NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 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
"Cylinder 4 misfire" was the diagnostic code - the vehicle is currently at Millennium Chevrolet in Hempstead, NY. First attempt at a fix was the fuel injector - second fix is replacing the rocker arm. Emissions is still showing as an error. I was traveling to the dealership for repairs when the misfire became so bad that multiple alerts illuminated on the dash. I was in stop and go traffic at the time going 30 mph. Thankfully I was near a place to pull over out of the flow of traffic. I tow with my vehicle and just returned from a cross country trip - if this happened while towing up a grade in the western half of the country, I don't know what I would have done. Yes, the dealership confirmed the problem and it is under the powertrain warranty. I do not know if GM Engineers have inspected the engine, however, it has been in the care of a GM dealership and service center since [XXX]. [XXX] the check engine light illuminated for the first time, yet went off after .2 of a mile when I turned around to return home. I made an appointment with service at the dealership the next morning ([XXX]) and was on my way there when I no longer felt safe driving it and called for a tow truck. [XXX] - check engine came on and went off. [XXX] - check engine came on again. [XXX] - check engine - on the way to the dealership - service parking break, anti-traction control. This is when I pulled over because the vibration from the misfire of the engine became much worse. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Component is transmission. Stutter vibrate shift while driving. There is a recall on the 2021 Chevy 1500 Silverado which is exactly the issue we are having from our 2021 Silverado. The VIN for our truck is falling under the current recall. Chevy wants to charge to even diagnose the problem which has to be done with a dealer and not a private place. That is absurd and puts our safety at risk should the vehicle stop functioning while driving it. The dealer ship has inspected the vehicle for the yearly inspections which is interesting since this has happened and been complained about since purchase.
On October 31st while driving my vehicle my power steering light came on stating ESC POWER STEERING Failure/Issue. This caused me to have no power steering. I was able to safely stop the vehicle. I restarted it numerous times with the same message showing up. About 5-10 minutes later it started with no issues and without the same power steering message. This is extremely dangerous!
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, pinging sound was coming from the vehicle before the vehicle started to lose motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that several unknown messages had flashed on the instrument panel during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the cause of the failure was due to the lifters. The lifters were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,500. The VIN was not available.
Push start button malfunctioned. The vehicle would not turn off last night and took about 30 minutes to get vehicle to turn off. Next day, had the same issue where vehicle would not start and left me stranded. After calling for a tow truck, I was able to start the vehicle. When researching the problem online, I saw several other complaints of the same issue where the buttons malfunctioned and could either not start their vehicle or turn the vehicle off.
Engine failure in 2023. Paid 15,600 to have engine repaired and gm is denying reimbursement because repairs not done at dealership and vehicle is too old is what they are giving me for reasons for denial.
Engine failure in October of 2023. Had vehicle towed to dealership and was told truck was not under warranty because of mileage and was going to be months before they can get to it because of parts on backorder or shortage of parts. Had truck towed to another shop and had the repairs done there, at my expense, for a total of $15,600. Fast forward to July of 2025, recall comes out on my truck for engine failure. Got reimbursement form with recall notice in the mail and got the required documents to submit form and was denied reimbursement for the following reasons, truck is too old for reimbursement and also because I did not have the work performed by a dealership. It is my understanding that there is a federal law stating that a manufacturer can not deny reimbursement for using a 3rd party auto shop for repairs and as far as the truck being too old for reimbursement, the repairs were done well within the 10 years allowed by federal law so I don't understand what the problem is . Please help Thanks
I have a 2021 chevy silverado and in october of 2023 I lost oil pressure and took the truck to a mechanic shop and they determined that the engine had spun rod bearings and crankshaft bearings inside the engine block and needed to be rebuilt. I had them make the repairs and upgraded the engine with aftermarket parts which cost me $15,600. When the recall came out this year it came with a form for reimbursement. I collected all the documents required to submit for reimbursement and I was denied because I did not have the work performed at a gm dealership. I didn't take it to the dealership because of the time they required to fix the truck and it was already out of warranty because of the mileage and I really didn't want to replace the engine components with more of their faulty parts. Just because I had the repairs done at a 3rd party shop does not excuse the fact that they sold me a truck with a faulty engine.
On October 2, 2023, the check engine light starting flashing and loss of power while driving. I was not far from the dealership where I purchased the truck on September 12, 2023, with 29.000 miles. They did diagnostics on it and found that the engine/powertrain computer/module needed factory reset. Then on October 17, 2023, I started my truck and heard what sounded like a knocking sound in the engine. It quit after about 1 minute during cold start. The next day it sound got worse, so I drove it into the dealership to have them look at it. There were no warning lights or any other warning signs. Was told by the service advisor after showing them the video I took of the noise that the lifters have failed. The repair was done a week later and that did not fix the issue. I was told the truck needed a full engine replacement. I'm very fortunate that I was not driving at the time when this failure happened, or I could have had an accident. It is now almost a month later and I'm still waiting on the engine to arrive for replacement.
