Is your defective Chevrolet Silverado 1500 actually a LEMON?

Find out in 30 SECONDS or less if it qualifies for a REFUND or a CASH SETTLEMENT.

Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
24 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 brakes problems

brakes problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #21

Feb 152024

Silverado 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving along about 45 mph and the truck was cruising in overdrive so about 1500 rmp on tachometer. I hit the gas to climb a hill as truck started to lose speed and when it tried to shift out of od to pick up speed the brakes seemed to slam on and I skidded to almost a stop. This has happened several times when climbing a hill or anytime I have to pass a vehicle or accelerate from out of overdrive. The dealer could never seem to get it to reproduce during test drive. They recently said there is a service bulletin for this exact issue and are waiting for a new valve body for transmission. My service records show I had a new valve body installed last year due to transmission pump bearing coming apart internally. The valve body is only a year old. But this is a very dangerous situation. I have to drive my truck for work and I have to be really cognizant of how hard I touch the gas and what gear I am in. If this happens to anyone while on the freeway and a semi or another vehicle is too close their truck will downshift and lock brakes and it could cost a life. It only happens under these circumstances but it has to be a recall. A service bulletin doesn't get it as someone has to have it happen for it to even be looked at. I have to drive my truck as I do not have a choice. But a service bulletin shows that GM I'd aware of the issue but they are unwilling to do a recall. A lotnof silverados are on the road and inwould hate for anything to happen. It could ruin a lot of lives.

- Fredericktown, OH, USA

problem #20

Aug 142023

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Started having a rubbing sound in rear end of vehicle. Took it to dealer. Brake calipers are a issue on this model and dealer says, -?? found updated rear brake calipers with deflectors to help with dirt in rear calipers/not covered under warranty customer pay expense-??, they are replacing rotors under warranty that got worn out. They want me to pay $2400 to purchase and have the -??updated brake calipers-?? installed. If brake calipers are updated then that means there is a known issue with them. Spoke with the manufacturer and they said too bad.

- New Braunfels, TX, USA

problem #19

Jun 272023

Silverado 1500

  • miles
While parked I turned on the truck and got service sec warning and power steering failure. Brakes barely worked and wheel was locked. After restarting the car three times it went away and truck became driveable. Took it to a dealership and they said there-??s nothing they could do as a code didn-??t pop. Seems unacceptable as my family is consistently in the car and if it happens while driving could be extremely dangerous

- Holloman Afb, NM, USA

problem #18

Jun 292023

Silverado 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While pulling out into traffic the vehicle will momentarily lose all electrical power and the engine shuts off causing loss of brakes and steering.

- Seguin, TX, USA

problem #17

Feb 142023

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Loud growling. Breaks safety concern due to fail.

- Plattsburg, MO, USA

problem #16

Mar 092023

Silverado 1500

  • miles
My safety system service warning comes on for about 30 seconds and then goes back off. This has happened about 4 times now. The transmission causes my truck to shake randomly. My pulley is going out and the local dealer said they wouldn't replace is under warranty(even though my warranty was still is effect) because they said it looked like someone sprayed tire cleaner under the hood(I bought it from the same dealership that I took it to for this service.) The brake seem to shake already when coming to a stop. They seem as if they are wearing prematurely.

- Greenbrier, AR, USA

problem #15

Feb 132023

Silverado 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

ESC failed. The 2021 Chevy Silverado (39495 mi) began to shutter and a slight bouncing of the rear end. The ESC light came on the service ESC warning on the dashboard then the check engine light began to blink at the same time the parking brake light came on. The dash warning switched to have parking brake serviced. The truck as best as I could tell applied the parking brake several times for no reason while at highway speeds and traffic on all sides. All warnings stopped when Auto engine shut down at exit ramp light. Previously brought into dealership for -??Service ECS-?? and -??Service Power Steering Drive With Care-??. I was told -?? unable to replicate -?? (23194 mi). Vehicle was returned to me. They did confirm the dash warning was stored in the computer. I do not believe any warning (blinkers) or brake lights came on to warn vehicles behind me of the rear brakes being applied by the ESC.

