2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Complaints

POWER TRAIN — Filed 05/17/2026

My 2021 Chevrolet Silverado RST 4x4 5.3L V8 was a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle purchased through a GMC dealership, strictly maintained by certified GMC service departments, and had its torque converter replaced one year prior in accordance with a manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin (TSB). One week before a scheduled round-trip journey from Alabama to North Carolina, the truck underwent a comprehensive multi-point inspection, oil change, and tire rotation at an authorized Chevrolet dealership. While driving on the highway, I came to a complete stop due to an accident ahead, but when traffic resumed a forward-moving pace, the drivetrain completely lost the ability to propel the vehicle without any prior warning signs or symptoms of mechanical failure. While immobilized and contacting 911 and towing services, I attempted to cycle through all drive modes—including Auto, 4-High, 4-Low, and 2WD—but none succeeded in transferring power to the wheels; though the engine would still rev, no power reached the tires. No dashboard warning lights illuminated prior to the drivetrain failure, though a check engine light did appear after the vehicle became immobile when I was switching through drive modes. Because there was no available highway shoulder or exit to seek safety, and due to the sudden nature of the mechanical failure, emergency vehicles and tow trucks could not safely divert traffic or move the vehicle in time, resulting in a severe rear-end collision that caused a total loss. The vehicle has not yet undergone a mechanical inspection, but it is currently under a 60-day hold for examination by insurance adjusters and legal counsel, and it remains available for a formal teardown upon request.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 10/01/2025

Loud ticking noise and power loss. Transmission shift slips from 2ed to 3rd .Recall to factory for check up. Said no problem? Changed oil. They say it was good. It is not.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 12/02/2025

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Custom 2.7 L Turbo 4 cylinder with 34,000 miles When Truck cranks and put in gear begins moving at low speed between 1-2 gear (low speed 5-10 mph forward and also in put into reverse) hard jolted severely injuring passenger. Felt like being rear-ended by another car. Passenger was hurt & required Trauma 1 EMS & 2 surgeries (Spinal Fusion Surgery) hospitalization from 12/2/2025 to 12/13/2025. The truck jolt directly caused this accident and there were many recalls for this truck yet we had no direct knowledge of this information & was never notified of any of these issues. Truck was services at same dealership just weeks prior to accident. The truck check engine light came on only after the accident. It happened on a private gated property. Only select trucks have been said to do this very hard jolted injuring passenger and owners are not made aware using Silverado 1500 trucks. Please acknowledge receipt of this report and advise. Thank you.

AIR BAGS — Filed 04/15/2026

25 to 30 MPH front end collision with no air bag deployment. During repair it showed airbags deployed although none were out.

SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC — Filed 02/20/2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving 43 MPH, the message "Brake Failure" was displayed. The contact then lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle drove from the right side to the left side of the road, the vehicle drove off the road and crashed into a ditch before coming to a stop. The driver had not sustained any injuries. There was no property damage. The air bags did not deploy. The check engine, the ABS and several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the failure. A tow truck driver who was also a mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the driver's side front suspension had fractured from the upper ball joint and the wheel was folded in underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was being diagnosed. A Police Report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

AIR BAGS — Filed 12/15/2025

The vehicle involved is a Chevrolet Silverado 1500. During a collision, the vehicle sustained a front-left (driver-side) impact which caused it to spin and subsequently strike the rear. Despite the severity of the initial impact and secondary rear collision, the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), including the front and side airbags, did not deploy. The failure of the airbag system increased the risk of injury to all occupants, including a minor child. Without deployment of the front or side airbags during a front-left impact and secondary rear collision, occupants were exposed to direct impact forces that airbags are designed to help mitigate. There were no airbag or SRS warning lights, dashboard messages, or other indications of a malfunction prior to the collision. The concern regarding the airbag system arose only after the incident occurred. Following the collision, the vehicle was inspected by law enforcement and insurance representatives, and documentation is available. The issue has not been reproduced, as it occurred during the collision event.

AIR BAGS — Filed 12/30/2025

I was in an accident that resulted in being hit on the passenger side and then colliding with a traffic light pole. My concern is I hit the pole head on and my airbags never deployed

STRUCTURE — Filed 12/26/2025

APPARATUS USED TO HOLD HOOD UPRIGHT, (2 STRUTS), FAIL WITHOUT WARNING. STRUTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOUR (4) TIMES IN PAST TWO (2) MONTHS WITH TWO ( 2) OEM PARTS AND ONE (1) AFTER MARKET PART. LAST OCCURANCE, 12/26/2025, CAUSED A MINOR HAND INJURY. IF NOT PREPARED FOR SUDDEN CLOSING OF HOOD, POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY COULD RESULT. THE VEHICLE AT PRESENT HAS 19,775 MILES AND HAS BEEN EXAMINED BY THREE (3) SERVICE TECHNICIANS FROM DEALERSHIPS AND CAN NOT EXPLAIN WHY IT IS OCCURING OR HOW TO REPAIR IT.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 12/23/2025