Upper control arm ball joint failed causing me to lose stealing control, luckily I was only driving 10MPH, if I had been on the interstate this could have been more serious possibly fatalities involved, I have read reports this is a common thing, my truck is a 2021 Silverado, I never received a recall notice
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the engine started to misfire. There was an unknown service warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that left side valve lifters needed to be replaced. The codes displayed were 0329 (Engine/Fuel Exhaust) and 6581 (Modular Component) registering incorrectly. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 15,253.
rear third brake light is leaking water into the cab and causing water stains on the headliner. I am worried about it eventually causing an electrical short or more water damage. I don't have a rear window that slides open and the rear glass has never been replaced nor has the third brake light all original from factory.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH and traveling down a 5 percent grade hill, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard on several attempts. The vehicle failed to slow down. The driver continued to pump the brake pedal. The contact engaged the parking brake. The service trailer brake system and the engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact had an independent mechanic reset the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder booster system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 49,400.
The 8-speed automatic transmission (8L90) has been failing. It has put me in my passengers safety at risk because my truck can lurch forward without warning due to delayed downshifting and RPM surge. Yes, the dealership has confirmed this issue multiple times. The component has been inspected by the dealership multiple times. Yes, check engine light came on and yes there was symptoms before the failure such as lurching jerking, surging harsh and erratic shifting. They first appeared at 55,000, MI. It continues to happen to this day. I have an appointment scheduled for today at 9:20 a.m. for the dealership to look at it again but this is a legitimate concern.
While driving on the highway the engine shimmered and shut down. I lost all steering and braking power. After 20 minutes I was able to restart and drive off the highway at a reduced speed. upon exiting the engine died again. The following day I took it to sunrise Chevy in Glendale Hights IL as this was just down the road from where it sat all night. Service rep called and said I need a new engine with only 81000 miles. It was major lifter failure he said. Job was done at a cost of 9417.89. With less than 1000 miles on the new GM engine I was coming home on [XXX] at night when I lost all power to steering and brakes, dashboard lit up. Made it to the shoulder and towed back to the dealer. Once again major engine failure. At least this one was under warranty. but still very dangerous on the highway. Needs to be a recall please. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that additional engine oil was needed a month or two after an oil change. The contact stated that one quart of oil was added every 1,500 miles driven. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and it was informed that it was normal operation for vehicles with the 6.2L engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case for the contact and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.
On three separate instances (two after paying $3,000 to "fix" it) my 2021 Trailboss is flashing warnings of: Park Assist Off, Steering Assist is Reduced Drive with Care, Service 4WD, Service Trailor Brake System...all while driving down the rode and losing all gauges/flatlining and no fuel warning engaging (had a 1/2 tank). The Chevrolet Dealer claims it's not producing a code (Thankfully I recorded the evidence)...Truck has just over 40k miles and has been driven with care. **Pictures are all while driving down the road** Serious electrical and SAFETY ISSUE and it needs to be RECALLED and addressed!
Engine suddenly began to run rough and slowed substantially while driving. If this occurred at highway speed, it could have presented a safety risk. Multiple check engine lights and error messages appeared at the time of the event - "service emissions system" and "65mph max speed" Dealer inspected vehicle and found a shorted wiring harness and fuel injector. The faulty parts were replaced
Started having a rubbing sound in rear end of vehicle. Took it to dealer. Brake calipers are a issue on this model and dealer says, “ found updated rear brake calipers with deflectors to help with dirt in rear calipers/not covered under warranty customer pay expense”, they are replacing rotors under warranty that got worn out. They want me to pay $2400 to purchase and have the “updated brake calipers” installed. If brake calipers are updated then that means there is a known issue with them. Spoke with the manufacturer and they said too bad.
Tailgate opens on its own or doesn’t want to open with push button
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started to pull to the left and the contact became aware that front driver’s side wheel had separated from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road safely. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. A police report was filed. The contact was unsure if the vehicle was diagnosed. The dealer stated that the front driver’s side ball joint was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 37,000.
Vehicle began to shudder on the highway, managed to pull off at next exit and drive to nearest gas station approximately 3 miles away from the highway. Vehicle was towed to neared GM dealership. Dealership has determined that the fault is caused by a failed or multiple failed Camshaft Lifters inside the engine. This has been reported to be a common issue with the GM 5.3L Engine with no active recalls. The vehicle shudder began on a highway during construction where the highway was restricted to one lane. There was an accident with bumper to bumper traffic where an ambulance required way. The vehicle was not in stable condition and could have caused safety risks to other drivers on the high way as well as my passengers and myself. There were no symptoms prior to the vehicle shudder, the Check Engine Light did not come on until about 3 miles of driving closer to the gas station. The Service is being warranted by GM. There are active GM tickets open. Vehicle is being serviced by Stickland Cadillac Buick GMC Chevy in Brantford Ontario Canada
Engine lifters failed at 36000 miles, causing the vehicle to misfire. Engine lifters failed a second time at 42000 miles after being repaired, again causing the engine to misfire.
The truck lunges sometimes, and will jerk shifting, also at variable speeds the truck will feel like it is "riding over rumble strips at a low speed" at variable speeds 30 MPH to 70 MPH. It makes for an unsafe feeling having the vehicle lunge unexpectedly, and the shuddering on the highway causes alarming panic, and reaction, and a feeling of delayed response from the accelerator. Yes, everyone says it is a known GM issue, but nothing will be done, unless I contact a lawyer. No No warnings, or lamps of any kind.
Unknown
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate while attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that vehicle revved abnormally and failed to immediately respond. The contact stated that the hesitation also occurred while accelerating from a stationary start. The contact also had observed that there was a leak of fluid whenever the vehicle was parked in the driveway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission was leaking and that the transmission and torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-45 MPH, the rear differential detached from the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear differential to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,315.
It’s been going on for some time and have taken it to the dealership for request but with no help. The transmission keeps shuttering bucking between gears this is sometimes violent but seems to be becoming more frequent. This is mostly between speeds of 50-60mph
While pulling out into traffic the vehicle will momentarily lose all electrical power and the engine shuts off causing loss of brakes and steering.
While parked I turned on the truck and got service sec warning and power steering failure. Brakes barely worked and wheel was locked. After restarting the car three times it went away and truck became driveable. Took it to a dealership and they said there’s nothing they could do as a code didn’t pop. Seems unacceptable as my family is consistently in the car and if it happens while driving could be extremely dangerous
I bought this vehicle brand new off the lot in 2021. Truck hasn’t had any problems until this year. Every few weeks it will randomly just not want to start, I’ll usually check the battery and the battery will be completely drained. I can’t figure out what is causing the battery to drain like this, but something needs to be done as I have literally been stranded places due to my truck just deciding not to start randomly. Today i’m having this exact problem, my trucked was parked overnight in my garage and I went to go to work this morning and once again the truck won’t start and battery is drained. All my doors are shut and no interior lights are left on.
On 6.22.23 at Lake Powell AZ this truck transmission locked up twice and nearly threw the wife and I through the windshield, very traumatic!! Happened towing a boat entering highway, had to pull to a narrow shoulder. Jarred our bodies, seatbelt into shoulder/chest. The engine light came on, had truck towed to Flagstaff Chevrolet. Had it 3 weeks. Drove home to Huntington Beach, CA without issue. Drove fine until 10.21.23 when engine light came on. Took truck to Delillo Chevrolet on 10.30.23 where purchased, they diagnosed, said Flagstaff Chevy did not program trans. computer correctly, programmed and said it was good to go. Picked up truck on 10.30.23, drove about 50 miles 11.2.23 to work and back, that night went to drive and the engine light was back on. I turned off an hour later. I drove it the next day no engine light, leaving physical therapy for my recent shoulder replacement, going 40 mph when it did the same thing it did in June! It jolted me two times nearly hitting my head on the steering wheel. The transmission shifted to 1st gear, certainly red-lining the engine. I drove the truck slowly to Delillo, just a few miles away. I told the service manager I can never drive this truck again, it is unsafe, traumatizing waiting for this to happen again. I would never put my family in this truck again. It has caused me physical and emotional trauma. The vehicle is unsafe, the jolts caused my new shoulder to hurt. It is devastating to think what would happen if I was at freeway speeds. Others need to know about this issue as well. Thank you so much for your time and what you do to ensure the safety of vehicles on the road.
Electric power steering loss. Message stated to service power steering and ecs. Could not control vehicle.. After powered off for 20 minutes it went away and then was towed to dealer who found nothing wrong. Extremely unsafe!
