2016 GMC Savana reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 0 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 GMC Savana over 11 years — 0 per year. The other Savana years sit at about the same rate: their median is 0 complaints per year. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Wiring, Side or rear glass, and Electrical system.

2012 GMC Savana — Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Savana has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2017 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2016 has about the same number of complaints per year as 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 GMC Savana. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (7)

Recall electrical system, wiring 2023-04-06 · NHTSA campaign 23V247000

Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2003-2023 Chevrolet Express Cutaway and GMC Savana Cutaway incomplete vehicles equipped with wiring for an optional rear heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. When the HVAC blower motor circuit is left unused with exposed connectors and wiring, the circuit can corrode and overheat.

Remedy Dealers will properly seal the rear HVAC blower motor circuits at the left side B-pillar, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 2, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GMC's number for this recall is N222386050.

Recall visibility, side or rear glass 2019-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 19V387000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles. One or both of the rear-quarter windows may be tempered glass instead of laminated glass. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tempered glass windows with laminated glass windows, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N192218960.

Recall Electrical system 2018-09-21 · NHTSA campaign 18V655000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Express and GMC Sierra vehicles equipped with a single, manual, rear climate control module (CCM). If the temperature is set to maximum heat or the mode knob is set to maximum floor vent and an electrical short occurs, components within the CCM may overheat.

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will remove the electrical insulation from a wiring connector within the CCM to remove the fire risk, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18299.

Recall visibility, power windows 2018-05-03 · NHTSA campaign 18V295000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles equipped with power windows. Liquid may leak into the driver's power window switch and cause corrosion, resulting in high electrical resistance.

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side window switch, free of charge. The recall began August 10, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18155.

Recall Equipment 2018-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 18V267000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf

Remedy GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.

Recall visibility, rearview mirrors 2016-09-29 · NHTSA campaign 16V700000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Express manufactured September 25, 2015, to August 22, 2016, and 2016 GMC Savana cargo and cutaway vans manufactured January 28, 2016, to May 18, 2016. The affected vehicles were manufactured without an inside rearview mirror and with a right-hand convex exterior review mirror. These vehicles are required to have either an inside rearview mirror or both left and right-hand flat exterior rearview mirrors. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will instal a right-hand flat rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16036.

Recall tires, tire pressure monitoring 2016-04-01 · NHTSA campaign 16V184000

Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana incomplete vehicles equipped with a 159 inch wheel base manufactured August 2, 2013, to January 30, 2016. The affected vehicles were shipped to final stage manufacturers without a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will install the hardware and software necessary to equip the vehicles with a TPMS, free of charge. The recall began on May 25, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15819.

Complaints by component (0 total)

No complaints on file with NHTSA for this model year.

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2016 GMC Savana Cargo G23405 VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 GMC Savana Cargo G23705 VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 GMC Savana Cargo G33405 VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 GMC Savana Cargo G33705 VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated
2016 GMC Savana Passenger 2500 VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars
2016 GMC Savana Passenger 3500 12 PASS VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 stars
2016 GMC Savana Passenger 3500 15 PASS VAN RWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	3 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
Savana 2500 two-wheel drive (Passenger)	6L, 8-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Rear-wheel drive	11	16	13 MPG	$5000
Savana 3500 two-wheel drive (Passenger)	6L, 8-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Rear-wheel drive	11	16	12 MPG	$5400

Specs and fitment

GMT610 generation, 2012–present

Body styles Cargo van, Passenger van, Cutaway

Oil 5W-30 (dexos1; gasoline engines) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 245/75R16 (common US cargo/passenger fitments)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V-387 covers certain 2016-2019 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles: one or both rear-quarter windows may be tempered glass instead of laminated glass, which fails to meet FMVSS 226 ejection-mitigation requirements. Dealers replace tempered glass with laminated glass as needed. Recall 18V-509 covers certain 2018 Express and Savana vans whose tire-pressure monitoring system may be calibrated to warn at 37 PSI instead of 41 PSI; dealers check and reprogram the remote control door lock receiver when the placard and module disagree. Recall 18V-295 covers certain 2014-2017 Express and Savana vans with power windows where liquid can corrode the driver-side window switch and raise fire risk; dealers replace that switch. Recall 23V-247 covers certain 2003-2023 Express and Savana Cutaway incomplete vehicles with unused rear HVAC blower wiring that can corrode and overheat; dealers seal the circuit at the left B-pillar.

Compare

Next year 2017 GMC Savana See every GMC Savana model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 GMC Savana reliable?

Is the 2016 GMC Savana more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2016 GMC Savana been recalled?

The 2016 GMC Savana has 7 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 GMC Savana?

Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 2016 GMC Savana with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 GMC Savana get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 GMC Savana is 12.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a GMC Savana use?

The 2018 US Savana owner manual specifies SAE 5W-30 oil meeting dexos1 for gasoline engines, about 6.0 qt with filter.

What engine oil does a US GMC Savana use?

5W-30 (dexos1; gasoline engines) With filter, about 6.0 qt is commonly listed for this generation—confirm in the owner manual.

What tire sizes fit a US GMC Savana?

Published US specs commonly list front 245/75R16 (common US cargo/passenger fitments) and rear 245/75R16 (common US cargo/passenger fitments); confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.