A week or two before I took my truck into decorah Chevy isr because tailgate was going up and down all by itself while I was driving or parked without me by it. They said it was just the latch button . So they fixed it they said and still my blinker lights would just come on and then I hit a deer and my seatbelt did not latch and my airbags didn't deploy even though my app says they did. I'm wondering if all three are connected with electrical . Either way my air bags did not deploy and my truck has extensive damage and my seatbelt didn't lock ,

EQUIPMENT — Filed 11/30/2025

The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that after plugging in the block heater around 5:15 P.M. while the vehicle was parked unattended in the tool shed, he was notified around 9:45 P.M. that the tool shed and vehicle had caught fire. There were no issues with the vehicle before the failure. There were no reported injuries, airbag deployment, or police report filed. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and they opened a claim. The insurance company's fire specialist determined that the block heater was faulty and would reach out to the legal team. The vehicle and tool shed were deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The vehicle was still at the contact's residence. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 12/04/2025

The brake stopped working. I just bought the car two months ago.

AIR BAGS — Filed 05/02/2025

Airbags did not deploy after a collision based accident

AIR BAGS — Filed 03/23/2024

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle. During the crash, the front passenger side of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bag did not deploy. The driver sustained an injured nose, mild concussion, bottom tooth damage, and back and neck pains. No medical treatment was needed. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was later towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were contacted but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer's air bag department declined assistance due to the air bag failure not being reported promptly. The failure mileage was 23,000.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL — Filed 07/03/2024

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the oil was lowering several quarts at a fast rate, and the oil was burning at a fast rate. After lowering down 3 quarts of oil by 3 weeks. At the same time, driving at approximately 25 - 30 MPH when they noticed black smoke coming from underneath the front passenger side of the hood between the window and windshield. The contact pulled to the side of the road where the fire was extinguished with a fire extinguisher. The fire department was not called. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries and no medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to their home. The dealer was contacted however they confirmed they were unable to inspect the vehicle for another 5 weeks. The contact had ordered and replaced the intake and the fuel return lines. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure opened a case for the failure and offered a buyback option however the contact decided not to take the offer. The failure mileage was 32,000.

ENGINE — Filed 08/30/2024

driving on [XXX] in Idaho stopped at rest area went to restroom came out my truck was smoking lifted the hood fire started on top left of engine got safely from truck and called 911 truck burnt to ground. Since i was stopped i was not in truck but if i did not stop it could of been fatal. My insurance has the truck now waiting on them for their investigation. there was no warning of any kind no dings going off no engine lights on since it burnt to the ground dont know if it can be determined what caused it but it would be nice to know why a 2021 chevy silverado with 43000 miles on it would just start on fire just had it serviced a week before this happed at a chevy dealer their is no recalls on my vin number writing this so maybe if this happens again that they will find the problem before some fatalitiy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEATS — Filed 04/19/2024

I dropped an ink pen between the drivers seat and the center fold down seat. While attempting to retrieve the pen I reached between the drivers seat and the console just forward of the seatbelt connector with my right hand. When I pulled my hand out a sharp piece of metal on the seat frame sliced the fatty portion of my hand below the thumb. There isn’t a guard to protect the hand in the event one reaches between the seat to retrieve an object. I also found the same sharp piece present on the passenger side seat between the seat and the center console. I took the vehicle to my local dealer and the service manager also noted the sharp portion of the seat. He too, sliced his finger while reaching between the seat and the console. I did warn him beforehand as to what could happen. He suggested the vehicle be brought in for service. This is not a functional issue. This is a design, material flaw issue which has the potential to created injury.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 01/23/2024

