2009 Chevrolet Silverado problems & reliability
76 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado. 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.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles were involved in 210 fatal crashes with 103 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 17 | 22% |
| Air Bags → | 16 | 21% |
| Structure → | 14 | 18% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 11% |
| Engine | 6 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 5% |
| Power Train | 3 | 4% |
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 58,500 miles (middle 50% between 32,875 and 78,424 miles), based on 62 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, when an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic who informed the wiring harness was melted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 10, 2022
“The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet SIlverado. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the contact drifted off the highway which caused his vehicle to flip over three times and land right side up. The contact was able to escape the vehicle without major injury. The air bags did not deploy during the crash. The…”
Air Bags · filed Oct 28, 2021
“Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA campaign number 21V052000 (Air Bags) however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was not…”
Air Bags · filed Oct 1, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
277 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 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
14648A - Customer Satisfaction. Certain vehicles have a performance issue with their OnStar modules that could impact the vehicle?s battery life. If the vehicle?s OnStar module contains this condition, the OnStar green…
GCUS-3-854 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a bump feel or clunk noise at a stop or on launch. Dealer should communicate to the customer this condition…
PIT5161E · 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 provides the technician with a list of modules to check for communication with the scan tool, if the navigation radio does not display the current Hybrid mode. Dealer will use…
PIT4989B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides steps the technician will uses to diagnose and repair vehicles that have low oil pressure after an oil change with the engine Regular Production Option Code L20, L77…
PIP5276F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This Preliminary Information communication provides the technician with the additional steps that are needed to help perform a successful brake bleed on the 2-Mode Hybrid with Regular Production Option Code HP2. With a…
PIT4597E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2016
This preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a cold engine tick noise for 50 seconds at start up. Technician determines if the tick noise is possibly…
PIP5104B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 9, 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 preliminary informational bulletin provides a procedure to apply dielectric grease and a piece of adhesive shim stock to the steering angle sensor connector to correct a condition of service stabilitak message…
PI0639C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 25, 2016
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2009 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 58,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.