There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Silveradoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
For the second time in my 2021 Chevrolet Silverado with a 5.3-liter engine, I've had GM lifter failure. It's directly related to the Active Fuel Management System (AFM), and was confirmed by my Chevrolet dealer's mechanic and service writer, Burdick Chevrolet in Cicero, New York, on both occasions. They've had to perform a multi-thousand-dollar lifter replacement service job. They've told me that GM is aware of the safety issues, but won't do anything about them. It also happened to me with my 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, but I was lucky that time. It was fixed with new spark plugs and wires. It's cost me thousands of dollars for repairs each time. But that's not why I'm reporting this to NHTSA. The issue is safety. When the lifters fail, you get no warning. The truck rattles and rumbles. It becomes unstable on the road, and sometimes wobbles as if it's about to go out of control. The problem causes the loss of electronic stability control (ESC) and renders the electronic parking brake useless. Lifter failure can also cause the engine to stall while driving, especially at a stoplight. This happened to me. I had to press the gas pedal gently to keep the engine running at a stop light just to get off the road. On the highway, when the lifters fail, the truck slows to a point where it cannot keep up with traffic. That presents a dangerous situation. It's not safe. GM knows about it, but as far as I understand, the company has done nothing to fix the safety problem. Internet forums are full of comments about the problem, the safety issues, and the enormous cost of repairs. Surely your agency can compel GM to fix the lifter failure problem before someone suffers a major accident due to an uncontrollable vehicle. I'll never buy another vehicle with AFM. Many people are unaware of the dangers involved with this system. GM should get rid of it. [XXX] Skaneateles, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Truck is equipped with a 6.2 engine. It is a 2021 with less than 100k miles on it. Dealership is stating engine failed for no reason. Dealership confirmed engine failure this past week of April 2026. This is a known issue and my vehicle is not under the recall. Truck stalled out of no where. There was no warning before it did it.
When taking off it will sometime have hard shifts, shuddering, and acceleration hesitation. While driving, it will do static jolts. Dealer couldn’t pin point problem and advised for a new transmission or we could drive it until it dies. Dealer didn’t recommend to change transmission oil in fear of creating more damage.
The contact's father owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle started losing automotive power. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and while the vehicle was shifted to drive(D), the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the lifters and cam shaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
Engine Temperature fluctuates. Check engine light comes on, prompt on dash will say engine is overheating. Engine fan stays on high. Code on scanner states Coolant Control Valve. GM has issued special coverage on this exact issue. However, they tell me my truck is not covered. I am very upset with GM as they are failing to address a known concern with my vehicle.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle had passed the recall inspection, and no repair was needed. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, five months later, the engine seized in the middle of the roadway. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was shifted to neutral(N) and pushed over to the side of the road with assistance. The vehicle was impounded by the local Police Department. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the recall remedy had failed to correct the issue. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ26001 (Engine). The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 125,700.
COMPLETE ENGINE POWER LOSS. I WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK TO WORK. I PULLED OUT TO THE DOUBLE LANE HWY TO MAKE MY WAY TO WORK. AS I WAS EXCELERATING UP THE HILL THE ENGINE JUST STOPPED, FULL POWER LOSS. PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ALARMS. ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOT ON. LUCKILY IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND THE ROAD WAS NOT BUSY. I WAS ABLE TO COAST MY TRUCK TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND LATER HAD IT PULLED TO THE SHOP. I WAS TOLD THE ENGINE FAILED. THERE WAS AN ENGINE ERROR CODE P0016. I WAS TOLD THE ENGINE WAS SHOT AND WOULD BE BETTER OFF REPLACING. i WS ALSO TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE CURRENT RECALL. THE ESTIMATE TO REPLACE IS $9500. MY TRUCK HAS 93,XXX MILES ON IT. iT IS CURRENTLY AT VOGELS CHEVROLET IN KIEL, WI 53042
right bank collapsed lifter. this is the 3rd time in 5 years this has happened same side same lifter. loss of power engine shakes the whole truck. Also electronic emergency brake won't release automatically and engages when driving. This has happened when I first bought the truck in Mar 2021, again in nov 2024 and currently at antelope valley Chevrolet on Mar 20 2026 for the same thing.
