general problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 2

What happened: in mid-December 2025, my 2020 Silverado 1500 (VIN: [xxx] ) suffered a catastrophic failure of the def tank assembly (p/n 84914535) at 29,354 miles—less than 30% of its warranted life. This is a latent design defect involving undersized terminal pins that suffer thermal degradation and melt the connector during high-amperage heater operation in arctic conditions (ref: gm TSB 21-na-006). Component availability: the failed assembly is held at the dealership. I have submitted a "part preservation request" to ensure it is available for forensic inspection by federal regulators. Safety risk: the failure triggers an epa-mandated "limp mode," initiating a software-forced reduction in speed. Unexpectedly losing speed on high-speed, icy alaskan highways—where roadside snowbanks prevent safe egress—creates an extreme risk of rear-end collisions. Furthermore, a vehicle restricted to 5 mph or rendered inoperable in temperatures of -30°f to -50°f poses a direct, life-threatening risk of cold-weather exposure in remote areas. Confirmation: failure was confirmed by lithia Chevrolet GMC of fairbanks on Jan 7, 2026. Gds2 diagnostic verified dtcs p20b9, p20c1, p205d, and p204c. Data was reviewed by the gm district manager of aftersales (dma) and gm customer assistance (case #[xxx]). Warning symptoms: check engine lamp and "service emission system" message appeared in mid-Dec 2025, followed by a "speed limited" countdown. The electrical disconnect was abrupt due to terminal pin melting, as documented in my forensic engineering report. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I pulled up to a traffic light at a busy intersection in lubbock, TX, and the engine just shut down on approach to a red light. The vehicle still had power (radio, headlights, ac/heater, etc. ) but the engine would not start or even turn over and try to start. The vehicle was towed to a chevy dealership in lubbock, TX, and they said they believed it was an internal engine failure but wouldn’t be able to look at it for several weeks. I had it transported to my hometown in taylor, TX, and my certified mechanic replaced the starter and battery solenoid but the engine still wouldn’t start. They drained the oil and found metal shavings in the oil. They too believe that the engine suffered a catastrophic failure and needs to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle started to hesitate with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was a misfire in the engine, and her husband pulled off the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven back to the residence at speeds no greater than 50 mph. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the left engine lifters had collapsed and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised by the dealer that the right-side engine lifters should be replaced while the engine was disassembled. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

The timing chain failed. It is at the dealership available for inspection. Vehicle was unable to accelerate correctly while driving. If it had blown a valve or locked up the engine we would have been stuck on the highway with my kids in the vehicle. Problem has been confirmed with the dealer. It is a known defect with this vehicle but my VIN was not one that was recalled. No issues had came up before it failed. Just went to accelerate and you could feel it slipping and the truck stuttering forward.

Engine failed on interstate while pulling my RV. Almost had a bad wreck due to this happening. This is the known 6. 2l engine failure issues. Had to have motor replaced by Chevrolet and had to pay out of my own pocket.

While driving at highway speeds, multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard at the same time, including engine and powertrain warnings. The vehicle suddenly began operating abnormally, with loss of power and unstable driving behavior, making it unsafe to continue driving. This same issue has occurred multiple times previously and the vehicle has been taken to an authorized Chevrolet dealership for repairs on three separate occasions. Each time, repairs were performed, but the problem returned. The most recent incident occurred while driving on the highway and created a serious safety risk to the driver and other vehicles. The vehicle is not safe to drive.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware of coolant leaking from the front of the vehicle near the transmission, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact retrieved dtc: p0016. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the coolant control valve, motor mount, and camshaft timing had failed. The dealer informed the contact that the coolant control valve, motor mount, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

The 6. 2l engine failed. The same as the 2021-2024 recalls.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormally loud engine camshaft bearing sound coming from the engine. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and after three days, it was determined that the camshaft bearing had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact linked the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 25v274000 (engine and engine cooling) and NHTSA action number: ea25007 (engine and engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

At highway interstate travel speeds, vehicle was losing intermittent power. Exhaust at stopped, idle during trip smelled heavily of gasoline. White smoke blowing from exhaust with only 38k miles on the truck. Dealership is replacing the entire engine now and sounds like gm doesn’t want them to fully explore the cause of failure.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? based on information from odi resume ea25007 & safety recall n252494002, it is more than likely engine connecting rod bearing failure. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was traveling at freeway speed, 70mph when it occurred. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? 11/25/25 at 12:33 (pacific), I am currently stranded 190 miles from home and waiting for the truck to be towed to the dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? it has not. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? prior to failure: since I’ve owned the vehicle, I’ve notice slight ticking and slight knocking during cold start within the engine bay. At the time the noises seemed normal and not cause-for-concern. At time of failure: I was traveling on level grade on the highway when I heard a deep knock from the front, bottom left side of the engine bay. Within about a minute from the initial noise, I received a “check engine” warning light and a message of “esc warning” displayed on my instrument cluster. At that moment, I noticed the engine noise become more prevalent and constant. I immediately slowed and coasted to my next exit off the freeway.

