Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Chevrolet Silverado 1500 model year from 1990 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 34,270 federal complaints, 56 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 1999–2004, 2014–2015. These years top the Silverado 1500's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990, 1992–1996, 2010, 2012–2013 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Silverado 1500's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 3 open defect investigations on the Chevrolet Silverado 1500.

Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy RQ26001 opened January 16, 2026 · still open

Component: ENGINE

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 36 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall 25V274. In each VOQ, the engine had the recall remedy completed prior to the reported failure incident. Recall 25V-274 addresses vehicles equipped with…

Model years named: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Loss of motive power due to engine failure EA25007 opened October 23, 2025 · still open

Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274. These engines are installed in Model Years (MY) 2019–2024…

Model years named: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA21002 opened September 17, 2021 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…

Model years named: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

34,270Complaints on file
56Recall campaigns
37Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Brakes & stability tops the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 file with 8,403 complaints, concentrated in the 1999–2003 model years, most often reported around 65,500 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2026 Too early to call 99 3 Engine 3
2025 Too early to call 135 0 Engine 5
2024 Too early to call 394 2 Engine 12
2023 Typical 520 3 Engine 17
2022 Typical 835 6 Engine 26
2021 Typical 1,061 8 Engine 34
2020 Typical 1,031 12 Engine 32
2019 Below average 1,543 10 Engine 48
2018 Typical 749 7 Transmission & drivetrain 24
2017 Below average 1,113 6 Transmission & drivetrain 40
2016 Below average 1,058 11 Brakes & stability 36
2015 Avoid 1,537 11 Brakes & stability 55
2014 Avoid 2,395 6 Steering 84
2013 Better year 479 2 Other 16
2012 Better year 369 2 Other 14
2011 Typical 797 4 Airbags 28
2010 Better year 542 3 Airbags 18
2009 Typical 656 3 Airbags 22
2008 Below average 1,315 3 Airbags 51
2007 Below average 1,309 2 Airbags 47
2006 Typical 685 0 Brakes & stability 25
2005 Below average 1,004 0 Electrical 38
2004 Avoid 1,674 0 Brakes & stability 63
2003 Avoid 1,812 0 Brakes & stability 62
2002 Avoid 1,473 0 Brakes & stability 57
2001 Avoid 1,675 0 Brakes & stability 76
2000 Avoid 2,345 0 Brakes & stability 94
1999 Avoid 2,815 2 Brakes & stability 100
1998 Typical 787 2 Brakes & stability 28
1997 Below average 1,058 2 Brakes & stability 39
1996 Better year 240 0 Visibility & wipers 10
1995 Better year 337 0 Visibility & wipers 12
1994 Better year 245 0 Visibility & wipers 9
1993 Better year 77 0 Seats & interior 3
1992 Better year 51 0 Visibility & wipers 2
1991 Few reports 18 0 — 0
1990 Better year 37 0 Brakes & stability 2

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 35,047 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 1999–2004, 2014–2015 as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problem?

Brakes & stability tops the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 file with 8,403 complaints, concentrated in the 1999–2003 model years, most often reported around 65,500 miles.

What are the best Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years to buy used?

The quietest Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years in federal records are 1990, 1992–1996, 2010, 2012–2013 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.