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Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

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

84

Complaints

2

Crashes

1

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 have filed 84 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2021 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 28 of them (33%). The typical failure was reported at 32,000 miles, the median across the 17 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

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

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:CONTROL MODULE

21V758000 · September 29, 2021

Park outside until repaired

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles with electronic brake control modules (EBCM) replaced during vehicle assembly. The bolts that attach the brake pressure modulator valve (BPMV) assembly may not be properly tightened, which could fail to seal the two sub-assemblies and allow water intrusion.
The risk
Water in the BPMV may cause an electrical short circuit and increase the risk of fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from other structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will replace the BPMV assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 20, 2021. 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 N212349181.

General Motors, LLC · up to 3,241 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

21V578000 · July 29, 2021

The defect
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and GMC Sierra 2500 vehicles equipped with a 17" spare tire (RPO ZHQ or ZXT) and either the 20" accessory road tire (RPO REM) or the 18" accessory road tire (RPO Q2V). Operating the spare tire with other 20" or 18" tires can prevent the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) from engaging.
The risk
An ABS system that cannot control the rear wheels independently increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will provide the appropriate spare tire and apply a new spare tire information label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 18, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212329780.

General Motors, LLC · up to 86 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS

20V811000 · December 23, 2020

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
The risk
If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

General Motors, LLC · up to 470 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

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 84.

POWER TRAIN 28 33%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 20%
SERVICE BRAKES 12 14%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 8 10%
ENGINE 7 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 7%
STRUCTURE 3 4%
AIR BAGS 2 2%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 2%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 29.

2021 2025 2026
2021 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.

ENGINE

1 injured

JULY 2022 DPF filter was throwing check engine light. Took to dealer to get diagnosed, part was ordered and the DPF was replaced August 19th 2022. Started to get headaches in vehicle while driving it. OCT 9th ended up in hospital after driving vehicle and was diagnosed with CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. Experienced symptoms of losing consciousness, worst headache I've ever had, nausea for 5 hours, loss of feeling in body and seizing of body. Took truck to dealer to get inspected twice and nothing was found to be wrong with it. NOV 10th Took truck on another road trip and was having similar symptoms as before however had more chest pain this time so went back to hospital. Took truck back to

NHTSA complaint 11504538, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured

Unexpected roof rail airbag deployment without vehicle impact or accident. Front left and right side deploy - rear left and right side deploy spontaneously without notice.

NHTSA complaint 11703085. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:THROTTLEBODY/MANIFOLD

fire · 12,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the contact noticed flames coming from the cab and the bed of the vehicle. The contact stated that the flames grew bigger and the contact pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. A report was made with the fire department. There were no injuries. Medical attention was sought for mental and emotional purposes related to the incident. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The

NHTSA complaint 11421133, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

crash

Front Park Assist (FPA) system did not provide any level of advanced alert until after impact when all conditions were fully met as stated in the user's manual for the Park Assist system. NOTE: Text after bullets are extracts from user's manual while test in () are owner's feedback during incident when FPA failed to alert. •as the vehicle moves at speeds of less than 8 km/h (5 mph) ( the vehicle was going 1-2 MPH) •the sensors on the bumpers may detect objects up to 1.2 m (4 ft) in front (Front Park Assist (FPA) detection was not until pipe contact was made with bumper/sensor) •within a zone 25 cm (10 in) high off the ground and below bumper level. (Pipe was in full zone from 0 to >30"

NHTSA complaint 11424150, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
My 10L1000 transmission had a catastrophic failure internally which caused it to rough shift, sudden down shifting, not want to shift into gear at all, and high engine rpm prior to roughly shifting. I took it to the Chevy dealers mechanic the very next business day, only to find out that from the mechanic that this is a common occurrence with Chevy transmissions in my truck and google also verified this to be a common problem. The mechanic from the Chevy dealership also stated that there was larger metal chunks than normal. My truck is available for inspection asap. The manufacturer and vin lookup contradicts the mechanic and google stating no issues or recalls for my transmission. After

NHTSA complaint 11752243, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
Wrangler Trailrunner AT LT275/65R20 were on the truck when I purchased my new 2021 Chevy 2500. I only have 25K miles on it. I was driving on the interstate and the tread came off the tire tore my wheel base apart and damaged back of truck along with scratches on the side by wheel also tore wheel trim off.

NHTSA complaint 11750813. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

47,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that the electronic tailgate door had erroneously opened and closed and also, moments after turning the vehicle off the door had erroneously opened. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V060000(LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 47,000.

NHTSA complaint 11740554. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - The parking brakes were engaged and would not release / yes, it is available for inspection How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was in traffic stopped at a train track and could not move. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Yes, the rear actuator for the brakes was faulty and had to be replaced. The warranty work was completed by the dealership Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - Unknown Were there any warning lamps, messages or other

NHTSA complaint 11728599, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Operator of this vehicle was commuting and truck started to slow down and chug. Vehicle hesitated when operator applied gas pedal. -Transmission cooler inlet/outlet pipe as per Chevrolet known issues. -Safety of driver at risk as failure happened in heavy traffic, unable to pull to safety -Yes confirmed by authorized repair facility -Part inspected by authorized mechanic. -No warnings, symptoms, prior to failure.

NHTSA complaint 11725594. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear window in my 2021 Silverado 2500 leaks when it rains, water is getting in the carpet/seats creating a bad odor and mold. The dealership will not assist in fixing this known issue.

NHTSA complaint 11724840. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Silverado 2500

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 139 3
2023 44 1
2022 91 3
2020 101 10
2019 74 7
2018 52 5
2017 54 5
2016 122 5
2015 175 6
2014 40 2
2013 51 3
2012 53 3
2011 104 4
2010 21 5

Other 2021 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