2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 731 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 19 Silverado 1500 model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 13 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 12 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, automatic transmission, control module, softwareFeb 12, 2026
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.
Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 26V083000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module, softwareOct 24, 2024
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.
Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 24V797000 on NHTSA.gov
Tires, temporary/emergency spare tireDec 16, 2021
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.
An ABS system that does not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V985000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresFeb 25, 2021
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. 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 N212329050.
Campaign 21V115000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat beltsDec 17, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V792000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresNov 5, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V684000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, driveline, driveshaftOct 22, 2020
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.
If the driveshaft separates, there may be a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202314870.
Campaign 20V650000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/window, curtain, inflatorJul 30, 2020
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
Campaign 20V446000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperFeb 27, 2020
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.
Broken caliper bolts can reduce brake performance or interfere with wheel rotation and increase the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-866-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N202294420.
Campaign 20V116000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, 12v/24v/48v battery, cablesDec 12, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator.
An intermittent electrical connection between the B+ battery cable and the alternator could cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash. The intermittent connection could also lead to electrical arcing, which could generate sufficient heat to damage surrounding material, increasing the risk of a fire.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary. If arcing has damaged the cable, nut, or alternator, the dealer will replace the damaged components. All services will be performed free of charge. GM issued owners an interim notification on February 4, 2020. GM issued second notice and the recall began March 9, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192273510.
Campaign 19V888000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpNov 21, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Camaro, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing for over-pressurization of the fuel system.
Over-pressurization can crack the fuel pump and cause leaks, increasing the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2019. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192283991.
Campaign 19V837000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, pretensionerNov 14, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.
Campaign 19V814000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
731 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 30, 2022
Vehicle was parked. Rear window shattered.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Sep 29, 2022
Locks will go up and down by themselves tranmission will downshift randomly broke down on highway service light service esc service parking brake and traction control vehicle only has 32,500 miles been complaining nothing getting done just want something else.
Power train, Sep 17, 2022
Transmission keeps over heating to the point that a message comes on display “Transmission hot idle engine” have had this same problem before to it to the dealership they installed a temperature bypass on and this problem continues
Equipment, Sep 15, 2022
While using backup camera, display is intensely bright and blinding. There is no dimming function. Display reflects off side windows making visibility to side mirrors impossible.Very dangerous to backup in the darkness.
Power train, Sep 8, 2022
My truck felt like running over rumble strips. At 17500 miles they replaced my torque converter under warranty. Now at 24690 miles they had to replace again, under warranty. With less than 25000 miles it is on it's 3rd torque converter. I fear that transmission is being damaged and feel Chevrolet needs to admit there is a problem. My current dealer calls it a lifetime warranty, with lots of strings, but Chevrolet should protect me.
Other or unspecified, Sep 7, 2022
Passenger door lock failed. Door will not lock with any door button, key fob, automatic lock function, or when vehicle shifts to drive. Door must be manually locked by pressing lock down and unlocked by pulling door handle risking safety of passenger. Issue has been reproduced, inspected, and confirmed by independent mechanic but no diagnostic has been ran yet. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms present prior to failure.
Power train, Sep 3, 2022
My Silverado 1500 has developed torque converter shudder again over the course of the past few days. My current mileage is around 42,000. This is actually the second time this has happened on my specific vehicle and the current torque converter is actually the second, as I had my other one replaced after being confirmed by a dealer several months ago. I have only managed to drive around 10,000 miles between the replacement of the first part and the start of the second one failing. For information regarding the first failure please use reference ID 11458308. This has not yet been confirmed by a dealer, but I'm scheduled to get this serviced on Tuesday. I am certain that is what this is as this happened so recently. Primarily while driving at highways speeds between 1500 - 2000 RPM my Silverado will continuously surge forward every few seconds with a notable clunking in the rear. While this is happening I will watch my tachometer bounce up and down approximately 300 RPMs constantly, despite the fact cruise is set and this is on flat ground. The problem gets worse while driving uphill and increases the magnitude of the clunking/shaking. Under light throttle acceleration my truck will have a vibration coming from under the vehicle that feels exactly like driving over a rumble strip. This was the sensation that helped the dealer identify this as torque converter shudder the first time. No warning lights were present at time of incident.
