Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have filed 70 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2025 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 42 of them (60%). The typical failure was reported at 3,567 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)

26V289000 · May 7, 2026

Do not drive until repaired

The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.
The risk: Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. GM's number for this recall is N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 7, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 66 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

26V114000 · February 26, 2026

The defect: General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
The risk: Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-467-9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 26, 2026.

General Motors, LLC · up to 5,861 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

25V815000 · November 25, 2025

The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 vehicles. These vehicles may not have received an owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, “Child Restraint Anchorage Systems.”
The risk: Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will provide the owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 30, 2025. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252532020. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 25, 2025.

General Motors, LLC · up to 3,408 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 70.

ENGINE 42 60%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 17%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11 16%

POWER TRAIN 10 14%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6 9%

STEERING 3 4%

SERVICE BRAKES 2 3%

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 2 3%

STRUCTURE 2 3%

WHEELS 2 3%

BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1%

EQUIPMENT 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 64.

2025 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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed August 17, 2026

1 injured

After grocery shopping, I was putting items into the back seat on the floor of the truck. I lifted the seats to allow for more room. I went to push an item to the far side of the truck to allow for more room. During this action, I put my left hand down with my knuckles facing the floor to provide leverage. without realizing where I was putting my hand, I placed the middle segment of my ring finger directly on the edge of the mechanical-jack and put my weight onto it. The jack is not covered and is black (the same color as the carpet). The edge of the jack has sharp burrs. As a result, I was cut across the entire middle segment of my ring finger and slightly on the knuckle of my middle

NHTSA complaint 11757362, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed April 6, 2026

towed · 3,134 miles

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was reversed to the residence and parked, but the sound was heard longer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the sound from the engine compartment returned. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,134.

NHTSA complaint 11729366. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed June 9, 2026

towed · 9,025 miles

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, there was an abnormally loud pinging sound coming from the engine. The vehicle lost motive power, the brakes and the steering wheel became inoperable. The message "Depress Start" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was initially diagnosed that the battery failure was unsoldered. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While being test-driven by the mechanic, the vehicle stalled. After further investigation, it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to the main bearing failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, opened a

NHTSA complaint 11743001, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed August 11, 2026

I was making a sharp turn going about 6 miles an hour. The vehicle suddenly stalled and shifted to neutral. A message appeared on the dash stating, “Please restart vehicle.” The vehicle restarted without issue and no error codes were displayed.

NHTSA complaint 11756211. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE Filed August 11, 2026

5,070 miles

The contact owns a 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-40 MPH, the liftgate opened unexpectedly. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle, and closed the liftgate; however, the failure persisted. There was no warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 5,070.

NHTSA complaint 11756285. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed August 11, 2026

Tailgate keeps randomly opening when driving down the road. Vehicle was taken to a Chevrolet dealership for them to address. GM denied warranty claim and will not provide anything in writing. This is a huge safety concern for a work truck that hauls tools and equipment on a daily basis. And the fact that GM will not give anything in writing on the denial is absolute BS.

NHTSA complaint 11756288. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed August 10, 2026

I just purchased this vehicle on XXX and on XXX, with less than 300 miles on it, we were in a parking garage at the Galleria Mall in [XXX]. While driving slowly uphill in the garage looking for a parking space, the vehicle suddenly went into neutral and the engine shutoff. After verifying all was well, I restarted the truck and continued to drive. It happened two more times with the same situation, low speed going uphill. I have not taken it to a Chevy dealer yet for diagnostic as there were no lights like the check engine light and no codes presented. My onstar app reports that all is well and no issues, so I know it will not be something they can find when they try to pull the codes. I

NHTSA complaint 11756006, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed August 8, 2026

I purchased a 2026 Chevrolet 1500 Duramax Deisel truck. At 9500 miles the truck started making popping and loud grinding noises and would shake while driving it. I barely made it to the dealership on August 6th 2026 I took it to Group 1 Chevrolet where I bought it in Houston,Texas and on August 8th was told that they need to replace the engine and do not have an estimated time for repair.

NHTSA complaint 11755678. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2025	84	0	—
2024	283	2	—
2023	359	3	—
2022	588	6	—
2021	782	8	—
2020	699	12	—
2019	1,055	10	—
2018	512	7	1
2017	711	6	—
2016	790	11	1
2015	1,098	11	1
2014	1,433	6	4
2013	301	2	—
2012	215	2	—
2011	563	4	1
2010	360	3	—

Other 2026 Chevrolet models

Equinox 60 Tahoe 20 Traverse 20 Colorado 12 Suburban 1500 10 Equinox EV 8

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

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst