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2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 805 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, most often about the brakes (53% of complaints, typically around 85,000 miles). It is 7th of 27 Silverado 1500 model years by number of complaints.
Most common 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
Brakes
429 complaints · 53%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, antilock, pedals and linkages.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. In 2007, a professional technician inferred that the rotors may potentially fail. One year later, the contact noticed that when trying to stop the vehicle, the brake system performed horribly. After carefully inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that there was excessive…
I am writing in regards to my anti lock baking system (ABS) and my steering column. I was nearly involved in an auto accident on dry pavement when my ABS system engaged and then dis-engaged at a speed of less than 10 MPH. When steering to the right to avoid the accident, my steering column had a strange vibration/loud…
Electrical
195 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, ignition, 12v/24v/48v battery, wiring.
2003 chevy silverado speedometer not working. Sticks. Sometimes works. Dealer said $500 to fix. Know 3 other 03-04 silverado owners with same problem.
I own a 2003 chevy silverado and the speedometer has been very erratic lately. I have approximately 75,000 miles on my truck. I can be traveling at 65 MPH and the speedometer will read 30 MPH or even 0 MPH. There is really no consistency to how the speedometer measures my speed.
Steering
56 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles. Parts named most often: column, linkages, gear box.
When turning to the left or right vehicle produced a loud noise. It was determined that the intermediate shaft in the steering needed to be repalced, however the part was on backorder.
I have a constant problem with the steering column on my 2003 chevy Silverado 1500 z71. It is alway vibrating and cluncking. I bring it into for service and after about 4-6 months I am in there again for the same problem. The service dept. Stated they are aware of problem but have no fix but to grease part.…
Engine
35 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 120,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the second gear was not catching and the check engine warning light on the instrument panel. The failure was noticed while driving 50 MPH. The Chevrolet dealer stated that the catalytic converter had been cut out, which was illegal. The failure…
The truck was purchased the 17th of june and two wks later the service engine light came on and its was real hard to get in 2nd gear. We took it to the chevy dealership and they checked it out for US. The problems are there is no cat converter,two seals and a sensor that needs to be replaced. Not to mention 2nd gear…
Speed control
29 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: cables, cruise control.
2003 Chevrolet silverado speedometer began acting erratic in january of 2007 with speeds at a stop ranging from 50-120 miles per hour. I do not know what the actual speed of the vehicle is because the speedometer is usually incorrect and in varying degrees of inaccuracy.
I own a 2003 c1500 Chevrolet silverado which has approximately 57,000 miles on it. On three occasions in the last six weeks while driving on the interstate at posted speeds the speedometer has gone from approximate 65 MPH, correct readout, to anywhere between 90-120 MPH. After sitting for 12 to 36 hours the…
Fuel system
28 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 115,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
During commute to work on 22 april 2014, as I was approaching a stoplight and pressed the brakes to slow down, the main console chimed, showed a message to check brakes, and I was able to press the brake lever to the floor. I was still able to stop prior to reaching the stoplight. I slowly returned home (about a mile)…
Had hooked truck to a car trailer and stepped on brakes to put truck in drive and brake pedal went to floor, there was no brakes at all. Upon examining I found that three brake lines had failed. The truck was towed to a local garage and they found that all brake lines and also the fuel lines were badly rusted and had…
Body and structure
27 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
2000 to 2005 gm trucks extra cabs rocker panels rusting away rear bumper rust away an brake lines rusting. This is a safety issue it fails state inspection an the dealers no about it have contacted a few dealers an have been told off the record that it a design fault from gm. Their are many junk yards who don't have…
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that he could not remove the spare tire from the cradle underneath the truck and the contact was unable to release the safety latch in order to drop it down. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who…
Transmission
26 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 80,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, transfer case (4-wheel drive), manual transmission.
Just 100 miles after PCM was replaced , out of warranty, engine warning light came on. Since unable to get to dealership fast enough I did some research in my manual, which stated that if I shut down vehicle and light goes off then probably nothing major to worry about. Intermittently the light has came on, then gone…
Truck died. Lost dashboard functions, no engine crank, PCM failure. Had to have towed from side of expressway to dealership for diagnostic testing. Found out PCM was bad ,and had to replaced. Rarity, but coincidental when it happened just 217 miles over the 80,000 mile gm warranty time frame. It was almost a $800 bill…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
Summary
On january 11, 2011, odi opened ea11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (my) 1999 through 2003 general motors (gm) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the united states that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin.the subject vehicles represent the first five my's of gm's gmt800 platform production, of whi
Parking brake failure
Summary
In a letter dated april 20, 2005, gm notified NHTSA that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to gm, some of these vehicles may have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.gm's action covers an estimated total of 142,585 vehicles.dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with the pbr parking brake system and install a redesigned park
Parking brake failure
Summary
Odi opened pe03-057 to assess parking brake ineffectiveness in the subject vehicles.these vehicles are equipped with four wheel disc brakes that incorporate a single-shoe drum-in-hat parking brake independent of the service brakes.complaint and warranty data indicate that the parking brake linings tend to wear out early in the life of the vehicle (at an average of 24 months in service), reducing the parking brake system's torque below that needed to immobilize the vehicle.gm has attributed this accelerated wear to foreign material intrusion and a failure of the brake shoe to properly self-center within its brake drum.effective with the start of my 2003 production, a newer reduced force hold-
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: brakes (429 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles); electrical (195 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles); steering (56 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
- It is 7th of 27 Silverado 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 805 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.