2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (9) · Power Train (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Silverado 2500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
24 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain:inflator 2024-10-10 · campaign 24V756000 · 2,061 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC Customer Service at 888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N242474500.
Fuel System, Diesel:storage:tank Assembly 2023-02-02 · campaign 23V047000 · 22,132 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 vehicles equipped with a dual fuel tank option. The rear fuel tank may collapse and prevent the fuel pump from transferring fuel to the front tank, resulting in an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and fuel pump module, replacing them as necessary. Dealers will also add a vent hose to the rear tank assembly. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed on March 15, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 21, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N222368030
Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater 2021-07-01 · campaign 21V496000 · 338,020 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500 and 2017-2019 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with a Duramax diesel 6.6 liter engine and an optional engine-block heater cord. An electrical short-circuit may occur in the engine-block heater cable or in the terminals that connect the heater cable to the block heater.
Risk: An electrical short-circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace engine block heaters and heater cords. Vehicles that have this feature disabled as a remedy to the safety condition will be contacted and offered replacement block heaters and heater cords under a separate customer satisfaction program, free of charge. GM will provide free replacement block heaters and cords under a separate customer satisfaction campaign. For vehicles previously included in recall 19V-328, the heater cord will be replaced and rerouted, free of charge. In
Engine 2019-04-25 · campaign 19V328000 · 318,374 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500, 5500 and 6500 vehicles and 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 vehicles and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with Duramax 6.6 liter diesel engines and an optional engine-block heater. The engine block heater cord or the terminals that connect the heater cord to the block heater may short circuit and fail.
Risk: A short-circuit may damage the engine components and increase the risk of fire.
Fix: GM will contact owners, dealers will replace the engine block heater, free of charge. Additionally, in Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 vehicles, dealers will install a new rerouted heater cord. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N182206310.
Seat Belts:front:retractor 2017-09-14 · campaign 17V567000 · 38,048 vehicles
Defect: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks. The front seat belt retractor assemblies were built with the incorrect torsion bar. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Risk: The seat belt retractors may not perform as intended during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front seat belt retractor assemblies, free of charge. The recall began March 24, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's numbers for this recall are 17368, 17375, and 17376.
Service bulletins (1,344)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIP6133 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi was created to help address the correct repair regarding a low coolant message on the dic
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-23 · PIT5680B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides information to repair the door water deflector which is not sealed properly allows water into the door jam/sill area.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5509N · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,344 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-20 · Wheels“ 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, silv…”
2026-07-11 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“vehicle 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. …”
2026-06-29 · Power Train“2018 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 abl…”
2026-06-25 · Air Bags“frontal 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.…”
2026-05-28 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the 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 mad…”
2026-02-02 · Electrical System“rear 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…”
2025-12-03 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 215,000 mi“odometer 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. …”
2025-10-16 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 265,005 mi“odometer 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 …”
2025-08-25 · Exterior Lighting“tail 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…”
2025-06-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“2 low pressure fuel pumps have failed. truck stalls in traffic. currently in show with extremely large bill for repair.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.