NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
I have had intermittent warnings on the dash that would pop up and disappear after a few seconds. It said “Safety Restraint System”. Now the warning is on continuously and the horn no longer works. I had the codes scanned at a local shop and I was told a code pops up saying “B0013-04 Steering wheel airbag deployment loop stage 2- High resistance” I am worried the bag will not deploy in the case of a wreck. The vehicle has under 25,000 miles on the odometer. It is over 3 years of age so I worry it will not be under warranty.
leaf springs malfunctioned & yes its available for inspection. safety issues of cracking noise sounds like cracking in the suspension or axle. on 7/7/22 Lorenzo at Richland Chevrolet in Shafter, California confirmed & had it all day for inspection. no warning lamps or messages were provided. First appeared on 6/30/22. continental crosscontact LX20 P275/55 R20 111 t eco plus+ Tires are chopping & shredding safety & hazard issues are the tires can shred apart & cause an accident or death. on 7/7/22 Lorenzo at Richland Chevrolet in Shafter, California confirmed tires were having that problem & if there was a recall on them then General Motors would reach out to us. Then prior, on 4/28/22 during oil change & tire rotation service Lorenzo confirmed tires were chopping also. no warning lamps or messages.
While towing a trailer the service trailer brake system light/alarm came on, trailer brakes stopped working and the alarm persisted for hours. It was extremely distracting and dangerous, and interrupted hands free phone calls.
I purchased a certified pre-owned 2017 Chevy Silverado on June 6 of this year. On June 13th, on my way back from a 10-hour trip, where I was towing a trailer with a car on it, my trailer brakes suddenly stopped functioning (about 4 hours from home). Not only did the trailer brakes stop functioning, but a warning message popped up on the dashboard "service trailer brake system". But this warning message didn't pop up just one time, it kept coming again and again and again and again and again, relentlessly chiming and distracting me from driving, it covered my speedometer readout, it prevented me from receiving or making voice commands, prevented me from hearing phone calls, and prevented me from listening to music. The service warning chime also prevented the turn signal chime from functioning. So for a full 4 hours, I was constantly reminded with a service trailer brake system chime, was unable to hear my turn signal chime, was unable to listen to music or make a phone call, and was unable to see the digital readout of my speed. The vehicle had been rendered completely undrivable, and I absolutely will not hesitate to say that the vehicle was not safe to drive in that condition. Especially if you consider that I was towing 5,000 lbs with no working trailer brakes. Your vehicle's defect endangered my life.
The trailer service message keeps popping up distracting me and there is no way yo turn it off!
Stress cracks in radiator
A faulty internal computer constantly beeps a warning about "trailer brake system" when there is no trailer attached to the vehicle. The beeping is extremely hyperactive and non stop and distracts you from safe driving and interrupts all other audible functions (such as turn signal blinking & navigation voice commands) to render the vehicle unfit to drive.
GOT IN DRIVERS SEAT TO FASTEN SEATBELT, CLIP WOULDNT STAY IN BELT-HAVE TO PUSH RED CLIP TO KEEP BELT ENGAGED
April 2022 & 5 2022 Complete transmission failure in traffic ALMOST causing death in traffic, emissions failure, leather seat defect REPEATED left fog light failure
P275/55R20 sidewall has developed slices in 4 different areas blowout possible at slow to moderate speeds confirmed by tire center tire sent back to manufacturer by tire service center negative warnings
The transmission failed. The truck had heavy shifting and the transmission needs replacement. The truck was no longer safe to drive. The problem was diagnosed by a licensed mechanic shop. The check engine light came on as well as the service stabilitrak light that came on the same day as failure.
Sudden loss of vehicle electrical power as well as steering and break control due to faulty negative battery terminal. Engine will stall and steering wheel will kick back and issue a stabilitrak service message. Vehicle will become inoperable while still moving with no way to control.
At a low speeds while taking a turn, the electrical system clicks off and then clicks back on after about a second. Im able to see the voltage drop while taking the turn. When this happens, the power steering goes out while taking the turn. This exact incident is consistent with the recall of the year 2014 Silverado as stated in this article https://www.zehllaw.com/another-gm-recall-800000-chevrolet-silverado-gmc-sierra-trucks-faulty-power-steering/
The electrical power steering failed on my way home as I turned in to my street my steering became very hard to control nearly causing me to crash into a neighbors vehicle. This is the second time my electrical power steering has failed. About a year ago the original electrical power steering went out and a new one was purchased from a dealer ship and installed by a automotive company. Here we are a year later and it has gone out again but this time almost causing me to crash during a turn into my street. NO WARNING to me at all that my power steering was about to go out. Yes. My 2018 Silverado truck is available if an inspection request is asked of me.
Radio is malfunctioning. Radio would randomly change channels. Than the radio would have a line in the bottom of the screen. Than the half the radio just quit. Now the radio or phone calls does not work at all. I do not have access to hands free calls. I believe there is a recall on the same stereo for the 2019 models. It has not been inspected but is available for inspection. No warnings lights prior to the radio not working. I have a video but I do not know how to attach.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the restraint service warning message was displayed and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with an air bag defect that showed the air bag was deployed. The dealer replaced the air grille shutter and informed the contact that the air bag module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,556.
Motor vehicle accident 4/21/22. Vehicle stalled hit by 18 wheeler. Several times on several occasions after that on several days vehicle stalled in interstates with multiple 18 wheelers, trucks cars almost hitting me/my vehicle each time it stalled. Now and since May 2022, the transmission completely failed and is inoperable at this time. The stalling in the middle of interstate traffic where the speed limit on 4/21/22 is 55mph & on the interstate 65mph(The vehicle coasted slowly to the side of the road & stopped changing gears to go in either direction)
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH off the highway towards his home, the electronic gauge started fluctuating, indicating a low voltage failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he parked the vehicle in the driveway and turned off the vehicle. The contact then attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and recommended that the vehicle be taken to an authorized dealer for service. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not repaired. The failure mileage was 43,364.
I have a 2018 Chevy Silverado 1500 that I bought in June of 2018, brand new from integrity Chevy in Chattanooga tn.. One ago ago I was driving home and the check engine light came in and starting running poorly and you could hear a knocking noise coming from the engine. I took it back to integrity Chevrolet in Chattanooga, the employee at the auto service counter got inside and started the truck and he new at once what the issue was, he didn’t even take it back to the shop so the mechanic could look at it. He told me it was the lifters knocking. I left the truck with them. The next day he called me and told that the lifters where bad and had bent push rods. They had to replace everything on both sides, told me how much it would cost. It was out of warranty as I had 74,000 miles on it. The total cost that I had to pay was $5,468 dollars. The truck is less then 4 years old. The employee at the desk when I paid for it said that I just paid for a new engine! Again the truck was less then 4 years old.
Tires have 24,300 miles on them were factory installed upon purchase of vehicle in 2018. In April of 2022 while driving on freeway at 65 mph noticed a vibration in steering. Inspected tires when I reached destination and discovered the passenger side front tire had a bulge in the tread and was starting to separate. Replaced at a local tire shop and was told that they had seen numerous tire tread separations of this make and model tire. Goodyear Wrangler SR-A 265/60-20. Tire still had significant amount of tread remaining (Half Worn). In late May of 2022 had another tire tread separate from driver side rear of same vehicle.
For months this truck as stuttered while driving. Eventually one day the RPMs would shoot to 3500 when trying to shift gears and would struggle to shift. After having the spark plugs replaced and a tune up ($660 later) it started randomly just losing power to the engine while driving. All electrical still on but no power to the engine. I would pull over and turn the engine off and restart and it would be fine again. This continues to happen with no explanation. Always acts fine after I stop the care and turn it back on again. Nothing comes up on a scan for issues. Mechanic can't figure it out and now it isn't "acting up" when the transmission guy drives it and he doesn't know what's going on either. It's not safe to drive on the HW if its going to just randomly lose power. We checked with another transmission shop and he said they have two chevy Silverados in line for something similar. That made me look to see if there was a recall and led me to make this report. Chevy should look into this and do a recall.
Door Actuator Failure Left Rear Door, Symptoms are the door doesnt lock and unlock from the switch or keyless, when this problem presents it self the door fails to open from the inside. like child safety is on/when it is not engaged, this could be a safety risk to someone trying to exit the vehicle quickly and not know that they have a problem. After inspection I found there was a broken pin in the OEM connector, Yes I have it available for inspection. No problem wasn't reproduced or confirmed at a dealer. No inspection from Manufacture, Police, Ins etc... There weren't any warnings, door lock just worked intermittently.
AC condenser has cracked at factory weld. Dealer said this is Dailey issue and only performed recall on the higher end Cadillac and GMC Denali when the lower models have same condenser per # and problems was a $1000 repair
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The contact stated the service brake assist warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Services Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
The trailer brake system warning suddenly came on, disengaging my cruise control. My cruise control has not worked since. Also, the stabilitrac warning came on and has not left. Ever since then I have been hearing a squeaking noise driving at low speeds.
Rear Back up camera not working. Blue Screen on dash. This is a very common issue with GM
The rear driver side lamp started flickering and eventually was completely dead. On inspecting, it was found that the earthing brown wire pin in the connector was completely burnt and it also burnt the area right on the spot where it connects to the lamp panel.
Transmission shifts out of gear spontaneously while driving and warning light comes on for “transmission hot idle engine” forcing the vehicle to become inoperable unexpectedly without allowing the vehicle to drive forward or reverse to get to a safe location. Transmission temperature gauge rises quickly to 280 degrees in less than an hour of normal driving before overheating. Multiple General Motors dealers and General Motors headquarters have been unable to diagnose the problem and provide a solution despite multiple attempts and several thousand dollars in repairs including a completely new replacement transmission. General Motors first recommended the dealer to hook battery cables up to the transmission which did not fix the problem and in fact caused the vehicle to not start several times. General Motors then recommended the dealer replace the transmission entirely. Despite replacing the transmission, the same problem exists and the vehicle shifts out of gear while driving reporting an overheating transmission. Problem still occurs today 3/25/22 and vehicle becomes inoperable unexpectedly and suddenly while driving due to overheating transmission. General Motors is unable to diagnose the problem or provide a solution.
I have a 2018 Chevy Silverado 4WD, Crew Cab truck purchased brand new in 2018. Over the last year, I have had intermittent, and relentless chiming of the "Service Trailer Brake System". This occurs any time, completely randomly during normal, everyday driving and while NOT towing. it is horrendously distracting, and won't stop once it starts, even after clearing the message, it will continue to chime again every 1-2 minutes until I park the truck and turn off the engine. I have taken it to my local Chevy dealer, they can't find anything wrong with my truck. I have checked fuses, switches and relays, to no avail. I see this is not a "once-off" problem, it would appear 10s of thousands of consumers have had the same issue posted about blogs, YouTube and more around the internet since at least model year 2017. This is a complete safety hazard and unacceptable! The chime is a distraction and prevents other vehicle safety features from being usable when it is going off. In addition, I imagine if I WERE towing, that means my braking system would be rendered unusable. That doesn't seem acceptable and there should have been a recall on this already based on my vast research. I am angered that this keeps happening even under normal driving conditions, and it is a defect of the trailer wire harness system, not something any vehicle owner has done, not due to abuse, or even normal wear and tear. I am angered that even my dealer can't find and fix the problem. However, it should not be my responsibility since this is a clear and obvious defect amongst nearly 100,000 similar model vehicles. I do not feel this is safe in any way and there needs to be a remedy "recall" performed so that other owners and myself can get this taken care of once and for all. Thank you.
Truck was brought in for routine maintenance they noticed At the dealership a radiator leak. I was told this is not covered under warranty And I have no lights on
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 2 – 15 MPH, the vehicle shut off while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the “Check Brake Monitoring Alert System” was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V603000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000. Vin is invalid.
The power steering will randomly go out when turning at slow speeds, or when parking. The entire truck has lost power steering and then lost all power to the vehicle for a split second then return to normal power.
Transmission noise -something loose only 60k miles
2018 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 .1/20/22 slow driving in a parking lot, applied brake to slow down for a stopped vehicle and pedal was soft and went almost to the floor could have killed someone, this happened 3 times within 4 minutes Power Brake Assist warning came on, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash. called local CHEVROLET dealer Jenkins Chevrolet of Homosassa service department told the manager that my truck was working right they said it was not involved in a recall my truck showed all the symptoms in this recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000
A loud thumping noise comes from the rear axle area. The Chevy dealer claimed that the u-bolts that hold the axle to the leaf spring becomes loose and need retightening. I had the dealer re-torque the u-bolts but the noise still is there. The dealer claimed it was “normal” and offered no solution other than claiming a Tech Bulletin was issued instructing dealers to check u-bolts at service appointments. I brought my truck to a private repair shop and the mechanic noted that both rear leaf springs moved under the ubolts When the truck was rocked side to side. This is not safe as the axle can become out of alignment causing steering issues and excessive tire wear. The private shop quoted $1,100(est) to replace both leaf springs with aftermarket springs and u-bolts. The mechanic claimed that they have seen many Chevy pickups with this issue. I am asking you to please investigate this issue and instruct GM to repair this manufacturer defect.
