general problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 - part 2

Electric tailgate opener button switch on tailgate failed and allowed tailgate to open while traveling. Lost a tote containing tools onto the roadway when accelerating from an intersection. Luckily it was a rural road with no traffic and no one hit tool tote in the roadway. This seems to be a serious safety hazard especially if a motorcycle would of hit lost cargo in the roadway.

My check engine light came on. When taking it to the dealership, they say it's the catalytic converter. The converter is not an electronic part, so we replaced the O2 sensors and the check engine light came back on. I've taken this truck to several people who repairs cars, and the vehicle is only 3 years old , should not need to be replaced. A converter should last 10-15 years. In doing some research, I found the the 2019 recalled for the ecm module. Causing the same issue as the faulty reading on a catalytic converter. I am now out of warranty due to being 2,000 miles over the limit.

When you drive the truck for at least an hour then you turn it off the entire front like vibrates or shakes . It almost feels like something is still turning in the transmission but everything is turned off. This particular truck has already had the engine replaced at 14,000 miles bc it was faulty. It also has issues with tires. The radio and lights also all go off for brief time and then it comes back on. At times the drives side seat belt will lock and it pins you to the seat where you cannot move and you have to remove the seat belt. It is becoming more of an issue. I believe the transmission to be going out. Today, I wasn’t sure if the vibration in the truck was going to stop. So I stopped driving the truck and went and got another vehicle to drive.

Rear tail gate opens when parked and while driving. It also opens when key has been removed.

Back in March 2024 the tailgate opened on its own only a few times. Now April 2024 it opened on its own several times without a button being pushed. After it opened it made several clocks like the tailgate is trying to lower. Now the tailgate button does not work and can only open it with the key fob.

The key fobs for keyless start/lock/unlock stopped working and batteries replaced still didn’t work. Brought to dealer to be fixed. They replaced a sensor thinking it would be the fix- did not work. They found a corroded wire and replaced it. Asked them what happened and how it corroded. They said it was nothing we did wrong it just corroded. Cost $1000+ for fix for an issue that seemed to “just happen”.

On Sunday, January 4th, the tailgate of the truck began unlatching and opening on its own. It has done this repeatedly since that date. Only unlatches when the vehicle is in park and unlocked. The electronic latch will continue to cycle (click) after the tailgate has initially opened. Exterior taillights and side markers flash as they should with each cycle. This issue is identical to the warranty recall issued recently for the 2020 through 2024 Chevrolet and GMC 2500 & 3500 trucks.

On the evening of Dec 19th, our 2021 chevy Silverado 1500 duramax with 19k miles on it caught fire, burned, and was declared a total loss. We were on our way to go pick up our travel trailer as were we leaving for a trip on xmas with our 2 dogs and my brother-in-law. Smoke started billowing out from under the hood and within minutes the front end was engulfed in flames. I have pics/videos. We’re ok but that was a scary situation that could have had a different outcome. We could have been on the highway towing our trailer with our 2 dogs and bro-in-law and who knows how long it would have taken the fire department to arrive on scene on the highway. There were no warning lights etc. To notify us. The truck gets driven, taken care of and I had just driven it the day before. We’re not aware or have seen any recalls. All info is on our chevy app. We filed a claim with our insurance, and it has been paid off now, but in reality, "our fault" in insurers eyes. No cause was determined. That being the case, gm has closed claim and say not liable for personal property lost in fire, as insurance didn't contact gm with any mfg defects and insurance has already paid off the truck. We are repeat chevy customers. This was our 4th leased silverado and we also have a traverse. The lease on the burned-up truck was coming due may 2024. We way overpaid on the milage. We're not filing a homeowners claim for lost personal property as insurance has paid off the truck and we don't want to be dropped. My question is wouldn't this be under warranty? should the truck not be replaced? we didn't cause the fire. Much more damage could have occurred. People and pets could have possibly been injured or worse. If we were towing our travel trailer, that would be another big loss. The truck is no longer "available". Insurance told me today it's being sold for parts, which honestly kind of scares me. I wouldn't want a truck part that was in a fire, damaged or not. Videos not attached.

