2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 827 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 19 Silverado 1500 model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 20 involved a crash and 12 involved a fire. 17 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
Engine and engine cooling, engine, hard parts internal/mechanicalApr 24, 2025
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.
Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 25V274000 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
Air bags, frontalJul 1, 2021
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.
The missing tabs may prevent the air bag from deploying properly, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V495000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat beltsDec 23, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V811000 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
Representative owner complaints: engine
429 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Mar 13, 2022
GM USES/USED SUBSTANDARD ENGINE COMPONENTS i.e. LIFTERS. GM KNOWS THSES ARE PRONE TO FAIL, YET ONLY REPAIRS THE VEHICLES THAT ARE AT AN AUTHORIZED DEALER PRIOR TO SALE. ALL THE VEHICLES THAT WERE ALREADY SOLD WILL NOT BE REAPIRED UNLESS ITS BROUGHT IN FOR SEVICE, GM WILL NOT NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS ISSUE. ALSO GM FAILS TO STOCK THESE PARTS EVEN THOUGH BY THERE OWN SERVICE BULLETINS SUBSTANDARD PARTS WERE USED TO BUILD THESE VEHICLES. GM WILL NOT SUPPLY LOANER VEHICLES TO PATRONS WHO DO HAVE THIS SERVICE DONE NOR WILL THEY TELL CUSTOMERS THAT THE PATRON COULD RENT A VEHICLE AND GET REIMBURSED FOR SAID RENTAL.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 27, 2022
Concern: Various check engine lights occurred and vehicle making noise from the motor. Park collision assistance codes, emergency brake engaged code, when it was not on and could not move vehicle. Safety concerns about vehicle completely quitting or braking causing an accident, along with engine issue with only 5,161 miles on the motor of a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. Cause: Scanned data indicated p0300 stored miss fire #4 cylinder on right side of engine, lifter noisy, push rod #4 intake bent. Correction: Removed intake, exhaust manifold, value cover, cylinder head, right side replaced all lifters, one push rod, related gaskets, reassembled engine.
Engine, Feb 1, 2022
While driving East on I-24 with my granddaughter. I felt a thump much like hitting a big dog or something in the road. I looked at my 10 year old granddaughter, she was looking at me, she said what was that? I said I don't know, but it happened again in about 1/4 mile down the road. We traveled about another 1/4 mile when the truck started sounding like a machine gun being fired!! My granddaughter started crying as she was scared, I pulled over into the emergency pull off to check my truck. It was running good now and NO ENGINE LIGHT was on. So I continued driving toward Clarksville, TN. although I considered turning back and heading home. I thought maybe it was water in the gas or something. After arriving in Clarksville to pick up my two grandsons we started home. As soon as I got on I-24 west the truck started the same thing again. Felt like we hit a big dog and then started sounding like a machine gun being fired. This time the ENGINE LIGHT DID come on. I was afraid the truck was going to quit running and there I was with 3 grandkids on a very busy I-24!! I contacted Patroit Chevrolet where I purchased the truck at. They told me it would be 6 weeks before they could look at my truck!!!! I hung up but called back as I was afraid that I couldn't make it home, the truck was running bad!! They found that it had dropped a lifter, it had only about 6,300 miles on it!!! They had it for about 3 weeks. Now, I find out that GM has had a lot of problems with these motors, "A LOT of PROBLEMS"!! I,m sure the problem WILL happen again, I am hoping no one gets killed when it does. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM!!! GM needs to replace these motors or buy them back or something!!!
Power train, Engine, Jan 21, 2022
I have a 2021 Silverado 6.2 being repaired for failed lifters. I see this is a common trend and can cause hazards when pulling over for a faulty motor. 10 speed Transmission downshifts from 2 to 1 harsh with rpms jumping up causing for me to apply more brake pressure to stop. I have had a few incidents when I get close to the vehicle in front coming to a stop. I have taken vehicle to dealer for issue and they couldn’t replicate issues. Check engine light has popped up once or twice but never stayed on long enough to throw a code.
Suspension, Power train, Engine, Jan 20, 2022
Engine valve lifter failure at 20,000 miles; engine hesitation and power loss. Error to parking brake and to electronic stability control. Chevrolet to replace damaged lifter but refused to replace both banks of defective lifters. As a result of dysfunction I was stranded 1200 miles from home and have been waiting 2 weeks for repair. Still 1200 miles from home with 2 kayaks, 2 bikes etc.
Engine, Jan 5, 2022
Engine lifter failure, excessive engine noise, loss of power and responsiveness, strange sounds from engine and runs very rough especially during acceleration. Multiple warning lights associated with the valve failure. Cruise control no longer works.
Engine, Dec 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. The contact veered to the side of the road inspected the vehicle but found no issues. The contact continued driving for a while before the failure recurred and the sound was much louder. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that two rods had gone through the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Engine, Dec 4, 2021
At 7000miles truck had sudden engine failure, pulled to side of road and had towed. Dealership said it has a conmonly occuring failure of valve lifters causing bent pushrods.
Engine, Dec 1, 2021
Lifters in the engine failed causing the truck to sputter and shake going down the highway. Barely could hold it in the road. Truck wanted to stall out while driving. Truck was fixed and made it 30 miles before the same thing happened again. Chevrolet has dropped the ball and needs to be held accountable for this problem before someone gets hurt or killed.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Nov 21, 2021
Driving down the road and out of know where engine starting knocking and lagging, idled rough. Drove to dealer lifter failure was what was diagnosed. 10000 miles on the truck driven easy, no towing or anything. Dealer also informed me 3 other silverados were there for the same problem! Ridiculous!!
