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
My 2021 Chevrolet Silverado started on fire and blew up in my driveway. I had just returned from the store, parked it and went inside. No more than 3 minutes later, my neighbor came running over to tell me my truck was on fire. There were no issues at all while I was driving the vehicle. The township fire department said this is the 4th 2021 Chevrolet Silverado that has burst into flames in the last 6 weeks. They said they all had the 2.7L Turbo engine, as well. The truck is a complete loss. I have contacted the dealership and Chevrolet about the issue and have not heard back yet. The fire started in the engine compartment and quickly raged out of control. The hood and engine disintegrated from the heat. The vehicle was towed away and the insurance adjuster has yet to go out and look at it. If I would've been stuck in traffic on the way home, I would have been in the vehicle and may not be here typing this report right now. It went up that fast. This is a major safety issue that needs to be thoroughly investigated before somebody loses their life. It nearly caught my house on fire, but thankfully there was only minor damage to some garage trim and the driveway is ruined. Please investigate this issue immediately. This was a pretty traumatic experience, to say the least.
When I start my Chevy Silverado 1500, three warning lights come on that are telling me that I have brake system failure 43 MPH top speed, Service ESC and Service Trailer Brake system. When I drive, the brakes are very mushy and the truck is very difficult to brake. 20 minutes later after stopping and getting ready to take the truck to the dealer, the brakes worked fine. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem at first, but finally had the issue when they were putting it on the rack to perform improve my tire alignment, so they said they updated the software. The truck brakes worked fine when I left the dealership. The next day (Saturday) I went to start the truck and the same issue happened. I can't take it in as Service is not available on Saturdays so I started looking online. Apparently there are several other owners dealing with this same issue and have been for years. I have read that it might be a variety of things causing this issue, but someone needs to get this resolved ASAP as I have read about some getting into accidents regarding this. My truck is only 16 months old and only has 14,000 miles on it.
Batter dies for when it's cool out side and the truck has a brand new battery. The battery has since I've had the truck .replaced the battery last year and it stills die..when it's cool outside..false reading on brakes had them checked twice at the dealer ship .the truck loses power when turning the corner and I makes a loud clunk nose when I drive..
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.
I was driving and noticed several loud clunking noises coming from the Engine bay. The truck began to cut out, shake, and misfire. My dash began to flash and state I had a parking brake failure. I had no choice but to be towed. I have just shy of 17,000 miles. The dealership stated I had two lifter and 1 rod failure. They replaced the rod and all lifters on one side of the engine. I took the truck home for one night and it broke down again. The dealership stated it was fixed for a second time. When I picked it up again, I made it 1 mile down the road before the truck had the exact same symptoms with shuddering and misfiring. It is at the dealership for a third time. I was surprised to fin several class action lawsuits now filed against gm concerning the lifter issue. YouTube is full of lifter issue videos. This should be fully investigated and obviously warrants a recall for lifters, rods, and the camshaft.
Around May 20th, 2022, I was driving the pickup when it suddenly the engine turned off on me. I was travelling at approximately 40 mph on city streets and was able to control the vehicle and park the vehicle and restart it. That same week, I took the vehicle to Chevrolet on the city of Orange, where it was inspected. According to the mechanic, no issues were located. Nothing else was done to the vehicle and as a result, I fear the same issue will happen again in the future.
On April 29, 2022 between 4:45 - 5:00 pm Eastern, I was dropping off my son at work when I suddenly experienced a variety of Truck Diagnostic Error messages on the front driver display window. In addition my OnStar advanced diagnostic alert system informed me with the following system issues: Engine and Transmission; StabiliTrak stability control; Antilock Brake; and Emissions. At that moment the truck experience a cut in power and slowed down with a knocking sound coming from what seemed under the truck. I slowly proceeded to drop off my son and drove back home and parked the truck. Truck was towed to local Chevy dealer on Friday of that day. A preliminary diagnosis was done Saturday, April 30 suggesting an Engine Lifter issue. On Monday, May 2, 2022, a final diagnosis determined engine lifter failure on one side of engine bank. Vehicle is still under Warranty with 17,400 miles on it.