Driving on highway truck lose power, engine lights start to flash and cracking noises start to come from engine. The lose of speed almos cause another vehicle to rear end me, truck gave no signs or warnings before. Truck was delivered to a local shop and due abundant amount of metal flakes in oil engine need to be replaced.

Fan started running non stop, we overheated, engine cut out and says reduced power. This diesel engine has 80k miles which is nothing for a diesel.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his son-in-law was driving 61 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal clanking sound and stalled. The driver pulled over safely. The onstar mobile app alerted the driver of an issue with the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal ticking sound prior to the failure. Upon arriving to the location of the vehicle, the contact noticed an oil leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that he was a certified mechanic, and the vehicle was towed to the contact's auto repair shop, where the contact determined that the rod had gone through the engine block. The contact called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Engine failure 6 Nov 2025 yes, engine is available for inspection. Possible loss power, unable to control the vehicle. Vehicle engine failure has been confirmed by dealership, ruben milton Chevrolet and jim hudson Cadillac in augusta georgia. Vehicle has not been inspection by manufacturer, police, insurance representatives. No warning light, no knocking noise, no messages on dashboard.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, there was an abnormal pop and ticking sound coming from under the hood. The check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure in cylinder #7 and piston failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,600.

While driving on a residential side street my 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (81,996 miles) suddenly lost power steering and braking with no waring. Several messages appeared in the dash and the check engine light illuminated. I was able get the vehicle safely to the shoulder and put in park without power steering or brakes. At this point the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the nearest chevy dealer on 10/29/2025. The technician verified the loss of power steering, brakes, and several other codes and diagnosed the issue as corroded engine grounding straps per gm bulletin #23-na-201. The grounding straps were replaced and the codes cleared. The technician test drove the vehicle and verified normal operation after the repair. I was responsible for paying the full cost of these repairs as my vehicle was out of warranty. I feel incredibly fortunate that this happened on a residential side street with no traffic. Had this failure happened on the expressway while pulling my 4,000 lb trailer, this could have been a fatal accident if I suddenly lost power steering, brakes and had the engine stall like it did. I see multiple complaints for this issue on the NHTSA website and the gm TSB for this issue dates back to 2023. I am shocked that this is not a nationwide recall yet. It is a significant safety threat to the driver and others. I also know this is not an isolated incident, as my service advisor at the dealer suggested it was probably the grounding straps before the technician even inspected my vehicle. It was pretty clear from our conversation that I was not the first vehicle they had repaired with this issue.

Driving at normal highway speeds, "service parking brake", "service engine", and "electronic stability control" lights illuminated on the dash with no prior warning. When attempting to accelerate, to maintain highway speed there was noticeable roughness to the engine along with a tapping sound. I slowed and made the trip back to my home under reduced power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer the following day per the dealer's service advisor instructions. Issue was diagnosed as a collapsed lifter, bent lifter rod and damaged cam lobe. Total repair cost exceeded $10,000. Internet search of this issue reports a number of drivers reporting similar issues with the Chevrolet 5. 3 liter engine. If this issue had occurred in a more congested traffic area it could have caused an accident when my engine power was suddenly reduced without warning.

I have 2020 chevy 1500 with l87 engines on it. We have the exact same issues that the 2021 1500 recall is having. Loses power, noisy engine when at start. Paradise Chevrolet in temecula told me that they were going to replace the engine per gm but then gm only auth the repair. 8 barring kits, 8 rings 8 piston kits lot of bolts and gastkit and seals. Talked to gm every tho it’s the same engine they won’t replace it since not on recall. Don’t understand how the same engine in a car one year before the recall. I have all the paperwork video of the noise pictures of the pistons. I failed from the dealer. Had to get the truck towed to the dealer cause the car wouldn’t turn on and all this happened with only 68,833 miles.

The engine began to make a knocking noise at ~62000 miles on the odometer. I assume it was bearing failure. Murrey Chevrolet GMC diagnosed the problem as catastrophic engine failure with the repair being a replacement of the engine. There were no warning lamps. This is a 2020 Chevrolet silverado high country with the 6. 2l engine.

Lifter failure.

