general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 1

A known radiator issue, with microcracks in radiator is producing a leak and will require replacement. There are many examples of this online for the model years 2014-2018, and are known by the manufacturer. I am having mine replaced with 95,000 miles on my truck.

The frame of my 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has rusted through to the point of failing maine state safety inspection at only 41,000 miles. A licensed maine inspection station identified structural frame corrosion and determined the vehicle is unsafe to operate. A Chevrolet dealer confirmed the frame rust and stated the truck must have rusted sections cut out and welded to be made roadworthy. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: a rusted-through frame on a pickup truck is a serious structural defect. Frame failure while driving could cause loss of vehicle control, separation of suspension or drivetrain components, or catastrophic structural collapse, particularly at highway speeds or under load. The vehicle is currently unregisterable in maine due to this safety failure. The failure has been confirmed by both an independent licensed inspection station and by a Chevrolet dealership service department. This failure is consistent with a known manufacturing defect documented in gm technical service bulletin 19-na-255, which acknowledges that the wax coating applied to the frames of 2011–2024 silverado and sierra trucks was improperly applied by a third-party frame supplier, causing the coating to peel and exposing bare steel to premature corrosion. Gm has issued this TSB but has not issued a recall, and Chevrolet dealers are not consistently performing the repair. I contacted gm customer assistance to request goodwill repair and was refused; the representative also declined to open a case. There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages prior to discovery, as frame corrosion is not monitored by vehicle systems. The defect was identified visually during state safety inspection. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect pattern and consider a recall, as was ultimately ordered for the similar frame corrosion defect on Toyota tacoma trucks.

The back sliding window on the drivers side exploded, sounded like a shot gun going off , I had started my truck with the key grabbed some thing to take with me pulled out of my driveway and it exploded , call the manufacturer went through a number of calls. They had a dealership do an inspection and gm said not there issue , just had it replaced and it is immediately showed signs of overheating with discoloration and defroster lines breaking in the glass immediately after the vehicle got repaired. Certainly there is an issue that needed correction but can’t get the correct help.

Automatic transmission failure.

Under 40,000 miles and both sides of the frame has rusted out and has made the vehicle unsafe to drive per the dealership.

My 2018 silverado z71crew cab lt , 5. 3l engine was having issues with hold freon in ac unit. We took to dealer to be fixed in June 2025. They added freon and it was running good for a week then once again blew but no cold air. So took back second time 7/3/25 and they started the die test and machine went down in middle of doing it. So could not finish fixing . We took back on 07/20/25 and they completed the test needed condenser . So few days later we took to our local mechanic to have the condenser replaced and all is well with the ac unit now. Everything was fine from mid July 2025 till oct 14 th 2025 , when it started shaking and was running rough and engine light was on so I had it checked for codes to see what it needed. Came back as bad injector. So we took to local mechanic to have injector replaced and tuneup and coils replaced . After this was completed was running much rougher then before we even had that injector and tuneup done. So mechanic suggested for him to keep it and let him dive deeper into what was wrong and why it was running rougher than before, so we let him do that. . After two days, he came back and told us that there was a crack in the engine and that is why it was running rough and that it probably was going to have an engine failure and might be and must be replaced. So I looked up my VIN number to see if there’s any recalls for my particular truck and engine size which is a 5. 3 l and it doesn’t show my particular truck but it does show my year of a silverado and the 3. 6 l engine has had the same issues so I was wondering if this recall should be extended to the 5. 3 l 2018 seems to be the same problem with the engine block.

Number one electrical system left side wire harness manufacturer installed in properly, not watertight and ran through a pinch point causing wires to break. Safety was put at risk due to power failure from fuel pump and brake lights failing which could’ve caused a potential accident. Been confirmed by an independent service center. Reached out to the manufacturer. They said there was no recalls. It was very unhelpful. On the failure happened a light did come on. Number two media end navigation system this is a safety risk because at certain times it will switch between screens at will by itself. They will also put calls on hold, causing you to instinctively reach for your phone and taking your attention from driving as well as switch off of navigation moving your attention from driving, this is a clear definition of distraction and not serving the purpose it was created for which is also been confirmed by an independent shop. I reached out to gm. They said there was no recalls. And there is no service light. P. S. I just found out that I could make a complaint here so I do not have any of my old documentation. I just went to the dealership this morning to try and get some help and I had no luck. They would not be helpful at all. They just want to sign me up for a service meeting and charge me another $500 to look at it only to tell me they can’t order me a wearing harness again.

Tailgate came open while driving and I lost items in the truck bed. This is the second incident. I had double checked to ensure it was latched before driving.

Tailgate came open while driving and I lost items in the truck bed.

I've been in and out of dealers over the transmission shifting points and hard down shifts when almost stopped. And the a/c condenser has cracked on the side for no known reason at 75k miles except for the fact of bad manufacturing.

Frame has rust all over.

Transmission down shift really rough and the went out, replaced with a new one from dealership and it does the exactly the same thing $7000.

