2016 Chevrolet Suburban Problems

While in the parking lot or stopping at the stop light the brakes will get hard and won’t brake .

Per AAA—Front Airbag/Seatbelt and Increase break pedal

Just purchased this vehicle used from a business in Moyock, NC. The mileage at purchase was 92,860. We checked Carfax and it showed two previous owners and had a steady maintenance history. On the way home (2 hour drive) and after the vehicle had warmed up it started showing signs of transmission problems. This was not noticeable on the test drive. The RPMs skyrocketed, the car went into neutral, once we got it back into gear it would hardly accelerate. It was a long long drive home! We took it to our local mechanic and must replace the transmission at a cost of $7,000. We will not use the manufacturer's transmission product as a replacement after reading all the complaints that are so similar to ours. Definitely not what we were expecting to have to do within a week of the purchase. There could have been injuries if my wife had not been following me and knew something was wrong when the vehicle slowed down significantly. No one was injured, except for our pride and wallet.

Transmission and Engine Failed. Please inspect. I've had several shops and mechanics inspect. I was towing both times and could have been seriously injured when my transmission went out. Then after that was resolved my engine went out. No symptoms or warnings before incidents occurred.

Per AAA—Front Airbag/Seatbelt and Increase break pedal

I have read reports online of the two thousand sixteen chevy suburban turning off completely while driving.I have experienced this not once not twice.But three times now, with my chevy, suburban. This is a severe safety issue and can lead to death or major financial loss

As I was driving 75 mph down the highway my collision alert flashed all my lights turned off, including my headlights and all interior lights as it was dark time and they flashed back on a couple of times until they finally stayed on. I pulled over and as I came to zero, speed, the vehicle completely shut down. It did start back up, but this is not the first time I get a light on my dash that says stability track and then everything resets and I don’t have any lights on at all after that this has been happening off and on I also have three coworkers that have the same make, and year that experienced the same problems ! My situation on the highway was very dangerous. It was pitched dark outside and I lost vision due to my lights going off at 75 mph and my steering wheel also locking up. The next time the vehicle does it I will take a video for proof. I have heard that this problem is very common in these vehicles and believe something should be done because that is a dangerous situation if I was going around a corner and my steering wheel locked up, I could easily flip my car. I have small children that’s why I have the big space but we need safety for our family.

I have read reports online of the two thousand sixteen chevy suburban turning off completely while driving.I have experienced this not once not twice.But three times now, with my chevy, suburban. This is a severe safety issue and can lead to death or major financial loss

As I was driving 75 mph down the highway my collision alert flashed all my lights turned off, including my headlights and all interior lights as it was dark time and they flashed back on a couple of times until they finally stayed on. I pulled over and as I came to zero, speed, the vehicle completely shut down. It did start back up, but this is not the first time I get a light on my dash that says stability track and then everything resets and I don’t have any lights on at all after that this has been happening off and on I also have three coworkers that have the same make, and year that experienced the same problems ! My situation on the highway was very dangerous. It was pitched dark outside and I lost vision due to my lights going off at 75 mph and my steering wheel also locking up. The next time the vehicle does it I will take a video for proof. I have heard that this problem is very common in these vehicles and believe something should be done because that is a dangerous situation if I was going around a corner and my steering wheel locked up, I could easily flip my car. I have small children that’s why I have the big space but we need safety for our family.

I have read reports online of the two thousand sixteen chevy suburban turning off completely while driving.I have experienced this not once not twice.But three times now, with my chevy, suburban. This is a severe safety issue and can lead to death or major financial loss

While in the parking lot or stopping at the stop light the brakes will get hard and won’t brake .

Transmission and Engine Failed. Please inspect. I've had several shops and mechanics inspect. I was towing both times and could have been seriously injured when my transmission went out. Then after that was resolved my engine went out. No symptoms or warnings before incidents occurred.

