general problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 1

I am reporting a manufacturing defect involving general motors’ active fuel management (afm) system that caused catastrophic engine failure in my 2016 Chevrolet silverado (VIN: [xxx] ). At approximately 78,000 miles, my vehicle experienced piston and lifter failure requiring full engine replacement. This failure occurred without warning and aligns with thousands of consumer complaints regarding afm-related oil consumption, lifter collapse, and engine damage in gm vehicles. This is a known design defect that gm has addressed through technical service bulletins and engine redesigns, yet many consumers continue to experience premature failures at low mileage. This defect presents a safety and reliability concern, including loss of power while driving and significant financial burden to vehicle owners. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this ongoing defect. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] VIN: [xxx] 2016 Chevrolet silverado information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am writing about my recent engine failure on my 2016 chevy silverado high country. This is a 4x4 with the 6. 2l motor. My engine has failed at only 66,790 miles due to the lifter issue that seems to be common with these motors. I noticed a loud ticking from my motor that was getting worse. I took it into a1 automotive georgetown, TX. They advised me to contact a dealership for warranty repair or replacement as they noted it was coming from the valves. I contacted don hewlett Chevrolet; they advised me due to the date of the truck being made in 2016 it is no longer covered in warranty and the advisor said they do not see engines with lifter issues. I did standard service with an oil and transmission change using the recommended 0w-20w oil. The next day the ticking was very bad and turned into what I would describe as ‘jack hammer’ noises. Then I lost power while driving and the dashboard lights came on. I got towed back to a1 auto; they drained the oil and noticed a lot of metal fragments and advised me that theck engine will need to be replaced. The engine was removed and we found the pushrod on the passenger side was sticking out to the side of the rocker arm presumably due to a lifter issue. I now have a new engine with the ‘delete kit’ to remove the 4-cylinder shutoff that has been linked to lifter failures. This has been a very unnecessary expense for something that shouldn’t happen. The motor only having 66,790 miles and I am the only owner, I have always taken very good care of it, and even use only premium gas. I have gotten all the oil changes on time and most of them have been done by the dealership at don hewlett. Date of ticking inspection and oil change, a1 auto – 12/16/2025 miles 66,766 date of failure 12/17/2025 miles 66,790 charges: •towing $235 •engine replacement $14,064. 90 oengine $8,375 olabor $3,750 oinjectors $1042 ooil, tax, misc. $897.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the engine compartment, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked unexpectedly, with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal became inoperable. The contact reported that the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard, and the abs system vibrated following the brake pedal failure. No warning lights were illuminated for the brake failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

Stability track came on left me stuck a on train tracks and middle of an entersection.

65,300 miles on my 2016 Chevrolet silverado with the 5. 3 liter engine. Engine lifter and camshaft failure due to the afm/dfm system. Now my truck is being worked on as we speak by a performance shop who says these seem to be a normal occurrence. Some with more miles and some with less millage. After doing some research online, this is a very common problem. And on tiktok, instagram, and facebook there is a lot of people having same issues. My question is why isn't this being looked into. I've asked other mechanics, speed shops, and including a Chevrolet dealer mechanic and he said yes that afm/dfm is a major problem. But no recall from gm. Please help. This is not a cheap repair, and it's definitely unfair to many others that will have these same issues.

Transmission issues already had one replaced 5/9/24 having issues again going to be 3rd transmission also having issues now with electrical system going out while driving and dinging noise,when entering or exiting vehicle here rebooting system whining. Going to contact car coverage to have vehicle inspected again for the problems.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Engine camshaft is out only 105k on vehicle. $6k to fix for it to just happen again which these trucks are known for this which is a huge manufacturer flaw. Driving down the hwy and check engine turned on quickly and whole truck shaking had to pull over going 60mph small shoulder on hwy. Taken to 2 mechanics both told me have to pull heads replace camshaft lifters. For this to be a known issue with these motors they put out and cost people thousands and risking safety is unreal.

Going down highway about 60 mph slowed down to make a turn after turn engine started skipping and making a noise, lifter failed.

Right now I don't have a problem with my 6. 2 motor but I have a TSB on valve lifter repair it states that any unsold vehicle on the lot or in transit before it is sold the lifters must be replaced but it doesn't say anything about the ones that were sold to be fixed the # of the TSB from gm is n212353840 if you would like to see it thanks [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving south on interstate 15 freeway I was on the 3 lane in the middle of the road I was driving around 65-70 mph when my 1500 silverado 2016 loose engine power and started to slow down I couldn’t get out fast enough and I almost got hit by three cars because I was driving so slow I pulled over emergency lines and the truck didn’t even start.