Steering, Engine, Nov 16, 2021
Electric steering control and driver assist malfunctioning along with engine misfire Been to the dealership 3x they have reproduced the issue unable to repair Chevy also notified apparently many other vehicle of my same type have this issue Happens daily till vehicle has run for a bit Unsafe till then Started at about 13 k miles still ongoing
Engine, Nov 8, 2021
My vehicle lost power to accelerate on an on ramp just before a bridge over the Wisconsin River and I was not able to merge into traffic. I was nearly put into the guardrail just before the bridge and I had to wait for the semis and other vehicles to pass and give me an opening. I drove straight to the closest GM dealership under reduced power. I was accelerating and would have been able to easily merge until suddenly my engine seemed to stall/lose power significantly. This caused me to slow down and not be able to get over as there were two semi trucks in the northbound lane of highway 39 in Kronenwetter WI. I have now found out that the power failure is due to something that is, according to my rough calculations happening very frequently to my model of truck for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. I am curious to know how many trucks per year? One dealership told me they do about 2 trucks per week in Wausau and a dealership in Green Bay WI told me 3 per week. Rough math tells me that spanning 4500 certified GM service centers equals over 400000 vehicles per year. When does this become a safety recall if not a general recall to protect consumers? GM knows about this problem however they continue to put in the same faulty lifters in the vehicles and only fix/ put in upgraded lifters when they break. How can a car manufacturer put vehicles on the road and sell them knowing there is a potential no only to break but in instances like mine or others I can't even envision, cause an accident or worse?
Engine, Nov 5, 2021
Approx every 1,500 miles engine will crank for ~25 seconds and not start. This creates two safety problems 1) Defective part in engine could cause metal shavings in engine or some other form of part failure resulting in seized engine along with fire or accident. 2) Vehicle has start stop feature. Failure of vehicle to start at an intersection could result in a traffic accident. Vehicle was serviced at Chevrolet dealer where they stated vehicle could not be repaired without demonstration of the problem. Dealer did not inform me about, inspect or make repairs for two service bulletins that I found on the internet for the issue. One service bulletin is for a defective engine part. The camshaft target wheel could be bent and contacting the timing chain. The other dealer service bulletin is for a software update to correct a similar starting issue. For review, I uploaded the dealer service report along with both dealer service bulletins. I'd really like NHTSA to look into why GM is not informing vehicle owners about the software issue or the known defective engine part.
Engine, Oct 28, 2021
Too whom it May concern Our 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 had check engine light come on 7/5/21 called Chevy Service department was told Bring vehicle in if Light flashes, Light went off Service department said if it happens again to bring it in . It happened again 10/12/21 took vehicle in to service was told it was something too do with lift & Technician reset something & Did our first Oil change as this was a New Truck bought in 01/13/21 from them . Well 10/25/21 My Wife & I were Driving when we heard a loud banging noise coming from Truck we Also lost Power & Truck was shaking Bad . Called Dealership asap was told bring in Now . Service department said Engine was basically shot that engine lifters went bad & Probably had a bent pushrod. So Basically a catastrophically engine failure on a Brand New 2021 Chevrolet Truck with 7000 miles . Had this Happened on the highway @ highway speeds with sudden lost of Power This could lead too an accident & possibly a loss of Life . The Sad part is this has been a ongoing issue with the 5.3 & 6.2 engines since 2018 & Chevrolet is aware of it. They have No Fix and are installing the same defective Parts back only too have same issues again & again. Spoke with Corprate & They have No answers or cares my Wife said she would never drive Truck again especially since admission from a Chevrolet service Tech said it will happen again. This has been Long enough Chevrolet must recall these Vehicles & Apparently its All GM engines 5.3 & 6.2 whats it gonna take someone being Seriously hurt or Killed!!!!
Other or unspecified, Engine, Oct 20, 2021
Turned on my 2021 Chevy Silverado in my driveway and esc service notification popped up and check engine light popped up as well and then a loud clicking sound came from under the hood which turns out to be a bad lifter.
Engine, Oct 7, 2021
Engine began to shudder, vibrate and lose power on the highway. Multiple codes were eliminated - check engine, service park brake, service ESC, service emissions system. Loss of motive power is a safety issue. Vehicle currently at the dealer for service. I have been notified it is a lifter issue and major engine repair required. GM Authority and other online forums identify this as a known major field issue and continuing to grow.
Power train, Engine, Sep 28, 2021
while stopped,engine running,in gear,foot on brake the truck lurched forward approx 2-3 feet. when i tried to pull forward the engine was revving a much higher rpm's. moved down road approx. 1-2 miles, tried to turn around to return to a dealer near by and truck would not go into reverse...on-star reported to get engine/transmission service soon. reported to dealer, they checked the (code)? truck continued to run well....till it happened again....now it has happened a third time dealer has ordered parts to try to correct. dealer is trying, but no one seems to know what to do...
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Sep 5, 2021
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.
Engine, Power train, Aug 25, 2021
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.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 22, 2021
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
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Jul 11, 2021
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.
Engine, Jul 7, 2021
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.
Engine, Jun 4, 2021
Transmission slipped then went limp at 35-40 mph. Truck would not accelerate at all. Had towed back to dealership.
Engine, May 27, 2021
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.
Engine, May 22, 2021
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.