2016 Chevrolet SILVERADO 3500 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 has not been rated for overall safety by NHTSA. However, it does come standard with electronic stability control, which can help improve the vehicle's handling in challenging situations. Unfortunately, it is not equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems, which could have added an extra layer of safety features. The vehicle has a relatively high number of complaints, with 51 reported, and has been subject to 8 recalls, indicating potential issues that may affect safety. It is important for owners of the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 to stay informed about any recalls and address them promptly to ensure the safety of the vehicle and its occupants.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

51

Recall Count

8

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 PU/EC RWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 PU/EC RWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 PU/EC RWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 PU/EC RWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2016 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2016 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2016 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated

Complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet SILVERADO 3500

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"on june 27 2023 we we driving on a two lane highway pulling our travel trailer. we had driven 5 hrs the previous day parked unhooked and drove around the area with no issues. the following morning we left an were just entering the highway speed zone when the truck abruptly crossed the centreline. i managed to correct and stop n the shoulder and noticed 6-8” of play in the steering wheel. i dropped the trailer and slowly drove back to the town to try and see what the issue was. the vehicle continued to move left and right with no input from me. it was determined that the steering box was leaking and when steering was input a thumping could be felt in the tires but not in the steering wheel. the shop determined the box sector shaft adjustment shaft was nearly backed out completely. i contacted the dealership that services my truck about what should be done and they stated “replace the steering box” which we did. had there been on coming traffic this would have been a fatal or serious collision and it is doubtful this defect would have surfaced as a causal factor."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-03-06
Complaint:
"there is excessive play in the steering causing the vehicle to wander. problem is amplified at freeway speeds or while towing 5th-wheel. on some roads truck will pull one direction till change in road slop cause truck to swerve in opposite direction. like many others have stated this is a dangerous situation. problem has not been confirmed by service center on this truck, but manufacturer has issued tsb pit5501e. there are no warnings messages."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-02-03
Complaint:
"at 54,000 miles, noticed 2-3 inches in play in the steering wile driving the vehicle. now that the steering has loosened, it is a continual issue. i have not had it diagnosed yet. however, in reading other complaints on this site, this seems to be a design error. as this is dangerous. the nhtsa should force gm to issue a recall."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-01-08
Complaint:
"i bought this truck in october 2019. while out on the test drive, i noticed 2 to 3 inches of free play in the steering wheel. i asked them to look into it and they found a bolt in the steering box had backed out about a half inch on it's own. they found a tsb from gm saying to use loctite on the bolt. they fixed it and everything has been good for two months. i am now starting to feel free play again and the steering itself feels very loose/ no stiffness at all when driving at any speed. i've seen many owners in many different forums complain about the same issue and i fear for my families safety when towing our heavy camper next year on vacation. gm needs to recall this issue before someone is seriously injured."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2021-04-10
Complaint:
"excess play and sloppy steering. loose and worn pitman arm and idler arm needed replacement at 37,844 miles. vehicle is lightly used and not abused off road."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-06-07
Complaint:
"sloppy loose steering, slack adjuster stud loosened 3/8 inch, 3 to 4 inch steering play. unsafe. loctite fix does not last. new re-engineered gear box recall needed."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2020-08-02
Complaint:
"steering is always a bit loose. at only 70,000 the abs and stabilitrak warnings came on. took the vehicle to the dealer and learned that the pitman shaft is backing itself out of the steering assembly. not covered by warranty. yet, chevy has 6 tsbs on this issue (the latest saying to use some lock-tite on it); they had a newly designed part; and, checking inventory you learn that dealers have new steering assemblies in inventory for 2016 and 2017. seems as though chevy knows it has a serious safety/steering issue and have made a business decision to not recall until there is a catastrophic failure and people die. there are other reports on this site of failures at mileages from 1700 on up. this clearly is the results of a design or system flaw and is systemic. this matter needs to be investigated."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-01-08
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2016 chevrolet silverado 3500. while driving, the contact noticed that the steering wheel became different and had to be turned a few inches before the vehicle would respond and turn. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to laramie gm auto center (3600 grand ave, laramie, wy 82070 (307) 460-4761) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 39,500."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2017-08-08
Complaint:
"at 2000 miles on my new truck, the steering became very loose. dealer replaced steering box. i have now had it in 3 more times with loose steering. very scarey to drive on the freeway with loose steering. you feel it more at higher speeds than you do at lower speeds"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2017-06-03
Complaint:
"the safety concern on this issue is the significantly elevated potential for loss of vehicular steering control. after the truck was driven to 1,700 total miles on the odometer, the truck's steering control became sloppy in 70mph + interstate highway driving resulting in highway wander similar to driving in wind gusts of 60 mpg+ (where at times it is difficult to maintain position in your highway lane). subsequent examination of the steering box showed that the steering gear pitman arm lash adjustment screw on the steering box had backed off approximately 3/8", the steering had excessive play and the steering box was leaking power steering fluid. the steering system on this truck is a digital steering assist system. the truck was returned to the dealer and unsuccessfully (no change in functionality) repaired under gm tsb #pit5501c (replacement of the steering box) and subsequently successfully repaired (to date) under gm tsb #pit5501d (replacement of the steering gear pitman arm shaft with an updated design gm p/n 84240812. currently have approximately 5,500 total odometer miles on the truck. *tr"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2018-02-11

Recalls for the 2016 Chevrolet SILVERADO 3500

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2015-2016 chevrolet silverado 2500, 3500, 1500 crew cab special service, tahoe police pursuit/special service, gmc sierra 2500, and 3500 vehicles. the brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative."
Consequence:
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the nut and reinstall the nut with increased tightness, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18278. Note: The vehicles in this recall need this additional remedy despite being covered by recall 16V069 for brake pedal loosening.

Component(s) Involved: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC > PEDALS AND LINKAGES
Date of incident: 2018-08-30
Recall:
"general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 chevrolet silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured october 1, 2013, to february 1, 2016, 2015-2016 chevrolet tahoe police pursuit vehicles (ppv) manufactured march 1, 2014, to february 1, 2016, and 2015-2016 gmc sierra 2500 and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured october 29, 2013, to february 1, 2016. on the affected vehicles, the brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative."
Consequence:
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the brake pedal pivot nut and reinstall with an increased torque, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 20760.

Component(s) Involved: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC > PEDALS AND LINKAGES
Date of incident: 2016-02-05

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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