- Liberty Township, OH, USA

problem #14

Jan 292023

Silverado 1500

  • miles
So I have been having issues with my truck losing oil. My dealership told me that Walmart made an issue with the oil filter causing it to leak oil out. After the dealership corrected the issue. I was on my way to the store this morning it was damp so I was having a lot of traction issues. Got to the gas station checked tires, no issue with them. Temperature is above freezing. Just thought maybe it-??s in my head. Well I get about 2 miles from my house and low oil light comes on again. So this is an issue. It has happened 2 times to me. Had I not been cautious I could have slipped off the road or had a collision because the oil mixing with the water on the roadways. I will be reaching out to my dealership tomorrow to try and get them to correct this issue again. Seems there is a service bulletin on how to tighten the oil filter. Because of oil leaks.

- Sevierville , TN, USA

problem #13

Dec 182022

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Anytime the weather gets colder than 32degrees Fahrenheit the DEF system freezes, which even if the tank is full makes the truck go into limp mode until it thaws out. The engine light pops on and off with no codes associated with it. Now the breaks and break lines are freezing when it gets below freezing. These are just a few of the reoccurring problems we-??ve experienced since buying the truck less than a year ago.

- Hudson, WI, USA

problem #12

Jul 072022

Silverado 1500

  • miles
2021 Silverado Trail Boss. Went to the store, came outside started the truck and it showed me ESC Warning and Power Steering Failure Drive with Care notice on the dash. The Steering was very hard to turn. I tried multiple times, and it did not work. I started reading information on line and found out that there are multiple truck owners who had same issue. I saw some information to leave the truck off for 20 - 30 min and try again. I left it off for 30 min and started again. At that time it started fine. I am going to the Chevy dealer because this can also happen while I am driving and it can cause an accident. My truck has only 12k miles.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #11

Jun 012021

Silverado 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Can't pull a trailer without the SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT coming on a dinging over and over. Had my trailer completely rewired only to find out its a malfunction on my truck not my trailer. My truck is a 2021 Silverado z71 trail boss with low mileage

- Hallsville, TX, USA

problem #10

May 122022

Silverado 1500

  • miles
When I start my Chevy Silverado 1500, three warning lights come on that are telling me that I have brake system failure 43 MPH top speed, Service ESC and Service Trailer Brake system. When I drive, the brakes are very mushy and the truck is very difficult to brake. 20 minutes later after stopping and getting ready to take the truck to the dealer, the brakes worked fine. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem at first, but finally had the issue when they were putting it on the rack to perform improve my tire alignment, so they said they updated the software. The truck brakes worked fine when I left the dealership. The next day (Saturday) I went to start the truck and the same issue happened. I can't take it in as Service is not available on Saturdays so I started looking online. Apparently there are several other owners dealing with this same issue and have been for years. I have read that it might be a variety of things causing this issue, but someone needs to get this resolved ASAP as I have read about some getting into accidents regarding this. My truck is only 16 months old and only has 14,000 miles on it.

- Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA

problem #9

Dec 272021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
While driving the vehicle on a snow covered road the check engine light, abs light, esc light and parking brake light all came on. The vehicle also lost braking power. Took to the dealer. They told me it was a brake control module. If you do some research this is a on going thing since 2018. But they still continue to put this part in the trucks. On top of all of that they don't have a replacement part for the truck. Now the truck is going to sit at the dealer for one to two months. I am now paying on a truck that I can't drive to work and no loaners available. my question is why are they aloud to still put these parts in a truck. How do I know if they fix it if the problem wont happen again. If it does happen i hope my family and any one else is not in the way of my truck that I am unable to stop.

