general problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 1

Started to work first thing in the morning, the truck felt sluggish-like a lack of power. I drove about a mile to turn around and head back home, something was obviously wrong. When I got out of the truck there was a smell like something was hot and the wheels were extremely hot. I realized the lack of power was due to the brakes being locked. The parking brake was not engaged. After calling the local dealer for an appointment, I had to get the truck towed. Now the 2nd day at the dealer with no diagnosis, no service codes. The truck has approximately 77,000 miles with the original brakes from the factory and have never had to be replaced. The vehicle data display shows 42% of brake wear remaining.

Intermittent issue where info says brake failure/steering assist not working/limited speed to 43 mph. Very dangerous if you’re on the interstate. Becomes hard to steer, brakes don’t work, brakes start burning up. Have to carry tools with me to reset ecm. Very common problem with silverado with 5. 3 gas engine. Chevy needs to fix this issue before someone gets killed. I would give them my truck back if I could.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 10 mph and depressing the brake while turning, the abs warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal remained on the floorboard. The vehicle was pulled into a parking lot and was able to come to a full stop. The contact's wife inspected the vehicle and used a handheld diagnostic machine to retrieve an undisclosed dtc; however, the codes were cleared. The vehicle was then taken to the residence. On another occasion, while the vehicle was in reverse(r), the abs warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal remained pressed to the floorboard. The contact used the handheld diagnostic machine to retrieve and clear the codes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that an abs update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact had not yet taken possession of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Brakes applied on their own while driving. Before being able to stop the rotors both front and rear were very hot and the smell of burning brake pads was evident. Let the truck shit after getting off the side of the road for a bit. Brakes seemed to release started driving and the brakes applied themselves again. We slowly stop and go drove home a few miles on the side of the road with the flashers on.

Brakes lock up on vehicle while driving must turn vehicle off and restart several times to disengage brakes. This has happened twice in the last 8 weeks, very concerning as we cannot use our travel trailer as we do not trust this not reoccurring. Chevy dealership says there is a recall on this issue but not on my truck?. But they say it is that problem.

While driving home from work the truck displayed numerous trouble codes including ebc failure, braking failure, traction control failure and trailer brake failure as well as vehicle governed to 42 mph. I took it to the dealership and they checked all of the braking system and could not find any issues. They reset the codes, and changed all 4 pads and rotors as all 4 wheels were 1/32 out of true as a precaution. I drove it home about 5 miles with no issues. The next morning I was on my way to work and the codes reappeared with me being governed to 62 mph. At the stop sign I had no braking at all. Pumping the brakes resulted in no braking or pressure in the pedal. Luckily there was no traffic and I was able to use a hill to stop. I turned around and went the mile back to my house and was unable to stop again ending up with the front end in my neighbors yard. I had the vehicle towed back to the dealership where they still have not found a cause or a solution to the issue.

My truck started acting sluggish like the parking brake was applied while driving. At a traffic light I put the vehicle in park applied and released the parking brake. I put the vehicle back in gear an let off the brake. The vehicle did not move so slightly pressed the accelerator. The vehicle still acted as if the brakes were applied. I could feel the slight movement and torque being applied but only slightly lurching. The traffic light turned green so I proceeded up to 45mph. A vehicle in front of me slowed to make a turn. Applied the brakes and nothing happened. I pressed the brake so hard that I lifted myself off the seat. I swerved to miss the vehicle avoiding a collision. Then warnings started popping up; "brake system failure max speed 62mph", "brake system failure max speed 42mph", brake system failure", service traction control", "service trailer baking system". Among others I was too busy to see all of them. I coasted to a stop in a nearby parking lot with visual and audible warnings still going. I shut the vehicle off then restarted it. Some warnings remained like traction control and the engine light. The vehicle appeared to be operating correctly so I drove it to a local dealer. They said there was a code for low voltage in the brake control module but couldn't get me an appointment for over two weeks. I took the vehicle to a regular mechanic who said what I described was impossible. That mechanic kept my truck for the balance of the day but could find nothing wrong. I no longer trust this vehicles brake system. In many scenarios the failure, were it to happen again could be catastrophic.

