2021 Chevrolet SILVERADO 1500 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features and crash test performance. The vehicle scored well in various crash scenarios, with top marks in front and side crash ratings. Additionally, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which further enhances safety by helping drivers maintain control in challenging driving conditions. The Silverado 1500 also offers an optional forward collision warning system, providing an extra layer of protection by alerting drivers of potential collisions. However, it does not have a lane departure warning system.

On the downside, the vehicle has received a relatively high number of complaints, totaling 176, and has been subject to 5 recalls. While the safety ratings are reassuring, potential buyers should consider the complaints and recalls as part of their overall evaluation of the vehicle's safety and reliability.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

176

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

Search Vehicle Details

Advanced Search

The advanced search lets you search by safety ratings and features. This will return a list of vehicles that match your search criteria.

Safety Features

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC 2WD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC 2WD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC 2WD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/RC 2WD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet SILVERADO 1500

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
""cylinder 4 misfire" was the diagnostic code - the vehicle is currently at millennium chevrolet in hempstead, ny. first attempt at a fix was the fuel injector - second fix is replacing the rocker arm. emissions is still showing as an error. i was traveling to the dealership for repairs when the misfire became so bad that multiple alerts illuminated on the dash. i was in stop and go traffic at the time going 30 mph. thankfully i was near a place to pull over out of the flow of traffic. i tow with my vehicle and just returned from a cross country trip - if this happened while towing up a grade in the western half of the country, i don't know what i would have done. yes, the dealership confirmed the problem and it is under the powertrain warranty. i do not know if gm engineers have inspected the engine, however, it has been in the care of a gm dealership and service center since [xxx]. [xxx] the check engine light illuminated for the first time, yet went off after .2 of a mile when i turned around to return home. i made an appointment with service at the dealership the next morning ([xxx]) and was on my way there when i no longer felt safe driving it and called for a tow truck. [xxx] - check engine came on and went off. [xxx] - check engine came on again. [xxx] - check engine - on the way to the dealership - service parking break, anti-traction control. this is when i pulled over because the vibration from the misfire of the engine became much worse. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-02-11
Complaint:
"on october 2, 2023, the check engine light starting flashing and loss of power while driving. i was not far from the dealership where i purchased the truck on september 12, 2023, with 29.000 miles. they did diagnostics on it and found that the engine/powertrain computer/module needed factory reset. then on october 17, 2023, i started my truck and heard what sounded like a knocking sound in the engine. it quit after about 1 minute during cold start. the next day it sound got worse, so i drove it into the dealership to have them look at it. there were no warning lights or any other warning signs. was told by the service advisor after showing them the video i took of the noise that the lifters have failed. the repair was done a week later and that did not fix the issue. i was told the truck needed a full engine replacement. i'm very fortunate that i was not driving at the time when this failure happened, or i could have had an accident. it is now almost a month later and i'm still waiting on the engine to arrive for replacement."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-02-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 chevrolet silverado 1500. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, pinging sound was coming from the vehicle before the vehicle started to lose motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. the contact stated that several unknown messages had flashed on the instrument panel during the failure. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the cause of the failure was due to the lifters. the lifters were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 31,500. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-11-10
Complaint:
"engine lifters failed at 36000 miles, causing the vehicle to misfire. engine lifters failed a second time at 42000 miles after being repaired, again causing the engine to misfire."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-04-08
Complaint:
"lifters failed 7,588 miles november 2021. dealer replace both lifter banks since trucks mileage was less than 8k miles."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-08-11
Complaint:
"july 18th 2022 16,059 miles engine issues again. this time was 21 hours from home. cause reported was oil pump failed. new engine to be installed. asked if previous engine issues was resolved aka lifters but couldn’t get a 100 precent yes or no. truck now has little over 30k and from time to time makes noises like lifters chattering. i pray it’s been addressed but fell it may still fail again. just will it be under warranty or out of warranty next time."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-07
Complaint:
"i was driving one day and my truck started to misfire. i figured since it had 95,000 miles it was time for a tune-up. so i took my truck to the chevrolet dealership and they originally quoted me $2,200. the rep and mechanic said they have seen many trucks just like mine having the same issue. they said it starts with something called a “rocker arm” breaking and then that leads to more severe issues. after a month of my truck sitting they came to me and said it will cost $8,100 to fix it. basically they replaced the engine. my complaint is i’ve had many vehicles and none of them needed an engine replaced after only 95,000 miles. i later found out that the engine that’s in my truck is a 4 cylinder which is a very low power/small engine which is expected to handle the weight of the truck along with towing. i just believe it was a poor design and that engine is ill equipped for a truck and the dealership/manufacturer should bear responsibility for that."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-03
Complaint:
"i was cruising down the freeway at around 60 miles an hour when the vehicle started stuttering and shaking and i could not accelerate. the truck couldn’t get out of its own way and was a danger to my family. i took the truck to the dealer where they told me i had a lifter failure. they replaced the bank of lifters on the one side of the engine where the failure occurred and sent me on the way. i’m hearing the lifters is a common issue from multiple dealers. i’m not sure i feel confident in my vehicle any longer. i would prefer the dealer or manufacture to buy it back at this point."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-05-05
Complaint:
"the first incident that happened to the vehicle was two weeks after the purchase the engine light came on and the pressure dropped and the truck was riding rough and driving slow on a main street 35 miles from my house. the 2nd incident had around three weeks after being in the dealership for a few days with the same code and symptoms as the first incident. the third incident happened three weeks ago while on the highway the engine light came on engine pressure dropped and it drove rough and slow during consistent traffic and i had to pull over. i contacted the dealership and made an appointment. my vehicle wasn`t driven for two days until it was taken to the dealership. the engine light has come on many times through my ownership of the vehicle. i don`t feel safe driving this vehicle"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-01-04
Complaint:
"lifter failure at 24,500 miles"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-10-04

Recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet SILVERADO 1500

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"general motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2019-2021 chevrolet silverado 1500 and gmc sierra 1500, 2021 chevrolet suburban and tahoe and gmc yukon xl and 2020-2021 chevrolet silverado 2500 and 3500 and gmc sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. the seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position."
Consequence:
If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2020-12-17
Recall:
"general motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2020 chevrolet bolt ev and 2021 gmc canyon and sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, yukon, yukon xl, cadillac escalade and escalade esv and chevrolet blazer, camaro, colorado, equinox, silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, suburban and tahoe vehicles. incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. if an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle."
Consequence:
If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2020-12-23

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

Related Vehicles

Why not check out other CHEVROLET vehicles?

2007 UPLANDER
CHEVROLET
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 108
  • Recall Count: 2
View Car
2012 EXPRESS PASSENGER 3500 15 PASS
CHEVROLET
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 14
  • Recall Count: 6
View Car
2010 EXPRESS 3500 12 PASSENGER
CHEVROLET
  • Overall Safety Rating: Not Rated
  • Complaints Count: 19
  • Recall Count: 6
View Car
2018 SILVERADO 1500
CHEVROLET
  • Overall Safety Rating: 5
  • Complaints Count: 331
  • Recall Count: 3
View Car