The coolant control valve failed and the repair resulted in an engine oil leak which persisted for 8 weeks and still has not been repaired. The service manager at the dealership and General Motors Company are trying to figure out how to fix it but are not able to yet. They may have to replace the engine is one thing the service manager said to us this week.
Random catastrophic engine failure Randomly made a clunk noise and oil pressure dropped to 0. Engine needs replaced
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the message "Service DEF System" was displayed and the check engine warning was illuminated. The message speed would reduce by increments of 10 to 15 MPH until the vehicle could not accelerate 5 MPH after driving 75 miles. The contact stated that a handheld scanner was used to retrieve DTC: P20B9. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the DEF tank heater module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer was aware of TSB: 21-NA-002 and 22-NA-150; however, the vehicle had a Salvage Title and was not eligible for the repairs. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 53,400.
2021 Silverado LTZ L87 6.2L V8 engine. 49753 mi. February 27th 2026 total loss of power when parking. A few weeks later hearing knocking noises coming from driver side engine area. this is my daily driver and need this issued fixed.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, there was a metallic sound as if a bolt had fallen inside the engine compartment and was rotating and spinning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the camshaft and the engine lifters had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and NHTSA Action Numbers: EA25007 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and RQ26001 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
I am writing because I have a truck with the 6.2L L87 engine and it has been burning oil at every start up and acceleration from stop signs or stop lights, it blows out a blue cloud of smoke. I have asked Jeff Belzers in Lakeville , Mn to look and they did not as my vin did not show up in the recall. I took it to Maur Chevrolet in Inver grove heights, Mn and they told me that my miles were too high and they did not do an oil consumption test. I am burning 2 1/2-3 quarts of oil every 3,000 miles. I called the GM customer service line and they said there is nothing they can do except note it, so if I do get it repaired and pay for it, I could possibly get reimbursed in the future. If there is a known issue with this engine and there being 3 different engine builders, than why is it that my engine doesn't fall under that recall. It has all the symptoms of the engine failure that is specified in the recall? And it started about 6 months ago. Thank you Sincerely, [XXX] P.S. I have 136,000 miles and the special coverage warranty runs out at 10 years or 150,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On February 12th, the check engine light came on in my 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 with the L87 6.2 L engine. The following morning, I took it to the shop and had it checked. It was diagnosed with crank shaft bearing coming apart. I contacted the dealership and they told me that my VIN was not associated with the L87 recall, but that they would see if GM would be willing to help with the costst associated with replacing the engine. They agreed to pay for about 30% of the repair. I pointed out to them that my engine was manufactured in the Tonowanda, NY plant which is the site where many of the recalled engines were manufactured. They still refuse to cover the cost of the new engine. I feel that they should cover my costs since the engine was manufactured in the plant and broke down for the exact reason for the recall. My costs are over $10,000 due to their defective engine. Please add my VIN to the recall.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact heard an object being dragged underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted but was unable to schedule an appointment because the service center was fully booked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Lights appeared on dash, brought to the dealership. Dealership states engine damage due to valve train and a remanufactured engine was installed. This was approved by us for a $2000 charge. This charge included new manifolds, water pump, fuel pump and all associated gaskets
Most mornings after starting truck and driving off, it appears to be a hesitation or brief loss of power. Issue has been present for several years. It's hard to determine if it's engine or transmission issue. Truck is available for inspection. It usually occurs when leaving house in the morning so there is no safety issue because it happens within the first minute of driving. No warnings, cannot recreate issue.
6.2L L87 V8 engine experienced catastrophic engine failure do to lifter failure and a cylinder 8 misfire. Causing additional damage to camshaft. The dealership has inspected the vehicle and refuses to acknowledge the problem as there own. I have invoices for the work if I choose to proceed. Incident occurred while driving on the freeway, complete lose of power and control. This engine is known for this exact problem yet I never received a recall.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026