2016 CHEVROLET TAHOE Recalls, Complaints & Safety

I live in Lake Charles Louisiana. I have a 2016 Tahoe LTZ my transmission went out .

I purchased a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe on March 8, 2026, in [XXX] . After the sale, I discovered that the vehicle has serious undisclosed safety defects, including evidence that the airbag (Supplemental Restraint System) had previously deployed and was not properly repaired or restored to working condition, and were actually cut and removed from the vehicle and glued and covered up. This defect was not disclosed prior to purchase and represents a significant safety hazard. It is available for inspection. This put my safety and others at risk because if I had not noticed that the airbag system was not working and was removed and if I had been in a wreck who knows the injuries that me or somebody else could have sustained. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by anybody other than me I have physical documentation pictures and diagnostic reports showing the issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by police manufacturer or insurance as of yet but will be completed in the very near future. There was an airbag warning light on on the dash of the vehicle when I purchased it my assumption that it was just an error or a warning since I knew that the vehicle had been in a minor incident but I would’ve never thought that all of the airbags would’ve been cut out and hidden in the vehicle. Through my own investigation, I also located what appears to be the seller’s Facebook Marketplace account, where he has dozens of vehicles listed under a personal profile. This suggests he may be operating as an unlicensed vehicle dealer (curbstoning) and potentially selling multiple vehicles with undisclosed defects. I have attempted to resolve this matter directly by sending a formal demand letter and allowing time for response, but the seller has failed to respond or offer any resolution and has ceased communication. I have documentation and evidence including photos, videos, messages, and screenshots of vehicle listings that support these claims. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U

Hello, I has problems driving my car like by brakes braking out of nowhere. There was even a couple times I felt like the car swerved, even though I did not do anything to the steering wheel. Then I found out I had a recall that said not to drive the car because it was dangerous so I parked it in my driveway and I have not driven it for many months as I’ve been getting rental cars. Eventually, I brought it into Antelope Valley Chevrolet and they told me they were going to fix it but then they actually told me that I had to pay around $1000 for a part that I found out later only cost under $100 and takes three minutes to put in. This is apart from Chevrolet and not some knock off from China that I found for under $100 online. So I’m a little upset that I came in for a recall and they’re trying to get me to do a repair for almost $2000. They never even offered me a rental car and they’re threatening me saying that if we don’t move forward with it, they’re gonna charge me $50 a day for storage. I feel like they’re intimidating me to try to make me traded in for a new one, but I am not ready to get a new one. I just want to get my car on the road again.

Vehicle: 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Mileage at failure: 96,700 miles Component: Powertrain – Transmission While driving on the highway returning home from Columbus, OH, my 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe experienced a sudden transmission failure without any warning. We were traveling in the third lane at approximately 70–74 mph when the vehicle abruptly lost power and rapidly slowed down to approximately 15–25 mph. This occurred in active traffic and created an immediate and severe safety hazard. The sudden loss of speed nearly caused a collision with surrounding vehicles traveling at highway speeds. There were five occupants in the vehicle, including three children. Due to traffic conditions, other drivers were braking, honking, and swerving. I was only able to avoid a crash by immediately maneuvering across lanes to reach the shoulder. The vehicle was disabled and had to be towed. The transmission required full replacement. Total repair cost exceeded $6,000, and the vehicle was out of service for approximately two weeks. I am submitting the repair receipt from the transmission shop with this complaint. After the failure, I learned that sudden transmission failure is a commonly reported issue with Chevrolet vehicles, including the Tahoe. This failure occurred without warning and represents a serious safety defect that put my family and other motorists at risk.

At first it started with my brakes. I was at DQ and all of a sudden the brake peddle was hard and would barely go down. I then put my car in park. Now I have all new brakes, rotors, etc. Then now the car after 139,000 miles and only owning it for 3 years has this hesitation to go. It stumbles and once would go at all. I had to park right where I was, and restart the car. I have 5 kids, one at which is always with me whom is only 3 years old. This vehicle is not safe. Why it it that so many of us are having the same issue, but no recall has been done? I go this weekend to take the car in. Praying for some sort of miracle. And no other warning signs. Just starting acting crazy. Lights just came on this week.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle intermittently lost motive power. The messages "Service Power Train", "Roll Down Driver Side/ Passenger Side Windows", along with several other unknown messages, were displayed on the instrument panel. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions, which required the codriver to wait several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

At 155,000 miles transmission shudders and slips gears. Torque, converter went out and started slipping more and whining and making a grinding sound. Transmission had to be completely rebuilt, with all six clutches, and a brand new torque converter had to be installed.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the pedal was soft and was almost depressed to the floorboard. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. The contact stated that the ABS/ESC warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the warning lights then started flashing. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Electronic Brake Control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the vehicle had been repaired by the previous owner. The contact had to pay out of pocket for the repairs. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and advised the contact that the recall had been previously repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

