Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 34 to 338 complaints, under twice the 175.5 complaints of a typical Silverado 1500 year.
Best years: 2018 Under three quarters of the 175.5 complaints of a typical Silverado 1500 year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 27 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the 2010 to 2013 Silverado Hybrid. Includes the Silverado LD and 1500 LTD, the previous generation Chevrolet sold alongside the new truck in 2019 and 2022. Excludes the Silverado EV and heavy-duty 2500 and 3500.

Silverado 1500 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Silverado 1500 year drew 175.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (173.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (175.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Silverado 1500 Most described: the check engine light coming on, then engine failure or replacement	338	1,105	10
2014 Silverado 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	301	1,562	17
2023 Silverado 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	240	397	3
2017 Silverado 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	222	840	7
2015 Silverado 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	191	1,187	17
2016 Silverado 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	177	802	14
2021 Silverado 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	174	859	8
2020 Silverado 1500 Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	173	755	12
2022 Silverado 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	156	663	6
2018 Silverado 1500 Best Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	115	524	7
2013 Silverado 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	65	366	3
2011 Silverado 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	51	640	6
2010 Silverado 1500 Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	38	425	3
2012 Silverado 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	34	284	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Silverado 1500 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	3	132	4 to 5 stars
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	0	111
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	2	323
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	3	397
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	6	663	4 to 5 stars
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Diesel	8	859	4 to 5 stars
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Diesel	12	755	4 to 5 stars
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	10	1,105	4 to 5 stars
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	7	524
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	7	840
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	14	802
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	17	1,187
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	17	1,562
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	3	366
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	3	284
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	6	640
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	3	425	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 1,105 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Model year	Complaints
2010	425
2011	640
2012	284
2013	366
2014	1,562
2015	1,187
2016	802
2017	840
2018	524
2019	1,105
2020	755
2021	859
2022	663
2023	397
2024	323
2025	111
2026	132

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 18 to 21 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 21 to 22 mpg (2010 to 2013); highest in 2010.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 20 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	18	22
2011	18	21
2012	18	21
2013	18	21
2014	20	–
2015	20	–
2016	20	–
2017	20	–
2018	20	–
2019	21	–
2020	21	–
2021	21	–
2022	20	–
2023	20	–
2024	20	–
2025	19	–
2026	20	–

Every Silverado 1500 year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years should you avoid?

No Chevrolet Silverado 1500 year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 175.5 owner complaints of a typical Silverado 1500 year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 34 to 338. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years?

The 2018 Silverado 1500 is the best year: it drew 115 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 175.5 complaints of a typical Silverado 1500 year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (338) drew the most, then the 2014 (301). Owners of the 2019 most often describe the check engine light coming on, then engine failure or replacement.

Which Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years have the most recalls?

The 2014 and 2015 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (17 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Three recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 14V-246 (2014 models), NHTSA 16V-256 (2016 to 2017 models), and NHTSA 26V-289 (2026 models).

What are the most common Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems?

In the 10,975 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe loss of power or limp mode (995 complaints); shaking, shuddering or vibration (899 complaints); and engine failure or replacement (824 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chevrolet Silverado 1500 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 27 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 diesel version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.