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2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
4
of 5 stars
Recalls
8
on record
MPG
combined

Heavily recalled

8 safety recalls on record. Confirm with the seller that every campaign has been completed.

Vehicle Summary

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

8 recalls
769 complaints
4/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 8 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 18 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 769 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
8
Owner complaints
769
Complaints citing a crash
18

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

8 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

8 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 20V792000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEAT BELTS

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.

    Consequence

    If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

    Full campaign record
  • 20V811000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEAT BELTS

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.

    Consequence

    If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

    Full campaign record
  • 20V684000high

    Tire/wheel issue

    TIRES

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.

    Consequence

    Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319030.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V495000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

    General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vehicles. The front driver's side air bag module may be missing one or more metal tabs that secure the plastic air bag cover to the housing.

    Consequence

    The missing tabs may prevent the air bag from deploying properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag, and replace it if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212336560.

    Full campaign record
  • 21V985000high

    Tire/wheel issue

    TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

    General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions.

    Consequence

    An ABS system that does not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's manual insert clarifying which spare tire to use with the accessory road tires and with the 17" original tires. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212346510.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V797000high

    Drivetrain issue

    POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.

    Consequence

    Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.

    Full campaign record
  • 25V274000high

    Engine issue

    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with a 6.2L V8 gas engine. The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.

    Consequence

    Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect the engine, and as necessary, repair or replace the engine. For vehicles that pass inspection, dealers will add higher viscosity oil, install 6 oil fill cap, replace the oil filter, and update the owner's manual. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N252494000.

    Full campaign record
  • 26V083000high

    Drivetrain issue

    POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

    General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.

    Consequence

    Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    19.8%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 19.8% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.

The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.

Consumer complaints

769 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

769
Total
18
Crashes
11
Fires
17
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE534
  • ELECTRICAL54
  • OTHER42
  • BRAKES41
  • STEERING25

Notable Issues

769 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 17 reports involve injuries. 18 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)534
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)54
miscellaneous issues42

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 26V083000

    Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ26001

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA25007

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE25001

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  5. Recall

    Recall 25V274000

    Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.

  6. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE25001

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  7. Recall

    Recall 24V797000

    Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.

  8. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE21010

    Air Bag Malfunction

  9. Recall

    Recall 21V985000

    An ABS system that does not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.

  10. Recall

    Recall 21V495000

    The missing tabs may prevent the air bag from deploying properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

  11. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE21010

    Air Bag Malfunction

  12. Recall

    Recall 20V811000

    If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  13. Recall

    Recall 20V792000

    If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

  14. Recall

    Recall 20V684000

    Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Unknown
Drive type
Unknown
Engine
0L 0-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Unknown
Seats
0

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 26V083000

    Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ26001

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA25007

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE25001

    Loss of motive power due to engine failure

  5. Recall

    Recall 25V274000

    Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.