Chevrolet 3500 reliability by year
0 recalls and 125 owner complaints across 4 model years. Best year to buy: 2022. Year to avoid: 2016.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 4 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the 3500 aggregated across 4 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chevrolet 3500?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2022 Chevrolet 3500 scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2016–2023 range. 27 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chevrolet 3500 year should I avoid?
The 2016 Chevrolet 3500 scores 8.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 55 owner complaints with NHTSA, 0 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2016 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chevrolet 3500 should I avoid?
No Chevrolet 3500 model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Chevrolet 3500 are tracked?
4 model years (2016 through 2023) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 0 recalls and 125 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chevrolet 3500?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 24 complaints across 4 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.