So the recalls were done on my vehicle in September 2023 , I purchased the vehicle in August and after the recalls were performed the truck would seem different but I thought it was just me, we'll I had an alignment done because it was driving crazy , this wasn't done at the Chevrolet dealership, so recently we've experience some braking issues and pulling off to the side well I took it to the ryan Chevrolet on a Thursday and the mechanic kept the truck until Monday so he can diagnose the issue. We'll then he says nothing wrong but recommended I pay for an alignment because ones never been done the original pins were still attached. I declined because I knew better and so he charged me 80. 00 times 2 because I iefused, he was diagnosing the 2 different things I told him we were experiencing. These are the things that can occur if if the recalls arent taken care of, but he didn't care about my concerns, nor did he want to listen , o me I went to big o and I asked about the alignment and they showed me mt truck is perfect in alignment. The brake issues and the going off to the side are getting worse.

Rear sliding window with defrost started sizzling sound than emit a bunch of smoke into the cab. Shut off rear defrost, preventing a fire. The window than shattered. There is a recall in canada for this very issue. We live only a hour south of the canadian border. Gm says canada get colder so that’s why the issue is up there.

I have a 2018 chevy Silverado 1500 crew cab, I’ve been having problems where the truck warning light would come on saying “service stability control” and the truck would turn off when reversing and while driving on highway and the light flickers and the steer wheel would lock up as well, please help me out, I have searched over the web and have seen other people posting about it and having the same problems but yet chevy has not done anything about it, this is a safety hazard.

Transmission is having hard shift and shutter at a speed of 60/65.

Service trailer brake light would ding and appear randomly while parked and driving with no trailer or load hooked. Radio jumps screens making phone calls disconnecting bluetooth just spazes out. Truck is currently sitting at the dealer suggesting a tcm repair. Truck will be in drive and roll backwards. Driving down the road vehicle just goes limp. . No power nothing. Absolutely disgusted with my purchase and what I’m going through with my 2018 silverado.

The wheel/wheels locked up while in motion and caused vehicle to veer off road and cause the vehicle to crash. Abs light and stability control system warning came on prior to crash.

Upon light acceleration of the vehicle, a rough gearshift occurred followed by a check engine light and the vehicle continued to shift roughly and idled roughly. After months of diagnostic work and attempts at repairs, it was determined the lifters were the issue. From independent research I understand this is a somewhat common (and pricey) issue. I’m not sure why there is not a recall for the cheap lifters, but I would like to pursue possible reparations for this fault of gm that has left me without a vehicle and left me with a great financial burden for over six months.

Trailer brake system on February 13 2023 the trailer brake system warning notification came on and made my truck appear to shut down at 65 mph. The radio stopped, lights shut off, engine seemed to stall or lost power. It was like the power went out. This seemed to be a safety concern. I will be towing a camper soon. I need my trailer brakes to work.

On Saturday Aug 6th, 2022 my girlfriend and I were driving in my 2018 chevy silverado and the car just came to a complete stop really hard. Once the truck froze up, the car would go foward but very slow, jerkish, and sluggish. We were almost hit by three cars behind us when the truck froze up. The truck was towed to the dealership where they diagnosed the truck with metal shavings in the transmission. And the engine light came on four weeks after I bought the vehicle last October. This time…. There was no engine light on. Nothing displayed on dashboard.

Starter had to be replaced with 22,775 miles and truck was toed.

The trailer service message keeps popping up distracting me and there is no way yo turn it off!.

Stress cracks in radiator.

Radio is malfunctioning. Radio would randomly change channels. Than the radio would have a line in the bottom of the screen. Than the half the radio just quit. Now the radio or phone calls does not work at all. I do not have access to hands free calls. I believe there is a recall on the same stereo for the 2019 models. It has not been inspected but is available for inspection. No warnings lights prior to the radio not working. I have a video but I do not know how to attach.

Ac condenser has cracked at factory weld. Dealer said this is dailey issue and only performed recall on the higher end Cadillac and GMC denali when the lower models have same condenser per # and problems was a $1000 repair.

Started vehicle and engine diagnostic displayed that the anti-lock braking system needs to be service, the power steering system needs to be serviced, parking assist needs to be serviced. This issued occurred one other time and a module needed to be replaced. This is the second time this has occurred in a year.

While I'm very slowly backing up my attached small 2 wheel trailer the transmission over heating warning light comes on. This has happened several times!!!!.

2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Consumer writes in regards to NHTSA safety recall 21v-496. The consumer stated the manufacturer exceeded a resonable amount of time to complete the recall repair.

Radiator started leaking at 40,000 miles. Leaking at a weld where tube connect to side tanks.

The plastic part of the grill is melting I’m afraid it’s going to melt on the front of the vehicle.

Consistent failure with ac condensor for 2014 thru 2019 Chevrolet trucks. So common, should have been fixed or replaced.

Radiator leaking for no apparent reason. Truck has only 54k miles and is in excellent condition serviced according to schedule by Chevrolet dealerships.

While waiting to order a morning coffee at a local coffee shop drive thru (stationary), the rear defrost/defogger caused one of the glass panels of the rear windshield/back glass to shatter/explode. There was also smoke & an unmistakable electrical burning smell present at that time. Please refer to gm canada recall n192220470, as I believe this should become a safety recall in the united states of America as well.

Occasionally on my dash info screen a message pops up saying to keep your eyes on the road, in order to dismiss the message you have to take your eyes off the road and touch an ok button on the screen. It is hard to do this safely while driving. The message does not time out and covers the entire screen. There must DE a way to disable this or to have it time out. It is ironic that you have to take your eyes off the road. I have tried the button on the steering wheel that dismisses other messages and it does not work for that one. This should be able to be fixed easily with a software update.