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2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: harsh or hard shifting

31 of the 524 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 describe harsh or hard shifting.

owner complaints
31
of this car's complaints
6%
typical mileage
15,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 111 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Harsh or hard shifting by model year

What owners say

Filed Aug 23, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · TN

My truck has been shuttering when accelerating and hard shifts periodically. The engine is also tapping. I have right at 74000 miles. regular oil changes and maintenances.

Filed Feb 19, 2026 · Transmission · ME

My transmission failed at around 69,000 miles. This was confirmed by the dealership. I bought my vehicle from and was covered under warranty. I purchased my vehicle in 2019 from a Dodge dealership and it came with a 10 year hundred thousand mile warranty for the powertrain. The tech indicated that the torque converter failed sending metal fragments through the transmission, coolant lines and transmission cooler. There were no warning indicators only hard shifting clunking when shifting and shuttering at different speeds.

Filed Feb 11, 2026 · Transmission · TN

Transmission is having hard shift and shutter at a speed of 60/65

Filed May 28, 2025 · Brakes, Transmission · IN

Brakes sometimes require more pressure to stop or slow down. Transmission shutters and makes a clunking noise between shifting points. Kind of a sound bad u-joints make. Air Conditioning leaked all freon out in 2024 with 70k miles just 2mos. after service at a GM Dealership. Still not repaired.

Filed May 24, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · MS

My vehicle has had transmission and engine problems that should not have been an issue until after at least 100,000 miles. At 11,577 miles I reported hard down shifting as well as a hard shift / kick when going from reverse to drive when the transmission would feel like it would slip and then kick when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear on automatic transmission. There were no codes and dealership said they couldn't duplicate problem. At 58517 miles the service 4x4 warning light came on as well as a shifting problem was continuing. A transmission valve body was replaced and a transmission service / fluid replacement was done under warranty or extended warranty. The shifting problem has continued. It has come to my understanding that Chevrolet put out a bulletin about changing the transmission fluid should solve the problem and to tell customers that some hard shift could be normal and not a problem. And I have heard about some class action lawsuits that have been filed. A second and more major issue was the 5.3 liter engine failure that occured at 62,093 miles after having a tapping noise develop and some loss of power. But this issue began earlier at 40,125 miles when I had a fuel injection clean due to it running rough. Extended warranty replaced engine with a used motor and I was still charged $1158.93 for amounts extended warranty didn't cover. My Son's 2015 Silverado 1500 which I owned previously had to have the transmission rebuilt for just under $5,000 just out of extended or manufacturer's warranty. We don't pay $60,000-$70,000 to have engines and transmission fail before 100,000 miles and before the loans on vehicles are paid off. We shouldn't have to be paying a loan on a vehicle we can't even drive because it is in the shop for an extended period of time. At 62,298 miles after getting the truck back from the engine failure, the starter then failed and was replaced under extended warranty with $133.76 cost going to me.

Filed May 1, 2025 · Transmission · GA

Hard shift when transmission is shifting around 70 mph and also transmission temperature keeps rising above 230 degrees. Shuddering when shifting after city driving.

Filed Apr 8, 2025 · Engine, Suspension · FL

I purchased a used 2018 Chevrolet Silverado High Country (VIN: [XXX] ) on [XXX], with 24,375 miles. On the day of pickup, the truck felt like it was driving over rumble strips. Dimmitt Chevrolet flushed the transmission and used the updated Mobil 1 HP LV fluid. This worked temporarily, but the shudder returned. CarMax then sent the truck to Burke’s Transmission in Sarasota, where they replaced the torque converter. However, the shop declined to rebuild the transmission, citing its complexity. I later brought the truck to Cox Chevrolet in Bradenton. Despite clearly describing the shudder, harsh shifting, and driveline clunk, they told me the behavior was “normal” and refused to investigate further, stating, “We’ll look into it once the unit fails completely.” The symptoms have worsened. Harsh 1–2, 2–3, and 3–4 shifts are back. Shifting into Drive causes a loud clunk and forward lurch. Cold starts cause bucking and sudden stopping. I’ve replaced the tires, Bilstein 5100 rear shocks, and front suspension parts, but the problem persists. I signed on to a class action lawsuit against GM over the 8L90 transmission, but my claim was denied. This issue is well-documented and matches reports from many other owners. It affects drivability, safety, and long-term reliability. GM and its dealers have failed to properly address this known transmission defect. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate further. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 26, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · MI

Transmission jerks with hard shift and rough idle

Filed Jan 24, 2025 · Transmission · ID

My truck has had transmission issues since we purchased it. At 79,000 miles the factory transmission finally went out and needed replaced. The truck currently has 81,000 miles on it and is already having transmission problems with the rebuilt parts. Background: the truck began having hard downshifts since purchase. Over the course of our ownership, we noticed it started struggling with shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd and 3rd gear to 4th. Constant "clunking" and shuttering when trying to shift. Approximately November of 2024 the truck suffered from the known GM transmission failures. It was almost "skipping" upon acceleration and had a very hard time with cycling between gears. The transmission began making a sound comparable to a normal operating diesel truck (almost sounded like the turbo engines upon acceleration). The truck was sent to the dealership and the transmission was replaced. However, since this replacement we are now experiencing similar symptoms to the previous transmission. There is a very hard downshift, there is clunking sound when the truck is trying to go from 3rd to 4th, and the truck has a noticeable gear burning smell when driven long distances.

Filed Feb 21, 2024 · Acceleration, Transmission · NV

P1. On or about Feb 9, Power Train transmission, Modular’s. While traveling about 40mph the truck shifted suddenly to low gear, and the water pump blew resulting in steam or smoke from engine hood. Automatic shifting was not possible, after slowing to 5-10 mph check if mauls shifting was an option. All gears L1 L2…were replaced with ‘L’. P2 March 2023 to presented 2024, the vehicle will vibrate and shake. More like a shimming. This happens what seems to be every .5 to 1.0 mile. P3 March 2023 The Transmission issue listed in para 1 happen exactly as describe above. Except the water pump was fine. On or about June 2021 The Transmission issue listed in para 3 happen exactly as describe above. I TOOK TRUCK TO HENDERSON CHEVROLET in Henderson , NV and reported the transmission sudden shift to low AND how the truck slams into gear when leaving a stop sign light. It feels like someone hit the back of the truck. Jerks forward. Service RESULT: that’s normal for the truck. October 2019, took truck to back to Circle Chevy / Hyundai in Shrewsbury NJ regarding the slamming and jerky transmission. RESULT: it’s normal or it didn’t do it while in service road test. I just bought the truck 1 month earlier from CIRCLE CHEVY of SHREWSBURY NJ. Regarding the most recent trans issue of Feb 2024, the power train went out of warranty in August. The issues should have been fixed when odometer was between 000064 to 60000 or Aug 2024. This truck is unsafe and sudden shift to low gear can cause the truck to get into accident

Filed Jul 25, 2023 · Transmission · MS

Have 2018 z71 silverado truck after a few thousand miles I notice vibation when speed was around 65mph even the passage seat was vibrating and sometime the hard shift like you was hit from behind when shift went online to see if anyone is having this problem and there was something about the chevy shake

Filed May 5, 2023 · Transmission · MA

My vehicle has been properly maintained since new. At around 90,000 miles the transmission started making noise. I had trans filter changed and the noise abated. at 92,000 the car started shifting oddly. Several times on the highway the engine would rev and the car loses speed. Loud noises from the transmission and hard shifts. I most recently was unable to accelerate while getting on the highway. This is a truck, I have things I have to transport. I am unsure if I should continue to drive on the highway. I am going to my local dealer next week to explore repair options. I have learned that this problem is well-known to GM .

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 harsh shifting

Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

31 of 524 owner complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (6%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2019.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

There are 0 recalls and 111 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Check engine light 45Transmission failure 32Jerking 29Stalling 28Loss of power 26Engine failure 22Shudder 20Knocking 17Overheating 17ABS 15Slipping 13Misfire 12Fuel pump 11Power steering loss 11Adaptive cruise 10Grinding brakes 10Fire or smoke 10Headlights 10Hesitation 9Won't shift 9Brake failure 8Seat belt 8Ball joint 7Tire blowout 6Steering lock-up 5Warning lights 5Won't start 5

All model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500

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