2016 Chevrolet Corvette recalls & complaints
Source: NHTSA, updated daily. Last checked 2026-10-18. Recalls apply to specific VINs — run your VIN to confirm.
2 safety recalls, most serious first
1. Airbags
What's wrong, in plain English: The airbag system — the part that is supposed to protect you in a crash. 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.
What could happen: 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: 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 ser…
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2016 CORVETTE.
- Book a repair at any authorized Chevrolet dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 16V651000 (manufacturer code 16007).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-800-521-7300.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Summary: 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. 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
2. Airbags
What's wrong, in plain English: The airbag system — the part that is supposed to protect you in a crash. 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…
What could happen: 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: 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 servi…
What to do
- Check whether your car is affected: enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall covers specific VINs, not every 2016 CORVETTE.
- Book a repair at any authorized Chevrolet dealer. Quote NHTSA campaign 17V437000 (manufacturer code 17287).
- The repair is free. By US law, safety recall repairs cost the owner nothing, no matter the car's age or mileage.
- Manufacturer hotline: 1-800-521-7300.
- Buying this car used? Ask the seller for proof the recall was completed, or run the VIN yourself before paying.
Official wording from NHTSA
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Summary: 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. 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Useful for owners
- OBD2 code reader — see what the car's computer is reporting
- Compact car fire extinguisher
- 2016 Chevrolet Corvette owner's manual
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Most complained-about parts: Wheels / tires (59), Fuel system (14), Transmission / drivetrain (12), Electrical system (6), Engine (6).
Complaints are unverified reports from owners. A pattern (many complaints about the same part) matters more than any single one.
Read recent complaints (8)
09/18/2026 · Steering
The system that was affected was the power steering. As I was driving home doing residential speeds, I noticed a message pop up in my heads up display “Power Steering, Drive with Caution” as I selected okay, the steering wheel became very stiff. Luckily I was 5 minutes away from home and was able to drive carefully back into the garage. This is the first ti…
12/04/2025 · Steering
Experiencing sudden loss of power steering while driving - unsafe condition. Experiencing sudden loss of electric power steering assist while driving. Loss of power steering persists until ignition recycling (stop, put car in park, turn ignition off, turn ignition back on), which seems to clear it. Problem re-occurs intermittently on subsequent drives.…
12/04/2025 · Steering
Experiencing sudden loss of power steering while driving - unsafe condition. Experiencing sudden loss of electric power steering assist while driving. Loss of power steering persists until ignition recycling (stop, put car in park, turn ignition off, turn ignition back on), which seems to clear it. Problem re-occurs intermittently on subsequent drives.…
10/13/2025 · Steering
I would be driving and get a notification in the panel that says power steering is out and to drive with care. It is extremely difficult to drive my vehicle, with no power steering. I would just be driving, and I would get the notification that power steering is out. The problem has been recently confirmed by a dealership. The mechanic at the dealership…
09/24/2025 · Transmission / drivetrain
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while shifting from second gear to third gear. The transmission was skipping a gear. The contact believed that the vehicle was not working properly. The vehicle was not responding as needed. There were no warning lights illuminat…
05/14/2025 · Fuel system · fire
My vehicle is covered by GM Special Warranty 17469 which relates to cracks and fuel leaks at the primary fuel pump module flange. It caught fire while driving at a high performance driver’s education event at Barber Motorsports Park and was denied coverage due to it having modifications. GM case number 9-15085163081. There were no warning messages displayed…
04/23/2025 · Engine
I left my car at Vandergriff Chevrolet in Arlington, TX for diagnosis and repair of a transmission sensor failure. They took nearly 6 weeks to fix the issue. When I went to pick up the car, there was a new noise in the engine so I left the vehicle for diagnosis. Now, they are telling me it's a known issue that is considered 'crucial' to repair but is not…
01/29/2025 · Wheels / tires
Overview: Beginning sometime in 2020, the coating of the rearview inside mirror began to degrade and lose its reflective capability. By [XXX] visibility through the mirror was so bad that I had to have it replaced by the local Chevy dealership. Because it was out of warranty, I had to pay $453.93 out of pocket. The vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the mir…