There are 2 components of the vehicle that I believe are malfunctioning. The first component would be the brake system. At first the problem presented itself when going down a parking garage it was approximately 5 miles an hour while applying the brake and the brake suddenly got stuck and really sticky, I had to apply extreme pressure to the brake to get the vehicle to stop completely. It was only after I put the vehicle in park, turned it off, removed the keys from the ignition, open the doors, and then restarted the car afterwards where the brakes would become unstuck. Since that first incident in summer of 2024, there has been other similar incidents when I am breaking in a parking lot at lower speeds, on side streets at lower speeds, or any other circumstance where I would be applying the brake at lower speeds. The brakes would get very sticky hard to press and would not come to a complete stop unless using extreme force. This is a very scary incident because if there was a vehicle a pedestrian and we weren't able to stop the vehicle then we would have crashed and potentially hurt someone. We brought this up to our mechanic and he was not able to reproduce the issue. The engine light does not turn on for this issue and we are not able to produce any engine light codes for the braking issue. This issue continues to happen until this day and it is scary when it does happen. The second component that we believe is malfunctioning has to do with the suspension system, the air ride system. We have taken this problem to our mechanic since 2019, 2020. They've been able to temporarily repair the issue but after some time the part breaks down and we believe that this is a manufacturing issue. There is a warning lamp that appears. What happens is there is air constantly being pumped into the suspension and is drawing electricity from the battery and ultimately affecting other parts of the electronic components.

I replaced the shocks in Oct 2022 and paid for an alignment and now just over 2 years later the dealer said they needed replacing again. This front end has had constant problems, but now I see there was a recall on the 2016 Suburbans, but it is not listed under my VIN. I believe if they have had problems, possibly at another manufacturing, it should be considered that this is the problem. I have now paid for the repair of the upper control arm and both front shocks and a wheel alignment again. I paid more than double to have it repaired at the dealer because I believe my vehicle's VIN should be listed under NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 16V256000; REPORT DATE: APR 28, 2016.

Hood and roof of Suburban has discolored and lost its shine coat. The door and panels are fine

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a rattling sound coming from the rear of the driver’s door. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the exterior trim on the front driver’s door had started to detach and was loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the exterior trim on the front driver’s door had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000.

Various times while I was driving my 5 kids have I had an issue with the brakes and having to over compensate to pump brakes to get them to stop in time or at all. Very scary

Front passenger Spindle / Thimble that connects the lower ball joint sheared off. Suburban drops to ground, bolt end of lower ball joint hits and breaks through back of wheel that results in a deflated tier. Repair items listed by Chevy Service Center. Replace right lower ball joint Alignment Replace right front steering knuckle Replace right front wheel, monitor and stem, reprogram Replace broken front spoiler Replace RF fender liner With the low speed of travel , about 8mph there were no safety issues. Vehicle and broken steering knuckle has been inspected by Service Agent and Manager at Fred Bean Chevy, Doylestown, PM. Their position is normal wear, "We must have had impact at some time to cause initial fracture". Extended Warranty agrees with view stated from Fred Bean. Our insurance company is sending an agent to inspect. No warning lamps, messages, etc presented in driver display.

The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a concrete pole, and the front end of the vehicle was significantly damaged. The contact stated that the pole was 12-18 inches into the hood, and 1.5 ft. up into the engine bay. The concrete pole was damaged. The air bags and the seat belt pretensioners failed to deploy. Several warning lights, including the check engine, the ABS, the TPMS, the air bag, the StabiliTrak, and the traction control warning lights, were illuminated after the crash. The contact noticed he had sustained bumps on the head and neck from hitting the steering wheel, but did not feel sore at the time. The contact woke up dizzy the next day and sought medical assistance. The contact underwent X-rays and was informed that he had also sustained torn chest muscles. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company towed the vehicle to another lot the following day, and the vehicle was totaled. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V651000(Air Bags, Seat Belts), which was previously performed on the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the manufacturer had also issued NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V437000(Air Bags, Seat Belts) for vehicles repaired under the previous recall, and the recall information stated that the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. However, the second recall had not been performed on the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed, but the case manager was unreachable. The failure mileage was 192,252.

