CSR

Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

41

Complaints

1

Crashes

1

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 have filed 41 safety complaints with NHTSA between September 2020 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 16 of them (39%). The typical failure was reported at 40,000 miles, the median across the 11 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 8 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (8)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

26V083000 · February 12, 2026

The defect
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
The risk
Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 1,055 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

24V797000 · October 24, 2024

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
The risk
Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.

General Motors, LLC · up to 463,295 vehicles across all model years covered

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH

24V060000 · February 1, 2024

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. The tailgate's electronic gate-release switch may short circuit due to water intrusion, which can result in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
The risk
An unlatched tailgate may open while driving and result in a loss of unsecured cargo, creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232426400.

General Motors, LLC · up to 570,434 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS

20V792000 · December 17, 2020

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
The risk
If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

General Motors, LLC · up to 624,216 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN:INFLATOR

20V446000 · July 30, 2020

The defect
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
The risk
If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.

General Motors LLC · up to 769 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD

20V324000 · June 4, 2020

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles previously recalled under 20V-142. Some of the vehicles in 20V-324 were not part of Recall 20V-142 but received defect parts during another service (typically during collision repair). The hood-latch striker wires on replacement hoods installed for Safety Recall 20V-142 may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
The risk
If a striker wire fractures, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. For hoods sold over the counter, dealers will contact customers with instructions for hood replacement. The recall began July 7, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202306490.

General Motors LLC · up to 272 vehicles across all model years covered

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

20V142000 · March 12, 2020

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The hood-latch striker wires may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
The risk
If a striker wire fractures, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192284960.

General Motors LLC · up to 1,909 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

19V814000 · November 14, 2019

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
The risk
A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.

General Motors LLC · up to 556,399 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Air Bag Malfunction

PE21010

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened April 9, 2021 · closed August 24, 2023

the air bags

On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), XT4 and MY 2021 Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon SUVs.Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-NA-005, issued in March 2021, addresses air bag MIL illumination with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) B0001-1B or B0012-0D. It cites rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver air bag inflator housing as the cause of the air bag MIL illumination. Illumination of the air bag MIL under these circumstances may result in a non-deployment of the frontal driver air bag during a frontal collision and increased risk of injury to the driver.GM stated a correlation exists between production delays due to the pandemic shutdown and premature corrosion initiation on the surface of the air bag inflator housing, which, in some cases, caused rust development during a seven (7) month period of vehicle production. In the rare instance when a rust particle dislodges from the driver air bag inflator housing and enters the air bag connector prior to assembly, an intermittent resistance spike at the air bag connector may result. The condition generates excessive resistance in the air bag electrical system when the steering wheel horn cover is manipulated or the steering wheel is turned. This excessive resistance is momentary. A crash commanding air bag deployment would need to occur exactly when the momentary excessive resistance occurs. Thus, there is a very low likelihood the hazard will present a risk during a crash of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment. This failure mechanism occurs early in life and results in an air bag MIL illumination that corresponds to a DTC warning the driver that the vehicle requires service. The vehicle's air bag remains functional while the MIL is illuminated, and the DTC is present.Once the connection of the driver air bag module to the clockspring is made at the plant, or at the dealership for service, there is no longer an opportunity for rust migration into the connection point. The connector is sealed and has gold terminals, eliminating the expectation of fretting corrosion. All subject vehicles passed standard corrosion validation testing for extensive corrosion with no issue of air bag non-deployment.There is a low rate of occurrence: 1.41 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV) for all related occurrences, and 0.04 IPTV for occurrences with a mention of visible rust and/or corrosion on the air bag inflator housing. The average occurrence mileage for the subject vehicles is approximately 2,100. Every occurrence related to the alleged defect experienced an air bag MIL illumination and there are no verified allegations of air bag non-deployment within all data sources.To date, there have been no reported fires, crashes, injuries, or fatalities related to this issue. In view of the low rate, and the nature of early-life failure, the high detectability of failures, and low potential hazard to drivers, this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.Review the ODI reports cited above at nhtsa.gov under the following identification numbers: 11537927, 11528888, 11525020, 11521401, 11506057, 11493107, 11486767, 11441525, 11433146, 11425658, 11423440, 11385267, 11376429, 11373466, 11366995.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 41.

POWER TRAIN 16 39%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 17%
ENGINE 6 15%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 12%
TIRES 5 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 10%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 2%
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 2%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 2%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 13.

2020 2025 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The blower motor for the HVAC system caught fire.