Intermittent power steering failure.
I was not personally at risk during my incident, but I can see how I could have been if my situation was a different. My 2021Chevy truck suddenly lost engine power at a traffic stoplight. It almost stalled coming to a stop. Then when trying to accelerate, it had very low power, and was stumbling. I was only a mile from home, and not busy traffic, so I managed to make it home. Driving very slowly with the engine clearly under very low power. No CEL or warning lights came on. After getting it towed to the dealer the next day, the dealer informed me it was a failed lifter and bent pushrod. After a little google searching, I found it is a common failure in newer GM V8s. I also learned my truck was built in a date window that GM issued a Service bulletin for lifter failures. According to forums and Facebook pages, Many other owners have had the same problem. Even 2-3 time failures with some owners. Even after repairs. Either in the date range of the bulletin or outside of it. My specific situation wasn't dangerous, but I could see how it could be, if I were on a busy highway, or if the truck completely lost power. As far as I see, no Recall has been issued, just many internal service bulletins over several years. And even a class action lawsuit in regards to lifter failure. My truck was fixed with all lifters replaced with an updated part number. 5000 miles since the repair. Gm did a good job with the repair, and after some communication with GM customer service, they replaced all the lifters, and not just the broken one. This gave me a bit more peace of mind, but I worry with so many failures posted online daily, and without a documented case on NHTSA this will continue. Thanks
Service Engine Soon lamp illuminated with extremely rough running engine, would barely keep running. Dealer diagnosed misfires on cylinders 1, 3, 7, with cylinder 5 showing the most misfires. Tear down revealed defective lifter on cylinder 5. Repair under warranty included replacing all bank 1 lifters. Mileage of vehicle was 19566 at time of repair
Unknown
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to stall and jerk. The check engine warning light illuminated, followed by the vehicle losing motive power and stalled. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the engine wiring harness chafing were zip tied, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the connector to the ECM was replaced but the failure reoccurred again. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contact, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 6,000.
A squirrel chewed into the fuel line [Hose - GM (84871298), see: https://www.gmpartsdirect.com/oem-parts/gm-hose-84871298). This caused a fuel leak that could be directly observed only while the vehicle was running. On one occasion, however, a small pool of fuel appeared under the vehicle immediately after shut off. This part failure poses a fire and explosion risk. In addition, the wasted gasoline pollutes the atmosphere. The line was replaced at Lynn Layton Chevrolet of Decatur Alabama (invoice 608119). The part was inspected by Lynn Layton Chevrolet as part of that service ticket in order to determine the cause of the leak. To my knowledge, further inspection has not occurred. No warning lamps indicated the failure. The problem was detected by observing the trail of fuel when parking.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that during cold starts, the transmission was slipping, jerking, and banging. The failure eventually worsened and began to occur after the vehicle was driven and was warmed up. Additionally, while decelerating, the vehicle erroneously lurched forward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission valve body was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,000.
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.
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.
GM USES/USED SUBSTANDARD ENGINE COMPONENTS i.e. LIFTERS. GM KNOWS THSES ARE PRONE TO FAIL, YET ONLY REPAIRS THE VEHICLES THAT ARE AT AN AUTHORIZED DEALER PRIOR TO SALE. ALL THE VEHICLES THAT WERE ALREADY SOLD WILL NOT BE REAPIRED UNLESS ITS BROUGHT IN FOR SEVICE, GM WILL NOT NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS ISSUE. ALSO GM FAILS TO STOCK THESE PARTS EVEN THOUGH BY THERE OWN SERVICE BULLETINS SUBSTANDARD PARTS WERE USED TO BUILD THESE VEHICLES. GM WILL NOT SUPPLY LOANER VEHICLES TO PATRONS WHO DO HAVE THIS SERVICE DONE NOR WILL THEY TELL CUSTOMERS THAT THE PATRON COULD RENT A VEHICLE AND GET REIMBURSED FOR SAID RENTAL.
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.
Lifter failure at 8629 miles. All warning lights went on at time of incident, truck would barely drive home and I had it towed into the dealership where they replaced the entire bank of lifters. This is on my repair order- "Checked and found dead mis on cylinder 4 and ticking noise from engine//performed compression test and found no compression on cylinder 4//removed passenger side cylinder head and found lifter bad causing push rod to bend//replaced all lifters on right bank and 1 pushrod//changed oil and filter//filled coolant and test drove and found all ok. I called Chevy at time of incident (1/21/22) and opened case# 9-7252876703 stating I wanted both banks of lifters replaced because I pull a 30' camper with my family and didn't want the other side to fail while I'm pulling 7000+ pounds. They declined to replace the other bank stating that since the vehicle had more than 5000 miles it did not qualify for both sides to be replaced and it was for only vehicles after 11/21 and mine was built 2/21. I still would like to get the other bank of lifters replaced under warranty.
At 4K miles, the lifters of the engine went bad. It was determined a rod was bent and had to be replaced. At 26K miles, another cylinder went bad and had to be replaced. At 40Kmiles, serpentine belt had to be replaced. At 41K miles, another cylinder went bad and had to be replaced. Now, at 55K miles, I am getting the same issues with loss of power, engines stuttering and misfiring and will be taking the truck to the dealer on 1/28/25.
I have a 2021 Silverado 6.2 being repaired for failed lifters. I see this is a common trend and can cause hazards when pulling over for a faulty motor. 10 speed Transmission downshifts from 2 to 1 harsh with rpms jumping up causing for me to apply more brake pressure to stop. I have had a few incidents when I get close to the vehicle in front coming to a stop. I have taken vehicle to dealer for issue and they couldn’t replicate issues. Check engine light has popped up once or twice but never stayed on long enough to throw a code.
Valve lifter failure resulting in bent rod engine failure.
The ESC, parking light, traction control, and engine light came on while driving home. The engine started to shake. There was an issue with braking and steering the vehicle that made it difficult to control. A message on the dash said Service ESC. A report was sent via OnStar Notifications that said An issue with the emissions system is detected. After trying to restart the vehicle a few times, the lights will not go away. The truck is driving rough.
Engine valve lifter failure at 20,000 miles; engine hesitation and power loss. Error to parking brake and to electronic stability control. Chevrolet to replace damaged lifter but refused to replace both banks of defective lifters. As a result of dysfunction I was stranded 1200 miles from home and have been waiting 2 weeks for repair. Still 1200 miles from home with 2 kayaks, 2 bikes etc.
Engine lifter failure, excessive engine noise, loss of power and responsiveness, strange sounds from engine and runs very rough especially during acceleration. Multiple warning lights associated with the valve failure. Cruise control no longer works.
While driving the vehicle on a snow covered road the check engine light, abs light, esc light and parking brake light all came on. The vehicle also lost braking power. Took to the dealer. They told me it was a brake control module. If you do some research this is a on going thing since 2018. But they still continue to put this part in the trucks. On top of all of that they don't have a replacement part for the truck. Now the truck is going to sit at the dealer for one to two months. I am now paying on a truck that I can't drive to work and no loaners available. my question is why are they aloud to still put these parts in a truck. How do I know if they fix it if the problem wont happen again. If it does happen i hope my family and any one else is not in the way of my truck that I am unable to stop.
There is a massive shudder that sounds like the whole dash could come loose. feels and sounds like rumble strips and off road driving mixed all together. It happens at all speeds and when rpms are steady around 1200-1400.
Every so ofter I get an audible and visual alert telling me to Service Seat Safety Restraint System as well as the airbag light on the dashboard. This lastest incident is probably the 8th time it has happened since Ive brought the truck new
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. The contact veered to the side of the road inspected the vehicle but found no issues. The contact continued driving for a while before the failure recurred and the sound was much louder. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that two rods had gone through the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
At 7000miles truck had sudden engine failure, pulled to side of road and had towed. Dealership said it has a conmonly occuring failure of valve lifters causing bent pushrods.