Structure, Aug 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, he noticed an orange-colored rust underneath the chassis of the vehicle. The salesman assured him that the rust would be cleaned off once the sale was finalized. Months later, the contact noticed the same orange colored rust had returned. Upon inspection of the vehicle, he discovered severe corrosion located in several spots on the subframe. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer for the repair. The contact then received a call back from the dealer and was informed that no corrosion was found, the dealer linked the failure to structural rust. The contact disputed the diagnoses and the dealer agreed to have a further inspection performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Steering, Aug 26, 2022
Popping and/or Clunking Type Noise Heard During Hard Turns at slow speeds and backing up. Seems to be a problem with the control arm
Steering, Aug 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after being parked for several hours, the vehicle was started and operated in drive(D) and reverse(R) however, the vehicle failed to turn to the right or left. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized. The contact was able to disconnect the battery then reconnect the battery once the torque rebooted. The failure occurred twice. The warning light displaying an open wrench stating ESC needed resetting was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer stated that the failure might be caused by the sensor in the steering column, or the module. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,500.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 5, 2022
While driving, the service emission system light activated indicating the truck would be reduced to 65mph. This was due to a faulty EGR wiring harness that controlled the EGR sensor.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Aug 1, 2022
The Advanced Trailering system will fail to load, preventing the user from entering the correct vehicle being towed and the entire system screen is blank and won't load. This could be a huge safety concern if the driver cannot select the correct vehicle being towed since the Brake Gain is stored in the Advanced Trailering system and then the incorrect amount of braking force will be applied to the vehicle while it is being driven, which could cause insufficient or excessive braking forces applied to the towed vehicle. This could lead to rear end crashes or Jack-Knifed crashes. The problem is random but repeatable quite frequently and has been confirmed by the Dealer (refer to included GM Bulletin PIT5792 Published on 11/5/2020) GM has been aware of this problem for almost 2 years and has not provided a fix for it. I have had this vehicle in the dealer on at least 3 occasions to fix the problem There is no advanced warning, message or other symptom prior to this problem. The problem started within a month of purchasing the vehicle
Power train, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 20, 2022
My truck had been randomly misfiring but the dealership couldn’t resolve the issue because the check engine light would go away on the way there. They were able to pull codes showing a misfire taking place and told me to return if it continued. The truck started having misfire issues again periodically fir the next 2 weeks but once the check engine light stayed on I scheduled an appointment. On the way to the appointment to Hidiburg Chevrolet we were on the interstate the cruise control kicked off, the service parking brake indicator, misfire flashing of check engine light, an ESC warning, and the traction control light came on as the truck randomly pulled to the right real quick then it stopped. Once the indicators went off all warning indicators were off and cruise control would not work. The dealership pulled codes and saw every cylinder misfired and that the other issues that took place. They tested everything and could not find the source and said that they had to wait until the indicator stayed on so they could see the issue. I left with no resolution and concern that when the misfiring could damage parts and the computer. I also fear that the issue if someone isn’t aware of vehicles not fixed could lead to severe accidents and potential for death if not fixed.
Suspension, Jul 15, 2022
Both front upper control arms are corroded.Vehicle is 2 years old and has 10375 miles.Dealer stated there is no outstanding recall or a TSB associated with this issue.This is a Trail Boss model with a lift kit from the GM.There is another recall that was issued for 19-21 models with lift kits with the same issue but apparently this model is not matching that yet the problem is very obvious.Please also note that the vehicle was also rustproofed immediately following the purchase.
Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Jul 10, 2022
As I was backing out of a parking spot in a lot my vehicle lost it's power steering. I got an Service ESC error code, a wrench indicator, and a service power steering/drive with care warning. I also got a diagnostic alert from On Star. Diagnostic Alert: Service Antilock Breaking System in your 2020 Silveragod pithing the next 7 days. I was unable to move steering wheel, and could only pull my vehicle forward. So it was stuck sideways in the parking lot for about 20 minutes. My car did restart again and the code cleared. I was able to drive it to the dealer. They ran diagnostics but were unable to duplicate the concern. They did find a history of 1 fault where several modules (ECM, EBCM, TCM, TCCM) had lost communication with the power steering control module. They also looked at Data Com schematic doc 5257308 and found modules before connector X182 had lost communication. My safety was a risk in this situation because I was stuck sideways in a parking lot with very limited ability to move my vehicle for incoming or outgoing traffic. Had this happened while I was driving the vehicle in a roadway I believe it could have caused an accident. The dealership did find that a harness was making contact with the upper control arm bolt. They re-taped the harness and secured it away from the control arm bolt and bracket. A new bracket was ordered.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Jul 2, 2022
I was driving and a few different warning appeared. Service Parking Brake, Service Trailer Brake System, Steering Assist is reduced Drive with care. Along with these warning my speed was limited to 62 mph, my steering was reduced and my braking was reduced, all 3 of them to dangerous levels.