Gear slip and shutter when accelerating loss power from taking off

Component Failure: AC condenser assembly failed due to thermal cycling cracks in combination transmission fluid/oil cooler design - exact failure documented in GM TSB 17336-05. TSB states "thermal cycling creates a crack that may allow refrigerant to escape." Safety Risk: AC system failure after sun exposure creates dangerous interior temperatures lasting 30-45 minutes with family including two teenagers in 95°F+ NC summer heat. Risk of heat exhaustion/stroke during highway travel where immediate stopping impossible. Dealer Confirmation: Hendrick Chevrolet diagnosed refrigerant leak from upper left condenser on 7/22/25 (Invoice CTCS913252, $1,904.60). Official work order documents identical symptoms and repair operation covered by GM TSB 17336-05 Special Coverage. Manufacturer Knowledge: GM issued TSB 17336-05 acknowledging their combi-cooler design cannot withstand normal thermal cycling, affecting 908,000+ vehicles. GM provides Customer Service Satisfaction Campaign 17336-01 free repairs for this exact defect but denied my reimbursement (Case #72260590) solely due to mileage, claiming manufacturing design defect becomes customer responsibility after 60k miles. Symptoms: Problem began summer 2024 - AC functions normally when parked in shade but requires 30-45 minutes to cool after direct sun exposure, exactly matching TSB heat-soak failure pattern. No warning lights as system retained sufficient refrigerant until complete thermal stress failure.

The sunroof shattered when nothing hit it driving down the road.

The stabilitrak notification comes on constantly. While we are driving/reversing and turn our steering wheel the whole car will shut down and the steering wheel jerks. It's happened multiple times. It takes forever for the car to turn back on.This is super dangerous and cause myself and my children to end up getting hit by another vehicle while on the road.

The vehicle shudders and shakes going down the road causing a safety hazard when failing. The transmission fluid has been changed multiple times and yet the transmission remains unstable with no errors or check lights appearing. When taken to the repair shop it seems there is a large number of failures for this transmission type.

There are times that the brake assist will stop working. The bake assist light has started coming on once in a while. I looked up the vin and it said all recalls were repaired. I have a concern that the vaccume brake issue was not properly taken care of at whatever dealership that claimed to fix the issue.

Air conditioning could cause a safety problem during hot days, forcing the driver to drive with all windows down and still remain very hot and sweaty while driving. The A/C system in this vehicle is so poorly designed that I've spent $6,000 in 8 years of ownership just to keep the A/C running. The primary problem is that is has a separate rear HVAC zone, which requires both high & low side freon lines to run under the length of the vehicle to a rear condenser. These lines are not shielded in any way from being hit by road debris. I'm replacing a leaking rear A/C for the third time at a cost of $1800. These lines should be shielded so they are not getting pelted by rocks and other debris. It's a very bad design that exposes a potential safety issue. When these lines break, it also dumps all of the freon into the atmosphere.

I was driving on the freeway when I lost power and the engine started to vibrate. Had to have it towed back to the dealer. They stated it was a bad lifter in cylinder six. It will cost 8K+ to repair. I have had the car less than a year and less than 90k in mileage.

Shuttering started with transmission which ultimately lead to the transmission failing at 140,900 miles. Costly repair for a vehicle that was serviced regularly.

Engine failure - lifters and cam shaft . Also, transmission had previously failed and had to be replaced as well as air conditioner condenser (pin hole leak).

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving uphill, the vehicle stalled and started rolling backwards. The contact allowed the vehicle to roll back to a stop sign. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted to park(P). The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump, fuel injectors, and the spark plugs had failed. The contact's husband stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle jerked, and the instrument gauges decreased to zero(0) and then increased. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to dealer, where it was diagnosed that the camshaft and the engine lifters had failed. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

My engine is blown at only 80,000 miles. Dealer said bad lifter. I was on the freeway and with no warning I lost power and black smoke. No warning. And now $16,000 to repair. Only 80,000 miles. At 100,000 you change spark plugs. I cannot afford to fix it. I spent 6 years saving up for just the down and now it’s gone. And I could have been very hurt on the freeway and hurt other people. I hope someone can help me.

Summary: The straps on this car seat came loose with a firm pull with my baby already buckled in. Description: On Saturday April 5th, we place our baby in the Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Car Seat. My husband had our baby fully buckled in with the straps tightened when for some reason (thank goodness he did), he gave the straps a pretty firm pull (not holding the strap release lever down) and they loosened up. We were very shocked that this could happen. I also tested it as well and had the same result. This concerning because with a forceful pull on the car seat straps, they came loose. If we had been in some sort of collision and were unaware of this issue, the force of an accident certainly would have loosened the straps which could have had a lethal outcome ever for a minor collision. Because we weren't sure why this was happening with this car seat. We ordered a new car seat from a different manufacturer due to this safety concern. On Monday April 7th I called Britax twice to see if I could get an answer as to why this may be happening. I could not get a live person so I left a voicemail. I also scheduled an appointment for a video call on Wednesday the 9th in an attempt to contact someone. I was able to speak with someone on Wednesday the 9th. The person I spoke with asked me to check if there was any debris under the button to release the strap. with her on the call, I shook the car seat upside down, and vacuumed under the release button. Once that was done, the straps did function again as expected, not loosening with a firm pull. The representative did mention that she had seen this issue before with something even as minor as sand getting stuck under the button. If you have kids, you know how impossible it is to keep car seats completely clean. The seats get dirty from kids being at parks, daycare, in their own back yard, eating snacks, etc.. I believe this is a design flaw of this car seat and it needs to be investigated for safety.

