2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems & reliability
821 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, alongside 8 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 23, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
12 complaints report injuries (17 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 376 | 46% |
| Power Train → | 234 | 29% |
| Electrical System → | 112 | 14% |
| Unknown / Other | 72 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 58 | 7% |
| Steering → | 41 | 5% |
| Service Brakes → | 40 | 5% |
| Structure → | 28 | 3% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 26 | 3% |
| Air Bags → | 20 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 30 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 166 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 56,200 miles (middle 50% between 26,250 and 92,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My truck started skipping and over time the check engine light came on. I took it in and they are saying it is the lifters, which is costly. I know this truck was built during COVID and I know a lot of the manufacturers were dealing with skeleton crews. I heard this was an issue with the 2021 Silverado trucks, and a…”
Engine · filed Sep 20, 2026
“The water pump went bad at 31,000 miles. If I continued driving and the pulley fell off the engine would overheat. I took it to the dealer and they confirmed the pump failure and want me to pay over $1,400 for repair that should be covered under warranty. There was no warning lamps lit, the pump just started making a…”
Engine · filed Sep 20, 2026
“2021 silverado engine failure. Yes it was inspected by a dealership and my extended warranty company and serviced by the dealership. Back on August 5th I experienced a misfire cylinder 3 and felt loss of power. On August 7th the dealership diagnosed both camshafts, 1 lifter, 1 valve, and 1 fuel injector was damaged…”
Engine · filed Sep 17, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy
Engineering Analysis EA26005 · opened Aug 20, 2026 · open
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy
Recall Query RQ26001 · opened Jan 16, 2026 · closed Aug 20, 2026
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Engineering Analysis EA25007 · opened Oct 23, 2025 · open
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 · opened Jan 16, 2025 · closed Oct 23, 2025 · led to recall 25V274
- Air Bag Malfunction
Preliminary Evaluation PE21010 · opened Apr 9, 2021 · closed Aug 24, 2023
Technical service bulletins
1,459 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The 10 most recent:
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 4, 2026
This document assists GM dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. The torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the…
PIP6127A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 27, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues
PIC6551C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates an issue where an aftermarket autostop device or rear taillights is causing a dead battery.
PIT6031B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 7, 2026
This document assists GM dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. The torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the…
PIP6127 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2026
This PI provides information to repair the door water deflector which is not sealed properly allows water into the door jam/sill area.
PIT5680B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2026
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
PIT5509N · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This PI was created to help avoid unnecessary front camera module replacements
PIT6473F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 17, 2026
This PI provides a diagnostic tip on poor a/c performance due to a condenser issue and instructions to replace the ac condenser.
PIT5767B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 13, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 56,200 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.