2016 Chevrolet SS
The 2016 Chevrolet SS is sold in the U.S. as a gas large sedan with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the SS, is EPA-rated at 17 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 24 complaints, most often about the steering.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS | Gas | RWD | 6.2L 8-cyl | 14 | 22 | 17 | $3,950 |
| SS | Gas | RWD | 6.2L 8-cyl | 14 | 20 | 16 | $5,150 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37167, 37166.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS | 5 / 10 | Bin 5 / LEV-II LEV | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Gas-guzzler tax applies to SS — a federal excise the manufacturer pays and prices in.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sedan/Saloon |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 8 |
| Displacement | 6.2 L |
| Engine configuration | V-Shaped |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Transmission
| Transmission | Automatic |
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim. Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2016 Chevrolet SS is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (7)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseSteering
N192285350Steering
N192265980Air Bags
17287Steering
17248Air Bags
16007Seat Belts
31340These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Whether any of this applies to one specific SS
A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Chevrolet publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Chevrolet SS, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2016 Chevrolet SS
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this SS →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported
Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2024: 1
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
A few days ago I was heading home from work and sport mode automatically turned on and the “service power steering” warning came on. Then the steering wheel stiffened up 2 times for a few seconds while I was driving. I looked into it and there was a recall before I purchased the vehicle and it was repaired also.
Collapsed lifter on cyl 6. Lifter tick / knock since 100,200 miles. Car has a warranty until 5/2026 or 171,000 miles and they refuse to honor it. Car has a steering issue. Two separate chevy dealerships unable to fix. vanderevere charged me 500-600 to fix NOTHING AT ALL.
"service side detection system" and "park assist unavailable", are errors due to water intrusion to proximity sensors. In addition sensor modules are physically bulging and there was some corrosion on my passenger side harness connector and visible rust inside both modules' connectors.
The driver information center is displaying "Service Side Detection System" alert. On the SS Forum this appears to be an increasingly popular problem with these cars
The latest recall on chevy Ss steering racks ( manufacturer recall no. : n192285350) states racks without gold plated contacts are unsafe and gold plated contacts started with model year 2017 production. This indicates all model year 2016 Ss sedans need the steering rack recalled and replaced.
Filed second time. Recall repair is defective! Recall repair has left seat belt tensioner cable exposed and flopping! Metal bits and pieces are now on carpet and area around seat belt foundation and lower replaced cover area. The replaced rubber cover (92507580) is ripped and ripping more at lower connection of exposed tensioner cable.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
When owners reported it
miles, typically
Half the 16 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 13,000 and 55,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.
Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAPNHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Engine, Power Train, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.
- PIT5698F Service bulletin2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- PIP4902W Service bulletin2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5099J Service bulletin2026-07-21 · Unknown Or Other
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- PIT3271Q Service bulletin2026-04-01 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
- PIP6104 Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
- PIP4902V Service bulletin2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIP4902U Service bulletin2026-01-08 · Unknown Or Other
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- PIT5214G Service bulletin2025-11-20 · Unknown Or Other
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does no
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0300 P0300 on Chevrolet → | Misfire detected, but not isolated to one cylinder. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 7 bulletins |
| P0308 P0308 on Chevrolet → | Cylinder 8 is misfiring. | Engine · Ignition coils → | 7 bulletins |
| P050D P050D on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Engine | 7 bulletins |
| B3055 B3055 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 6 bulletins |
| B3060 B3060 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 6 bulletins |
| B3935 B3935 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 6 bulletins |
| B101D B101D on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 5 bulletins |
| P0442 P0442 on Chevrolet → | A small leak in the evaporative emissions system. | Fuel/Propulsion System · Gas cap → | 4 bulletins |
| P018B P018B on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Fuel/Propulsion System · Fuel pump → | 3 bulletins |
| P0455 P0455 on Chevrolet → | A large leak in the evaporative emissions system — often a fuel cap left off. | Electrical System · Gas cap → | 3 bulletins |
| P0751 P0751 on Chevrolet → | Shift solenoid A is not responding — stuck off. | Power Train | 3 bulletins |
| P2635 P2635 on Chevrolet → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Fuel/Propulsion System · Fuel pump → | 3 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
SS by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2016 SS
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2016 Chevrolet SS have any recalls?
NHTSA has posted 7 recall campaigns for the 2016 Chevrolet SS. The most serious on file is 20V638000, covering Seat Belts. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.
How safe is the 2016 Chevrolet SS?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2016 Chevrolet SS yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it D (64/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Chevrolet SS?
Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Chevrolet SS, the best EPA combined figure is 17 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What do owners complain about on the 2016 Chevrolet SS?
Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet SS, most often about steering, seat belts, electrical system. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2016 Chevrolet SS?
The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Chevrolet SS is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II LEV — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Chevrolet SS?
The manufacturer has filed 1036 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Chevrolet SS, most often covering equipment, electrical system, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-09-26. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 2 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 2 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | 7 | NHTSA recall campaigns | A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags. |
| Owner complaints | 24 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | none | NHTSA NCAP | NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe. |
| Service bulletins | 1036 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 8 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.