  • "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…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-02-26

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Chevrolet Traverse SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Chevrolet Traverse SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

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
Traverse all-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed All-wheel drive 15 22 17 MPG $3800
Traverse front-wheel drive 3.6L, 6-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 15 22 18 MPG $3600

Specs and fitment

1st generation, 2012–2017
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 (dexos1) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 245/70R17 to 255/55R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 21V-782 covers certain 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2008-2017 Buick Enclave vehicles: the driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect, sending sharp metal fragments into the cabin; dealers replace the driver's air bag module. Recall 14V-266 covers certain 2009-2014 Traverse vehicles among other GM Lambda crossovers: the flexible steel cable connecting the seat belt to the front outboard seats may fatigue and separate so the belt may not restrain the occupant; dealers inspect and repair or replace the lap pretensioner. The published unit counts for these campaigns are shared across the listed GM nameplates.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Chevrolet Traverse Next year 2017 Chevrolet Traverse See every Chevrolet Traverse model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse holds 292 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 16 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Traverse years here — over the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Inflator, Frontal, and Critical fasteners.

What are common problems with a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (163 of 292), then Powertrain (37) and Engine (31). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 6 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

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

The 2015 Traverse has 313 complaints, 13 per year, and the 2017 has 361 complaints, 15 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017.

Has the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse been recalled?

The 2016 Chevrolet Traverse has 5 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 Traverse?

Owners have filed 292 complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Chevrolet Traverse get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse is 17.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse?

2nd generation (2018-2023).

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Traverse use?

5W-30 (dexos1)

What does NHTSA recall 21V-782 cover on the Chevrolet Traverse?

Recall 21V-782 covers certain 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2008-2017 Buick Enclave vehicles: the driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect, sending sharp metal fragments into the cabin; dealers replace the driver's air…