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2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, most often about the transmission (34% of complaints, typically around 97,000 miles). It is 16th of 27 Silverado 2500 model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems
Transmission
30 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 97,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle downshifted from 8th to 7th gear or from 8th to 6th gear, and the wheels locked up, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while slowing down and coming to a stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed while in drive; however, the vehicle started to roll backwards. The contact depressed the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards, and the RPM became…
Electrical
17 complaints · 19%6.6l gas truck would not start. Forums ive visited state this is a known problem with the ECM. After approx 30mins it started. However before that it sputtered out every time I would try to start it. It appears to be an intermittent problem. It ran fine once it eventually did start. Also auto start wouldn't engage…
The contact owns a 2021 chevroletâ Silverado 2500. The contact stated that the connector for the heater system was causing the vehicle to overheat, subsequently enabling the vehicle to go faster than 50 MPH. If the vehicle reaches 75 miles, it would immediately decrease in speed to 5 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a…
Brakes
12 complaints · 14%The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer was not notified of the failure and informed the contact that the brakes needed to be replaced. The…
Engine
8 complaints · 9%6.6l gas truck would not start. Forums ive visited state this is a known problem with the ECM. After approx 30mins it started. However before that it sputtered out every time I would try to start it. It appears to be an intermittent problem. It ran fine once it eventually did start. Also auto start wouldn't engage…
My truck will not start randomly. The truck will crank but won't fire. If I wait a while it will eventually start. I took it to the dealer and was told that they could not recreate it. No check engine light on and no error codes noted.
Fuel system
8 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: fuel injection system.
The contact owned a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact noticed flames coming from the cab and the bed of the vehicle. The contact stated that the flames grew bigger and the contact pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle before the vehicle became…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving 70-75 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle independently decelerated to approximately 50 MPH then down to 40 MPH before being able to pull off on a nearby exit. The contact stated that the…
Doors and locks
8 complaints · 9%The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the electronic tailgate door erroneously unlatched and continued to open and close. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the tailgate opened unintendedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 24v060000 (latches/locks/ linkages) however, the VIN was not…
Other or unspecified
6 complaints · 7%Body and structure
4 complaints · 5%Parts named most often: body.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls
Transmission: valves/valve body
Risk: Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. Gm will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed december 12, 2024. Owners may contact gm customer service at 1-888-988-7267, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, gmc customer service at gmc 1-800-462-8782 or chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's number for this recall is n242454440.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2020-2022 chevrolet silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, gmc sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, chevrolet tahoe, suburban, gmc yukon, and yukon xl vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: An unlatched tailgate may open while driving and result in a loss of unsecured cargo, creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed may 17, 2024. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n232426400.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2020-2024 chevrolet silverado 2500, 3500, gmc sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. The tailgate's electronic gate-release switch may short circuit due to water intrusion, which can result in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
Brakes: control module
Risk: Water in the bpmv may cause an electrical short circuit and increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will replace the bpmv assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on october 20, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212349181.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2021-2022 chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, gmc sierra 2500, and sierra 3500 vehicles with electronic brake control modules (ebcm) replaced during vehicle assembly. The bolts that attach the brake pressure modulator valve (bpmv) assembly may not be properly tightened, which could fail to seal the two sub-assemblies and allow water intrusion.
Wheels and tires: temporary/emergency spare tire
Risk: An ABS system that cannot control the rear wheels independently increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will provide the appropriate spare tire and apply a new spare tire information label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on october 18, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212329780.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc. (gm) is recalling certain 2020-2021 chevrolet silverado 2500 and gmc sierra 2500 vehicles equipped with a 17" spare tire (rpo zhq or zxt) and either the 20" accessory road tire (rpo rem) or the 18" accessory road tire (rpo q2v). Operating the spare tire with other 20" or 18" tires can prevent the anti-lock braking system (ABS) from engaging.
Seat belts: critical fasteners
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began january 29, 2021. Owners may contact gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8785, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's number for this recall is n202322230.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2020 chevrolet bolt EV and 2021 gmc canyon and sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, yukon, yukon xl, cadillac escalade and escalade esv and chevrolet blazer, camaro, colorado, equinox, silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, suburban and tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Seat belts: critical fasteners
Risk: If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began january 26, 2021. Owners may contact gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's number for this recall is n202314670.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2019-2021 chevrolet silverado 1500 and gmc sierra 1500, 2021 chevrolet suburban and tahoe and gmc yukon xl and 2020-2021 chevrolet silverado 2500 and 3500 and gmc sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
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
Air bag malfunction
Summary
On april 9, 2021, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened pe21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (mil) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by general motors (gm). The vehicles included model year (my) 2020 through 2021 ct4 and ct5 passenger cars, sierra and silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), xt4 and my 2021 escalade, suburban, tahoe, yukon suvs.technical service bulletin (tsb) 21-na-005, issued in march 2021, addresses air bag mil illumination with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) b0001-1b or b0012-0d. It cites rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver air bag
Questions about the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (30 complaints, typically around 97,000 miles); electrical (17 complaints); brakes (12 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 24, 2024 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2021 a bad year for the Chevrolet Silverado 2500?
- It is 16th of 27 Silverado 2500 model years by number of complaints, with 88 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.