- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 5
- on record
- MPG
- 27
- combined
Fatalities reported
Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Chevrolet Traverse
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 290
- Complaints citing a crash
- 8
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
5 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 15V609000high
Visibility issue
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured August 18, 2015 to September 24, 2015. Due to a manufacturing defect, the windshield wiper motor may overheat when used.
Consequence
A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor cover assembly, free of charge. Owners are advised not to use their front windshield wipers until the wiper cover has been replaced. If weather conditions prevent operation of the vehicle without using the windshield wipers, GM will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle for servicing. The recall began on September 30, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15780.
- 15V833000high
Safety restraint issue
SEATS
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave vehicles manufactured November 6, 2015, to November 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a the third row left lower seat frame that may have welds that are not in the correction location.
Consequence
If the seat frame is not welded in the correct places, the seat may not perform as intended, and in the event of a crash, the seat occupant could be at an increased risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the third row left side lower seat frame, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 21930.
- 21V782000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2008-2017 Buick Enclave and 2013-2017 Chevrolet Traverse vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Consequence
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on November 3, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 10, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212349040.
- 21V246000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2015, 2017 Buick Enclave, 2010-2019 Chevrolet Traverse, and 2011-2016 GMC Acadia vehicles. The side curtain air bags may not be properly attached.
Consequence
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, realign or replace the weld nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 24, 2021. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N202321200.
- 23V334000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may explode during deployment, due to a manufacturing defect.
Consequence
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the driver's air bag module, free of charge. GM began mailing final owner letters February 23, 2024 and will continue mailing through December 2025. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232404980.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 16.9%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 16.9% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
22
City
34
Hwy
27
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $1,944
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 329 g/mi
How this compares
The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse against its peers.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
290 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 290
- Total
- 8
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 15
- Injuries
Most reported components
- AIR BAGS162
- ENGINE50
- STEERING20
- ELECTRICAL14
- OTHER14
Serious Concerns
290 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 15 reports involve injuries. 8 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse, newest first.
- Recall
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
If the seat frame is not welded in the correct places, the seat may not perform as intended, and in the event of a crash, the seat occupant could be at an increased risk of injury.
- Recall
A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
- Drive type
- FWD
- Engine
- 2.5L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Regular Gasoline
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Seats
- 5
Fuel economy
22
City
34
Hwy
27
Comb
- Annual cost
- $1,944
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Compare with
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
- Recall
Unsecured side curtain air bags may not perform as intended, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
If the seat frame is not welded in the correct places, the seat may not perform as intended, and in the event of a crash, the seat occupant could be at an increased risk of injury.
- Recall
A wiper motor that overheats increases the risk of a fire.