- Linden, MI, USA

problem #8

Oct 272021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
I purchased my vehicle on 10/11/21 new with 4716 miles on it and on 10/27/21 a -??service brake assist system -?? came on along with the check engine light. I drove directly to Long Chevrolet and GMC of Athens, Tennessee. They scanned the codes and determine that the master break cylinder and associated system needs to be replaced. They kept the vehicle stating that the brake system could fail. It is now 11/6/21 and they have no estimated timeline on being able to get parts to repair my vehicle. I now have to make a payment on a vehicle I can not drive

- Athens, TN, USA

problem #7

Sep 102021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
the trailer brake serve light is on amd the parking brake will not come off, the truck is undrivable

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #6

Jul 092021

Silverado 1500 8-cyl

  • miles
My best friends truck, a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado had a brake failure a July 2021. Was coming up to an intersection to make a left turn and went to press the brake pedal to slow down for the turn. Pedal went all the way to the floor and the truck wasn't slowing down much at all. Multiple brake system warnings and lights came on the dash along with the check engine light. It got towed to the dealership he bought it from. They replaced the brake system control module and said it's good to go. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There have already been 2 recalls pertaining to this exact issue released, none of which applied to his truck according to the VIN recall checker on GM's website. If the problem has been figured out and fixed, then it wouldn't still be occuring. This is a MAJOR safety concern, one that I feel people need to be aware of. Which is why I'm sharing what happened to my friend's truck on behalf of him. This situation is exactly why the emergency brake on vehicles is an all mechanical system that allows the driver to quickly and directly be able to apply the vehicles brakes. It's a reliable and dependable system that's been implemented for over a century. This is a prime example of why vehicles still need to have one onboard. This vehicle doesn't have a real emergency brake. There was an emergency in which the vehicles primary brakes failed and weren't able to slow down the vehicle. The little "emergency brake" button was more worthless than the main brakes that failed to do their job on this truck with less than 5,000 miles on it because the emergency brake system on this truck has worked 0% of the time it was needed so far. This isn't some engine misfire, sunvisor defect, or Bluetooth pairing problem, this is an out of nowhere total brake system failure. This is not good. And people need to be made aware that the problem is still occurring, and on vehicle's that GM isn't aware that it may be applicable to according to the absence of any recalls per VIN.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #5

Apr 072021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Faulty lifters causing the truck to throw piston rods. This causes malfunction of the traction control, parking brake, transmission, auto locking rear differential. I have had my truck in the shop 3 times for the same issue all within the 1st 10,000 miles. This particular motor has been taken out of production. Upon speaking to mechanic managers at multiple GM dealerships they were not surprised and personally gave me advice on the lemon law. My truck, which is my 1st brand new vehicle, has been out of service now for a total of 45days. I have still made payments up to date. The dealership offers a car or small suv while repairs are being completed, not a truck! Beware of the 5.3litre ecotec3 v8 motor.

- Deltona, FL, USA

problem #4

Jul 092021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Truck started wobbling and the engine light, traction control light, and Peking brake light came on. Also It say service ESC. Truck is making a horrible noise underneath.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #3

Jun 252021

Silverado 1500

  • miles
Purchased new Chevrolet Silverado AT4 last week and with only 72 miles on the odometer a warning light appeared on instrument cluster stating -??Service Brake Assist-??. Returned to dealer where purchased with 91 miles on odometer 3 days later. Dealer service department confirmed a faulty brake control module and ordered replacement part. New brake control module will arrive in 4 days and will be installed at that time. In the meantime, service manager said vehicle is safe to drive with existing brake control module. This is being submitted because of previous significant vehicle recalls on record for the same issue in 2018-2020. It appears the problem or some iteration of the problem has not been corrected yet in the 2021 models.

- Greeneville, TN, USA

problem #2

May 052021

Silverado 1500

  • 510 miles
Bought the truck 2 weeks ago and put 500 miles on it. Upon entering I got an alert on the dash saying ESC power steering failure, parking sensor failure and ABS failure drive with caution. All these alerts happened while the vehicle was parked and barely turned on. Sure enough I try to turn the steering wheel and the power steering was out and the parking sensors were out. I didn't try the brakes since I was not moving and parked.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

Read the next 1 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?