Brakes would not release after driving a little ways the brake system failure warning came on. I stopped and killed engine and restarted but it lunged and I lost all braking. I pulled over to side of road and again killed engine a couple minutes I restarted it released. Then drove normal. ????.

While driving it said "service esc", "brake system failure" and then "trailer brake system failure" "max speed 62. " brakes when pressed would not work. Had to cruise to stop. When truck shut down and restarted it said "max speed 43" and check engine light came on. Truck was then towed to mechanic and waiting to be looked at/worked on.

There was a brake system failure and the brakes stopped working while going 50 mph.

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.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 71 mph with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced braking and power steering failure. The traction control, brake, parking, antilock braking system, electronic fuel control, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the brake assist failure, steering failure, and trailer brake failure messages were displayed. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted over to the side of the road. After turning off the vehicle for approximately an hour, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove 40 mph back to the residence. The contact stated that after the failure, the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral, and then the parking brake was activated to come to a stop. The contact stated that a diagnostic test confirmed the steering and brake failures. The contact used a diagnostic tool to retrieve dtc: c0580. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact discovered information related to NHTSA campaign number: 20v116000 (service brakes, hydraulic), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Rear brake inner pads completely worn while outer pads look brand new at 35,000 miles. This appears to be due to the electronic parking brake not releasing quick enough but this condition almost disables the rear brakes and could cause an accident.

Vehicle started and behaved as expected when leaving my home and for a dozen lights or so between my home and place of the incident. While stopped at a red light, the auto stop function shut the truck down as normal. On re-start when getting green light, after releasing brake pressure, the start up was belabored for two turnovers before starting up. As I pulled off the stop with a green light, the dash lights illuminated and display started rolling through system failures, one of which was the brakes system and esc. I cautiously proceeded through my turn to a thankfully quiet intersection as the brakes were completely unresponsive. I had zero brake function. I was able to slowly come to a rolling stop enough to get the truck in park where I turned it off and back on and the brake function returned. I cautiously drove to the local chevy dealer where I was informed that the battery drain pulls from low voltage when it needs extra power for start up. This is utterly terrifying that it is even possible for the battery to start the truck without any brake function. Had this happened just two lights before or after where I was, it would have been a news headline. I could have easily been headed up and over a bridge leading to a catastrophic event at the bottom where I would have been completely unable to stop my truck by any means other than a collision. I would have preferred a dead battery at a red light. Seems a whole lot safer. I'm now stressed beyond measure at the thought of some failure in the future that could lead to another event such as this. My truck is now a nightmare wondering what electrical malfunction is going to put me and/or my wife and daughter in a life or death situation, let alone others on the road. This shouldn't even be an option for the truck to start at the expense of a critical safety function. Not to mention there is no function for the auto start stop system to be deactivated permanently by my choice. I am beside myself and scared to drive.

The rear brakes of the vehicle are locking up while driving. The truck is a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are listed as included in the recall per the NHTSA campaign # 24v797000 recall. When searching the VIN number of our vehicle, [xxx] , it states that it is not included in the recall and has no unrepaired recalls. Our vehicle is experiencing the issue as outlined in the recall notice but is not currently included in the recall when it should be. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Transmission is changing out very hard in each gear. On tonight while I was driving, I lost speed on the interstate and when I push the accelerator, it was like back wheels were locked up. I left it at the next exit gas station and came back and towed it home. Lucky I was able to put hazard lights on and get off the side of the road but it was very slow speed. Yes I have had it look at certified dealer under cheverolet. It was no warning light. I was going 65 and in a split second the rpm went up high and I was doing like 25. Once I finally made it to the gas station and got out the truck smell like a burning smell.

I have the l87 6. 2 liter v8 engine from general motors. I had sudden engine failure. Apparently the rods and bearings are bad. It is the same problem as the recall issued for 2021-2024 vehicles, exept for my truck is a year 2020. 1gcpyfel7lz342445.