On September 27, 2025 while driving to my nieces soccer game my 2020 silverado traill boss lt started losing power while driving. I was at a red light when I felt the truck not properly responding to me pushing the gas pedal once it turned green. It slowly started accelerating and then with all the lights still illuminated on the dash, the truck completely stopped working with no response to the gas pedal. I had to let the truck coast forward while driving through an intersection. Thank god there was not that much traffic behind me and any cross traffic. I managed to pull the truck over stuck on the side of the road. My wife had to get a ride from a family member to reach the destination while I had to call a tow truck and have it towed home. Ironically, I believe the truck had just got out of warranty, what a complete waste of thousands of dollars including the warranty that is always useless. I did not reach out to the dealership because I knew it was going to cost me an arm and a leg just for a diagnostic only for them not to find a problem. There was no warning light flashing to notify me that my truck was taking a dump or any error code of any sort for a diagnostic to pinpoint the issue. I am surprised this has not turned into a class action lawsuit (not yet anyways). My father made me a Chevrolet person but with all the recent engine/powertrain problems with general motors. I always believed the slogan "the longest lasting dependable trucks on the road". Tanks to youtuber "@donslife" for keeping the public informed of all the latest updates with all these issues. This might be my last Chevrolet ever unless they could fix these issues and take some type of customer reimbursement/assurance/future or current incentives.

Engine idling rough shaking stalling loss of power.

After completing a gm assisted engine rebuild the transmission oil pump is failing and transmission shifting era tic.

Engine shut off while driving and was unable to restart.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The dealer became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the lifters and camshaft, which failed to create a misfire. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at a moderate speed, the fuel warning light had appeared on the instrument panel. After fueling the vehicle at a gas station, the vehicle began to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several warning lights, including the "engine power reduced" and "service esc" illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the starter needed to be replaced because the vehicle had failed to start. The mechanic performed a diagnostic test and discovered that the fuel injectors were defective and leaking fuel into the engine. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and provided the contact with an estimate for repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Coolant control valve failure. Dealer inspected vehicle and it was confirmed that it needed to be replaced. Check engine light came on fan started spinning at a high speed and the vehicle went into low power mode. When I spoke with the dealer, this is a known issue so much to the point where the cooler control valve is on backorder and I’ve had to wait for over a month now. Projected cost to replace with labor is over $3000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle shook violently, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

While driving the active fuel management changed my truck from 4 cylinders to 8 cylinders. This is when I heard a loud bang and a bunch of lights came on the dash and my truck started shaking and shuttering. I was able to regain control of it, but I came close to crashing. I now require a whole new engine at 100000 miles. After talking to multiple shops this KS a known issue. While they dont always catastrophic fail, mine did and almost cost me to crash. This is a serious safety concern.

Truck experienced reduce power mode. Took to have codes ran and it showed 24 separate codes when engine light comes on. While riding down the road, truck will go into reduce power mode, shift automatically into 4x4, and several other notifications will appear. Taking to dealership and was told the electrical wiring harness was shorting out causing this issue. Cost around $700 for repair, happened one month later, took it back and no charge for the 2nd time. It is currently in reduced power now. Dealership stated to replace the wiring harness would cost over $3,000. Dealership stated this was a manufactures defect, but no recall was issued so all cost is on the owner.

I was on a trip to iowa and noticed a loud ticking noise starting in my engine. There was no warning lights on the dash to indicate any problems. I checked the oil and notice it was not registering on the dip stick. I added over a quart of oil and the noise continued. My truck was just at a dealer 2 weeks prior for an oil change and they noted that everything was good and in proper working order. No leaks or no other issues. I set up an appointment at a chevy dealer at the destination which I was traveling to for a check up. About 60 miles from the dealership, my check engine light went on. I immediately stopped and checked all my fluids which were showing normal ranges. I dropped my truck off for inspection and they advised me that my lifters need to be replaced. I authorized the repair and after the new ones where installed, they tested my truck and noticed that there was still a ticking noise coming from the engine and was not holding any oil pressure. They advised me that the motor needed to be replaced at a cost of almost $15,000. I will request all pictures and videos taken by the dealership for further inspection if needed.

While driving in southern utah my truck gave me a service esc (electronic stability control) warning, service parking brake warning, and check engine light that was for code p0303. I had the vehicle towed to the local Chevrolet dealership and it was diagnosed with lifter failure and camshaft damage because of the lifter failure. Safety was compromised because of the failure of the esc and the loss of power and stability of the engine. I didn't receive warnings prior to the failure. This appears to be a well-known issue with several service bulletins issued for the vehicle.

My problem is the same as many others with the 3. 0 duramax engine. I h e the p0016 code indicating the the timing chain that can cost up to $10k and sudden engine failure if not repaired. My vehicle is only 5 years old and has 98k miles at the moment.

Having failure with the engine coolant control valve. Have taken my truck to the dealership for overheating and they always come and say that they can’t find an issue. They also informed me that I need to bring it back when my motor blows a head gasket which is complete bull.