How Reliable is the Chevrolet Silverado 3500?

Front 3/4 view of a Chevrolet Silverado 3500

Silverado 3500 owners have made 40 complaints over 22 model years. It ranks 8th in reliability out of 40 eligible Chevrolet models.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Chevrolet score is 18.80 while the Silverado 3500 comes in at 2.6.

The 2 Most Common Silverado 3500 Problems

We've pulled together a list of the problems Silverado 3500 owners.

  1. Chevy Shake

    When traveling above 35mph, GM's full size trucks and SUVs are experiencing cabin vibrations along with terribly loud noises from buffeting wind that is making owners sick. GM says these vibrations are within their acceptable vibration rang…

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  2. Takata Recalls

    A large number of Chevy vehicles have been recalled because they contain dangerous airbag inflators made by Takata. The shrapnel-hurling inflators have been recalled in over 37 million vehicles (and counting).

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What Silverado 3500 Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

Worst Topics

Worst Years

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Silverado 3500 Generations

The Silverado 3500 has 4 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 2nd generation (2007–2013).

  1. 4th Generation Silverado 3500

    Years
    2020–2020
    Reliability
    N/A
    PainRank™
    N/A
    Complaints
    0
    Continue

  2. 3rd Generation Silverado 3500

    Years
    2014–2019
    Reliability
    9th out of 80
    PainRank™
    1.02
    Complaints
    9
    Continue

  3. 2nd Generation Silverado 3500

    Years
    2007–2013
    Reliability
    24th out of 80
    PainRank™
    2.54
    Complaints
    23
    Continue

  4. 1st Generation Silverado 3500

    Years
    1999–2006
    Reliability
    5th out of 80
    PainRank™
    0.58
    Complaints
    8
    Continue

Silverado 3500 Key Numbers

  1. 40 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 3,926 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 83 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Recent Silverado 3500 News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    GM may have used the wrong bolts to secure the seat belts in certain 2020 and 2021 Chevy models.

    Could the new bolts work? Maybe. But when it comes time to rely on the seat belts, it's better knowing the right parts were used to tether them to the frame.…

  5. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    It’s bad enough to have your truck recalled because the brake pedal might fall off. It gets worse when you find out there’s a good chance your truck wasn’t properly fixed … and the brake pedal still might fall off.

    When a 2015 Silverado that had previously been “repaired” as part of the recall was brought back in for service, it raised a big ole’ red flag.…

  6. Tagged
    #lawsuit
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    A consolidated class-action lawsuit is accusing GM of equipping its Duramax diesel engines with defeat devices.

    The plaintiffs claim emissions tests show the Silverado and Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks emit levels of nitrogen oxides higher than GM advertised. The emissions are also allegedly higher than government standards.

    The lawsuit says the engines are equipped with multiple devices to control emissions in specific situations, but that the engines generally produce 2.1 to 2.4x the legal limit.

    That’s amateur hour next to VW’s diesel defeat devices that spewed 40x the legal limit of NOx.

  7. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    GM is recalling 23,000 vehicles because the a seat belt pretensioner cable may no longer be attached.

    The automaker had been monitoring the field for signs of pretensioner cables wearing down in 2014-2016 trucks and SUVs and monitoring warranty data, leading the automaker to open an internal investigation.

    GM says the cables fatigue because the driver [can sit on the] pretensioner and cable guide in a sliding motion while entering the vehicle.

    Let that be a lesson to us owners to … stop sitting in our cars?

  8. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Last month GM announced an airbag recall affecting 4 million vehicles.

    Software errors have been found to disable the front airbags and seatbelt pretensions after "certain driving conditions." GM won't say what those conditions are, but they did say there’s been at least one death related to the bug.

    “GM opened an investigation into the issue in June and contacted Delphi, the supplier of the sensing and diagnostic module. The automaker gathered additional electronic data recorder records from other incidents where the same crash symptoms occurred.”

    After three days of road tests in September 2016, GM ordered the recall. The affected GMC vehicles include the Sierra lineup as well as the Yukon.

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