-MALFUNCTION---WHILE DRIVING, WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKES TO COME TO A STOP, IT SEEMS AS IF THE BRAKES CATCH BUT THEN RELEASES AND THEN CATCHES AGAIN. AS IT RELEASES, IT CONTINUES TO ROLL. VEHICLE IS AVAILABE UPON REQUEST. -SAFETY RISK--- BECAUSE THE BRAKE RELEASES AND/OR EVENTUALLY NOT CATCH AT ALL, THIS IS UNSAFE BECAUSE I CAN ROLL INTO TRAFFIC -REPRODUCED AND/OR CONFIRMED--- I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO A SERVICE CENTER TO REPAIR A RECALL AND WAS TOLD TO THAT THE ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED ONCE THE RECALL WAS COMPLETE. THE ISSUE WAS TEMPORARILY RESOLVED FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH OR SO, AND NOW IT IS BACK TO BREAKING AND RELEASING. -ONE CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THE VEHICLE AND/OR ITS COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN INSPECTED GIVEN THAT I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE SERVICE CENTER, STATED THE ISSUE, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED AFTER IT HAS BEEN SERVICED. -THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS, MESSAGES, OR OTHER SYMPTOMS OF THE PROBLEM PRIOR TO THIS ISSUE.

Brake vacuum pump

Lifters were stuck and ruined the cam shaft. All lifters and cam shaft replaced

Fuel pump went bad and needed to be replaced.

Transmission fell to metal shavings being found in the pan and oil filter when checked

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the vehicle started to shudder. The contact stated that the odometer was moving erratically. The contact stated that the engine overheated quickly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While driving at 35-45 MPH, the vehicle was shuddering and overheated. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle downshifted to first gear and the failure persisted. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and coasted to the nearest dealer. A diagnostic test was performed by the dealer, and it was discovered that the clutch plates were damaged. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 110,481.

When driving the dash panel all arrows go to zero, disconnects cruise and just about everything else on your list above. We have had it to the dealer many times over three months and I am concerned that when the system drops out my safety devices that it says check will not work if I’m in a collision.The list is to long to list. Our local Chevrolet dealer is George Nahas in the Villages Florida. Please help

I bought my Tahoe from Dan Vaden Chevrolet in Savannah, GA with approx 58k miles. At around 88k miles I noticed the transmission hesitated when putting into reverse or drive from the park position. I had my transmission fluid changed at 70k and 100k miles. Now, at 112k miles, it has significantly gotten worse with shuddering between gears 1-3 and jerking when in reverse. Major hesitation when accelerating at any speed and high pitched whining noises that randomly happen, even after putting it in park and turning it off. Also, my ABS and Stabilitrak lights will illuminate and then go off every few days. As well as another random icon that randomly comes and goes. This Tahoe is now unsafe to drive but it’s the only transportation I have. I already missed a radiator replacement recall by 1,500 miles and had to pay for that out of pocket. Now Chevrolet isn’t recalling this transmission when it has over 190 complaints on this website alone, and thousands of others on other online forums. What will it take for the manufacturer to do the right thing? Will someone have to die in order for this to become an issue they stop ignoring? We have all spent money we worked hard to earn and deserve a vehicle that’s safe for our families.

Driving down the freeway at 75 mph and the headlight started flickering any time I would use my blinker. 5 minutes later the car automatically breaks hard all by itself along with the dash lights going off and the doors locking and unlocking. 3 days later driving in town taking a hard left suddenly I get alerts on the dashboard saying, "parking assist off" and "stabilitrak" then suddenly my steering wheel JERKS VIOLENTLY all the way to the right. This happened 2x when I am driving!!! It is available for inspection upon request. If this steering wheel malfunction happens to someone driving down an interstate someone could die. It just happened yesterday so I have not gotten it in to be looked at yet. There was zero warning it all happens suddenly and out of nowhere.

The stabilitrak light comes on and the whole vehicle shuts off, this happens while driving and turning, the entire vehicle loses power. I have had it inspected at the dealer, they said it’s normal. This is a continuous problem. When it shuts off I have no stealing breaks or anything. This put my life, my children’s life and fellow travelers lives at risk. Something is wrong with this yrs vehicle and I don’t know what it is.