general problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 1

Trailer brake warning.

The rear window of my 2017 chevy silverado exploded. I had the rear defrosters on, and they malfunctioned. I thought I smelled something hot before this happened. I am surprised this didn't cause a fire. I have researched this issue, and it appears to be an ongoing problem with the 2014 - 2019 silverado and sierra trucks. In fact, canada has a recall on this issue, but the u. S. Does not. Why is that?.

After starting the vehicle. I heard a hissing noise coming from the rear of the cabin. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a large amount smoke rising from the box where the rear defroster power connects to the window. I immediately shut the vehicle off, got out and walked around the passenger side of the vehicle. As I approached the passenger rear door, the rear passenger window exploded with a loud pop, shooting glass across the bed of the truck. I know there is currently a recall for this issue in canada.

When driving all gauges go to zero, truck doesn’t illuminate which gear it’s in, warning lights come on (service 4wd, service stabilitrak, service traction control, reduced power steering, service traction control, service trailer brake system ). When not driving if these issues show on the dash when parked and the car doesn’t illuminate which gear it’s in, it does not crank over, does not start, there is no clicking noise either like if it was a bad starter. All the dash lights, gauges, radio goes black as if I turn the vehicle off instead of on. This has been happening since around 2020-2021 in colorado. It was in a shop for over a month with no resolution. In idaho in 2022-2024 in a shop for a month with no resolution, and now CA in 2025. No mechanic shop can figure out what is wrong, no “certified gm” shop or “certified gm engineer/technician can tell me what’s wrong. I have had the following replaced already and still having issues. Body control module (bcm), the transfer case control module (tccm), and the brake control module (bcm).

Issue is based off of this service bulletin, but gm has failed to call a recall on this for coverage. I was driving my daughter to softball practice. Every few minutes there would be a "stabilitrak" message showing on the driving information area. Then in slower speeds my dashboard screen would blank out and then go back to carplay. Then once I approached a parking lot at slower speeds my vehicle lost total power and shut down. Then had to switching the gear to park, then turn off the ignition key, then wait a few seconds and turn the key on to start the truck. It started as normal and was able to park in the parking space. Very scary and this is a very serious issue, I could have been in an accident with my daughter. This has to be addressed, I can't be the only one having this issue.

Electronic brakes lock up during driving. No power going to rear wheels.

Electronics for hands free stopped working. This part was already replaced once. When backing up, the whole truck shut down. I restarted, it said to roll drivers side window down and up. Truck started up again. Few days later. . . Returning from trip, lost power, windshield wipers came on, electronics in truck started blinking. Pulled over, rolled driver's side window up and down. Started back on road. This has happened numerous times. Whenever I gave it extra gas, asking for power to pass, same thing mentioned above happened. Very stressful! next day, hit a hole, truck totally shut down again. Husband was able to safely coast off road, however, if he had been pulling out at a major intersection, this could have been bad. Warning light that comes with shutdown says "stabltrack issue". I have not seen our dealer service department yet, but plan to very soon. Very unsafe. . . And I love this truck!!!!.

The afm system is a faulty system that starved my lifters of oil and they ended up collapsing causing a flat spot on my cam. The engine code would come up as a misfire but the code is caused by the flat spot created on the cam by the lifter it's a faulty system that cost me $7,000. My 8spd transmission also has a hard shift from 1st to 2nd pushing the vehicle forward and jerking it when it shifts. The dealer and gm said this was natural with this type of transmissions which we now know is a lie.

Unknown system or component failure. Vehicle is available upon request to inspect. My families safety was at risk, power steering goes out while driving, all service lights come on, vehicle goes into “limp mode”, would go in and out of gear while driving, gears won’t work properly (p,r,d…), when shifting into r camera won’t come on. This problem is continuing. Have not been able to get it into dealership. Vehicle has not been inspected by police, dealership, or insurance. Stabilitrak notification, and all service lights go off. No problem or symptoms prior to failure. Vehicle was well maintained and I have service records of every repair, oil change, etc.

I was parked at a gas pump, just got done fueling, hung hose up. I quickly ran into the gas station to grab a drink and as temps are 0°f, I remote started my vehicle from check out counter. When I returned to my vehicle the cab was filling with smoke. I sprung into action and quickly but safely drove away from gas pump with very little visibility, due to smoke, I assessed what was going on. Upon further investigating where the fire was coming from, I could see the smoke was billowing from my rear window. As I went to check on window heater that turns on automatically with remote start, the windows left panel exploded in my face from the outside of truck. Minor glass cuts, no major injuries. No insurance claims filed, no emergency services called as after I extinguished fire and turned off vehicle smoke seemed to have dissipated enough to safely get home 4 minutes away. As preventive messures I pulled the fuse to the rear window defroster so it is no longer getting power. This is seriously a safety hazard and thankfully I was able to pull away from gas pump. My truck, not so lucky. After looking into the issue when I got home, the us has not filed a recall on rear window defrosters for truck years 2014-2019. Canada does have a recall for this issue. As it has happened to me in the us in a very scary manor this needs to be addressed. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I was driving with kids in the rear seat. This needs to be taken care of and not at owners expense. Americans buy new vehicles to feel safe and secure. After owning my vehicle I have second thoughts about owning new, especially if a fire happens due to electronics built into the vehicle. I pray we can have this issue resolved to save all the innocent gm truck owners with families and friends who would also like to feel safe in their trucks. With temps this low in new england, I would like to be able to use my window defroster and have safer fields of view in icy/snowy conditions.

