NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 220 owner complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban.
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Suspension, do not drive (16V-256). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
6Safety recalls
220Owner complaints
9Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: suspension, brakes, air bags, and visibility. Most-reported area: brakes (82 complaints, 37%; median mileage when it happened: 62,000).
6 safety recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Risk: Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SUBURBAN. Chevrolet campaign 42190.
Brakes
Oct 24, 2019
antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · wheel speed sensor/tone ring
3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.
The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SUBURBAN. Chevrolet campaign N192268490.
While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SUBURBAN. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal, sensor/control module-inactive; Seat belts: pretensioner. Chevrolet campaign 17287.
These vehicles were assembled with a convex right-hand outside mirror, instead of with a non-convex (flat) right-hand outside mirror. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Risk: If equipped with the incorrect right-siderear-view mirror, the driver may misjudge the distance of other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the convex mirror with a non-convex mirror and provide a new page for the owner's manual with the customer notification letter, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 17017.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Chevrolet Suburban HD vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SUBURBAN. Chevrolet campaign 17017.
In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Risk: A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SUBURBAN. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal, sensor/control module-inactive; Seat belts: pretensioner. Chevrolet campaign 16007.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 220 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Suburban. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Brakes82 · 37%
Median 62,000 miles at failure (52 reports)
Powertrain45 · 20%
Median 100,600 miles at failure (22 reports)
Engine27 · 12%
Electrical system26 · 12%
Steering23 · 10%
Body structure12 · 5%
Most named: body (9)
Suspension11 · 5%
Unknown or other26 · 12%
Median 28,400 miles at failure (16 reports)
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Chevrolet Suburban recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 Suburban drew the most (96) and the 2016 drew 45.
Owner complaints
2016: 220 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Suburban
Model year
Complaints
2016
220
2017
141
2018
81
2019
78
2020
44
2021
199
2022
122
2023
142
2024
42
2025
30
2026
15
Safety recalls
2016: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Chevrolet Suburban
Model year
Recalls
2016
6
2017
5
2018
4
2019
3
2020
4
2021
12
2022
4
2023
4
2024
2
2025
1
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Chevrolet Suburban 1500 SUV 4WD
Rollover risk 20.3%
Chevrolet Suburban 1500 SUV RWD
Rollover risk 21.2%
Questions
What are the most common 2016 Suburban problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: brakes (82), powertrain (45), engine (27). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Chevrolet Suburban earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Suburban has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SUBURBAN.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.