Engine, Jul 1, 2022
I am a volunteer firefighter. On Friday, June 24th 2022, I was responding to an emergency call around 1am. There was an active rainstorm and standing water on parts of the street. While driving through roughly 5-6" of water on the way to the fire station, my truck's engine suddenly shut off and I came to a stop. While stalled, I watched multiple cars travel through the same intersection with no issues. My fellow firefighters helped me get my truck to a nearby parking lot to sit and dry out. The following day my truck still would not start so I had it towed to the dealership where I leased the truck which was still under a full bumper-to-bumper warranty. After initial diagnostics, I was told there was water in my intake and I had to get my insurance company involved for the dealership to continue with the repairs. With no other choice, I opened up a claim and was given an estimate of over $9,500 for the repairs due to the engine being "Hydro-locked". I called GM and filed a complaint. They called the dealership and called me back stating the dealership told them I drove through a flooded road and damaged my engine. I did some brief research online and found several examples from multiple sources with the exact same issue. I feel that this is a design flaw and that this needs to be investigated further as I was stranded by myself, in a heavy rainstorm, in the middle of a roadway at 1am. There is no reason that a 2020 Chevy Trail Boss should not be able to travel through the amount of water that stalled my engine. There was nothing negligent about my actions and at no point was I worried about traveling through the water that I drove through. I feel like I am being treated unfairly in this situation and I would like someone to look through the databases to see how many similar consumer reports there have been regarding this design flaw. This is a major safety issue!
Lane departure, Jun 26, 2022
The component that recently failed on my 2020 Chevy Silverado is the side detection/blind spot warning. It no longer works and upon startup of my vehicle the notification on my dash shows “side detection temporarily unavailable”. This problem started 3 weeks ago. After doing research online, it seems that there is a common issue in Chevrolet vehicles with water getting into the rear sensors in the bumper. There were also several new model Silverado’s with the same issue. As you can see, this is a safety issue as this feature all of a sudden stopped working on my truck so I no longer get warned if someone is in my blind pit while I am driving. I contacted my local Chevrolet dealership and they stated that because my vehicle is over 30,000 miles (36,000), I am no longer covered under warranty to have this issue repaired. My vehicle is scheduled to be looked at by the dealership on 6/27/22.
Power train, Jun 24, 2022
Transmission shuddering and shaking while driving. Once in blue moon service light flashes for less than 1 minute then goes off with no diagnostic codes to show.
Service brakes, Jun 14, 2022, crash
ABS light came on during breaking to avoid an accident and did not break the vehicle at all. Now there is a alert on the Driver Information Center(DIC) stating a break system failure.
Service brakes, Jun 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while stopped in her driveway, the vehicle started rolling forward. The brake pedal was depressed aggressively several times however, the brakes failed to respond. After several attempts, the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic stated that the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, there was no response. The failure mileage was 14,562.
Other or unspecified, Jun 5, 2022
I have been researching rust on frame components and found there have been service bulletins issued (e.g. PI0564K) for this same issue. However, the latest service bulletin only covers up to model year 2019. Is there anything in progress to extend to model year 2020?
Steering, May 26, 2022
Electronic problem caused failure of power steering.
Other or unspecified, May 24, 2022
I bought the truck a year ago drove it home it stalled out on me for no reason thank goodness I was in a neighborhood when that happened, fast forward a year of driving it and now my gauges aren’t working it’s throwing all these warning signs and spent a lot of money on this truck and for what for all these problems that it’s having it’s my only vehicle for my kids and me and the wife and now I’m worried it’s going to cause me to get into an accident.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, May 9, 2022
When I drive this car on the free way or on a very windy day, a loud air gap is caused by the front driver and passenger window. It hasn't been inspected by the dealer or anything but I believe there could be something wrong with the quality of glass or the seal that hold the glass. I've also driven with the windows lowered on a windy day and saw the edge of the glass bend. I'm worried it's gonna snap or shatter one day. It's been happening since I bought it but I didn't notice until I drove on the free way.