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: power train
237 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Power train, Oct 11, 2021
Driving the vehicle on October 10, 2021, with my fiancee and her mother in the vehicle. Upon exiting expressway I-75 a noise in the front end could be heard. It was a pinging/clinking noise that didn't change in frequency under braking nor under speed changes. It stayed at the same frequency of occurrence regardless of speed but wasn't present at vehicle stop or idle. It seems only to happen when vehicle is in motion. The noise became louder at lower speeds of driving. Vehicle was taken to a GM dealership on October 11, 2021, for repair. The dealer indicated that they could not repair the vehicle as GM issued a work instruction (PIP5653) stating no repair or resolution is available. GM indicates there is no problem to the vehicle however something is wrong with the front end axle and if it breaks then there is risk of accident as the wheel could lock up causing loss of control and/or loss of steering. Upon reading document PIP5653 I learned that all GM full size pick-up trucks and SUVs from model year 2019 to 2021 are effected. This is a huge population at risk for possible loss of control and/or loss of steering to be supported by simple GM comment. There must be a fix.
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.
Power train, Sep 1, 2021
Upon first start with 6-8 hours of being parked, the first shift from gear 1 to gear 2 has a massive hesitation that cause all passengers to lurch forward. It has not caused in issues for the quiet street we live on but in a high traffic area it would effect safety of entering into traffic. This issue happens every morning.
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.
Power train, Jun 9, 2021
Wife was headed to town when the truck started bucking and surging then leaving her stranded along side the road. NO MIL on until 5 mins after the bucking and surging started. called GM and basically said oh we will just fix it. Didn't care since we were able to start it back up and drive it home and then have it towed to the retailer next day. Truck has 6000 miles on the odometer. GM knows they have an issue as Service manager explained tech tips they have on this truck.
Power train, Engine, May 3, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING OFF FROM BEING STATIONARY, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SMART CHEVROLET CADILLAC BUICK GMC (3 SMART DR, WHITE HALL, AR 71602, (870) 543-2200) BUT WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS STILL AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 300. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. A COIL PACK WAS REPLACED.
Power train, Electrical system, Service brakes, May 1, 2021
GOT CEL CODE P25A2, C2A02, C2A03 3 TIMES NOW. FIRST TIME DEALERSHIP HAD NO IDEA (SUBURBAN CHEVY SANDY OR), SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED A WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. NOW THIS IS THE 3RD TIME AND THEY HAVE THE TRUCK FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG... TRUCK GETS THE CEL WHILE DRIVING.
Suspension, Power train, Other or unspecified, Mar 19, 2021
THE INITIAL CALL IN FOR SERVICE IT WAS TAKEN IN ON 12292020/MILEAGE 1020 FOR A OIL CHANGE AND A CLUNKING NOISE COMING BACK FROM THE REAR END AT LOW SPEEDS, WHILE TURNING AND GOING OVER BUMPS AT ALL SPEEDS. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO HEAR THE NOISE AND ADVISED THAT THEY CANNOT FIND OUT WHERE THE NOISE IS COMING FROM. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED THAT THEY SUBMITTED A TICKET TO GM FOR THE NOISE. ON 03022021/MILEAGE 2797 THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN BACK INTO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME NOISE BECAUSE ITS GETTING LOUDER. THE DEALER AGAIN SAID THAT THEY HEARD THE NOISE BUT CANNOT FIGURE IT OUT. THEY ADVISED THAT THEY SUBMITTED ANOTHER TICKET WITH GM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM THEY CLOSED OUT THE TICKET ON 03102021 WITH NO ANSWER FROM GM. I HAVE ALSO CALLED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SPOKE WITH ON 03102021, AND TOLD ME TO CALL THEM BACK BECAUSE THEY HAD TO TRY AND LET THE DEALER RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND THE DEALER IS WAITING TO HEAR FROM GM. THE DEALER DID ADVISE ME THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR 2020 CHEVY 1500 PICK UPS BUT NOTHING FOR 2021S SO THEY CAN DO NOTHING YET, THE SOUND SOUNDS LIKE TO ME THAT THE AXELS ARE GOING TO COME LOOSE OR THE SUSPENSION IS GOING TO DROP. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FEARFUL THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO COME OFF OR THE SUSPENSION IS GOING TO DROP IF I ATTEMPT TO TOW SOMETHING. THUS CAUSING PAIN, INJURY OR DEATH TO MYSELF OR ANOTHER INNOCENT PARTY. I AM CONSIDERING TAKING IT TO ANOTHER DEALER AGAIN TO SEE WHAT THEY SAY, BUT I FEEL THIS IS SAFETY CONCERN ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE HEARING THIS NOISE ON THEIR 2021 CHEVY PICK UPS. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT THIS TRUCK HAS NO SUSPENSION MODIFICATIONS OF ANY TYPE AND IS ALL STOCK. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK INTO THIS. ALSO ATTACHED ARE THE WORK ORDERS FROM THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THANK YOU AGAIN
Power train, Engine, Mar 15, 2021
----WARNING LIGHT FLASHING AT 103 MILES ON VEHICLE ,, DEALER RESET ----450 MILES ON VEHICLE STALLING ,,WARNING LIGHTS ECM - ENGINE SYSTEMP2635 THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IS NOT PERFORMING AS EXPECTED. AN ISSUE HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE FUEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USED TO MAINTAIN, CONTROL AND MONITOR FUEL CONSUMPTION. IF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING, A MISFIRE CONDITION HAS BEEN DETECTED. A MISFIRE INCREASES VEHICLE EMISSIONS AND COULD DAMAGE THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM ON THE VEHICLE. PLEASE REDUCE VEHICLE SPEED, AVOID HARD ACCELERATIONS, AVOID STEEP UPHILL GRADES, AND REDUCE ANY CARGO LOADS SUCH AS A TRAILER. IF THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUALLY DRIVEN WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, THE EMISSION CONTROLS MIGHT NOT WORK AS WELL, THE VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY MIGHT NOT BE AS GOOD, AND THE ENGINE MIGHT NOT RUN AS SMOOTHLY. THIS COULD LEAD TO FUTURE REPAIRS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MALTBIE CHEVY AND HAS BEEN THERE SINCE FEB 24TH