Chevrolet Silverado reliability by year
23 recalls and 14,777 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2025. Year to avoid: 2015.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 10 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
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 21 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Silverado aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Chevrolet Silverado?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado scores 8.0/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 76 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Chevrolet Silverado year should I avoid?
The 2015 Chevrolet Silverado scores 5.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 1,164 owner complaints with NHTSA, 7 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2015 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Chevrolet Silverado should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2020 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2017 (avoid — the brakes — 11 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the electrical system); 2016 (avoid — the brakes — 1 fatality report and 21 crash-related complaints on the brakes); 2015 (avoid — the steering — 1 fatality report and 8 crash-related complaints on the steering); 2014 (avoid — the body — 9 fire-related complaints and 7 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2009 (avoid — the body — 1 fatality report and 3 crash-related complaints on the body). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Chevrolet Silverado are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 23 recalls and 14,777 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Chevrolet Silverado?
airbags is the most-reported category — 2,363 complaints across 18 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.