Safety restraint t system failure - airbag lights on and airbags advised will not deploy if in accident
Electric steering control and driver assist malfunctioning along with engine misfire Been to the dealership 3x they have reproduced the issue unable to repair Chevy also notified apparently many other vehicle of my same type have this issue Happens daily till vehicle has run for a bit Unsafe till then Started at about 13 k miles still ongoing
Service safety restraint system with airbag light comes on then goes away this happens when going into a turn.
Lifters in the engine failed causing the truck to sputter and shake going down the highway. Barely could hold it in the road. Truck wanted to stall out while driving. Truck was fixed and made it 30 miles before the same thing happened again. Chevrolet has dropped the ball and needs to be held accountable for this problem before someone gets hurt or killed.
While driving East on I-24 with my granddaughter. I felt a thump much like hitting a big dog or something in the road. I looked at my 10 year old granddaughter, she was looking at me, she said what was that? I said I don't know, but it happened again in about 1/4 mile down the road. We traveled about another 1/4 mile when the truck started sounding like a machine gun being fired!! My granddaughter started crying as she was scared, I pulled over into the emergency pull off to check my truck. It was running good now and NO ENGINE LIGHT was on. So I continued driving toward Clarksville, TN. although I considered turning back and heading home. I thought maybe it was water in the gas or something. After arriving in Clarksville to pick up my two grandsons we started home. As soon as I got on I-24 west the truck started the same thing again. Felt like we hit a big dog and then started sounding like a machine gun being fired. This time the ENGINE LIGHT DID come on. I was afraid the truck was going to quit running and there I was with 3 grandkids on a very busy I-24!! I contacted Patroit Chevrolet where I purchased the truck at. They told me it would be 6 weeks before they could look at my truck!!!! I hung up but called back as I was afraid that I couldn't make it home, the truck was running bad!! They found that it had dropped a lifter, it had only about 6,300 miles on it!!! They had it for about 3 weeks. Now, I find out that GM has had a lot of problems with these motors, "A LOT of PROBLEMS"!! I,m sure the problem WILL happen again, I am hoping no one gets killed when it does. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM!!! GM needs to replace these motors or buy them back or something!!!
Driving down the road and out of know where engine starting knocking and lagging, idled rough. Drove to dealer lifter failure was what was diagnosed. 10000 miles on the truck driven easy, no towing or anything. Dealer also informed me 3 other silverados were there for the same problem! Ridiculous!!
Lifters failed 7,588 miles November 2021. Dealer replace both lifter banks since trucks mileage was less than 8k miles.
My vehicle lost power to accelerate on an on ramp just before a bridge over the Wisconsin River and I was not able to merge into traffic. I was nearly put into the guardrail just before the bridge and I had to wait for the semis and other vehicles to pass and give me an opening. I drove straight to the closest GM dealership under reduced power. I was accelerating and would have been able to easily merge until suddenly my engine seemed to stall/lose power significantly. This caused me to slow down and not be able to get over as there were two semi trucks in the northbound lane of highway 39 in Kronenwetter WI. I have now found out that the power failure is due to something that is, according to my rough calculations happening very frequently to my model of truck for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. I am curious to know how many trucks per year? One dealership told me they do about 2 trucks per week in Wausau and a dealership in Green Bay WI told me 3 per week. Rough math tells me that spanning 4500 certified GM service centers equals over 400000 vehicles per year. When does this become a safety recall if not a general recall to protect consumers? GM knows about this problem however they continue to put in the same faulty lifters in the vehicles and only fix/ put in upgraded lifters when they break. How can a car manufacturer put vehicles on the road and sell them knowing there is a potential no only to break but in instances like mine or others I can't even envision, cause an accident or worse?
Complete engine replacement at 174 miles. Lifters on left bank replaced at approximately 28,000 miles. Lifters right bank replaced at approximately 58,000 miles.
