Complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 peaked in 2019, with 10 filed
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Pickup, diesel, 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4, built in United States. Owner complaints on file from Jan 31, 2018 to Sep 20, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24V-756 | Oct 10, 2024 | Left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture | Airbags | 2,061 | Part replacement |
| 23V-047 | Feb 2, 2023 | Rear fuel tank may collapse and prevent the fuel pump from transferring fuel to the front tank, resulting in an engine stall | Fuel system | 22,132 | Part replacement |
| 21V-496 | Jul 1, 2021 | Electrical short-circuit may occur in the engine-block heater cable or in the terminals that connect the heater cable to the block heater | Equipment | 338,020 | Part replacement |
| 19V-328 | Apr 25, 2019 | Engine block heater cord or the terminals that connect the heater cord to the block heater may short circuit and fail | Engine and cooling | 318,374 | Part replacement |
| 17V-567 | Sep 14, 2017 | Front seat belt retractor assemblies were built with the incorrect torsion bar | Seat belts | 38,048 | Part replacement |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
53 complaints on file, page 1 of 3.
Description of Safety Defect: I purchased this 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD from Carvana. Within 14 days of vehicle delivery, an authorized, in-network warranty repair facility (Monro) diagnosed a critical safety defect in the steering linkage, identifying failed outer tie rod ends and a failed pitman arm. Carvana’s warranty administrator, SilverRock (Claim C102648992), acknowledged the structural steering failure by approving the pitman arm and idler arm replacement but explicitly denied the required tie rod ends, claiming "no failure." The vehicle has since been released back to me with the failed tie rod ends still installed. On this heavy-duty truck, the steering linkage has now deteriorated to a catastrophic failure point. With the truck parked on the ground, there is severe, excessive manual play allowing the front wheel to be physically shaken left-to-right by hand. The vehicle cannot be aligned, is structurally compromised, and is completely unsafe to operate on public roads due to the imminent risk of a total loss of steering control. Carvana and SilverRock delivered an unsafe vehicle that failed its structural inspection points, and subsequently refused to complete the safety-critical repair required under their mandatory 100-day limited warranty window, forcing a dangerous, heavy-duty vehicle back onto public roads.
NHTSA complaint 11765704Vehicle displays airbag deployment codes, airbag sound was heard, airbag agent smell is present yet no airbags were deployed in the vehicle. Yes it is available for inspection on request, it will be inspected by insurance adjusters in the next week.
NHTSA complaint 117497022018 Chevy Silverado 2500Diesel Duramax (63,000 miles & Garage kept) While pulling 37' camper on flat terrain, Push Rod bent and broke in half - violently shaking and missing; Engine was ruined. Engine light did not appear until after it started shaking. Luckily this happened before crossing over steep mountain where we would not have been able to get off road or control vehicle and camper behind us. Truck was towed to Chevy dealership; had to wait until 10 days to learn extent of damage. Repair cost was going to be $26,000 and though our truck's trade in value was $37000 before this event, we were offered just $12000 for trade in. Though we had been led to believe that a Chevy Duramax was highly regarded for durability and longevity, we decided to purchase a RAM Truck. NO MORE CHEVYS for us! Contacted Chevy Customer Assistance but because we traded, they would not offer any financial assistance because we took the dealership's offer and traded the next day. We just couldn't stand a $26000 hit on an 8 year old vehicle and had to absorb that amount with our trade in.
NHTSA complaint 11747241Frontal driver airbag deployed spontaneously while vehicle was stopped at a stop sign. No collision or impact occurred. Deployment produced excessive smoke and heat. Minor burn to hand resulted from deployment.
NHTSA complaint 11746441The truck kept going into limp mode and when taken to the dealership it was found to have metal in the fuel. According to the report from the dealership they stated that this indicated the injection pump had come apart internally and sent metal throughout the system. It has since been repaired at a high cost to myself. The generation of truck made before mine had a recall for the same thing and I feel that they have not fixed the problem or it wouldn't have happened to my truck. Seems like a manufacturing defect. When in limp mode the truck does not operate at the speed limit required for highway driving. There was no indication prior to the failure.
NHTSA complaint 11740738Rear defroster seemed to short circuit and over heated causing my back window to break. There was no warning, no light that alerted me to this going on. I had it inspected by a local Chevy dealership and they have indeed confirmed that it short circuited and caused the damage to my rear window. They also removed the fuse to prevent anything further from happening and told me it could have completely caught on fire.
NHTSA complaint 11715028Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 92,985. While attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that the title mileage was approximately 215,000.
NHTSA complaint 11702712Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while having a State Emissions Test performed on the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 75,200; however, it was discovered that on January 17,2024, the mileage was 265,005.
NHTSA complaint 11693812tail light assembly falls out of the truck body due to faulty bolt connections that fail ( crumble and break off) due to heat from parking in the sun
NHTSA complaint 116828632 low pressure fuel pumps have failed. truck stalls in traffic. currently in show with extremely large bill for repair.
NHTSA complaint 11667478Driving down the road in heavy traffic and had complete engine failure due to loss of fuel. Diagnosed as fuel control module. I have seen where GM recalls have been made for similar issues. This put me in danger of collision. Truck is at the dealer and will cost $957.00
NHTSA complaint 1166389070,000 mile complete transmission failure despite being serviced on-time, as per the guidance. Failure happened while driving and it became dangerous to try to maintain highway speed. Quoted $8390 to replace by the local Chevy dealership and quoted 4-6 weeks delivery for backordered parts. This is an unacceptable situation that GM and other manufacturers have artificially manufactured. They design everything to the bare minimum to save fractions of a cent per part, and then they intentionally make the parts unavailable and then the dealership pushes you to trade the broken vehicle in at a massive loss just so you can get back on the road in a newer, more expensive vehicle. This sort of behavior is causing immense financial harm to American families.
NHTSA complaint 11659330I’m have 1-2” dead space in steering. It is hard to stay in lane on highway as when a road dip takes extra movement keep straight. I was told this is normal but had dealer change steering box. Replacement helped a lot but truck is starting to get the 1-2” of play once again. Seems like similar issue to 2016 model year.
NHTSA complaint 11647647Dash Warning: Check Engine Light, "Engine Power is Reduced!" and Traction Control. Code Reader Results: P2138 (APP) Accelerator Pedal Position Sensors - Not Plausible. Replaced with NEW OEM Part(s) - APP, Electrical Throttle Body and M15 Fuse - which did NOT fix issues and now due to safety concerns (further damage to vehicle and personal preservation) will be towing to dealership for diagnosis. Believe to be a known WIRING issues most likely due to WATER exposure/ SHORT in Connectors. - See IP, ECM/PCM and possible false activation to the APP circuit. This should be a RECALL due to the severity of mechanical issues of the malfunctioning system.
NHTSA complaint 11633203Reductant heater fault
NHTSA complaint 11630794while driving i smelled burning electrical somewhere in the cab. looking in the rearview mirror i saw smoke ciming from the corner of the sliding rear window. i pulled over and opened my rear door and heard a crack type noise. the smoke stopped and the drivers side rear window was shattered. upon researching the issue i found a recall was done in canada and not in the usa .
NHTSA complaint 11625662Vehicle stalled then would not start
NHTSA complaint 11623397While hauling a trailer I received a warning tone and looked down to read the message, "reduced engine power", and the service engine light appeared all at the same time. The engine shutoff at the same time I received the warnings and didn't allow me to safely pull off the road.. I lost power steering, power braking, and controlling the vehicle and trailer while coasting to the sholder was difficult. Fortunately it was early in the morning and I was only traveling 35 mph on a straight road, and no other vehicles were on the road. If I was on an interstate traveling 55+ mph or on a curvy road it would have caused an accident or worse. I was very fortunate. This was the first time I experienced this problem and hadn't received prior warning messages or lights. The truck would not restart and the truck and trailer were towed to the dealership. The diagnosis was a failed "Fuel Pump Control Module." After waiting several weeks the replacement Fuel Pump Control Module did solved the problem. I kept the failed Fuel Pump Control Module and is available for inspection. Please investigate thoroughly! I was extremely fortunate the part failed when it did and I was able to walk away unharmed.
NHTSA complaint 11619745The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the engine idling for approximately ten minutes, the rear crew cab window suddenly shattered. During the failure, the rear window defroster was activated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
NHTSA complaint 11617735The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off and parked in the driveway, the contact heard a loud explosion. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the rear passenger’s side side-curtain air bag erroneously deployed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that during the failure, shrapnel and shards of metal pierced the roof and caused multiple holes in the roof of the vehicle. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 72,500.
NHTSA complaint 11609374Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.