10 degrees outside starter motor will freeze up and not want to start the truck. had 3 mechanics not a deal all look at it, tested the battery and came to the starter motor is defective. to have the starter replaced at the dealer for its under warranty.
My vehicle came equipped from the Factory with 18” wheels and tires and a 17” wheel and tire. The vehicle is equipped with 4 wheel ABS which fails to operate properly when using the factory equipped spare tire. GM recall a number of 2018 and 2019 vehicles with this very issue but did not recall my vehicle for this identical issue. I contacted GM who said if my VIN is not listed in the recall it is not an issue and they cannot correct the problem.
While driving in the daytime voltage at the dash dropped almost 9 volts but when I turn the headlights on, it goes back up to 14 volts I’ve had this problem since I got the truck January 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the "steering assist reduced" and "service trailer brake" messages were displayed, and the steering wheel experienced a slight resistance while turning in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted regarding the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 75,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the remote became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under a warranty or service bulletin. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the motor on the active grill shutter was defective. The contact communicated with a GM engineer regarding the Technical Service Bulletin: PIE0500. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
The transmission stopped working randomly on the highway after being driven for 45 minutes perfectly fine. Thankfully this happened near a stoplight so the traffic on the highway was going slower than normal otherwise it could have been very bad. Local mechanic confirmed that the transmission was no good and has ordered a replacement. There was no indication of the issue prior to the failure. No lights came on to indicate that there was an issue.
While driving my transmission will shudder and the vehicle will lose power causing the vehicle to slow down abruptly. It also will shift very hard making a loud noise.
While coming to a stop at a traffic signal I experienced a sudden braking loss. The pedal began to vibrate and I noticed an extreme reduction in braking power. I then got a prompt on my dashboard saying “service brake assist.” I narrowly avoided the car in front of me while trying to stop. I contacted GM and they claim even though my year make and model are the same as vehicles being recalled my specific VIN# is not.
Driving on highway 70 mph with out prior warning the truck begins to shake, backfire, lunging, loss of power, all the lights on the dash starting going crazy, cars behind me trying to avoid hitting me ,it wouldn't speed up, having a hard time getting it off the road and out of the way of highway traffic before getting rear ended by traffic behind me. The truck only has a little over 60000 miles on it which is just beyond the 60000 mile warranty, The truck lost compression because of a lifter failure in the motor. After this I have no interest in ever buying another Chevy product, If they cant build a motor that will last more than 3 years maybe they should rethink their future in the auto industry.
Trailer Brake Service Warning
radiator crack. and also looks like previous years have the exact problem and have a special coverage done on them, Special Coverage Adjustment 15829 Radiator Leak #PI1513A Bulletin No.: PI1513F
Bought the truck new. Never towed a trailer till well after warranty. Service trailer brake light keeps coming on continuously. Then no trailer lights or trailer brakes. Found 2 blown fuses but now the same thing is happening again. After my research I found tons of information that lots of other people are having the same issues. I have not pulled my RV since because I'm worried about it not having brakes. It's quite large and without them this truck would not be able to stop in case of a quick emergency.
Started vehicle and engine diagnostic displayed that the anti-lock braking system needs to be service, the power steering system needs to be serviced, parking assist needs to be serviced. This issued occurred one other time and a module needed to be replaced. This is the second time this has occurred in a year.
The torque converter failed internally allowing the torque converter clutch to shudder. The fluid exchange has already been done on RO#587959. Vehicle had 40k when torque converter was replaced. Issue arouse after a road trip to Houston Tx and progressive more at various speeds. James Wood dealership replaced the torque converter since it was still under power train warranty. When I researched online, I realized that this is a common problem within the 2014-2018 Silverado models. I hope I that after the dealership replaced this defected part I don't experience additional mechanical issue related to this faulty part.
Trailer brake system failure we noticed the sudden drainage of power resulting in death of battery multiple times alert was present after we notice the loss in voltage in battery to battery drainage after research I found that it is usually a short or a bad wiring harness which causes this and could pose a danger considering how I at one point in time have trilled things this could be an issue and a danger to others on the road