My break system failed twice in 2 weeks. On Feb 01, 2025 around 5:35 pm, I almost ran over a dog the first time because I lost access to breaks and emergency breaks and could not stop going through my neighborhood. Today on Feb 13, 2025, I had picked my son up from school, and the breaks went out after we left the school. This time I almost ran into a car but had to turn off to the right to avoid hitting it. My son and I could have injured the person driving in front of us and ourselves. I looked up the problem, and it seems that many others have faced the same problem. When I turned off the truck for 10 minutes, the system would reset itself and start working normally again. I took the truck to the shop, and it is currently there so they can run tests on it. I recorded what it looks like on the dash when I lose all braking.

After driving and doing errands I tried to pull truck into garage and noticed it was hard to move. It seemed like brakes were stuck on despite not applying brakes. I pulled out of driveway to drive around block. Lost all brakes while driving down county road at 50 mph. Check engine light on, brake failure warning on, warning light that speed limited to 43 mph, abs light on. Eventually able to stop. Turned off engine for a few minutes. Restarted and brakes all worked again although check engine light still on. This could have been deadly on a steep road or on ice or in traffic. I see online that this is a common problem with chevy trucks although no recall has been issued for this one. I am very concerned that this truck is not safe - for me or anyone else on the road with me. I have not taken it in. I live in the country, some distance from a dealership so nothing has been confirmed. Nothing like this has happened to this truck before and there was no other warning. It is available for inspection but is my only transportation.

This morning it was 16 degrees f I drove about 6 city miles at about 35 mph. I was 1. 5 miles from home when leaving a stop light the truck bogged down and was only going up to about 25 mph with the tach at 2000 rpm. It seemed at first that I was driving with the parking brake on but most v8's have enough power to override the parking brake. This acted as if I was pressing hard on the foot brake while driving and giving it a lot of gas. I probably would have had to floor it to go any faster. But was afraid of damaging something. Put on the flashers and drove about 15 mph with the tach at 1500-2000rpm. The dash displayed "brake system failure 62 mph top speed", "service esc", "parking brake failure" and "service trailer brake system", the brake pedal was changing its height by itself. Pulled to side of road and pumped the brakes several times, shifted the transmission through park, neutral, reverse and drive and it seemed to operate normally. Pulled onto road and it was bogging down the same. Pulled to side of road again. Then started driving again with flashers on and the tranny shifted as normal, but the brake pedal went to the floor. Pumped the brake pedal and it still went to the floor. Drove slowly while checking the brake occasionally but still went to the floor during the 5 blocks to my driveway. The brake had no effect. My driveway slopes slightly upward so I stopped safely. All four wheel centers and brake rotors were too hot to touch after slowly driving the 1. 5 miles this occurred over. About 15 minutes later I turned on the key and the dash displayed "brake system failure 43 mph top speed", "service esc", and "service trailer brake system". Fortunately there were no vehicles close in front of me when this started and many were behind me when driving with my flashers on due to quite a bit of traffic. This could have been a disaster had it occurred somewhere else. The local Chevrolet dealer that services it has not seen it yet.

