2006 Chevrolet Silverado problems & reliability
182 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured, 5 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2006 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles were involved in 414 fatal crashes with 220 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 83 | 46% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 19 | 10% |
| Suspension | 15 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 14 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 11 | 6% |
| Steering | 9 | 5% |
| Tires | 9 | 5% |
| Power Train | 8 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 4% |
| Structure | 6 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 59,800 miles (middle 50% between 29,000 and 83,000 miles), based on 161 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 equipped with Continental General Grabber STX tires, tire size 24570R17, DOT Number vynhhm55. The contact stated that all four tire sidewalls had begun to deuterating exposing the white another. The vehicle returned the tires to Walmart where they purchased the tires…”
Tires · filed Oct 12, 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet silverado. While driving 35 mph and attempting to decrease in speed, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard and failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,642.”
Service Brakes · filed Nov 17, 2015
“This vehicle has had multiple brake issues since new. First off, it goes through front brake pads and rotors too frequently. First replaced around 25k and again around 60k. This vehicle has mostly been used for long highway trips, ny to fl etc., not around town. Used in rural area. Next, several brakes lines have…”
Service Brakes · filed Nov 12, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
213 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado. The 10 most recent:
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to lube the rear leaf springs on vehicles with the condition of a squeak noise originating from the rear of the vehicle.
06-03-09-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 17, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have slack in one of the tailgate cables. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. Please…
PIT3227M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that if OnStar is unable to configure the vehicle after the OnStar 15-08-44-001 upgrade and Onstar receives a 118 error code when attempting to configure…
PIT5484A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an issue when using Bluetooth voice recognition with an iPhone. Technician should work with the customer to…
PIC5953A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2016
This informational bulletin provides information on Part Restriction and Ordering Process Information for OnStar Vehicle Communication Interface Modules (VCIM) (GMNA Only)
03-08-46-004R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 27, 2016
This informational bulletin provides information on close coupled converters and there affect on newly installed engines or engines during there break in period.
06-06-01-010C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2016
This warranty administration bulletin provides dealership personnel with policy and procedure requirements for essential tools that include consumable parts (U.S. Only).
15-00-89-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information to technicians regarding intake manifold inspection/replacement after severe internal engine damage.
00-06-01-026G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2015
This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs.
07-00-89-037H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2015
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 2006 Chevrolet Silverado has 4 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 2006 Chevrolet Silverado?
- · 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 59,800 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.