Brake and engine issues are among the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Lighter duty than the other Chevrolet Silverado trucks, the Silverado 1500 can be used for everyday driving as well as hauling and towing. Owners say it’s a good looking truck, but there are problems many of them didn’t expect. Malfunctions and failures some owners have reported relate to various vital components including the engine, powertrain, and brakes.
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The most common complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 relate to the brakes and consequently the vehicle speed control of the truck. There are also engine and powertrain problems, and issues with forward collision avoidance, the electrical system, and equipment, in the form of faulty radios.
Additionally, there is a recall for 2022-2023 Chevrolet 1500 vehicles along with certain Buick, Cadillac and GMC vehicles. The problem is that the daylight running lights (DRLs) don’t deactivate as they are supposed to. This can result in a glare that reduces visibility for drivers and increases the risk of a crash. The remedy is for dealerships to update the body control module software, which they will do free of charge. The recall states that it can be done via an over-the-air update.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
No vehicle is safe without proper functioning brakes, especially a truck however small. So, owners with brake problems have every right to be concerned. It becomes a critical issue when dealers aren’t able to fix the problem. This is what happened to an owner from Oklahoma.
In a complaint dated February 16, 2023, the owner of a 2023 Silverado 1500 stated that the truck “does not brake when any object enters the safety brake zone.” This leads the driver to lose safe distance while driving. But there is no resolution, because, according to the complaint, the dealer is unable to fix the problem.
And this isn’t the only person who has discovered that dealerships aren’t able to fix problems.
On February 12, 2023, another owner experienced the dash of his 2023 Silverado 1500 lighting up “like a Christmas tree.” Additionally, the trailer brakes failed when he went faster than 43 mph. The check engine light was on together with multiple other lights. At the time of the complaint, the truck was still at the dealership, “and General Motors (GM) doesn’t have a fix for (the) issue.”
It appears that the dealership did identify at least part of the problem, because the owner discovered that the part needed to fix the problem was on national backorder. He isn’t happy though, because not even having made his first payment, the truck was already in the shop and “not safe to drive due to this issue.”
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Without a functioning engine no vehicle is any good. If the automaker pays to repair the problem, that’s great. But if the parts aren’t available for repair, the problem is exacerbated. Even though GM is going to pay for repairs, there are problems. And it’s telling that the parts needed to fix the problem weren’t available due to so many vehicles needing the parts.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that only 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vehicles need the parts. Problems are commonly found across a wide range of GM vehicles, as the recall mentioned above shows.
According to the engine-related NHTSA complaint, the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system “plugs up in below-zero weather (were) causing the main rear engine seal to blow and leak.” A day before the seal started leaking, the owner heard “a loud pop.” The complaint states that it “sounded like an object hit under the truck.” He spotted oil drops the next day, and the dealership found the leak.
His concern is that if he had driven the Silverado 1500 “for a prolonged time, the leak could have poured most of the oil out of the blown seal and ruined the engine. There were no warning signs. The oil pressure seemed unstable the immediate days afterwards before being looked at. It was going down and coming back up after warming. The oil began leaking faster and in larger amounts as (the) weather warmed above freezing.”
At the time of the complaint, the owner was waiting for GM to “manufacture the seal as it’s been back-ordered due to so many engines needing this part.” The owner states that GM would be paying for repairs, but that he was told the wait for parts would be about 2 months.
The owner of a 2023 Silverado 1500 with 1,000 miles on the clock states had powertrain issues. The complaint states that “while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and was jerking when shifting between the first and second gear. No warning lights were illuminated.”
The local dealer diagnosed that the transmission control module (TCM) needed to be reset, and the vehicle was repaired. However, the failure recurred while the owner was driving into his driveway, with the vehicle lunging forward. Surprisingly, a dealer was unable to duplicate the failure.
The owner refused to take the vehicle home until the dealer could provide a remedy and repair for the failure.
Have you had major problems with your 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500? If so, do you think you may have bought a lemon?
Do you know that every year automakers buy-back, replace, or trade-in lemon vehicles? Also, do you realize that the law says that the automaker, in this case GM, must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases?
We have negotiated many settlements on behalf of our clients who have discovered they bought lemons. All you have to do is call our Helpline or fill out a contact form. We will assess your problem free of charge and get back to you.
Sergei Lemberg is a lawyer whose practice focuses on consumer law, class actions and personal injury litigation. He has been repeatedly recognized as the “most active consumer attorney” in the country. In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid in the United States Supreme Court in the case entitled Duguid v. Facebook. He is the author of Defanging Debt Collectors, a book that teaches consumers how to battle debt collectors and win.
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