Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Reliability Problems

Silverado 3500 owners have made 40 complaints over 22 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 8th in overall reliability out of 40 Chevrolet models, with some steering and wheels concerns.

2 Common Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems

A list of some of the most common issues Silverado 3500 owners have to deal with.

  1. Chevy Shake

    When traveling above 35mph, GM's full size trucks and SUVs are experiencing cabin vibrations along with terribly loud noises from buffeting wind that is making owners sick. GM says these vibrations are within their acceptable vibration rang…

    Continue reading article "Chevy Shake" A blurry image of a Silverado that looks like it's bouncing up and down.

  2. Takata Recalls

    A large number of Chevy vehicles have been recalled because they contain dangerous airbag inflators made by Takata. The shrapnel-hurling inflators have been recalled in over 37 million vehicles (and counting).

    Continue reading article "Takata Recalls" A crash test dummy about to hit an airbag with the Takata logo superimposed on top.

What Silverado 3500 Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Silverado 3500 Generations

The Silverado 3500 has 4 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 2nd generation (2007–2013).

Silverado 3500 Key Numbers

  1. 40 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 3,926 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 83 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Silverado 3500 Class-Action Lawsuits

The Silverado 3500 has been named as a class vehicle in the following lawsuits.

Recent Silverado 3500 News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  2. The front gas tank in some 2016-2018 General Motors HD trucks is overfilling, rupturing, and leaking fuel.

    The affected trucks all have two gas tanks. The front tank requests fuel from the backup when running low, but a defective sensor is requesting more fuel than the tank can hold. GM is recalling the trucks to stop the front tank from over-filling and rubbing against the driveshaft.…

    keep reading article "2016-2018 HD Trucks Recalled for Overfilling Gas Tank"

  3. GM allegedly cut corners by installing a fuel pump that isn’t compatible with US diesel in its larger trucks.

    It’d almost be hard to believe, except we are talking about GM here. The same company that swept a deadly ignition switch problem under the rug for a decade, rather than spend $0.90 per unit to fix it.

    A class-action lawsuit says GM knew what they were doing by installing the Bosch CP4 fuel pumps.…

    keep reading article "Lawsuit Says GM Tried to Save a Few Bucks by Intentionally Selecting a Fuel Pump That Can’t Handle US Diesel"

  5. It’s bad enough to have your truck recalled because the brake pedal might fall off. It gets worse when you find out there’s a good chance your truck wasn’t properly fixed … and the brake pedal still might fall off.

    When a 2015 Silverado that had previously been “repaired” as part of the recall was brought back in for service, it raised a big ole’ red flag.…

    keep reading article "GM Brake Pedals Are Still Falling Off Because Technicians Didn’t Follow the Recall Instructions"

  6. A consolidated class-action lawsuit is accusing GM of equipping its Duramax diesel engines with defeat devices.

    The plaintiffs claim emissions tests show the Silverado and Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks emit levels of nitrogen oxides higher than GM advertised. The emissions are also allegedly higher than government standards.

    The lawsuit says the engines are equipped with multiple devices to control emissions in specific situations, but that the engines generally produce 2.1 to 2.4x the legal limit.

    That’s amateur hour next to VW’s diesel defeat devices that spewed 40x the legal limit of NOx.

    keep reading article "Are There Duramax Diesel Defeat Devices?"

  7. GM is recalling 23,000 vehicles because the a seat belt pretensioner cable may no longer be attached.

    The automaker had been monitoring the field for signs of pretensioner cables wearing down in 2014-2016 trucks and SUVs and monitoring warranty data, leading the automaker to open an internal investigation.

    GM says the cables fatigue because the driver [can sit on the] pretensioner and cable guide in a sliding motion while entering the vehicle.

    Let that be a lesson to us owners to … stop sitting in our cars?

    keep reading article "23,000 Trucks Recalled Because the Dang Seatbelts Might ‘Fatigue’ and Seperate"

  8. Last month GM announced an airbag recall affecting 4 million vehicles.

    Software errors have been found to disable the front airbags and seatbelt pretensions after "certain driving conditions." GM won't say what those conditions are, but they did say there’s been at least one death related to the bug.

    “GM opened an investigation into the issue in June and contacted Delphi, the supplier of the sensing and diagnostic module. The automaker gathered additional electronic data recorder records from other incidents where the same crash symptoms occurred.”

    After three days of road tests in September 2016, GM ordered the recall. The affected GMC vehicles include the Sierra lineup as well as the Yukon.

    keep reading article "Massive GM Airbag Recall"

Other Chevrolet Models