The 2016 silverado ltz 5. 3l flex fuel lifters went out at 83k miles. I was left standed and had to be towed. I have researched that this is a known gm issue with the 5. 3l motors, but I was told because I was outside the warranty that I had to pay the $8000 repair bill for a new motor. This is one a gm issue and a safety issue because I had sudden no power while I was driving and with no warning. The second issue is that the brakes have a serious shake and vibration that the dealership told be they were fine, but it is very hard to stop the vehicle with a tremendous about of force I had to place on the brake peddle. The life of this vehicle has had all services done at jim mckay Chevrolet in fairfax va. I could not afford the repair and unfortunately I had to trade in the truck and buy a new truck with large monthly payments.

I am reporting a manufacturing defect involving general motors’ active fuel management (afm) system. In October 2024, my 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 lt, at 96,000 miles, experienced a lifter collapse which caused sufficient wear to the camshaft that the engine needed to be replaced, which was performed. The malfunction indicator lamp turned on and the truck was driven an additional 2 miles to a safe location and subsequently towed to the repair shop. Before then, there had been no indication that a lifter had collapsed or that there was damage to the engine sufficient to warrant a replacement. In November 2025, I experienced another lifter collapse (on the replaced engine). While the mechanic recommended an engine replacement, the warranty company only authorized a replacement of the affected side cylinder head and lifter, which was performed. In February 2026, I experienced another lifter collapse, and the truck is currently being evaluated by a repair shop. These failures have occurred without warning and aligns with thousands of consumer complaints regarding afm-related oil consumption, lifter collapse, and engine damage in gm vehicles. This is a known design defect that gm has tried to address through technical service bulletins and engine redesigns, yet many consumers continue to experience premature failures at low mileage. This defect presents a safety and reliability concern, including loss of power while driving and significant financial burden to vehicle owners. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this ongoing defect.

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 z71 crew cab transmission (6 speed automatic) 97,000 miles - at 70 mph in traffic, the transmission decided to stop working with no warning, stranded on highway 800 miles from home at 7:15 pm on Saturday, June 28, 2024. - got it to a chevy dealership, they had to replace the transmission. - 4 days and $7,100 later I had transportation again. - do not have the blown transmission, dealership kept it. Engine (5. 3l v8 ecotec3) 103,000 miles - at 35 mph in traffic, the engine lost all power and had a very loud clunking sound. Had to have it towed. December 7, 2024 - had to have it rebuilt, 3 lifters were broken along with other things. - 3 weeks and $5,600 later I had transportation again. - I have the box of parts that had to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to exceed 20 mph. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact purchased a portable diagnostic machine and retrieved dtc codes: c279a and u0422-71 indicating an electrical failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased 30 days prior to the failure and the vehicle had been serviced by the dealer four times due to the persistent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

The truck has had its major service to replace all fluids at 70,000 miles. One of the services was a notable vibration and shaking through the steering wheel and on the brakes. Higher the speed the more the vibration. When brakes are applied the vibration gets worse. The vehicles brakes and rotors were checked and good. The mechanic said that the brake pump was slightly loose and it was tightened. It did slightly ease the vibration, but less that a few days later it is back to the same vibrating. The brake power feels weak and when I need to brake I feel like the vehicle is not stopping. I have owner a 2014 silverado before this and did not have this issue. I took it back to the dealer and they did an alignment which did not help.

I brought my truck into the dealership for a routine oil change. They notified me that my radiator is leaking and needs to be replaced. They stated that there is a small leak in the lower right corner of the radiator. I did not notice and fluids leaking from the radiator prior or did not smell any coolant from the engine. The leak did not trigger any warning lights inside of the vehicle. I did notice on a few occasions that the coolant levels looked low and added more to the system. My truck only has 60k miles on it. After researching this issue I've learned that this is a fairly common problem for 2014-2018 silverados and that chevy will only fix the 2014's.

Afm/dod leafters collapse.

The truck engine light came on and was not able to be driven very far without stalling. Took it for repair and 2 valve lifters were bad. We had to pay for replacement ourselves. This happened at 41,786 miles. This happened again at 46,000 miles because of faulty gm parts and they needed to be replaced again. The parts were under warranty so there was no charge. This happened again at 59,000 miles and now both side lifters are bad and mechanic suggested engine replacement since he is sure this will happen again. Now it’s costing us 15,300 to repair it and gm/Chevrolet is not helping or do they care! first incident was in April 2023, second in November 2023 and now in December 2025.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started driving rough. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine lifters had failed, and an engine cylinder rod had been damaged. The engine rod and lifters were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.

The lifters on one side of my engine failed. This is due to the afm(active fuel management) system that gm had in its vehicles from 2016-2021. My truck is a v8 motor and the afm system drops the motor to 4 cylinders during periods that the vehicle is in stop or coasting. Overtime the lifters in the engine wear out causing the engine to fail. I barely made it to the dealer to fix the issue as I lost full power in the engine nearly causing me to have an accident. The only notification I got was check engine light started blinking mid-stream on my way to work. The cost to repair lifters is extremely high and that is the reason why gm hasn't issued a recall yet. There are thousands of cases of failed lifters in my research online. Gm knew this was a problem as they have quit using the afm feature in all of their vehicles. My servicer at my dealership even told me that they have seen this problem on multiple occasions.

I developed a oil leak in my oil cooling lines. I don't know why there is a recall for the 2019 silverado and not my 2016 for the same problem. I reference gm customer satisfaction program number: n212326940.

Transmission failure at 141,000 miles while driving on highway.

Only way I found out that fuel pump wasn’t working was due to transmission problems with sensor and having to get the whole harness replace as well as the moyer I had to get the motor replaced as well engine light kept coming out and truck felt lost of power and would waste gas a lot, safety wise I was afraid it’d break down in the middle of road with my family trucks been having problems since I’ve got it with motor and transmission and fuel pump problems , yes problems have been confirmed with dealers but dealers just say they fixed it but continued to have problems so I took it to certified shop and having them fix the fuel pump and transmission problem, as of I know the truck has been inspected by warranty company, yes they’re were warnings like engine lights abs lights.

I parked my truck in the garage and shut it off, after a minute or two the starter engaged by itself, cranking the engine over, luckily I wasn't to far from and heard it. I tried by putting the key in the ignition, nothing, pulled the starter relay, still kept cranking, by the time I got some tools to disconnect the battery smoke was rolling out by the starter, disconnecting the battery did stop the starter. Had it hauled to my nearest chevy dealer. Had to have the starter, engine wiring harness and engine fuse block replaced. It fine now, but why? what would have happened if this happened in the middle of the night? this is an attached to house garage, there could have been a fire with who knows what consequences or outcome!.

Recall airbag/electrical and cylinder won’t change to next gear m, know several people with the same truck and same issue.

In my 5. 3 the lifters failed and ruined the cam also. Loud knocking so was unable to use vehicle until repairs were completed. There were no warning lights and I have documentation of fixed repairs along with picture of defective parts.

Radiator leaks because of excessive cycling of thermostat. See also bulletin number pi1513f.

While driving truck suddenly shuts down. This will often happen while turning or after applying the brakes. This has happened in parking lots as well as while traveling at 50 miles an hour. Usually shuts down for a few seconds and then starts back. Sometimes it shuts off completely and I have to place it in park and restart. The last time was while in traffic.

So on a cold start, my pickup was running extremely ruff. I shut it off and restarted it. Mind you the engine light is on now it seems to run better. So I go to work and encounter the same problem at the end of the day. I have it hooked up to the diagnostics machine and get p050d code as well as one more code (don't remember that one). This is a malfunction with the fuel injectors and the fuel supply. To much or to little can happen when ever. My mechanic tells me gm has a special service bulletins on this very problem. (n182198000). This is only for 13 states and certain VIN#s. So I call the dealership and they tell me that some 350,000 vehicles have been recalled. They gave them 10 years or 150,000 miles. Now everyone else that encounters the same safety issues to bad sorry for your luck, not their problem is what I was told. This is for 2016 and 2017 5. 3 and 6. 2 engines. To top if off when I talked with the gm representative for my area she advised me to report it here. Not to concerned about the product that they sold. Mind you not previous recalls where for seatbelts but only the front seats??? I still believe they should of replaced the rear seatbelts. They don't retract as they should and I'm struggling to find my ones.

I had to replace the transmission and pay out of pocket because my transmission went out due to the recalls that was never sent to me and I was never notified until now.

Radiator leaking coolant from the driver side. Vehicle has only 80,000 miles. A/c condenser also leaking driver side crack in condenser. Known issue by chevy and no recalls have been made.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine service, it was discovered that anti-freeze had leaked from the radiator. The radiator and thermostat were replaced, and the failure was remedied. The contact indicated that prior to the repair the thermostat would occasionally over cycle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 84,204.

There are two problems occuring that seem to be common with this vehicle. First the lifters in the engine have gone bad. Second, there is severe jerking and delays with the transmission going into gear.

Engine overheating when pulling a trailer uphill. A simular problem also occurred with the transmission fluid reaching 212 degrees. Both incidents did occur on a hot days in California. Responded by turning on the heat in the summer time which solved the temporary engine overheating problem. Engine coolant was at the proper level and had not exceeded the manufactures 5 year 50,000 mile life time. This despite the truck being sold specifically rated for trailer towing with me neither overloading, exceeding tow rating or exceeding 55 mph. When this occurred.