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
827 reports, newest first.
Engine, Apr 1, 2025
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The component that failed is the lifter in my 2021 GM truck, which caused severe engine damage. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety and the safety of my child were significantly put at risk when the engine failure occurred on the freeway while traveling at 65 miles per hour. Multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, and the truck became hard to control. I was fortunate to maneuver the vehicle safely out of traffic without harm, but the sudden loss of engine power could have led to a serious accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the problem has been confirmed by the dealership, which conducted diagnostics and determined that the lifter malfunction caused severe engine damage, necessitating a full engine replacement. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership, which is an authorized service center for GM. However, it has not been inspected by the manufacturer directly, police, or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lights, messages, or any other symptoms prior to the failure. The vehicle was driving normally when, all of a sudden, it began to shake and slow down,
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.
Latches/locks/linkages, Mar 31, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the rear tailgate opened unexpectedly and without warning. The dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the failure, and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V060000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Power train, Wheels, Mar 30, 2025
Transmission sometimes does not change out correctly, when I show down it shifts really hard, and and now the rear wheels are locking up which increase the likelihood of an accident
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 30, 2025
Diesel engine continues to overheat, even after the oil temperature sensor failure dealership repair. Truck is very well maintained. However, common and trending issue amongst 1500 Silverado diesel owners is overheating which causes engine to loose power while driving and even get so hot it can catch fire. Warning lights appear only when problem is at engine failure point. Also, we lost power or reduced power on freeway which almost caused an accident and engine was smoking. We had it towed to Epic Chevrolet in Sacramento, CA. Within one week of dealership repair covered under powertrain warranty, dealership said overheating engine is due to a “new” code for coolant pump. In short, fire and driving safety hazard that can cost lives if not addressed by NHTSA.
Other or unspecified, Mar 27, 2025
Paint chipping and cracking not even five years old yet
Engine, Mar 26, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. The contact's husband depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle lost motive power. The message, "Put on Neutral and Stop" was displayed. The contact's husband pulled over to the side of the road and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact's husband towed to vehicle to another dealer where it was confirmed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Engine, Mar 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving on the interstate at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle failed to accelerate over 35 MPH. The vehicle went into Low-Power Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to take the exit ramp and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the camshaft and cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Other or unspecified, Mar 24, 2025
I had my windshield replaced and the installer said when he removed the old glass, the bottom of the glass didn't have the rubber strip accross the bottom. Our rear sliding window has had a small leak, so we asked him to check it out too. He noticed that the window also does not have the rubber weather seal.
Engine, Mar 24, 2025
I was driving my 2021 Silverado when i was stopped at a 4 way waiting my turn. When it was my turn i made a left hand turn and and travelled a short distance going 20-25 mph when my engine made an odd sound and shut off in traffic!. I attempted to restart it and it did noting. Truck was towed to Hendricks Chevrolet where the truck was bought and received regular maintenance. When the truck stopped in traffic there were no warning lights on the dash before during or after. Once the truck was at the dealership for inspection i was advised That the motor was sized and that number 1 and 2 rod bearings failed and were ground in the crank journals. I asked how could that happen when the the truck has had regular oil changes by them and is there an issue with these engines? I was told that they see a few 6.2 engines with these types of issues.
Power train, Mar 21, 2025
The transmission valves failed and torque converter clutch slipped causing the truck to have harsh shifting issues, acceleration issues, and wheel-lock up. I've had to replace my full transmission and receive a new torque converter clutch, reprogrammed.
Power train, Mar 20, 2025
The transmission on my truck failed. My truck now requires a new transmission. A repair costing over $7000. The transmission gave out while pulling into a street with my wife and child in the car. The truck would struggle to go into gear and lurch violently. The dealer was able to replicate these problems.
Structure, Mar 20, 2025
When it rains. Tailgate opens on it own. Either have to lock truck or quickly put into drive to prevent tailgate from opening on its own. Only in wet weather. Tailgate opened on its own in rainy weather when parked at hardware store. I began to drive away not knowing tailgate opened and lost tool box and material out the back while making a turn. Speaking with GM I was explained it’s a known issue on 2500 models but not for 1500 models.
Power train, Mar 20, 2025
The transmission is the problem. The truck shudders. I took it to a mechanic, David Gessel's Auto Service 863-401-2860. The mechanic serviced the transmission and informed me that the transmission will need to be replaced eventually and that the torque converter is coming apart. It seems like the same issues 2019 transmissions in Chevys were having. My transmission is an automatic 8speed. The service performed fixed the problem of shuddering but now the truck is doing it again.
Engine, Mar 18, 2025
Engine failed, crank bearings let go. Truck lost power while traveling down the road.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 18, 2025
Baton Rouge Louisiana
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 18, 2025
Baton Rouge Louisiana
Suspension, Mar 17, 2025
Upper control arm ball joint separated from the control arm causing steering loss.
Power train, Mar 16, 2025
The automatic transmission appears to be going out. Hard shifting occurs when speeding up or slowing down along with loud thuds and jerks. No warning lamps have come on, I will be taking it to a shop to have the transmission fixed.
Power train, Engine, Mar 11, 2025
Vehicle feels like it's hitting a bump down the road 65 miles an hour. There is no bump it's the transmission. My truck has 80240
Other or unspecified, Mar 11, 2025
The tumbler in keyed switch is locked up solid . Cannot turn key to start or turn on.
Power train, Engine, Mar 5, 2025
Engine Seized up on me while driving on the freeway. Four of the crankshaft bearings seized up and one of those four completely melted. good thing the freeway I was on was not too crowded, my dash just all of a sudden lit up saying shift to neutral to restart engine. I was able to get to the shoulder. I tried re starting the engine and nothing happened. I had it towed to Simpson Chevrolet in Irvine CA. they reported back to me and said Engine has seized and I will need a new engine, cost of $16,893. I cannot afford a new engine right now and have been left without a vehicle. GM has taken no responsibility for this failure even though all maintenance has been performed on time every time.
Engine, Mar 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle came to a complete stop. The contact shifted into reverse and parked the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while facing oncoming traffic. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed check valve ball. The contact was informed that the check valve ball body and plates needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,648.
Electrical system, Mar 4, 2025
The rear power tailgate was randomly opening and closing on its own, on several different occasions. The safety risk was, if the tailgate would have opened when traveling down the roadways, items in the back could have fell out and possibly striking another vehicle and causing an accident. The truck has been taken to Gandrud Chevrolet in Green Bay WI, confirmed there was a faulty tailgate switch and replaced. There was no warning before the switch failed, it just happened on its own.
Engine, Mar 3, 2025
Had vehicle in for service for oil change and a loud clicking noise as well as misfire was the vehicle was fine to drive proceeded on my trip on my way back to my hometown the motor through a pushrod while on the highway