1 and 7 lifter failure occurred. Truck failed while driving on a congested highway putting myself and others at risk when speed was speed was reduced and truck eventually stalled. Truck was serviced by local dealer and confirmed lifter failure. KNOWN ISSUE!!! NO WARNING PRIOR TO MALFUNCTION.
I purchased my vehicle on 10/11/21 new with 4716 miles on it and on 10/27/21 a “service brake assist system “ came on along with the check engine light. I drove directly to Long Chevrolet and GMC of Athens, Tennessee. They scanned the codes and determine that the master break cylinder and associated system needs to be replaced. They kept the vehicle stating that the brake system could fail. It is now 11/6/21 and they have no estimated timeline on being able to get parts to repair my vehicle. I now have to make a payment on a vehicle I can not drive
Too whom it May concern Our 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 had check engine light come on 7/5/21 called Chevy Service department was told Bring vehicle in if Light flashes, Light went off Service department said if it happens again to bring it in . It happened again 10/12/21 took vehicle in to service was told it was something too do with lift & Technician reset something & Did our first Oil change as this was a New Truck bought in 01/13/21 from them . Well 10/25/21 My Wife & I were Driving when we heard a loud banging noise coming from Truck we Also lost Power & Truck was shaking Bad . Called Dealership asap was told bring in Now . Service department said Engine was basically shot that engine lifters went bad & Probably had a bent pushrod. So Basically a catastrophically engine failure on a Brand New 2021 Chevrolet Truck with 7000 miles . Had this Happened on the highway @ highway speeds with sudden lost of Power This could lead too an accident & possibly a loss of Life . The Sad part is this has been a ongoing issue with the 5.3 & 6.2 engines since 2018 & Chevrolet is aware of it. They have No Fix and are installing the same defective Parts back only too have same issues again & again. Spoke with Corprate & They have No answers or cares my Wife said she would never drive Truck again especially since admission from a Chevrolet service Tech said it will happen again. This has been Long enough Chevrolet must recall these Vehicles & Apparently its All GM engines 5.3 & 6.2 whats it gonna take someone being Seriously hurt or Killed!!!!
Turned on my 2021 Chevy Silverado in my driveway and esc service notification popped up and check engine light popped up as well and then a loud clicking sound came from under the hood which turns out to be a bad lifter.
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.
The monitor has disconnected many phone calls and rejected software updates. The monitor has been reported to the dealership and has been in many times for harness replacements, harness for the door locks and the timeframe for the repairs was a couple of weeks. The monitor still disconnects calls and I must pull the car over and restart the truck the monitor stays off sometimes until the monitor wants to engage. The history of the truck with this issue has been documented with the dealership
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed as he began to approach traffic on the highway. As the contact began to steer the vehicle to the left, the entire front driver side wheel assembly detached from the vehicle without warning. Once the vehicle hit the ground, the driver and passenger-side air bags deployed and the contact hit the vehicle in front of him as he lost control of the vehicle. The contact was able to steer the vehicle off the highway and onto the left shoulder, the side curtain airbags then deployed as the vehicle came to a complete stop. Due to the failure, the brake line broke and spewed brake fluid throughout the engine and onto the road which resulted in an engine fire. The authorities were called to the scene and were able to extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. The contact did not seek medical attention at the scene but did treat himself for a scrape to the head once he returned home. The vehicle was towed to his home where it remained in his possession. The dealer was notified of the failure and he sent them pictures of the damaged vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 1,100.
Engine began to shudder, vibrate and lose power on the highway. Multiple codes were eliminated - check engine, service park brake, service ESC, service emissions system. Loss of motive power is a safety issue. Vehicle currently at the dealer for service. I have been notified it is a lifter issue and major engine repair required. GM Authority and other online forums identify this as a known major field issue and continuing to grow.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while his wife was driving on two occasions at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to exceed 20 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the #2 lifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred a few weeks later. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled on three occasions while stopping and using the Auto START/STOP feature. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. On the last occasion, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that another lifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
the trailer brake serve light is on amd the parking brake will not come off, the truck is undrivable
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.