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 and engine cooling
58 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine and engine cooling, Apr 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated upon shifting into reverse(R), the vehicle shut off. The contact stated upon shifting to park(P) to restart the vehicle, the vehicle was able to restart after pressing the Push to Start button several times, and the vehicle made abnormally loud cranking, banging, and rattling sounds. The contact stated that he was an independent mechanic and had determined that the engine was blown, despite the outstanding maintenance record on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed due to lifters failure. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the engine might be replaced because the parts needed for the rebuilding of the engine were on backorder. The dealer informed the contact that the engine oil would be tested. The dealer also informed the contact that a claim was filed with the manufacturer for the repair to be covered under warranty, and the dealer was awaiting a response from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,820.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ECM wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 13,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Visibility, Engine, Apr 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact observed an excessive amount of condensation on the interior of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lifters resulting in misfires in the engine. The dealer also determined that cracks in the rear windshield glass guides resulted in excessive condensation in the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-383. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 9,000.
Engine and engine cooling, May 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the radiator needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 22-NA-047 (Coolant Loss and/or Coolant Odor). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 40,200.
Engine and engine cooling, Fuel system, Gasoline, Jul 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle was losing motive power with the “Engine Power Reduced” message displayed. The temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact initially had the vehicle towed to the dealer and diagnosed with a defective fuel pump. The dealer replaced the fuel pump, the fuel pump system, and the fuel pump sensor; however, each repair failed to fix the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to AutoNation Chevrolet Pembroke Pines (8600 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024) where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective catalytic converter; however, the part remained on back order. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a claim was filed. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 6, 2022
While driving down the road the engine began to run erratically and several seemingly random errors appeared relating to the parking brake, windshield washer fluid, and engine. The vehicle began shaking violently until stalling out on the road. After bringing the truck to the dealer and waiting for weeks to have it returned I was notified that there had been a lifter failure. Vehicle mileage had been at 12,600 miles at this point.
Engine and engine cooling, May 31, 2022, fire
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that approximately 35 minutes after parking and turning the vehicle off he was notified that the vehicle had caught on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. Upon inspection, it was determined that the fire originated in the engine compartment. A police and fire report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 12,000.
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.