What breaks most · 1990 to 2017 model years
Chevrolet Silverado problems by year
Owners have filed 8,614 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Silverado across model years 1990 to 2017. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 2000 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2001 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 86141990 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 19991658 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 663109 fires · 486 injuries · 22 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 156Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 4 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (10) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 40 | 1 | 0 | Visibility (13) | |
| 69 | 1 | 0 | Seats (25) | |
| 210 | 7 | 0 | Visibility (128) | |
| 263 | 13 | 0 | Visibility (148) | |
| 185 | 13 | 0 | Visibility (73) | |
| 272 | 16 | 0 | Steering (59) | |
| 279 | 16 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (84) | |
| 1658 | 99 | 17 | Brakes (hydraulic) (815) | |
| 1305 | 140 | 20 | Brakes (hydraulic) (450) | |
| 877 | 93 | 15 | Brakes (hydraulic) (306) | |
| 710 | 75 | 15 | Brakes (hydraulic) (245) | |
| 695 | 42 | 13 | Brakes (hydraulic) (130) | |
| 621 | 56 | 15 | Electrical system (159) | |
| 315 | 13 | 14 | Electrical system (64) | |
| 181 | 8 | 10 | Brakes (83) | |
| 180 | 9 | 4 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 153 | 10 | 2 | Air bags (55) | |
| 72 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (16) | |
| 60 | 2 | 1 | Body and structure (12) | |
| 73 | 7 | 2 | Body and structure (15) | |
| 65 | 8 | 2 | Body and structure (14) | |
| 61 | 8 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 122 | 14 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (37) | |
| 61 | 3 | 7 | Engine (13) | |
| 3 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 43 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (9) |
What fails on the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 49% |
815 | 49 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 7% |
109 | 3 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
107 | 4 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
97 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
95 | 9 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado |
| Tires | 5% |
90 | 3 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
84 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
69 | 2 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I have a 1999 chevy silveraido the frame has broke . The truck is mint everything but the frame and the brake lines .i have ordered a new frame and will replace .chevy will do nothing.
-
While driving i hit my brakes and the pressure went out and the brake pedal had to be pushed all the way to the floor before i was able to stop. Brake fluid was leaking from driver side just behind the front tire.
-
2001 chevy silverado. Consumer writes in regards to excessive corrosion on frame and brake lines at low mileage. *smd the consumer also noticed the fuel lines were corroded.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Silverado years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2001 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Silverado. The 1999 alone has 1658 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Chevrolet Silverado problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 815 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Silverado problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Silverado complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.