Upon entering a roadway from a parking lot I noticed my vehicle struggling to gain speed. I lifted my foot from the gas pedal and the truck rapidly reduced speed, dropping from 25 mph to less than 5mph in a couple of seconds. I then reapplied the gas pedal to attemp to avoid the vehicle approaching from the rear. The truck struggled again to gain speed. I went about 150 yards toward an intersection. I applied the brake and pushed it to the floor as the truck barely slowed to a stop. Had there been any vehicle stopped in front of me I would have hit it and pushed it into the intersection. The dashboard lit up with warning lights and rotating messages such as, brake system failure 62 mph top speed, service trailer break. When the traffic light turned green I drove it across the intersection into a parking lot, going about 5 mph for 50 yards. Putting my foot back on the brake as hard as I could. It finally came to a stop about twenty feet farther than it should have. I had it towed to a Chevrolet dealership. They did a diagnostic test and checked all braking components. They found a service bulletin for recalibration of brake system control module. They preformed the calibration and cleared the codes. After reading the many reports of this happening on the NHTSA site and the absolute possibility of injuries and deaths, I find it hard to believe that with knowing this problem exists and it’s disastrous potential, that there has not been a recall after 5 years of complaints.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the front wheels seized, and the contact was forced to pull over to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. This failure reoccurred a second time and while pulling over the front wheels seized, and the brake pad and rotors were visibly red. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Driving at the speed limit 65-70 miles ph my truck started to slow in speed the tire sensor came on then the truck began to smoke and the brakes locked up at a high speed, lucky for me there was no one behind me. I was able to limp to a safe spot and park the truck would not move at all. . After an hour I tried to move it again it would not go into drive. Had to tow it to the dealership. . $$$$ later they say well we can't recreate the problem so it's drivable. I drive 2 blocks and it stops in traffic almost causing a collision. Had it towed home and for 3 moths now it has sat while I have to continue paying payments on a non running 2020 with only 102 thousand miles on it this is criminal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! was told possible $62k to repair but no guarantee it would stay fixed!!!!!!!!!! criminal and should not be on me I am paying still. But if something is not done I will let it get repo. . I am [xxx] old this was to be my last newer vehicle I have had to borrow money again and bought an older 03 silverado that is running great. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the brake pad sensor warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

While driving, the vehicle began experiencing hard shifting. When I attempted to accelerate to pull over, the vehicle failed to respond and instead sounded as though it was in neutral. Additionally, when I tried to bring the vehicle to a stop, it took longer than usual, as if the wheels were locked.

Brake system lights on dash came on as well as the check engine light. Park light was flashing on the dash. Safety is at risk as parking brake does not work. Took vehicle to dealer and they ran diagnostics. Codes: c0610 05, c0616 5a as per document 5709204. They said I need a new brake system control module. Brake system control modules are on backorder. Brake system control modules have been recalled on silverados in the past. I'm worried that this is unsafe.

Brake failure. I took the truck to the dealer and was told not to drive it. The dealer ran two checks and then said brake failure. The rep had to leave, so another rep put my car in the shop overnight. The next day, I was told in writing that they could not find any problem. The code clearly showed brake failure. Date: oct. 16, 2024. Cost: $125. 69. Mileage was 53,531. On November 25th, another brake failure. I went to an auto parts dealer (o riley) in topeka, KS, and they found a brake failure code(I have a copy). They told me to go to the dealer. I went to the dealer with a stiff pedal, which means driving is very unsafe. The dealer said too busy with oil changes and told me to return another day. I said no breaks.

While driving home truck began to misfire and drop in rpm’s. Service esc and service parking brake popped up on my notification system. My engine light was blinking and my traction light was on. While I was turning into my street to get home, my engine shut off. The steering wheel and brakes became hard as the motor wasn't powering them. I was able to turn it on and get it into my drive way. Afterwards when trying to turn it on, it would turn on and shut off immediately. Chevy replaces a fuel pump module for a second time(recall), added a new starter and battery. After three months they then told me I need a new engine because it has locked itself up. I purchased the vehicle with 32,000 miles and it currently has 49,000 miles. Chevrolet are not going to warranty me a new engine because I do my own oil changes (which were 2). Had this happened on the highway or in traffic, I would've been at a high risk of causing an accident considering power steering and brake system was not working properly.

The electronic steering assist stopped working while I was driving to work. Was leaving a stop sign and steering wheel became stuff and notifications on dash appeared. Was able to get to side of the road and turned vehicle off for 20-30 mins and started back up and steering was normal. Notifications on the dash were: service power steering and service trailer braking system. Search online showed this is a known issue that has happened with these vehicles for years and clearly hasnt been addressed. This is very dangerous. Vehicle has 42k miles on it. I had the "service trailer braking system" notification come on a couple times previously and steering felt "sloppy" but immediately went away. And ive never used the trailer braking system so I didnt think anything of it.

