2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (6) · Latches/Locks/Linkages (6) · Electrical System (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Silverado 3500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:valves/Valve Body 2024-10-24 · campaign 24V797000 · 463,295 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:tailgate:latch 2024-02-01 · campaign 24V060000 · 570,434 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. The tailgate's electronic gate-release switch may short circuit due to water intrusion, which can result in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
Risk: An unlatched tailgate may open while driving and result in a loss of unsecured cargo, creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2024. 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 N232426400.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module 2021-09-29 · campaign 21V758000 · 3,241 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles with electronic brake control modules (EBCM) replaced during vehicle assembly. The bolts that attach the brake pressure modulator valve (BPMV) assembly may not be properly tightened, which could fail to seal the two sub-assemblies and allow water intrusion.
Risk: Water in the BPMV may cause an electrical short circuit and increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will replace the BPMV assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 20, 2021. 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 N212349181.
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2020-12-23 · campaign 20V811000 · 470 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2020-12-17 · campaign 20V792000 · 624,216 vehicles
Defect: 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.
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.
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.
Service bulletins (881)
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 · 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 2026-08-27 · PIP6127A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this document assists gm dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. the torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the technician will be asked to follow 25-na-148 before requesting a part through pqc.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-20 · PIC6551C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a mec reset for wireless projection issues
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-07 · PIT6031B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates an issue where an aftermarket autostop device or rear taillights is causing a dead battery.
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 881 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-06 · Electrical System“service trailer brake system error. there's a known issue for a faulty wire harness and bcm. error makes it hard to drive and see the speed, keeps popping up.…”
2026-09-11 · Latches/Locks/Linkages“the contact owns a 2021 chevrolet silverado 3500. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked or while driving at undisclosed speeds, the tailgate unintendedly opened or closed. the failure was a recurring failure. the contact associated the failure with nhtsa campaign number: 24v060000 (latches/locks/linkages); however, the vin was not…”
2026-08-19 · Steering“on xxx the 2021 chevrolet silverado was taken to mayse automotive group at [xxx] dealership for the complaint of the key getting stuck in the ignition and unable to remove causing a safety and security risk. service department found that the transmission control in column needed to be replaced. the park switch control was defective and providing in…”
2026-04-29 · Structure:body“water entered tailgate through drainage hole in tailgate cap. the water then dripped on the tailgate switch causing it to short out. this short circuit caused my tailgate to open and close randomly without pressing any switches or buttons or key fobs. may tailgate has a small ding it it now from where it kept hitting the wall while parked in the ga…”
2026-03-02 · Structure:body“the tailgate will go up and down when the vehicle is turned off and in park. it will also do this while driving the vehicle. * i notice there has already been a recall for this issue, but my vin shows no recalls …”
2026-02-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System“service engine light kept coming on the dash, and the code came back to a faulty def heater. my truck had a reduced power countdown on the dash indicating the truck was going go to into limp mode after x amount of miles. on warmer days the code would go away and there would be no reduced power. the vehicle was diagnosed at a gm dealership and confi…”
2026-02-08 · Unknown Or Other“my 2021 chevy 3500hd diesel had the engine light come on and the service emissions system popped up in the info screen. it said in so many miles speed would be limited. i took it to the dealer and they said the def tank would need replaced because the tank wiring connector overheated and would cost me over $2k. …”
2025-11-20 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · 74,040 mi“the contact owns a 2021 chevrolet silverado 3500. the contact stated that the tailgate occasionally opened and closed unintendedly. the failure had occurred several times. the dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired; however, an appointment was scheduled. the contact related the failure to nhtsa c…”
2025-11-18 · Electrical System“power unlatching tailgate opens unexpectedly (after big rain storm) the exact problem in this recall: safety recall n232426400 tailgate may open unexpectedly however, my truck vin wasn't part of the recall, even tho it shows it should be in the document above. i had to disconnect the tailgate switch myself to stop the tailgate from randomly openin…”
2025-11-10 · Engine“my 2021 chevy silverado 3500 [xxx] motor began requiring a quart of oil every 3-4 weeks. i took my vehicle to a gm dealer in october 2024 and the stated the couldn't find any issues. fast forward to december 2024 my motor began reading low compression and saying stop the vehicle. i took the vehicle back and pressured them to find out whats wrong w…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.