Fuel gauge will drop to empty and fuel lights light comes on even though there is more than a half tank of gas I usually keep tank once it drops to below a half tank. Sometime I jingle my keys and it will go back up sometimes nothing.
Chevrolet Silverado fuel gauge problems
101 of the 8,746 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Silverado describe wrong fuel gauge reading, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 101
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $600
- typical mileage
- 60,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel pump 8ABS 8Stalling 3Check engine light 3Brake failure 3Slipping 2Loss of power 2Door locks 2
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed on the vehicle. The odometer worked, but the fuel gauge and all other gauges failed. The dealer stated that the entire instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
I bought this vehicle used with about 66,000 miles on the odometer. Shortly thereafter, the check engine light came on, and I found an evaporative emissions code stored. I cleared the code and went about my business. Not long after, I went to fill the truck with fuel and gasoline spilled out from the top of the gas tank without coming up the filling neck. When I got around to taking the tank off the trunk to look for the cause of the issue, I found that the top plate of the fuel sending unit had rusted through and left an approximate 1" x 1/2" hole where fuel and vapor was able to escape. As far as I know, this was the original sending unit for the vehicle. I am replacing the unit with a delphi sending unit with a plastic top; hoping that this will prevent future leaks of this nature.
On oct 4th, 2014 I was traveling from san angelo, tx to san antonio, tx, in my 2011 3500 chevrolet diesel pickup, pulling our 5th wheel camper. When I neared junction, tx I could smell an odor of fuel. On I-10 eb mile 456, I noticed that my fuel gauge was rapidly dropping. When I left junction, the gauge read half full. At mile marker 497, I pulled into a rest stop, because the fuel gauge had dropped to the empty mark. I got out of the truck and could see the diesel pouring off the bottom of the motor. When the dripping stopped I attempted to start the truck, but it would not start. The starter motor was running, but the fuel tank was completely empty. In that distance the truck should have used five gallons of diesel pulling the trailer. Which means that about 14 gallons were dumped onto the highway within 40 miles. My truck was towed to cecil atkission chevrolet in kerrville, tx. The diesel technician there told me that mine would be the 4th diesel he recently worked on with a similar issue. He even showed me another diesel truck that he was currently working on, also with a fuel leak.
Tank was filled to less than 1/2 tank and after stopping at location and restarting vehicle. Fuel level read empty. Fuel levels and computer system not accurate. Multiple occurrences. I did speak with the dealership and they "think" it could be the fuel pump. It has been doing this since the initial purchase. New vehicle status.
The dashboard cluster went out, speed odometer stuck on 60mph. Had to race motor up until it red line returned to 0. The entire electrical board stopped working, found out was a recall but my VIN was not included. Spoke to autry morlan dealership several times. We paid out of pocket to have replaced and that cluster has done same thing. Still no recall on our truck. Will cost another 200-300 to fix out of pocket. Gas gauge does not work, speed odometer does not work. Rpm will work and that is how we judge our speed on truck.
All gauges erratic function. Never know when I run out of fuel. Only can reactive fuel reading, some of the time is to be on the road, take foot off of accelerator, drop into neutral and drop it back into drive; fuel gauge may read for a while. Hazard warning switch will not cancel to the home position and if it does cancel the relay keeps clicking. Turn signal remains unaffected for signaling a turn.
On three separate occasions the fuel gauge on my 2009 silverado read full, when it was actually near empty. The first time was driving through the desert on hwy 395 in california. The outside temperature was over 100 degrees. I knew I had driven too far for the gauge the be correct. There are very few gas stations on that road. The second time it happened was on the same road a year later driving through the desert. I finally realized the problem was the heat, when it happened at my home town in jamul, ca when it was over 100 degrees. The low fuel warning never came on and the gauge said full. I turned the truck on and off and it still said full. The gauge corrected after I added fuel. I inquired at the dealer if there were any recalls and they said there was not.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the fuel gauge, tachometer and the battery charge indicator failed. Also, the speedometer would only operate sporadically. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 141,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated they received a letter approximately one year ago from the manufacturer stating that the instrument panel warranty was extended to seven years and 70,000 miles. In addition, the contact was advised not to bring the vehicle in under the warranty unless the fuel gauge had completely failed. The contact stated that the speedometer had been stuck at 120 MPH. Later, the speedometer independently dropped below zero and remained stuck there. In addition, the engine RPM gauge would fluctuate sporadically but the engine would not respond. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the failures were not covered under the extended warranty for the instrument panel and was advised that the entire instrument panel would need to be replaced. The failure mileage was 116,000 and the current mileage was 117,000. Updated 7/18/12
Related recalls
Fuel system, diesel
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, equipped with 6.6L diesel engines and dual fuel tanks. In the affected vehicles, the transfer pump which moves fuel from the rear tank to the front tank could malfunction and cause the fuel gauge to indicate an inaccurate reading.
- Risk
- If the fuel gauge indicates an inaccurate reading it may result in the vehicle unexpectedly stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel transfer pump, as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020 and GMC at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 13420.
Recall number 13V615000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks equipped with 5.3l (rpo l59) v8 engines, the engine fuel rail crossover tube retainer screws were not manufactured to specifications and may break.
- Risk
- If the tube retainer screw breaks, fuel could leak from the fuel rail crossover joint, the engine may stall and, if an ignition source were present, an engine compartment fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fuel rail crossover tube and, if necessary, replace the retainer screws. Owners were notified by telephone on july 30, 2004, with a followup owner letter began august 5, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463. Note: the gm bulletin lists the tahoe and yukon models because canadian vehicles are included in the bulletin. No u.s. Tahoe or yukon vehicles are included in the u.s. Campaign.
Recall number 04V376000 · Recall details
Fuel system, other: delivery
- What is wrong
- Some 2wd and 4wd pickup trucks, converted to either dedicated or bi-fuel compressed natural gas (cng) fuel usage, were assembled with a throttle cable that can contact and rub through the flexible pressurized fuel line creating a pinhole leak of natural gas to the atmosphere.
- Risk
- A strong odor of natural gas may be detected from inside the vehicle, possibly accompanied by a hissing noise. If the natural gas were accidentally ignited, serious injury could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure the throttle cable to eliminate the possibility of contact with the cng fuel line. The cng fuel line, throttle cable, and cruise control cable are also to be inspected and replaced if necessary. Owner notification began on december 11, 2003. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 03V435000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Silverado fuel gauge
Which Chevrolet Silverado years have wrong fuel gauge reading problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (40 complaints), 2001 (19 complaints) and 1999 (17 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix wrong fuel gauge reading on the Chevrolet Silverado?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $600 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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