Vehicle has been in and out of service for the past 5 months with multiple alerts including "brake system failure 43mph top speed," "service esc," "service brake assist. " on major interstate car would not accelerate past 43mph putting myself, infant, toddler, and wife in danger. Multiple attempts have been made to repair the vehicle and nothing has been successful. Lifters, cam, torque converter, ebcm, master cylinder, calipers, and the list goes on. When this happens the brake is extremely hard to press making it difficult to stop the vehicle. Issue has been reproduced by dealer and attempts have been made under warranty to repair. Car only has 36k miles on it and the issue began prior to that. Gm ongoing solution is to bleed the brakes, which clearly has not resolved the issue. Still hear ticking and noises from engine. Something needs to be done to remedy this issue. This is a safety hazard for myself, my family, and everyone driving around me.

While driving 55+mph on a parkway the service parking brake, check engine light and the traction control light came on with a warning "engine power reduced" which was dangerous because I could not accelerate and there was not a spot to pull over. This is frustrating due to the fact that I was having this same issue 6 months ago and Chevrolet said it was a wiring issue and it wasn't covered by the warranty because it had 42k miles. Chevrolet said it was a known issue but it was not at the level of a recall and it cost $1800 to fix.

We went to an appointment and when we got back in the car, a message was on the screen. It said that the brake system has failed and we could only drive 43 mph maximum! the engine light was on and we could not accelerate beyond 43 mph. This is extremely dangerous when driving on a highway! we drove home on the interstate going 43 mph in a 70 mph zone! we had small children in the car and almost got into a few accidents due to other aggressive drivers. We then called local dealers who said that they were too busy to take our truck for weeks! they also said that our truck was not covered under warranty. So we took it to a local body shop. They fixed it for just above $500. It worked for a week and broke again, then they fixed it again for free. The brake failure 43 mph light came on for the 3rd time. We took it garber and they fixed it after 2 weeks and charged us a fortune. Invoice attached. A few weeks later the same light came back on. Garber then took another 2 weeks to fix it! I’m writing here as I’ve seen other silverados recalled for the same issue but not my exact truck (year). It’s obviously faulty software and it should not be the customers responsibility to fix. Especially with a vehicle under 20k miles! there is absolutely no way that we will ever buy a gm again but the important part here is that other people are not put into a dangerous situation like we were. Besides dealing with this issue for well over a month - the important part is safety. I can’t understand how these trucks have the same problems but only certain vins qualify for a recall. Please consider our truck as part of the overall recall for this issue. It’s unethical to pick and choose only certain vins!.

While driving on the interstate, my entire display panel/information queue lit up and my information display issued crazy and bizarre warnings. When this happened (I was traveling around 60 mph) immediately pulled off on an exit only to find that my brakes were out/nonexistent and my emergency break button not responding. Luckily and by the grace of god, there were no other vehicles or pedestrians in my line of travel on this exit, the exit fortunately happened to be on an uphill incline/climb which aided in slowing my truck to slow down to a complete stop, and neither I or any other person or vehicles were harmed during this incident. Was told by the jim ellis Chevrolet of atlanta Chevrolet service manager (who by the way was a great help and resource through all of this) informed that there was a software “glitch” that had caused all this to happen. I never was told of or was informed of any software “updates” nor had any Chevrolet dealer service department updated this software “glitch” when my truck was given to them for all gm mileage-tiered full service recommendations.

While driving brakes failed and codes came on saying brake system failure 43 mph, this problem apparently is a programming issue that will cost over 600 dollars because “reprogramming” isn’t covered. Brake pads were over 50% life and it is a very dangerous error.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the “esc unavailable”, 'abs failure', and “do not drive over 62 mph”, “please drive with care” messages were displayed. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the brake pedal remained on the floorboard. The contact stated that the braking distance was extended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,699.