On the evening of Dec 19th, our 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 DuraMax with 19K miles on it caught fire, burned, and was declared a total loss. We were on our way to go pick up our travel trailer as were we leaving for a trip on Xmas with our 2 dogs and my brother-in-law. Smoke started billowing out from under the hood and within minutes the front end was engulfed in flames. I have pics/videos. We’re ok but that was a scary situation that could have had a different outcome. We could have been on the highway towing our trailer with our 2 dogs and bro-in-law and who knows how long it would have taken the fire department to arrive on scene on the highway. There were no warning lights etc. to notify us. The truck gets driven, taken care of and I had just driven it the day before. We’re not aware or have seen any recalls. All info is on our Chevy app. We filed a claim with our insurance, and it has been paid off now, but in reality, "our fault" in insurers eyes. No cause was determined. That being the case, GM has closed claim and say not liable for personal property lost in fire, as insurance didn't contact GM with any mfg defects and insurance has already paid off the truck. We are repeat Chevy customers. This was our 4th leased Silverado and we also have a Traverse. The lease on the burned-up truck was coming due May 2024. We way overpaid on the milage. We're not filing a homeowners claim for lost personal property as insurance has paid off the truck and we don't want to be dropped. My question is wouldn't this be under warranty? Should the truck not be replaced? We didn't cause the fire. Much more damage could have occurred. People and pets could have possibly been injured or worse. If we were towing our travel trailer, that would be another big loss. The truck is no longer "available". Insurance told me today it's being sold for parts, which honestly kind of scares me. I wouldn't want a truck part that was in a fire, damaged or not. Videos not attached.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 12/26/2023

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH a burning rubber odor and a smoke haze was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping to investigate under the hood flames were present at the passenger side fire wall of the engine compartment. Moments later the cabin of the vehicle was in flames which quickly spread and the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report and fire report were taken. The cause of failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The local dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.

AIR BAGS — Filed 12/11/2023

Airbag failure to deploy. Vehicle didn't deploy airbags at a head on side collision, metal bumper got pushed in and front tow hook got bent, Impact was detected by iPhone crash detection.

STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 02/01/2023

This is a potential problem for a serious injury to a child , stroller, pet - or damage to front of truck and vehicle in front of truck. The hood of the truck is very high. And sitting in the drivers seat you are "driving blind. " It is impossible to see an object directly in front at bumper level. The only way to judge the distance to an object, or small person, is to get out of the truck and look. I had minor damage to the front of the truck by hitting my garage. But more seriously if there were a child or stroller- you literally cannot see it. This could be easily fixed with a forward looking camera - and the truck comes with a rear one- but Chevynfirs not offer any front camera/ park assist on any of its Silverado 1500's.!The manual says park assist is an option- but Chevy currently does not offer that option. This is dangerous..

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — Filed 08/16/2022

The transfer case has locked up several times causing me to wreck once. The engine misfires and does not give the MPG advertised. The life of my family has been put at risk with little to no care from the dealer after several attempts for service.

AIR BAGS — Filed 02/14/2023

I had a head on crash on 2/14/23. The other driver was moving in excess of 50mph. The hit was center of the front bumper pushing the bumper and radiator in to the engine compartment. No air bag deployment. However the Onstar system activated immediately.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/05/2022

Truck caught on fire while driving down I75 interstate in Florida. No component or system failure lights where present. Smoke was smelled by the passengers and within seconds the truck was on fire. The safety of the passengers was at FULL risk, and lucky to be alive! The truck was full engaged as soon as the truck pulled over on the side of the interstate. Investigation by GM & Insurance company took place. The truck is available for further investigation. We are unsure how the fire started. It did come up from both sides of the cab, and very quickly. Nothing has been confirmed by any inspections completed by GM & Progressive. GM & the Service Dealer are not engaging as they should be.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/19/2022

MY PICK UP WAS HIT FROM THE REAR THE DRIVE SHAFT BROKE AT THE WELL AND THE REAR BROKE BOTH SIDE OF THE AXLE TO THE HOUSING OF THE REAR I HAVE PICK OF THE REAR AND THE DRIVE SHAFT.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 05/26/2022

Vehicle began having issues at 3 months old... Random service messages, defective headlight, wierd engine noises at startup and stalling upon acceleration/deceleration. I took it to the dealer several times about the issues I were having but they always say they aren't able to replicate any issues. 3 months later I was driving on the highway and the engine started knocking. Had it towed to the dealer and it took them 6 months to replace engine, tcm, starter, and other parts. After finally getting the truck back, it was still stalling and there was a check engine light... Dealer did not reassemble the vehicle properly and several parts and bolts were still missing. It went right back in the shop and catalytic converters were replaced. I also mentioned missing parts and bolts. I get the truck back again and it still seems like it wants to stall. I was turning into a parking lot a few days later and it seemed like it wanted to cut off. While I was distracted trying to see if the truck cut off, I hit a small pole... Truck was damaged way more than it should have been because the dealer did not reassemble it properly. Body shop said my bumper was only held on by 2 bolts and several other bolts and pieces were missing. They said if my bumper was attached properly the damage would not have been as bad. The vehicle was already unsafe because of stalling and the dealer made it structurally unsafe as well... I have opened cases with gm and they aren't doing anything about it. Here this truck is 14 months old and it's been in their possession more than mine... I have asked them about replacing the vehicle and they insist on fixing the issues but never do and I end up driving an u safe vehicle around.