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2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 41 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500, most often about the electrical (32% of complaints). It is 12th of 27 Silverado 3500 model years by number of complaints and has 5 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 3500 problems
Electrical
13 complaints · 32%I got my truck in may and after two months the battery went completely dead without warning so had dealership tow it to service kept two weeks said it was battery. Now same thing happened again. Called roadside assistance from phone because on star wouldn't even work. They come out and jumped it. The jump started…
The new gm 2021 trailer lighting module and/or system is defective. It fails a pre-connection test with tester, gives "check trailer wiring" warning on dash without a trailer connected and turns off any trailer lighting connected without warning on the road, without blowing a fuse. This problem is much like the tsb…
Transmission
7 complaints · 17%The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and extended to the floorboard, and the vehicle almost crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact later discovered that the rear driverâs side brake pad had been…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly went into low power mode, with the check engine and low power mode warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent…
Body and structure
6 complaints · 15%Parts named most often: body.
Doors and locks
6 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 42,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked in the rain at night, the contact became aware that the tailgate had opened unintendedly. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving over bumpy road surfaces. Additionally, the contact stated while…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while the doors were unlocked, and the vehicle was idling or in motion; the rear tailgate independently opened and closed with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact manually closed the tailgate and locked the doors to prevent the…
Brakes
5 complaints · 12%I got my truck in may and after two months the battery went completely dead without warning so had dealership tow it to service kept two weeks said it was battery. Now same thing happened again. Called roadside assistance from phone because on star wouldn't even work. They come out and jumped it. The jump started…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to depress the brake pedal, there was an abnormal sound coming from the brakes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the brakes were replaced…
Fuel system
5 complaints · 12%The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, he noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the smoke would become more aggressive as the accelerator or brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle caught on fire however…
Other or unspecified
5 complaints · 12%Engine
3 complaints · 7%
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 3500 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.
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 3500
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (13 complaints); transmission (7 complaints); body and structure (6 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 have?
- 5 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 3500?
- It is 12th of 27 Silverado 3500 model years by number of complaints, with 41 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.