Rear defrost shorted and shattered the glass.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while in a drive-through, he noticed a smoky odor. The contact stated that he looked through the rearview mirror and noticed that smoke was coming from the rear window of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and inspected the rear window. The contact noticed an inch-long fire at the bottom of the rear window. The contact was able to blow the fire away. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the rear window shattered. No warning lights were illuminated. A fire report was not filed. A police report was not filed. There was no injury sustained. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for the vehicle inspection. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle inspection was performed, and the diagnostic report was sent to the manufacturer for claim purpose. The contact was not provided the diagnosis information. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the claim was denied after reviewing the facts on the case capital investigation. The manufacturer referred the contact to the insurance company for assistance. The contact stated that he was afraid of driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 53,500.

"trailer brake system service" message continuously displays across the digital cluster menu while I drive.

2 times total electrical and engine failure while driving.

I am filing a complaint regarding an electrical fire in the junction box of my 2017 chevy Silverado 1500. The issue began when the front passenger side marker light would not turn off. I disconnected the battery overnight to troubleshoot the problem. However, when I reconnected the battery the next morning, an electrical fire occurred in the fuse junction box under the hood. At the same time, the engine unexpectedly attempted to turn over and start on its own. I immediately disconnected the battery again to stop the fire. Upon inspection, I found that several wires, plugs, and the top half of the junction box had sustained significant damage.

Engine shuts down on its own causing steering wheel to jerk and almost locks preventing control. Has been doing this for three weeks and is now getting much worse. Seems to do when making slow speed sharp turn. Almost hit another car in intersection yesterday due to steering control loss. I have seen numerous mentions of this on the internet but seems gm does not have a fix. The truck is now dangerous to drive as it can completely shut down in the middle of an intersection.

As I was driving I received a call while my phone was plugged in to the usb charging port and as I answered the call all the gauges on my dash, as well as the radio and all my warning lights shut off and turned back on and calibrated as if I first started the vehicle and reset. Then the radio and things wouldn't work. I had to pull over shut off the truck and restart it. This has happened 2 times already in less than as year I contacted the dealer and they really don't seem to care and keep putting me off or telling me they will call me which never happens. As of writing this still not fixed.

Transmission failure at 120, 000 was replaced. Then factory thermostat went and then trickled down to the transmission. Got too hot and cooked the transmission. Come to find out it was also the radiator so that was replaced along with the thermostat and a second transmission. Put a transmission cooler on but still get very warm on the transaction fluid. Can't keep the temperature down in the summer while I'm towing. Trailer is well under the weight of the max capacity for the truck. And the latest problem I've had was to replace parts of the frame because that was rotted and beyond inspectable. Now I'm 14,000 in the negative with no reprieve. What is gm going to do for me as far as reimbursement? cuz I still owe a little over $9,000 on the truck. This is ridiculous and I believe I'm going to another brand of truck when I can get out from underneath this one. I've been a chevy owner my entire life and this is how you guys react to all your mistakes.

My vehicle radio goes crazy, but oddly the speedometer goes away as well. I was able to get it back by turning radio off completely, but this should be a recall issue. Please help.

This is a complaint in regards to the trailer breaking system in my certified pre-owned 2017 chevy silverado that I purchased in April of this year, 2024. I purchased this truck in particular for its high ratings in safety and towing capabilities. (April- may 2024) while towing a 22ft trailer from virginia to washington state, there were several moments where the “service trailer braking system” alert would appear on the dash. Driving on the interstate for days on end is twice as stressful when you have to wonder if your trailer brakes are reliable. If the trailer brakes were to suddenly stop working it would be dangerous for me and my passengers, as well as those around me on the road. (sept- oct 2024) we aren’t towing a trailer anymore, but the “service trailer braking system” light has been going off every couple minutes.

While turning vehicle at slow speeds the trailer warning,no trailer on vehicle, stability control hill assist radio and steering stop working as well as vehicle will stall out. Depending on when it happens it may stall while turning into traffic. I have searched the issue and found there is a ground problem under dash near windshield. It has happened multiple times like 15 as of this date.

We bought a chevy Silverado 1500 truck used in Nov 2021for purpose of towing RV trailer. In having axel bearings packed on trailer March [xxx], 2024, the RV mechanic noticed no wear or brake dust. He checked and determined RV brakes had never engaged and found no power to the RV brakes in the plug in port on back of truck. Took to dealer, chesrown in delaware ohio, on [xxx], 2024. After having truck all day they said issue was brake modulator which they reprogrammed. We hooked up RV trailer and brakes still do not work. Hand brake controller on dash will engage the trailer brakes , but not the foot brake. In researching online, there is a great deal of discussion about gm knowing about and not addressing the issue. There’s a known defect in a wiring harness between two of the body control modules. This part is known for broken wires and for connective issues. We reached out to gm customer service at 800-222-1020, who took our information and said they would contact the dealer. We took truck in today and explained again what the issue was and what we had learned from our research. There are currently several recalls on 2022 and 2023 silverados for the same trailer brake issues. Gm needs to take responsibility for this critical service issue!! we can not tow a RV trailer without brakes! when we asked the service manager why the tow package was not part of the inspection process when they took the vehicle in and placed it for sale as a used vehicle, he said they don’t do that. Seems to us, that when a dealer sells a vehicle, all parts should be in working order. Especially with a factory installed tow package. Please research and contact gm and have them issue a recall on all of their vehicles with factory tow packages to ensure the safety of all of those driving them! you will find numerous forums online where the biggest complaint is the trailer brake system not working and people very frustrated with the lack of response from not only gm but the dealers. Thank you! information redacted pursuant to the freedom o.

What happens is my "abs light" comes on and when I pull into the driveway. . . The truck shuts everything off. Locks the wheel!!! lights off!! it's deadly seriously!!! stabilitrak stops the truck from moving!!! this needs fixed bad!.

Stalling with no power transmission is putting me at risk since I first purchased this vehicle. Transmission needs to be replaced because of the defective drive shaft on all 2017 models . Really serious problem with a hard shift and multiple misfire. Just not sure what to do at this point. I’m still paying for a truck that’s not working.

Rear window drefroster began smoking. Pulled over and exited truck noticed defroster was glowing red. Window then shattered. This is a power slide window. Drivers side.

Failure of integrated wiring harness for trailer brake control. Wires broken, corroded and with brittle and cracked insulation causing trailer brakes to not engage thus creating a dangerous and possibly deadly condition for driver and others on the road.

The power sliding rear window circuit heated up so much that it produced smoke and shattered the rear window.

Complete loss of electrical system power and engine power, vehicle stalls and coast to a stop. This has happened seven different times in the last 4000 miles driven. Possibly due to faulty ground connection electric power steering system and or stabilitrak I don't know but it is very dangerous. And there has been many other people experiencing this on silverado facebook groups.

Before leaving the house, it sounded like a static noise was coming from the speakers. I turned the radio off and the noise was still there. I get out of the truck to check the back seat area (where the noise was coming from). I put my ear near the window and it almost sounded like a can of something was being sprayed. It was weird, because nothing was in the back of the cab. Anyway, I thought "that's weird" and drove off, not giving it much thought. As I was walking to the truck at sam's club, I hit the automatic start. While loading the groceries in the truck, the noise now sounded like a sizzling, snapping sound. Then, I noticed few snowflakes landing near the back window were causing that sound. Again, I thought "that is so weird"!! I put the cart back, got in the truck and started it. At that point, it smelled like something was burning. I jumped out and opened the back door to get a closer look. While trying to figure out what was going on, smoke started coming up from both sides of the back windshield. I ran to the front to take the keys out of the ignition and then the window exploded!! I was so scared to start the truck again, wondering what else was about to happen. Thankfully, I was able to get it home with no other issues. It's now at the dealership getting looked at. They mentioned no recalls, but a quick google search shows that this is clearly an issue!! in 2019, canada actually recalled over 159,000 vehicles over the high potential of catching on fire!!! after learning this, I'm so happy it didn't actually catch on fire!!.

Not exactly sure of the root cause but the glass shop said it appeared that the rear defrosting element on my 2017 chevy silverado shorted out, became extremely hot and caused my rear window to shatter. Some documents that I read stated that the electrical connections could corrode over time and short out. I read that canada does have a recall for this same problem.

Rear window defrost almost caught fire about 10 min into drive smoke emitted from near rear window and got worse and worse until I found the cause and shut off the rear defrost. Smokey electrical smell filled the interior.

Two times now when driving, vehicle has randomly lost all power. First time there was no warning of any sort of problem. Second time was on the express way running just fine, then all of a sudden engine light started flashing, and stabilatrac light up on dash. Was able to get off right away. Turned right into a office complex and shut right off. After 3 minutes got power back and was able to get it safely in a parking spot, but then it started running rough, like multiple cylinder miss fire.

An electrical issue of uncertain origin involving the stabilitrack system that causes the truck to jerk a different direction or stop completely in unexpected fashion.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was remotely started. The contact's husband entered the vehicle and turned on the rear defrost. The contact stated that her seven-month-old infant was seated on the passenger side rear seat. The contact's husband noticed a burning odor on the interior of the vehicle and smoke was coming from the rear passenger’s side rear window. The vehicle was turned off and the infant was removed from the vehicle immediately. The contact stated that she had noticed the odor of burning odor in the interior of the vehicle shortly after the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle was scheduled for a service appointment in several weeks. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised that the failure was normal wear and tear. The failure mileage was approximately 123,298.

Vehicle has abrupt, unexpected power failures and/or issues with "stabilitrak" that causes immediate engine shut-off at highway speeds and/or causes the steering wheel to jerk unexpectedly potentially causing a run-in with traffic.