2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems & reliability
789 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, alongside 11 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
10 complaints report injuries (14 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 256 | 32% |
| Power Train → | 190 | 24% |
| Electrical System → | 119 | 15% |
| Steering → | 109 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 80 | 10% |
| Engine → | 71 | 9% |
| Suspension → | 29 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 26 | 3% |
| Structure → | 21 | 3% |
| Wheels → | 20 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 49,000 miles (middle 50% between 32,300 and 70,735 miles), based on 445 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Approximately one week ago I was driving at a safe speed on a two-lane highway. Suddenly, my steering wheel and truck jerked to the right. For 8-10 seconds a warning message was displayed "Power Steering ... Drive Carefully." I took the truck to my local dealership. They scanned for trouble codes. The technician said…”
Steering · filed Jul 25, 2026
“Vehicle suffered a failure cascade of the brake booster vacuum pump system. During a low-speed bumper collision on July 4 and a boat ramp slide, the pedal triggered abnormal ABS-like pulsing as the computer tried to hydraulically compensate for dropping vacuum pressure. This resulted in truck front bumper damage and…”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 13, 2026
“Rear power window defrost thermal event. While rear defrost was on the plastic connector that goes to the rear defrost of the power rear sliding window began to smoke heavily. In 2020 there was recall number N192265660 for the 1500 series of the same year for the same component that failed and is a fire risk. 2500 had…”
Electrical System · filed May 29, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Brake Vacuum Pump Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE18012 · opened Nov 20, 2018 · closed Apr 10, 2022 · led to recall 19V645000
Technical service bulletins
1,069 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The 10 most recent:
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
PIT5509N · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
PIT5509M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 14, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information communicates an issue with aftermarket LED headlights causing IPC warning messages and MIL along with several low speed lan DTCs.
PIT6483 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 5, 2026
This PI Communications information on an alternative product dealers can use to perform 19-NA-255: Wax Coating on Frame Peeling, Metal Shows Corrosion/Rusting due to issue with getting product from current supplier…
PIT6400A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2026
This PI communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent confusion when ordering
PIP5700G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 11 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 49,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.