Per AAA—Front Airbag/Seatbelt and Increase break pedal

Gas leak on top of tank from fuel line strong gas odor in vehicle

Various times while I was driving my 5 kids have I had an issue with the brakes and having to over compensate to pump brakes to get them to stop in time or at all. Very scary

The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a concrete pole, and the front end of the vehicle was significantly damaged. The contact stated that the pole was 12-18 inches into the hood, and 1.5 ft. up into the engine bay. The concrete pole was damaged. The air bags and the seat belt pretensioners failed to deploy. Several warning lights, including the check engine, the ABS, the TPMS, the air bag, the StabiliTrak, and the traction control warning lights, were illuminated after the crash. The contact noticed he had sustained bumps on the head and neck from hitting the steering wheel, but did not feel sore at the time. The contact woke up dizzy the next day and sought medical assistance. The contact underwent X-rays and was informed that he had also sustained torn chest muscles. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The insurance company towed the vehicle to another lot the following day, and the vehicle was totaled. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V651000(Air Bags, Seat Belts), which was previously performed on the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the manufacturer had also issued NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V437000(Air Bags, Seat Belts) for vehicles repaired under the previous recall, and the recall information stated that the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. However, the second recall had not been performed on the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed, but the case manager was unreachable. The failure mileage was 192,252.

Passenger seat belt won't click locked.

BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER HEATED ELEMENTS NO LONGER ARE FUNCTIONAL. TEMPERATURE DOESN'T GET WARM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE, AND DRIVER SIDE DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THIS WAY, AND MECHANICS SAID GM MADE THE LOW TEMP MANDATORY, TRIED TO EXPLAIN, NOT WORKING AT ALL. THE INSISTED IT WAS A GM MANUFACTURING ISSUE.

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2016 SUBURBAN. I HAVE A CONCERN WITH HOW CHEVROLET HAS WENT TO ELECTRIC SAFETY LOCKS FOR THE REAR DOORS. ONE BUTTON ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR SAFETY LOCKS BOTH REAR DOORS INSTEAD OF EACH DOOR HAVING A MANUAL LOCK IN THE DOOR SILL. MY CHILDREN ARE OLDER AND CAN GET OUT THE VEHICLES WHEN SAFE HOWEVER I HAVE A 20 YEAR OLD AUTISTIC SON WHO KNOWS HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR AND AS SOON AS WE STOP HE TRIES OPENING THE DOOR. I HAVE TO TIME IT JUST RIGHT TO LET THE KIDS OUT OF ONE DOOR BEFORE HE CAN OPEN HIS. ALSO SOME TIMES I FORGET TO SAFETY LOCK THE BACK DOORS BECAUSE HE'S NOT ALWAYS WITH ME. THIS HAS BECOME A REAL SAFETY ISSUE WITH HIM. HE'LL GET OUT OF TRUCK BEFORE I'M OUT SO I CAN'T PREVENT HIM FROM RUNNING AWAY OR INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I ASSUME OTHER PEOPLE WITH MULTI AGE OR ABILITY PASSENGERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I AM ALSO AFRAID THAT NEW BUYERS WITH CHILDREN OR SPECIAL NEEDS PASSENGERS MAY NOT REALIZE THIS "FEATURE" AND SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT PRIOR TO MAKING A VEHICLE PURCHASE. I DO NOT KNOW IF OTHER MANUFACTURERS ARE DOING THE SAME THING. REGARDS, *TR

I GOOGLED "AIR NOT WORKING 2016 SUBURBAN" EARLIER ON IN THE WEEK. I FOUND A VIDEO SAYING CHEVY HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR COMPRESSORS GOING BAD. WAS HOPING THAT WASN'T THE CASE WITH MINE. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TODAY AND HE SAID THE AIR COMPRESSOR WENT BAD AND LEAKED. $1025 TO REPAIR. I TOLD HIM MY FINDINGS FROM EARLIER ON IN THE WEEK AND MENTIONED THE VIDEO. HE (MY MECHANIC MARK) STATED HE HAS REPLACED MANY BEFORE. I ASKED SINCE HE HAS REPLACED MANY BEFORE IS THIS A RECALL ISSUE. MARK STATED NOT TO HIS KNOWLEDGE. HERE I SIT GOOGLING "2016 SUBURBAN AIR COMPRESSOR" AND I FIND THIS SITE AND ANOTHER SITE IN REFERENCE TO A LAW SUIT A GENTLEMAN FILED. IF THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE, WHICH IT SEEMS TO BE, CHEVROLET NEEDS TO STEP UP AND CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. ESPECIALLY AFTER READING A BUNCH OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE REASON THE AIR COMPRESSORS AREN'T FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, LEAKING, AND JUST BREAKING IS DUE TO TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE AIR COMPRESSOR AIR LINES. *TR

WINDSHIELD WASHER SYSTEM ONLY SPRAYS THE VERY BOTTOM OF WINDSHIELD AND CLEANS THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY SMEARING THE REMAINING PORTION MAKING IT DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE AND SEE THE ROAD AND OBJECTS CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE FOR OCCUPANTS OF THIS VEHICLE AS WELL AS THE TRAVELING PUBLIC. I FOUND THIS DEFECT WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE SPEED TO NO AVAIL. IVE MADE SEVERAL INQUIRIES TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TO CORPORATE WITH NO RESOLUTION OR SUGGESTIONS. THE DEALERSHIP DID BRING A SAME TYPE VEHICLE, YEAR AND MODEL, AND PLACED IT ALONG SIDE MY VEHICLE AND THE WINDSHIELD WASHER SYSTEM OPERATE IDENTICAL TO MINE. THIS DEFECT WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED. ALL DOCUMENTATION IS IN DEALER AND CORPORATE COMPUTORS.

As I was driving 75 mph down the highway my collision alert flashed all my lights turned off, including my headlights and all interior lights as it was dark time and they flashed back on a couple of times until they finally stayed on. I pulled over and as I came to zero, speed, the vehicle completely shut down. It did start back up, but this is not the first time I get a light on my dash that says stability track and then everything resets and I don’t have any lights on at all after that this has been happening off and on I also have three coworkers that have the same make, and year that experienced the same problems ! My situation on the highway was very dangerous. It was pitched dark outside and I lost vision due to my lights going off at 75 mph and my steering wheel also locking up. The next time the vehicle does it I will take a video for proof. I have heard that this problem is very common in these vehicles and believe something should be done because that is a dangerous situation if I was going around a corner and my steering wheel locked up, I could easily flip my car. I have small children that’s why I have the big space but we need safety for our family.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at night, the headlights did not function properly and would turn off inadvertently. The vehicle was originally taken to the dealer and diagnosed as headlight failure, and the bulbs were replaced. However, the failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure and the dealer notified the manufacturer of the recurring failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

DRIVING DOWN A RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHEN TIRE BLEW OUT. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS I HIT SOMETHING WHICH CAUSED THE TIRE TO BREAK APART.

DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND SLOWING DOWN TO EXIT OFF THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY CAR STARTED SHAKING AND I REALIZED I HAD A FLAT TIRE FOR THE SECOND TIME IN FOUR MONTH. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS I HIT SOMETHING WHICH CAUSED THE TIRE TO BREAK APART.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban LTZ. The contact stated that while driving on a neighborhood street at 25 MPH her transmission slipped into neutral. No warning lights were illuminated, and the contact proceeded to bring her vehicle to a complete stop, put the transmission into park, attempted to get into drive again however the vehicle remained in neutral and the RPM's shot up significantly. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the transmission had failed and that it would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.