NHTSA complaint 11530678. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

crash · towed · 40,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 62 MPH during snow weather and switching lanes; the accelerator pedal was depressed, and both the rear wheels had locked. The vehicle spun out of control and traveled into the center lane of a two-lane road and crashed into a snow embankment where it came to a stop. No Injuries were sustained. No warning light illuminated. Prior to the crash, the contact stated that the transmission was slipping and making abnormal noises where it was taken to a dealer

NHTSA complaint 11636312, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

towed · 4,500 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact made a left turn to avoid a ditch. The contact stated that the vehicle then rolled to a stop. The contact shifted to low gear, turned the hazard lights on, and was able to drive to the residence. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the brake fluid was leaking. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the passenger's side rear brake pads, brake disk, and brake calipers were replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The

NHTSA complaint 11582209, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 178,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while driving on [XXX] at 70-73 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The contact slammed on the brake pedal and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off. The contact stated that the tachometer had increased to over 3,000 RPM. The vehicle then red-lined. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the valve body control needed to be replaced but was on backorder for a month. The vehicle was repaired, but the vehicle failed to recognize the part. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to

NHTSA complaint 11641761, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
VIN: [XXX] Make/Model/Year: 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, Duramax L5P, Allison 10L1000 Recall: N242454440 / N242454441 (NHTSA 24V797) Description: Vehicle had N242454440 completed May 2026 (TCM software update for harsh shift / wheel lockup). On XXX at 103k miles, vehicle exhibited same defect: harsh downshift 8th-9th gear, CEL on. Diagnosed as TCM failure per N242454441. Vehicle at O'Reilly Chevrolet Tucson since XXX (18 days out of service as of XXX). Dealer states TCM on national backorder, SPAC ticket opened, no ETA. Dealer denied courtesy transportation stating out of warranty at 103k, despite recall being federal safety recall with 15yr/150k special coverage. This is failure of

NHTSA complaint 11757341, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Since buying the vehicle I’ve had issues with the truck going into limp mode with codes p0700 as well as p0747. I have taken it to the dealership twice now, when it has arrived the codes were no longer there. Every time the truck went into limp mode the transmission would get stuck into 5th gear stuck at 45 mph. The problem with the truck started at 48,000 miles, the truck currently has 60,000 miles and the problem has been more active. With the dealership not wanting to resolve the issue the truck was taken to another shop to try to fix the transmission.

NHTSA complaint 11748501. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The fuel pump driver module. I filled my truck up with diesel and it drove home fine. Later that afternoon left the house and got half mile down the road and the truck just shut off with no warning lamps or message. When this happened, you could not steer the truck and the brakes barley worked, now after the truck cut off a message came to shift in neutral. I was lucky no one was on the road at that time. Now had this happened the day before when I was coming home pulling a 40ft fifth wheel, this could have been catastrophic. When this fuel pump module goes out you have no warning the truck cuts off and you have no steering or brakes. This module needs to be recalled, and something else

NHTSA complaint 11747679, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The transmission, without warning, intermittently locks the rear wheels when towing a 13,500 lb 5th wheel RV. It occurs when going uphill and the transmission downshifts to maintain torque. The "D" on the gear indicator on the dashboard also flashes 3-5 times. This is a known issue with the Allison approved (but GM made) transmission from model year 2020 to 2022 (NHTSA 24V-797) and is to be under extended warranty. We brought it to a Chevy dealer who kept from March 24 to April 9, without any resolution as they could not replicate the error which only happens under load travelling uphill. I also openedd a case with Chevrtolet Customer Service, who apparently does not have any ability to

NHTSA complaint 11730919, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
This is a supplemental update to complaint #XXX filed February 7, 2026, regarding my 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD Diesel (VIN: [XXX] ). The vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of propulsion on January 21, 2026, consistent with the defect mechanism described in Recall 24V797. Recall software was installed May 27, 2025. Failure occurred eight months later with no warning. GM's response has been as follows: A Field Technical Service Engineer made a remote determination that the failure did not match the recall without physically inspecting the transmission. GM Executive Resolution required teardown at customer expense with no reimbursement guarantee. The authorized dealership

NHTSA complaint 11724870, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of propulsion while driving at highway speed after normal operation. The transmission began slipping and then would no longer engage gears. The vehicle had to be pulled over and towed. This vehicle is subject to GM Recall N242454440 related to a known transmission control valve defect that can cause loss of propulsion. I was not notified of this recall by GM and discovered it independently. Once aware, I completed the recall software update. After the failure, the dealer documented pressure control fault codes (P0746 and P0798), burnt transmission fluid, and internal debris, and recommended full transmission replacement. I requested that GM evaluate

NHTSA complaint 11716298, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Silverado 3500

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 12 1
2024 48 3 2
2023 15 1
2022 27 3
2021 38 5
2019 21 7
2018 18 6
2017 13 6
2016 50 6
2015 52 7
2014 10 3
2013 26 4
2012 23 4 1
2011 29 5

Other 2020 Chevrolet models

Every Chevrolet on this site — 298 vehicles, 747 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst