2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
749 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 24/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 31,735 miles.
Typical
Where 2018 sits among all Silverado 1500 years
What owners report
“Transmission slipping and shuddering when fluid warms up. Dealership diagnosed torque converter/transmission failure. Stated it may cause transmission lockup while driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
“The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
“My trailer brake system service light is on. This is due to a faulty wire harness. This issue is also causing the Stabilitrak service light to appear.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
“Brake pedal gets hard and you will need to step on the brake hard in order to brake.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
“I bought this truck brand new from the dealer, i have 70 miles on it, the truck shakes at 75-85 mph, dealer says it ok. I paid 40k for this and its not ok with me.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
“The steering assist reduced light and the stable track light keep coming on while driving on street and highway”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Silverado 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 272 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 38,270 miles. Half of those reports fall between 15,000 and 70,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may…
Fix: Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap…
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or…
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Sierra 2500, 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap…
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2025. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach…
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020,…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon vehicles equipped with either a 5.3L or 6.2L V8 engine. The output of the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time,…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2020. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-522-9559,…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
Technical service bulletins
1,232 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Silverado 1500 TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?
The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 drew 749 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 24/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are transmission & drivetrain (169 complaints), engine (108), and electrical (106).
At what mileage do 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems around 38,270 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 15,000 and 70,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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.