Driving on I-64 approx. 75 MPH, I heard a noise coming from what seemed to be the engine; sounded like a belt or hose whipping in the wind-did not sound metallic in nature. I turned off radio and opened window and could not determine source. Within 20 seconds or so, I had lost motive power and vehicle began slowing down, despite applying gas pedal. I did not have any warning lights. Oil pressure seemed okay, RPM stayed just under 2k. Once vehicle slowed down from 75 to about 60 mph I steered vehicle off roadway. I turned off engine and opened hood to inspect. I had light smoke coming out of air filter. Oil was pouring out the bottom. Only then did I have a check engine light on and vehicle would not restart. Dealer inspection determined what I suspected (from previous years 6.2L recalls), thrown rod through the engine block. The service rep said he personally saw the rod sticking out the side of the engine block.
The worst 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine77
- Electrical31
- Transmission29
- Brakes13
- Driver assistance12
- Fuel system5
- Steering5
- Body3
- Acceleration2
- Tires2
- Visibility2
- Wheels2
- Lights1
- Seats1
- Suspension1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Engine failure 29Loss of power 19Check engine light 18Stalling 15Knocking 14Grinding brakes 7Jerking 6Fire or smoke 5Power steering loss 5Won't start 5
Recalls 3
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, and GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles with four-wheel (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and certain 2015-2020 Suburban, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Yukon, Yukon XL, and Tahoe vehicles. A component missing from the drivetrain transfer case may cause the front and/or rear wheels to lock up without warning to the driver.
- Risk
- Front or rear wheel lockup increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transfer case assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 18, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223. GM's number for this recall is N262557620. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on May 7, 2026.
Recall number 26V289000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: owners/service/other manual
- What is wrong
- General Motors has decided that certain 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2025-2026 Cadillac OPTIQ, Chevrolet Colorado, Equinox EV, GMC Canyon, 2026 Buick Enclave, Envision, Cadillac CT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade IQ, Escalade IQL, LYRIQ, VISTIQ, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Corvette Convertible, Corvette Coupe, Corvette Convertible E-Ray, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, Silverado EV, Suburban 1500, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, Sierra EV, Terrain, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The radio may not have been set to the correct status to download the electronic owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, “Occupant Protection.”
- Risk
- Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reset the vehicle radio, which will facilitate automatic download of the electronic owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑866‑467‑9700, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4223. The manufacturer's number for this recall is N252540430. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on February 26, 2026.
Recall number 26V114000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: owners/service/other manual
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 vehicles. These vehicles may not have received an owner's manual during production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, “Child Restraint Anchorage Systems.”
- Risk
- Without an owner's manual to consult, owners may not know how to safely use and operate the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will provide the owner’s manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 30, 2025. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N252532020. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on November 25, 2025.
Recall number 25V815000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Defect investigations
Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy
On January 16, 2026, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ26001. This investigation was opened to assess the remedy effectiveness of Recall 25V‑274. ODI has received complaints alleging engine failure in vehicles after the recall remedy had been completed, whether that remedy involved an oil viscosity change or a complete engine replacement. General Motors (GM) issued Recall 25V‑274 to address concerns of engine failure in the L87 engines produced between March 1, 2021 and May 31, 2024. GM cited the root cause as a supplier manufacturing and quality issue. GMâs recall remedy for Recall 25V‑274 consisted of two different repairs, either an oil viscosity change or an engine replacement, based on the results of the remedy inspection procedure. ODI continues to receive reports of engine failures after the completion of the recall remedy. To date, ODI has received 499 complaints alleging post-remedy engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall 25V‑274, 473 of which involved an oil viscosity change and 26 a complete engine replacement. Additionally, ODI has received 191 reports of L87 engine failures in engines produced after the production period cited in Recall 25V‑274. GM reported receiving 6,953 complaints of post-remedy engine failure. ODI is opening this Engineering Analysisto continue investigating complaints of post-remedy engine failure. ODI is expanding the scope of this Investigation to include engines produced after the production period cited in the recall. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to
EA26005
Technical service bulletins for the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 220
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Beginning with 2026 model year production, the floor console/armrest lamp design was changed by removing...
- This document assists GM dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque...
- This PI is to instruct dealer on diagnostic procedures that need to be completed prior to replacing a...
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
What 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Engine Seized. Truck wouldn’t shift to neutral to be towed. Tow Truck with Dollies had to be called. Blocked/Detoured traffic for six hours at the main entrance to CMH AirPort Construction Parking. Yelled at by Security on site to move truck. Absolutely Humiliating.
I was traveling on a highway on-ramp and when I accelerated to get to normal driving speed, every light on the dash blinked and had a full brake failure. No ABS, no pressure on the pads, and the vehicle was limited to 60 mph. I narrowly avoided multiple accidents. This came with zero warning and the truck had less than 12,000 miles on it.
While driving home from work, I pulled up to the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp. When I released the brake and pressed the gas pedal, my truck would not move. This immediately put me in an anxious state as I was expecting the vehicle to move. I checked my rearview mirror to make sure that there wasn’t anybody coming up behind me and put my flashers on while I tried to figure out what was going on. My eyes moved to the shifter next. I noticed that the vehicle was in park. I reached down to the shifter and tried to put the vehicle in drive, but it would not shift. I then hit the push-to-start button to restart the vehicle. After this, I was able to shift back into drive and finish my commute home. This was an unsafe condition as I experienced an unexpected loss of power. An approaching vehicle would expect me to be moving when the road is clear in front of me. I took the truck to the dealership the next day. My vehicle was repaired under warranty. The cause states "update 2810275 Serial Data Gateway Module Reprogramming with SPS." I did not notice any warning lamps or messages, but I also did not look at the instrument panel when this happened. My first thought was to check for approaching vehicle traffic and to put on my flashers. After I put on my flashers, I looked down and noticed the vehicle was in park.
I am reporting a serious safety-related malfunction involving my 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2, purchased new on June 2, 2026. On October 31, 2026, at approximately 9,659 miles, my vehicle unexpectedly shifted into Neutral while I was traveling approximately 65–70 mph on the highway. The vehicle suddenly lost propulsion, forcing me to maneuver through highway traffic to reach the shoulder. This created a serious risk of collision. The vehicle became disabled and required towing. Following the incident, the Chevrolet application displayed two critical warnings: * Transmission System — Service Now * Ignition System — Service Now The application also recorded an unsuccessful starting attempt. I am concerned that this vehicle may contain a dangerous transmission, electronic control, or drivetrain defect capable of causing unexpected loss of propulsion at highway speeds. I request that the federal safety agency evaluate this incident as a potential vehicle safety defect and determine whether similar failures have been reported involving 2026 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles. I have screenshots of the vehicle warnings and can provide repair records and diagnostic findings when available.
At time of incident this truck had about 5500 miles on it. Prior to this incident, I received no warnings, messages, and experienced no adverse symptoms. I was towing an 18ft Fleetwood Pioneer travel trailer. While traveling at about 70 mph, and climbing a mild grade, the transmission shifted down, and shortly after the engine started loosing power. RPMs remained constant for about 5-10 seconds, but speed was dropping. Then RPMs fluctuated for about another 5-10 seconds. Then no response to accelerator after that. Upon pulling over, LOW OIL PRESSURE message appeared, then ATTEMPT ENGINE RESTART. Upon attempting restart, could hear some pretty weird noises but engine did not restart, and I aborted start attempt. Dealership has ordered a replacement motor under warranty. I was stranded on a narrow shoulder of the freeway for about 1.5 hours awaiting a tow truck. Vehicles sped by at 80 mph which compromised safety, especially when tow truck arrived and he worked on hooking up.
The 2026 Chevy Silverado 1500 Lt. Can jump modes on its own. When in 4 wheel drive rear wheels lock up. This has been causing poor gas mileage. The lane assist does not hold, it travels well outside of lanes. Cannot use.
I bought the truck at 6,400 miles. I was on my way to the dealership because of a clanking sound I heard the day I brought it home. It was at 7,007 miles when it went down. I had it for a total of 5 days. I was coming from a stop when it suddenly lurched and I heard rattling and clanging noises. It had been making noises around 6500 miles that were most likely drivetrain related. Luckily, I was on a side road when the engine locked up. No warning lights. Had the truck towed to the dealership. They said the engine needs to be replaced. Still no delivery date given.
Driving on [XXX] in Maryland, engine just stopped. Pulled to the shoulder. Engine refused to start. Was towing a 7300lb Airstream Flying Cloud trailer. If unable to pull on to shoulder, would have been stopped i the slow lane of the road. Weiner Chevrolet in Cumberland, MD. Has confirmed that the engine seized up. They are replacing the engine. There was no indication of anything wrong till the engine stopped running. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I took my truck and atvs from Ohio to Michigan for vacation. We took my truck out. We swerved to miss a deer. Pulled over to check everything out and the truck shut down and would not start. Called roadside assistance, they towed vehicle to a Chevy dealer. Dealer calls me later that afternoon telling me the engine locked up and needed replaced. The truck had 5,800 miles when this happened. We were also traveling at low speeds. If this had happened on the freeway it may have caused a serious accident and may have resulted in injury or loss of life. Since they replaced the failed engine with the same engine I am concerned it will do this again and have no confidence in this vehicle.
Compare the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Silverado 1500 vs Ford F-150Silverado 1500 vs Ram 1500Silverado 1500 vs GMC Sierra 1500Silverado 1500 vs Toyota TundraSilverado 1500 vs Nissan Titan
Other model years
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Questions about the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Is the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?
Owners have filed 132 complaints about the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, fewer than a typical Silverado 1500 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
Engine and cooling, with 77 complaints, typically around 4,000 miles. Next is electrical (31).
How many recalls does the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have?
3 recalls, covering power train and equipment.
What year does the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have bad engine?
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 model years with the most engine complaints are 2021 (453 complaints), 2019 (424 complaints) and 2022 (281 complaints).
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Check its historyChevrolet Silverado 1500 in the news
- Chevrolet recalls 2016-2017 Silverado 1500, 2016-2017 Sierra 1500 and 2016 Silverado 2500 and other models over air bags inflator problem (1,559 vehicles)
- Safety regulators investigate 2021-2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2021-2026 Chevrolet Tahoe and 2021-2026 GMC Sierra 1500 and other models for loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy