Complaint volume
767 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Chevrolet Silverado Complaints
767 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, grouped by component category.
767 Total complaints
18 Crash reports
11 Fire reports
12 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, power train, engine and engine cooling. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 18 crash reports, 11 fire reports, 12 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 162 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 55,888 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, power train, engine and engine cooling?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Chevrolet Silverado?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Chevrolet Silverado
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado complaints?
18 Crash
11 Fire
12 Injury
0 Fatality
64 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Chevrolet Silverado complaint categories?
ENGINE 226
POWER TRAIN 130
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 43
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 40
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 39
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 24
STRUCTURE 19
STEERING 18
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 14
SERVICE BRAKES 14
767 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | the trailer brake serve light is on amd the parking brake will not come off, the truck is undrivable | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | On July 27, I encountered a failure of the rear vision display system on a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. In short, the system used to display the rearview image went blank, and remained blank, the moment I first shifted the vehicle into reverse. Hence, no rearview image was visible while I was in the process of backing up the vehicle. I believe this may be a noncompliance with FMVSS 111 or a closely related safety defect (I worked in Safety Engineering at General Motors and Ford for a combined total of more than 30 years). I made a video to document this failure, and I uploaded it to YouTube. It is available at the following URL: https://youtu.be/zhBZwteAcBg This vehicle was provided to me as a loaner vehicle while my personal vehicle was being repaired by Quality Chevrolet in Escondido, California. Shortly after leaving the dealership, I pulled over to the side of the road and paired my cell phone with the vehicle. It took several attempts to successfully accomplish this. I then made a hands-free call and then proceeded to drive home. Within a couple miles, I decided to make a U-turn. Given the size of this vehicle, completing this U-turn required backing up. The moment I placed the transmission in reverse, the center display went blank and consequently no rearview image was displayed. Even after I shifted the transmission back to Drive, the center screen (which is also used to display other things like the radio station, time, temperature, etc.) continued to remain blank. However, the audio continued to function (noted at 1 minute and 15 seconds into the video). I decided to make a video to document the condition prior to turning off the ignition as my experience has been that such malfunctions are likely associated with software errors that can be difficult to track down and replicate. I drove this loaner vehicle several other times before returning it to the dealer. On each occasion, the rearview image displayed when the vehicle was put in Reverse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Driving along a highway at 65mph and a lifter dropped or rocker arm failed catastrophically. Loud audible pops and bangs without warning no "warning lamps" lights or notifications at all. Towed it to dealership under their recommendation as opposed to driving it there. Also there's a clicking metallic jingle jangle in the driver side from unless 4wheel auto is engaged. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | POWER TRAIN | Upon first start with 6-8 hours of being parked, the first shift from gear 1 to gear 2 has a massive hesitation that cause all passengers to lurch forward. It has not caused in issues for the quiet street we live on but in a high traffic area it would effect safety of entering into traffic. This issue happens every morning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ENGINE,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. Several unknown warning lights including the check engine warning light and the transmission warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to veer to the side of the road and turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that he restarted the vehicle, but the vehicle was shuddering and making abnormal sounds while driving. The vehicle was taken to the nearby dealer who diagnosed that it was a manufacturer’s error and that the engine and the gasket needed to be rebuilt. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would replace the engine instead of buying back the vehicle. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Aug 2021 | STEERING | Upon starting the vehicle got a alert on the dash DIC of, "Reduced Steering Assist, Service Steering System", or something similar to that. The vehicle was very hard to steer so I shut it off and restarted it seeing if it would reset since its electric steering, but it did not reset and was still difficult to steer. I was able to drive it home carefully since I was close to my home. After I got home I opened the hood to look but saw nothing wrong. I restarted vehicle again and the steering was back to normal and power steering was restored. I am very concerned because if this happens during busy traffic it could result in loss of control and a crash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that he noticed that the front driver’s side bumper filler was slightly detached and was wearing down the panel. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was referred to an auto body shop. The contact took the vehicle to the body shop and had the front driver’s side bumper filler and bracket replaced. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,000 |
| Jul 2021 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle door locks. The key from my 2016 Chevy will open my 2021 Chevy. It does not seem safe when you assume locking your doors would prevent someone from gaining access to your vehicle. How often do you go shopping, put your purchases in the vehicle and shop some more not knowing that someone can just unlock the doors and steal your valuables or wait in the backseat for you to return and harm you. What are the odds that I have a key from an older vehicle that unlocks my new truck doors and also how many other keys are out there that will do the same thing. At the very least GM should at least warn a buyer that just because you lock your doors that doesn't really mean anything. I am sure alot of people are not aware of this lack of safety. We have safety labels on cigarettes, liquor, guns drugs and so many other things but nothing about locking your car doors doesn't mean they are actually locked. I contacted the dealership where I bought it and they claimed they were not even aware of that until they checked further. Changing the locks will not help so it seems like there should be some option. Insurance companies won't want to pay for any theft. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | My best friends truck, a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado had a brake failure a July 2021. Was coming up to an intersection to make a left turn and went to press the brake pedal to slow down for the turn. Pedal went all the way to the floor and the truck wasn't slowing down much at all. Multiple brake system warnings and lights came on the dash along with the check engine light. It got towed to the dealership he bought it from. They replaced the brake system control module and said it's good to go. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There have already been 2 recalls pertaining to this exact issue released, none of which applied to his truck according to the VIN recall checker on GM's website. If the problem has been figured out and fixed, then it wouldn't still be occuring. This is a MAJOR safety concern, one that I feel people need to be aware of. Which is why I'm sharing what happened to my friend's truck on behalf of him. This situation is exactly why the emergency brake on vehicles is an all mechanical system that allows the driver to quickly and directly be able to apply the vehicles brakes. It's a reliable and dependable system that's been implemented for over a century. This is a prime example of why vehicles still need to have one onboard. This vehicle doesn't have a real emergency brake. There was an emergency in which the vehicles primary brakes failed and weren't able to slow down the vehicle. The little "emergency brake" button was more worthless than the main brakes that failed to do their job on this truck with less than 5,000 miles on it because the emergency brake system on this truck has worked 0% of the time it was needed so far. This isn't some engine misfire, sunvisor defect, or Bluetooth pairing problem, this is an out of nowhere total brake system failure. This is not good. And people need to be made aware that the problem is still occurring, and on vehicle's that GM isn't aware that it may be applicable to according to the absence of any recalls per VIN. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The lifters in the truck are failing, a brand new truck 12,000 miles on it and the lifters have failed. Which is also leading to an oil problem. They are trying to only fox one bank of lifters instead of replacing both. Due to them wanting to wait until the fail. They have known about the problem and i bought the truck from them not knowing that the engine was a faulty engine. When you pay 70,000k for a truck you are expecting it to last a lot more than 6 months. Which is also causing the bent pushrods on the truck. I bought the truck brand new at the end of January, for the lifters to fail, valve springs, and for bent pushrods, I’m estimated to be out of my truck for the next 3/4 weeks which would bring it close to lemon law | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Faulty lifters causing the truck to throw piston rods. This causes malfunction of the traction control, parking brake, transmission,auto locking rear differential. I have had my truck in the shop 3 times for the same issue all within the 1st 10,000 miles. This particular motor has been taken out of production. Upon speaking to mechanic managers at multiple GM dealerships they were not surprised and personally gave me advice on the lemon law. My truck, which is my 1st brand new vehicle, has been out of service now for a total of 45days. I have still made payments up to date. The dealership offers a car or small suv while repairs are being completed, not a truck! Beware of the 5.3litre ecotec3 v8 motor. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | BACK OVER PREVENTION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Upon returning home after a short drive I pulled into my garage and almost drove through the wall… I purchased parking assistance and it was not provided. The feature apparently failed and turned off at some point without clearly notifying the driver. I don’t know if it provided a silent notice that automatically dismissed but it certainly did not notify me when I really needed it… low speed. The park assist light is indeed off now when the vehicle starts. Clicking the button reports “Park Assist Off” even though it already appears off and is certainly not providing the intended safety feature. Clicking the button again does not turn the light back on but if clicked again it will again report it was disabled. This is strange and confusing for the driver. Using the infotainment screen one can toggle “Park Assist” off and the drivers info screen by the speedometer will finally say “park assist off”. Turning the feature back on in the infotainment screen actually turns the park assist button back on for about 5 seconds then it silently turns off and the driver is NOT warned that the system is not working. The driver is not properly warned of feature failure even though it appears the software knows it is not working. The little button goes out but the driver message screen does not warn the driver. This failure and poor awareness is a safety risk. Yes, we are unlikely to be parking super close to someone but we might indeed park near a GAS hot water heater or similar hazard in work trucks. The driver must know if safety features failure during driving. Otherwise they are potentially more hazardous than vehicles without them. Drivers will by design rely on these features and MUST be warned if the vehicle knows they have failed. I don’t love that the vehicle has already had a failure with only 1695 miles but this dangerous software concerns me more. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | Truck started wobbling and the engine light, traction control light , and Peking brake light came on . Also It say service ESC. Truck is making a horrible noise underneath. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car Fire - Started at the rear of the cabin between the cabin rear window and the truck bed The fire engulfed directly around and inside the fuel tank. The car is available for inspection as far as im aware at the tow / salvage yard The safety of myself and any passengers were greatly put at risk. The fire engulfed the inside cabin within seconds, and caused a total loss on the car. The problem has not been identified elsewhere. However the almost exact scenario has occurred in the manufacturers other 2021 model vehicles on the Tahoe and Yukon, with recalls on file for both for incorrect seal around the fuel tank, causing fuel tank fires. The car manufacturer does not want to help at all, they are willing to deal with insurance company and that is it, who will just pay out the value of the car. The police and fire crew local to the incident have ran reports on the fire. No warning lamps occurred before or during the fire. The car was operating as normal until the large explosion. There was no accident, nothing was hit, witnesses described small embers / flames flying up from the truck bed right before the big explosion, indicating there was fuel spitting out and catching on fire. | Crash: Yes Fire: Yes Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact also stated that a loud knocking sound was coming from the bottom of the vehicle while reversing. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the timing belt needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,500 |
| Jul 2021 | STRUCTURE | I discovered that the key to my 2016 chevy van unlocks the doors to my 2021 chevy silverado. I feel totally unsafe now when I leave anything of value locked in my pick-up. With auto thefts and break-ins at an all time high how can anyone ever feel safe locking valuables up in their vehicle.The Chevy dealership where I bought it first didn't believe me but later checked with Chevy and found out that Gm ran out of key codes so they started to reuse them. People in the business of stealing cars or stealing the contents probably can wander thru shopping malls or parking lots get in and out of cars without the owner aware of it. What are the odds that I would have a key that opens two different vehicles and how many other keys like that are out there? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES | Purchased new Chevrolet Silverado AT4 last week and with only 72 miles on the odometer a warning light appeared on instrument cluster stating “Service Brake Assist”. Returned to dealer where purchased with 91 miles on odometer 3 days later. Dealer service department confirmed a faulty brake control module and ordered replacement part. New brake control module will arrive in 4 days and will be installed at that time. In the meantime, service manager said vehicle is safe to drive with existing brake control module. This is being submitted because of previous significant vehicle recalls on record for the same issue in 2018-2020. It appears the problem or some iteration of the problem has not been corrected yet in the 2021 models. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | AIR BAGS | PURCHASED NEW, WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS THE srs SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON THE INFO CENTER IN DASH AND WOULD FLASH ON AND OFF WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON (RED) IT WOULD DO THIS FOR 15-30 SECONDS AND THEN "RESET" AND THEN LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF. WAS INCONSISTENT BUT SCARED MY WIFE, SO I TOOK THE TRUCK BY THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A HARD CODE IN THE SYSTEM AND MAY BE A BUG IN THE SYSTEM AND KEEP AN EYE ON IT...WELL A FEW MORE DAYS AFTER IT FINALLY SET A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HARD CODE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY. FOUND OUT IF THE LIGHT COMES ON THE AIR BAGS ARE NOT ACTIVATED, NICE ONE GM. SO AFTER 3 DAYS THEY CHANGED THE CLOCK SPRING IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN FIND 3 HARD CODES FOR ENGINE MISFIRES. ALL BEFORE THE 1ST OIL CHANGE...COME ON MAN THIS IS 2021 SO WHILE ITS IN THE 2ND TIME THE GUY HAS TO ORDER THE PART THEY DENT THE DOOR AND SCRATCH THE PAINT AND NOW IT BACK FOR 2 MORE WEEKS FOR PAINT AND BODY AND INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM ISSUES UPDATES POOR QUALITY AND HEADACHES. BUT WIFE STILL FEELS UNSAFE WITH THE AIR BAG FAILURE ISSUES. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Driver side front marker light bulb not working after 700mi. Not a big problem but annoying enough for a 2 week old, $49,000 truck. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | POWER TRAIN | Wife was headed to town when the truck started bucking and surging then leaving her stranded along side the road. NO MIL on until 5 mins after the bucking and surging started. called GM and basically said oh we will just fix it. Didn't care since we were able to start it back up and drive it home and then have it towed to the retailer next day. Truck has 6000 miles on the odometer. GM knows they have an issue as Service manager explained tech tips they have on this truck. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | AIR BAGS | The air bag light and service restraint message came up constantly, it seem like it would self clear, then come right back. Truck had only 250 miles on it when it started, it is still at the dealer waiting for parts. They told me it was because of corrosion (in a brand new truck) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ENGINE | Transmission slipped then went limp at 35-40 mph. Truck would not accelerate at all. Had towed back to dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ENGINE | Engine started to backfire/pop through the intake while driving. I had it towed to the dealership as it wasn't drive-able. They told me it was major engine failure, broken valve spring or bad lifter but won't be sure until the engine is torn down. I was driving on the interstate and the engine immediately started popping which slowed me down drastically. This was on an interstate road where there is a lot of traffic and it is higher speeds than regular roads. I was afraid of being hit from behind before I could pull of the road. The dealership confirmed it has major failure but have not inspected it yet. There was no symptoms/warnings or warning lights. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ENGINE | While driving down the interstate about 450 miles into my trip, my engine started missing and knocking. I pulled off on the next exit, about 2 miles, to call for a tow. The repair from the dealership states: "CS: CUSTOMER STATES STARTED KNOCKING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. Caused by verified customer complaint- heard loud ticking/knocking noise coming from the left bank- removed [left bank] valve cover and cranked engine and found the cylinder #3 intake rocker arm wasn't moving. Upon disassembly found the #3 exhaust push rod bend." The invoice shows the replaced the following: Installed 12680871 :SL-N-Lifter (00459-BPCKT) Qty: 8 Installed 12622325 :SL-N-GASKET (00289-CT) Qty: 1 Installed 12657093 :SL-N-GASKET (03270-CKT) Qty: 1 Installed 11611976 :SL-N-BOLT (00293-CKT) Qty: 1 Installed 11546959 :SL-N-BOLT (00293-CKT) Qty: 9 Installed 12664915 :SL-N-GUIDE (00439-CT) Qty: 2 Installed 12619787 :SL-N-GASKET (00423-CKT) Qty: 1 Installed 12619828 :SL-N-ROD (00426-CKT) Qty: 1 Installed 12346290 :N-COOLANT (08800-BOPCKT) Qty: 1 Installed 19419227 :SL-N-FILTER (01836-BOPCKT) Qty: 1 Installed 19352900 :N-OIL (08800-BOPCKT) Qty: 8 Installed 12679462 :SL-N-PIPE (03163-CT) Qty: 1 Installed 12677002 :SL-N-PIPE (03163-CT) Qty: 1 removed air intake- fuel lines- valve cover- exhaust manifold- cylinder head- lifter guides and lifters- replaced bank one lifters and carriers, and #3 exhaust push rod, reassembled in reverse order and test drove 30 miles. vehicle is operating as designed" Mileage in: 8008 Mileage out: 8035 The dealership had someone drive my truck back to me from Brewton, AL to Clinton, TN on 05/20/2021). I drove my truck to see how it felt. I immediately smelled antifreeze, but the temperature gauge read 210 which is normal. Upon accelerating up hill, I thought I felt a miss in the engine. When I arrived at the Clinton, TN dealership, the technician plugged in the code reader and it showed a misfire in the engine. I left the truck with them and they gave me a loaner. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | BOUGHT THE TRUCK 2 WEEKS AGO AND PUT 500 MILES ON IT. UPON ENTERING I GOT AN ALERT ON THE DASH SAYING ESC POWER STEERING FAILURE, PARKING SENSOR FAILURE AND ABS FAILURE DRIVE WITH CAUTION. ALL THESE ALERTS HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND BARELY TURNED ON. SURE ENOUGH I TRY TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT AND THE PARKING SENSORS WERE OUT. I DIDN'T TRY THE BRAKES SINCE I WAS NOT MOVING AND PARKED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 510 |