The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle made grinding sounds. The contact pulled over on the side of the roadway. Upon inspection, the contact noticed flames coming from the rear differential, and the driveshaft had detached. The contact extinguished the flames with bottled water. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear axle had detached and the driveshaft had struck the transfer case. The contact was informed that the rear end and transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Chevrolet Silverado fire or smoke problems
90 of the 8,746 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Silverado describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 90
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,400
- typical mileage
- 70,000
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 4Won't start 2Wipers 2Warning lights 2Slipping 2Overheating 2Headlights 2Fuel pump 2
What owners say
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while the husband was driving, a warning message indicating the hood was unlatched had been displayed and the front headlights were not operable. Smoke was seen coming from under the hood and after lifting the hood to inspect the engine compartment flames and smoke were present. The husband extinguished the flames with water and the vehicle was pushed to a work sight. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the battery cable and electrical wiring harness were melted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The fire department was not called to the scene. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it caught fire from the dashboard. The fire department was able to put out the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was not towed and remained in the parking space. The insurance company was not made aware of the failure to deem the vehicle totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but the manufacturer disconnected the call. The failure mileage was approximately 260,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2017 chevrolet silverado. When the contact pulled into his driveway and plugged in the block heater, the vehicle caught fire a few minutes later in the engine compartment. The contact placed the vehicle into neutral to move it away from his house. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed. Both the manufacturer and insurance company sent fire investigators to examine the vehicle. The contact submitted a fire report to his insurance company. A police report was filed. Both investigators stated that it could take up to 90 days to report their findings. The insurance company offered a buyout for the total loss of the vehicle; however, the contact wanted to see what the manufacturer would offer. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 24,500. ..*bf
While driving, the heater blower stopped working and I smelled burning plastic or insulation. I pulled over and figured out it was coming from under the dash. Logically I pulled the bottom cover off from below the blower assy.(former mechanic). Smell was coming from plug harness and relay. Melted wire insulation and melted plastic from plug harness(obvious short). I was near an auto parts store and checked to see if they had this wiring plug assy. And they informed me that they did and this was an issue that gm had and there had been a safety recall on this. It's winter and I needed a defroster! Roadside fix, but this could have been much worse. Contacted gm and they informed me that this was not their problem because the VIN number wasn't part of their recall. Gm case # 8-174060432. Not dropping this, this could have gotten worse.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet silverado. While the vehicle was parked with the air conditioner set on level five, the blower intermittently clicked off and on. The contact also stated that a burning smell emitted through the vents of the vehicle. The failure recurred on several occasions until level five and four settings no longer worked. The contact inspected the connector sw/power st adjuster and discovered that the wires were melted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the connector and resistor for the air conditioner and heater and the resistor for the heater needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, all of the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated, the gauges failed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. Updated 12/03/15*lj
I had driven back home from tahoe around 6:00pm and the vehicle was parked for 2 hours when we attempted to open the slide on the 5th wheel. I found the slide on the trailer would not open due to a lack of power on the 5th wheel. At this time the pigtail was still connected to the truck. I disconnected the pigtail from the truck and plugged the trailer into a 50 amp plug and the slide opened normally. I thought it was strange that the battery had discharged after such a short time. Around 10:45pm my girlfriend screamed the trailer was on fire and when I reached the backdoor the entire trailer was engulfed and the rear of the truck was already on fire. Both the vehicles were completely destroyed along with a barn that was approximately10 feet away suffering major damage.
This is the second of three fatal collisions investigated this year by my office involving chevrolet pickups that caught fire after being involved in frontal collisions. This was an off set head on, passenger side to passenger side. Passenger in pickup was pinned in vehicle due to crush and consumed by fire.
First of three vehicle collisions this year involving chevrolet silverados that have caught fire after involved in frontal impacts. Vehicle traveling westbound on sr 58 in lane county, oregon. Involved in secondary collision with a toyota pickup truck that had been struck by a loose truck tractor wheel. The impact by the wheel caused the toyota to encroach into the path of the chevrolet. The occupants of chevrolet were able to extricate themselves. The vehicle subsequently caught fire and suffered extensive fire damage.
Related recalls
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection", and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. 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 15808.
Recall number 16V084000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured January 24, 2014, to February 26, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles manufactured February 12, 2014 and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles manufactured February 6, 2014, to February 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
- Risk
- If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on November 20, 2015. 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 15573.
Recall number 15V640000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
- Risk
- If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Recall number 14V827000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
- Risk
- If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), and 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GMs number for this recall is 14515.
Recall number 14V614000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban vehicles equipped with a base radio and an internal amplifier. The radios in the affected vehicles may become inoperative, and as a result, there would be no audible chime to notify the driver if the door is opened with the key in the ignition or no audible seat belt warning indicating the seat belts were not buckled. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention," and 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- Without an audible indicator, the driver may not be aware that the driver's door is open while the key is in the ignition, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway. Additionally, there would be no reminder that the driver's or front seat passenger's seat belt is not buckled, which could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 2, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM's customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GMC owners may contact GM's customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 14315.
Recall number 14V301000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
- Risk
- This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; cadillac at 1‑800‑982‑2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9436; or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493; or through their website at http://www.gmownercenter.com .
Recall number 08V441000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Silverado fire or smoke
Which Chevrolet Silverado years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (8 complaints), 2003 (8 complaints) and 2005 (8 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Chevrolet Silverado?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,400 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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