2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems owners report most
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems are documented in public: owners have filed 738 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2019 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the engine clearly first, at 248 of the 738 complaints, close to a third of everything filed.
A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 34 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 248 | 34% |
| POWER TRAIN | 231 | 31% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 114 | 15% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 113 | 15% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 75 | 10% |
| STEERING | 74 | 10% |
Against the 2019 car, this model year has drawn 32 per cent fewer complaints (738 against 1,089). Both years are led by the engine, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2020 car.
Of those complaints, 13 describe a crash and 9 describe a fire. Filers reported 12 injuries.
Recalls on the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 12 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
The risk. Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator.
The risk. An intermittent electrical connection between the B+ battery cable and the alternator could cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash. The intermittent connection could also lead to electrical arcing, which could generate sufficient heat to damage surrounding material, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary. If arcing has damaged the cable, nut, or alternator, the dealer will replace the damaged components. All services will be performed free of charge. GM issued owners an interim notification on February 4, 2020. GM issued second notice and the recall began March 9, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192273510.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.
The risk. Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202319030.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
The risk. If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
The risk. A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Camaro, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing for over-pressurization of the fuel system.
The risk. Over-pressurization can crack the fuel pump and cause leaks, increasing the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2019. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192283991.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions.
The risk. An ABS system that does not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's manual insert clarifying which spare tire to use with the accessory road tires and with the 17" original tires. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212346510.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.
The risk. If the driveshaft separates, there may be a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202314870.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.
The risk. Broken caliper bolts can reduce brake performance or interfere with wheel rotation and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-866-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N202294420.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
The risk. Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix. Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
The risk. Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.
The fix. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.
In owners own words
These are complaints filed about the engine, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.
Problem started while driving on the highway, I was speeding up from the ramp to merge into the highway. As I got to 62 mph the dashboard started blinking that i could only go up to 62 mph max. Cruise control was not on. I drove to my destination at that speed with the message on the dashboard. I arrived at my destination, parked, turned it off, a couple of hours later turned it on to drive again. At this point, the dashboard message was that I could only drive it max speed 42 mph and "service tire monitor system" I towed to my mechanic given i could not drive at that speed on the highway back
Dear Sir or Madam, I am submitting this complaint to request that the Federal Trade Commission investigate General Motors (Chevrolet) regarding what appears to be a known engine defect affecting the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and the company's handling of this issue. I own a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado. In September 2025, when my truck had only 45,494 miles, I experienced an engine misfire consistent with a defect that has been widely reported by other owners. Through my research, I discovered that General Motors was aware of this issue and, rather than correcting the underlying mechanical defect
I'm experiencing all the documented issues with the 10L80 10 speed transmission. Identical to all the recalls. It's shifting poorly, torque converter shudder, lose of power, unreliability, and serious safety concerns. I've tried to communicate and find a resolution to these issues through the dealership and GM. Of course getting nowhere. I don't feel a 60k dollar truck should be in this kind of condition. Recently the ac compressor went out. Conveniently after the 6.2 was considered faulty and was replaced but transmission denied. Which the dealership GM expressed in no way was any factors the
My husband was driving our family truck onto the highway to merge into traffic, when he lost all engine power, several dash lights turned on, and a clanking noise started. This was an extremely dangerous situation because the truck stalled, while trying speed up into highway traffic. He swerved to avoid cars and pulled off to the right shoulder. This a major safety issue because if either of my teenage daughters had been driving the truck, they would likely not have been able to avoid an accident! Mechanics confirmed the truck had suffered a catastrophic engine failure while driving. The deale
After three oil leak repairs in my LM2 3.0 diesel engine in my 2020 Chevrolet Silverado RST, you would think that would be enough to repair the manufacturer's defects, but it wasn't. I think the saying is fourth time is the charm? The third repair which was a second oil pan lasted a whopping 48 hours before leaking. This time it ended up being the timing chain cover that was leaking. Again, the service advisor mentioned that these are known to leak too due to a defect from the manufacturer. I even got a call from the service manager, and he said that anything area that could and does leak oil
Internal oil consumption. With no oil puddled or spattered under the vehicle at time of purchase from a dealership or since then, a dealer certified vehicle with AFM at 153 miles from leaving the dealer the oil was non-existant on the dipstick. This directly indicates a TSB, Techical Service Bulletin involving the cause of failed lifters causing internal oil consumption and damage to lifters, cam shaft, push rods, rings and possibly more. This is a common result of the Active Fuel Management system which shuts off some of the cylinders for fuel economy for Chevrolet V6 and V8 engines. The prob
Every component, by complaint count
The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.
| Component | Complaints | Share of all complaints |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 248 | 34% |
| POWER TRAIN | 231 | 31% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 114 | 15% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 113 | 15% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 75 | 10% |
| STEERING | 74 | 10% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 35 | 5% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 28 | 4% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 26 | 4% |
| STRUCTURE | 25 | 3% |
How other model years compare
The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has drawn the most complaints and the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 the fewest.
What to check on the engine
Engine reports range from oil consumption between services to rough running, stalling and a loss of power under acceleration. Oil use is the one owners notice latest, because nothing warns you until the level is already low.
Buying a used 2020 Silverado 1500
Ask for every service record and check the gap between oil changes against the level on the dipstick now. An engine using oil quietly is the most expensive fault on this list and the easiest one to miss on a test drive.
If you already own one
Start a log of oil level between services. A documented consumption rate is what turns a conversation with a dealer from an opinion into a claim, and some manufacturers have covered these repairs well past the warranty.
- Check the oil level and condition yourself before buying.
- Ask for service records covering every oil change.
- Record oil level between services to document consumption.
- Have a compression or leak down test done before a major repair.
Where the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problem data comes from
Every figure on this page is counted from complaints and recalls published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, read October 12, 2026. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by the agency before publication. We count each complaint once per component it names, so a complaint naming two components appears in both rows.
- NHTSA recalls and complaintsRead October 12, 2026
- NHTSA record for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500Read October 12, 2026
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