132 complaints reported

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
132
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Nov 2026

2016 Silverado z71 with 6L80 transmission started slipping gears and shudders when accelerating. Vehicle was looked at by a mechanic who drove it and confirmed that the transmission is the issue and said a rebuild is needed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Oct 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the transmission valve body had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2026
Feb 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado1500. The contact stated that while driving at 48 MPH and driving uphill, the transmission downshifted and started sputtering. The contact pulled into a parking lot and attempted to troubleshoot the failure, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a torque converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2026
Feb 2026

Entire Transmission failed and needs to be replaced.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2026
Jul 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000. The VIN was not available.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2025
Jul 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle had experienced hesitation to accelerate and reduced speeds. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2025
Jul 2025

This vehicle has experienced repeated and ongoing serious defects with the 8L90 Transmission Torque Converter. I took delivery of this vehicle on 17SEP2016 and since it has required multiple service appointments to address the issue. To date it has not been satisfactorily repaired. Despite repeated failed repair attempts the vehicle exhibits erratic transmission slipping, jerking, hesitation and surging under acceleration. These symptoms persist even after a most recent torque converter replacement (and subsequent re-replacement as outlined below). This creates a serious safety concern particularly when accelerating into traffic, merging and driving uphill, but also in low speed maneuvers such as navigating a parking lot. The vehicle often feels like it is misfiring under acceleration when trying to merge, then surges forward erratically. In parking lots at low speeds, the downshift of this transmission is so abrupt that it often causes the driver and passengers alike to believe that the vehicle has been hit from behind. The repair history started within 2 years/24K miles as follows: - 01FEB2018 @ 28140 - Drain flush and fill transmission for Shudder/Hard Down Shift - Diagnosed as Torque converter issue. This helped for a short period of time - 26JUN2019 @ 53445 Miles - Same issue - same diagnosis - same repair attempt - this was unsuccessful in anyway. - 12NOV2019 @ 60653 Miles - Same issue and diagnosis - Torque converter replaced - 31JUL2024 @134218 Miles - Same issue and diagnosis - Flush and fill recommended since extended warranty had expired - paid $300 for transmission fluid flush and fill - 15APR2025@145963 Miles - Same issue and diagnosis - Torque converter replaced for $2956 - there was no appreciable improvement - 08AUG2025@151182 Miles - Torque Converter replaced under warranty from 15APR2025 work - No appreciable improvement - 20AUG2025@151500 Miles - Same issue - Advised to replace entire transmission

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2018
Jul 2025

Torque converter

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2025
Jun 2025

5th and 6th gear in the transmission quiet working due to the torque converter being bad while I was driving down interstate which caused the valve body in the transmission to go bad

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2025
Apr 2025

Transmission completely destroyed. Transmission known to have various problems had in shop twice and still not right! Total cost so far is 4800 dollars

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2024
Apr 2025

The transmission failed prematurely (just over 95,000 miles). Before i had it rebuilt, It was lurching forward as I was coming to a stop. It also had trouble switching gears (very rough) and a loss of power. I understand this transmission is part of a class action lawsuit. I wanted to make sure my experience was documented with the other cases. General Motors needs to correct this problem and reimburse owners for work already completed. I will dig up my transmission repair documentation and include it with this record. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2022
Apr 2025

Transmission problem. Harsh and clunk noise when shifting. Hesitation when accelerating and when shifting to reverse. It only has 70,000 miles the dealer wants 7 to 8 thousand to fix it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2024
Mar 2025

I have had to replace the transmission in this vehicle 3 times within a year and half time frame. Initially experienced harsh shifting, significant hesitation in shifting and the transmission overheated whilst driving on the highway to the point where smoke was clearly visible. Each of the 3 failures stemmed from the torque converter. There were no warning lamps or messages present prior to the failures.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2024
Mar 2025

Transmission shifts erratically, sometimes violently. It seems to shift through several gears within seconds. There is no warning lights or codes that appear. I was rolling in line to exit a parking lot, going less than a crawl, and transmission shifted. It sounded like I had been rear-ended and vehicle lunged forward. There was enough distance that I was able to avoid the vehicle that was in front of me.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2025
Mar 2025

Transmission valve body failure, first failure around 28-30000 miles, second failure at 44,000 miles. Truck has been at Chevy garage for two weeks, I still have no answer on part or remedy

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2025
Mar 2025

See attached document for complaint.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2024
Jan 2025

Transmission failure

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2024
Jan 2025

Transmission slips and stutters, till it completely stops. I have now had to replace my transmission twice.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Dec 2024

Common issue with these trucks shudders while driving on highway Current lawsuit for same problem

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2024
Dec 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle seized in 4WD mode, causing the steering wheel to become firm and difficult to turn. The 4WD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where Technical Service Bulletin: PIP5369C was performed to update the transfer case control module with the latest software. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2023
Nov 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shaking and vibrating abnormally. Additionally, the rear wheels locked up and there was a burning rubber odor coming from the tires. The contact also stated that the transmission, traction control, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission solenoid was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was not available.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2020
Nov 2024

At 89,000 miles my transmission started to make a clunking noise took it in to a shop and transmission needed to be replace

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2024
Sep 2024

Automatic transmission slips gear. When idling on hwy vehicle automatic transmission doesn't go into drive. Stalled on hwy at traffic light.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2024
Sep 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while shifting from reverse to drive, there were four hard bumps. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the computer. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2023
Aug 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that transmission fluid was added to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,931.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2016 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2024

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 132 Power Train complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.