1. Trucks start/stop delays. When in traffic or crossing over lanes the truck fails to turn back on/start. When the truck does turn back on, the truck jumped forward almost sending me and my family into on coming traffic. 2. When trying to start the truck the starter will turn over constantly not turning on the truck (motor is turning over). The starter will time out after about 20+ seconds. The starter does this when auto start/stop is activated, so we get stuck in traffic almost causing accidents.

In January 2024, the electric tail gate started to spontaneously open and close. This occurred while driving and in park. I took it to outten Chevrolet in allentown, PA, where they stated it was a problem with a switch. They replaced it. Within a month I was told there was a problem with this model, and a recall was being planned. Over several months , I kept inquiring about the status of the recall, hoping to be reimbursed. I finally contacted Chevrolet directly. I was told that there was a recall, but my vehicles VIN number was not included. I feel that I should be reimbursed.

Hello: I have this issue with my vehicle, and have read several people on Chevrolet silverado message boards noting that their windshield wipers do not function properly when turned on. My wipers only work when I push the button to wash the windshield and they do not work in any other setting. I believe this is something that should be looked into and it seems like this is a good place to start.

Truck lost power and shut down without warning while driving in traffic. Happened twice on the way home from church with my family. First time truck shut off as we were turning across a busy intersection. Coasted off on to shoulder of highway. After several attempts truck restarted. It shut off again before reaching home. Has to call a tow truck. Has truck towed to local chev dealer on new years eve. Dealer kept truck three days. Could not find problem. I picked up truck, drove home, truck shut off just before I reached my house. Coasted into driveway. Called dealer. Said bring it back. Waited two hours. Truck started so I drove back to dealership, approximately 15 miles. Truck shut off again without warning on highway in front of dealership. I sounded horn and flashed lights as I coasted across oncoming traffic into dealership parking lot. This was on Wednesday Jan 3rd. Friday afternoon dealer called and said that hey have not been able to isolate problem. Said they know they are losing communication between modules but don’t know where. The “fix” they claim is to take the cab off the truck and replace entire wiring harness! cost is $6300. Truck has 48,000 miles on it. All highway and road miles. Can’t afford $6300 to repair a 2. 5 year old truck. I am fortunate that neither me or my family were involved in a crash due to truck shutting off unexpectedly. This is a very dangerous issue.

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph a burning rubber odor and a smoke haze was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. After stopping to investigate under the hood flames were present at the passenger side fire wall of the engine compartment. Moments later the cabin of the vehicle was in flames which quickly spread and the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report and fire report was taken. The cause failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The local dealer was contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Push start button malfunctioned. The vehicle would not turn off last night and took about 30 minutes to get vehicle to turn off. Next day, had the same issue where vehicle would not start and left me stranded. After calling for a tow truck, I was able to start the vehicle. When researching the problem online, I saw several other complaints of the same issue where the buttons malfunctioned and could either not start their vehicle or turn the vehicle off.

On three separate instances (two after paying $3,000 to "fix" it) my 2021 trailboss is flashing warnings park assist off, steering assist is reduced drive with care, service 4wd, service trailor brake system. . . All while driving down the rode and losing all gauges/flatlining and no fuel warning engaging (had a 1/2 tank). The Chevrolet dealer claims it's not producing a code (thankfully I recorded the evidence). . . Truck has just over 40k miles and has been driven with care. **pictures are all while driving down the road** serious electrical and safety issue and it needs to be recalled and addressed!.

Engine suddenly began to run rough and slowed substantially while driving. If this occurred at highway speed, it could have presented a safety risk. Multiple check engine lights and error messages appeared at the time of the event - "service emissions system" and "65mph max speed" dealer inspected vehicle and found a shorted wiring harness and fuel injector. The faulty parts were replaced.

Tailgate opens on its own or doesn’t want to open with push button.

Unknown.

While pulling out into traffic the vehicle will momentarily lose all electrical power and the engine shuts off causing loss of brakes and steering.

I bought this vehicle brand new off the lot in 2021. Truck hasn’t had any problems until this year. Every few weeks it will randomly just not want to start, I’ll usually check the battery and the battery will be completely drained. I can’t figure out what is causing the battery to drain like this, but something needs to be done as I have literally been stranded places due to my truck just deciding not to start randomly. Today I’m having this exact problem, my trucked was parked overnight in my garage and I went to go to work this morning and once again the truck won’t start and battery is drained. All my doors are shut and no interior lights are left on.

The 2021 lt trail boss with the 5. 3l engine started a really rough idle, engine knocking, random misfiring, had service emergency brake, service esc messages on the display, check engine light and several other dash warning lights. The dealer diagnosed the truck with lifter fail apart (failure), intake valve push rod bent, and pcm failure. Odometer reading 19,368 miles.

Body control modules sas modules no communication service esc light and traction control lights coming on vehicle looses all steers ng when lights come on at any speeds it says service esc power steering loss drive with caution have had it into multiple shops and no diagnostic scanners can get into the 3 systems there 6050 miles on vehicle we haven’t gotten in a wreck yet but that is totally not out of the question it will happen and when it does its going to be devistating.

Vehicle: 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 3. 0l lm2 turbo diesel mileage at most recent failure at 106k miles complaint narrative this vehicle has experienced repeated, serious defects affecting engine, transmission, emissions system, and safety recall performance. Despite numerous repair attempts over three years, the problems remain unresolved and the vehicle is currently undriveable and held by the dealership (since August 17, 2025). Key safety concerns: transmission failure: transmission catastrophically failed at 78,942 miles due to excessive metal contamination, requiring full replacement. Transmission issues have persisted even after replacement. Recall n24254440 (rear wheel lock-up): dealer attempted recall repairs multiple times in 2025 but failed due to programming errors. Recall remains incomplete and unresolved. Hard starting / reduced power: vehicle intermittently fails to start or loses propulsion, creating risk of stalling in intersections or traffic. Engine/emissions failures: multiple check engine events with nox sensors, exhaust differential pressure sensors, and coolant flow valve failures. Current status: vehicle has been in dealer custody since Aug 17, 2025, with no completion date. Dealer reports unresolved oil leak, check valve/box sensor replacement pending, and open recall not fixed. The cumulative history shows systemic defects across powertrain and emissions systems, ongoing safety recall failures, and lack of durable repairs. I am providing all invoices, videos, and documentation upon request. --- chronological service timeline invoice #mileage (in/out)datereported issue / repair attempt 33432337,290 ? 37,62607/11/22 – 07/30/22check engine light. Multiple fault codes. Dealer performed diagnostics, suspected exhaust leak, removed components for inspection. 33433837,450 ? 37,50807/.

2021 chevy silverado durmax brought it in three times now for starting issues 2nd time found data module was bad two weeks later brought it back for same issues. Dealer said they can’t find anything wrong I’ve broke down on hwy 5 in. Dangerous spot and know I don’t feel safe driving this.

Batter dies for when it's cool out side and the truck has a brand new battery. The battery has since I've had the truck . Replaced the battery last year and it stills die. . When it's cool outside. . False reading on brakes had them checked twice at the dealer ship . The truck loses power when turning the corner and I makes a loud clunk nose when I drive. .

The esc, parking light, traction control, and engine light came on while driving home. The engine started to shake. There was an issue with braking and steering the vehicle that made it difficult to control. A message on the dash said service esc. A report was sent via onstar notifications that said an issue with the emissions system is detected. After trying to restart the vehicle a few times, the lights will not go away. The truck is driving rough.

Driving down the road and out of know where engine starting knocking and lagging, idled rough. Drove to dealer lifter failure was what was diagnosed. 10000 miles on the truck driven easy, no towing or anything. Dealer also informed me 3 other silverados were there for the same problem! ridiculous!!.

The monitor has disconnected many phone calls and rejected software updates. The monitor has been reported to the dealership and has been in many times for harness replacements, harness for the door locks and the timeframe for the repairs was a couple of weeks. The monitor still disconnects calls and I must pull the car over and restart the truck the monitor stays off sometimes until the monitor wants to engage. The history of the truck with this issue has been documented with the dealership.

On July 27, I encountered a failure of the rear vision display system on a 2021 Chevrolet silverado. In short, the system used to display the rearview image went blank, and remained blank, the moment I first shifted the vehicle into reverse. Hence, no rearview image was visible while I was in the process of backing up the vehicle. I believe this may be a noncompliance with fmvss 111 or a closely related safety defect (I worked in safety engineering at general motors and Ford for a combined total of more than 30 years). I made a video to document this failure, and I uploaded it to youtube. It is available at the following url: https://youtu. Be/zhbzwteacbg this vehicle was provided to me as a loaner vehicle while my personal vehicle was being repaired by quality Chevrolet in escondido, California. Shortly after leaving the dealership, I pulled over to the side of the road and paired my cell phone with the vehicle. It took several attempts to successfully accomplish this. I then made a hands-free call and then proceeded to drive home. Within a couple miles, I decided to make a u-turn. Given the size of this vehicle, completing this u-turn required backing up. The moment I placed the transmission in reverse, the center display went blank and consequently no rearview image was displayed. Even after I shifted the transmission back to drive, the center screen (which is also used to display other things like the radio station, time, temperature, etc. ) continued to remain blank. However, the audio continued to function (noted at 1 minute and 15 seconds into the video). I decided to make a video to document the condition prior to turning off the ignition as my experience has been that such malfunctions are likely associated with software errors that can be difficult to track down and replicate. I drove this loaner vehicle several other times before returning it to the dealer. On each occasion, the rearview image displayed when the vehicle was put in reverse.

The lifters in the truck are failing, a brand new truck 12,000 miles on it and the lifters have failed. Which is also leading to an oil problem. They are trying to only fox one bank of lifters instead of replacing both. Due to them wanting to wait until the fail. They have known about the problem and I bought the truck from them not knowing that the engine was a faulty engine. When you pay 70,000k for a truck you are expecting it to last a lot more than 6 months. Which is also causing the bent pushrods on the truck. I bought the truck brand new at the end of January, for the lifters to fail, valve springs, and for bent pushrods, I’m estimated to be out of my truck for the next 3/4 weeks which would bring it close to lemon law.

Car fire - started at the rear of the cabin between the cabin rear window and the truck bed the fire engulfed directly around and inside the fuel tank. The car is available for inspection as far as im aware at the tow / salvage yard the safety of myself and any passengers were greatly put at risk. The fire engulfed the inside cabin within seconds, and caused a total loss on the car. The problem has not been identified elsewhere. However the almost exact scenario has occurred in the manufacturers other 2021 model vehicles on the tahoe and yukon, with recalls on file for both for incorrect seal around the fuel tank, causing fuel tank fires. The car manufacturer does not want to help at all, they are willing to deal with insurance company and that is it, who will just pay out the value of the car. The police and fire crew local to the incident have ran reports on the fire. No warning lamps occurred before or during the fire. The car was operating as normal until the large explosion. There was no accident, nothing was hit, witnesses described small embers / flames flying up from the truck bed right before the big explosion, indicating there was fuel spitting out and catching on fire.

Driver side front marker light bulb not working after 700mi. Not a big problem but annoying enough for a 2 week old, $49,000 truck.

Can't pull a trailer without the service trailer brake system light coming on a dinging over and over. Had my trailer completely rewired only to find out its a malfunction on my truck not my trailer. My truck is a 2021 silverado z71 trail boss with low mileage.

Got cel code p25a2, c2a02, c2a03 3 times now. First time dealership had no idea (suburban chevy sandy or), second time they replaced a wheel speed sensor. Now this is the 3rd time and they have the truck for who knows how long. . . Truck gets the cel while driving.

I lost control of the vehicle when the road became bumpy. The vehicle was bouncing up and down pitching from side to side. I was driving the posted speed limit. This happened on the day I bought the vehicle and I was on my way home from the dealership. At first I thought the vehicle was acting like that because it was new. Nope. It's real. The truck bounces and pitches hard every time I hit a bump in the road. I even drove back to the location where it happened on the first day that I bought it and sure enough the vehicle acted the same way. The entire truck shakes and bounces violantly when I go over bumps. I'm talking about every thing. The second thing is that when the vehicle warms up it starts humming like an electrical type of hum or noise. The humming is coming from the passenger side of the vehicle and I can hear even when I'm standing outside of the vehicle on the passenger side. The transmission slips when I slow down and speed up again. The vehicle that I am driving is dangerious and shouldn't be on the road. City street or highway doesn't matter in my case. The truck will violently shake at the posted speed limit.