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact attempted to change lanes and the high beams automatically activated without driver input. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and confirmed that the high beam headlights were activating whenever the indicators were activated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I was cruising down the freeway at around 60 miles an hour when the vehicle started stuttering and shaking and I could not accelerate. The truck couldn’t get out of its own way and was a danger to my family. I took the truck to the dealer where they told me I had a lifter failure. They replaced the bank of lifters on the one side of the engine where the failure occurred and sent me on the way. I’m hearing the lifters is a common issue from multiple dealers. I’m not sure I feel confident in my vehicle any longer. I would prefer the dealer or manufacture to buy it back at this point.
Total catastrophic engine failure. Occurred at roughly 80,000 miles. Engine bearing shattered causing total engine loss. Needed to be replaced. Occurred in May 2023. There were no precursors to the event and the engine had been well maintained. I noticed an investigation of my vehicles engine and thought I should report this.
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.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the tailgate was heard opening. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
Transmission making a whining noise and delays between shifting.
Lifter failure at 24,500 miles
The transition shifting make some sounds and feels ansafety wile you drive all dealerships say is normal Blacksburg va and salem Va said is normal I call GENERAL MOTORS THEY SAID IF THE DEALERSHIP SAYS NO IS NOTHING WE CAN DO NOW I HAVE A 45 K DEBT ON A TRUCK THAT NO WORKS RIGHT FEELS ANSAFETY TO DRIVE AND NO BODY CAN HELP
While driving at approximately 60 Miles per hour, two engine valve lifters on Cylinder 8 suddenly failed reducing the speed of the vehicle suddenly and stalling the vehicle out on a freeway. This mileage of this vehicle at failure was 16,996 miles.
Cel flashing , traction control warning, stabilitrac warning, engine running rough, acceleration increased over normal driving. Happened multi times. After multiple restarts the cel light is on solid. Truck towed to dealer today. Have not heard back.
The first incident that happened to the vehicle was two weeks after the purchase the engine light came on and the pressure dropped and the truck was riding rough and driving slow on a main street 35 miles from my house. The 2nd incident had around three weeks after being in the dealership for a few days with the same code and symptoms as the first incident. The third incident happened three weeks ago while on the highway the engine light came on engine pressure dropped and it drove rough and slow during consistent traffic and I had to pull over. I contacted the dealership and made an appointment. My vehicle wasn`t driven for two days until it was taken to the dealership. The engine light has come on many times through my ownership of the vehicle. I don`t feel safe driving this vehicle
The tailgate electronic release will randomly open allowing the tailgate to open while driving or parked. This causes your secured load in the bed of truck to now become unsecured. This also forces the driver to make an emergency stop to secure the tailgate. The switch can release the tailgate multiple times causing the operator to spend an excessive amount of time getting the tailgate closed and secured.
The tailgate will randomly open while driving allowing contents to fall from the bed of the truck
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while her son was sitting in the driver’s side rear passenger seat, the seat belt fractured. The contact stated that she then sat her son in the middle rear passenger’s side seat and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the driver’s rear and middle rear passenger seat belts and seat belt buckles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V811000 (Seat Belts). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 33,000.
My safety system service warning comes on for about 30 seconds and then goes back off. This has happened about 4 times now. The transmission causes my truck to shake randomly. My pulley is going out and the local dealer said they wouldn't replace is under warranty(even though my warranty was still is effect) because they said it looked like someone sprayed tire cleaner under the hood(I bought it from the same dealership that I took it to for this service.) The brake seem to shake already when coming to a stop. They seem as if they are wearing prematurely.
I was driving one day and my truck started to misfire. I figured since it had 95,000 miles it was time for a tune-up. So I took my truck to the Chevrolet dealership and they originally quoted me $2,200. The rep and mechanic said they have seen many trucks just like mine having the same issue. They said it starts with something called a “rocker arm” breaking and then that leads to more severe issues. After a month of my truck sitting they came to me and said it will cost $8,100 to fix it. Basically they replaced the engine. My complaint is I’ve had many vehicles and none of them needed an engine replaced after only 95,000 miles. I later found out that the engine that’s in my truck is a 4 cylinder which is a very low power/small engine which is expected to handle the weight of the truck along with towing. I just believe it was a poor design and that engine is ill equipped for a truck and the dealership/manufacturer should bear responsibility for that.
Had the check engine and recieved code p0303 cylinder 3 misfires i replaced fuel injectors on that side spark plugs ,wires ,spark plug solenoid,and still had the check engine p030 and would not run right my mechanic had to take the head off and replace all the valves of the motor costing me more than $5,000 i am so embarrass cause i was so honored to buy this silverado,but at 60,000miles this should nit happen why am i throwing alot of money to this truck gm you guys are letting me down i always by gm but at this point i dont know can you make this right,and no i dont want a 10 percent discount in a new one that a slap on my face .