2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

656 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 22/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 76,800 miles.

656Complaints
22/100Trouble index
3Recalls
69,000Typical trouble mileage

Typical

Where 2009 sits among all Silverado 1500 years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Airbags 246 complaints (38%) · typically ~76,800 miles
“Takata recall- no remedy available. My "service airbags" light is on and need to fix this.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Silverado 1500
Other 81 complaints (12%) · typically ~65,000 miles
“Dash is cracked over passenger air bag ,also cracked in center of dash, and cracked on driver side.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Silverado 1500
Electrical 71 complaints (11%) · typically ~72,000 miles
“I have had to replace the fuse block twice in this truck the most recent time was 04/04/2016 the first cost was 600.00 and the most recent cost was 474.90”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Silverado 1500
Body & structure 69 complaints (11%) · typically ~66,500 miles
“The dashboard is cracking in different areas which could lead to a safety issue with the passenger airbag”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Silverado 1500
Engine 51 complaints (8%) · typically ~74,250 miles
“Engine tick, rough idle & misfire, burning oil, engine trouble light on, obd code p0300 & p0302”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Silverado 1500
Brakes & stability 24 complaints (4%) · typically ~43,000 miles

Mileage when trouble shows up

Among the 379 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 69,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 38,500 and 98,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.

Recalls (3)

AIR BAGS 21V052000 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…

AIR BAGS 21V050000 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…

AIR BAGS 21V053000 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold,…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…

Federal defect investigations

Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

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

Pedestrian alert sounds DP22005 opened 2023, closed 2023

Led to recall campaign 22V063000.

Technical service bulletins

1,672 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2009 Silverado 1500 TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2009peak 128 in 20172025

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?

The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 drew 656 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 22/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).

What are the most common 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems?

The top reported problems for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are airbags (246 complaints), other (81), and electrical (71).

At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems show up?

Owners most often report 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems around 69,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 38,500 and 98,000 miles.

Does the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have recalls?

3 recall campaigns apply to the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.

← 2008 Silverado 1500 All Silverado 1500 years 2010 Silverado 1500 →
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.