CHEVROLET 3500 · model year

2018 CHEVROLET 3500

5 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018CHEVROLET3500 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 3500 is visibility/wiper with 1 filings, followed by power train (1) and service brakes (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2018 3500, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY/WIPER1
POWER TRAIN1
SERVICE BRAKES1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recent Complaints

20210225SERVICE BRAKES

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAI

Mileage: 36,000

20210225ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAI

Mileage: 36,000

20210225UNKNOWN OR OTHER

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAI

Mileage: 36,000

20210121POWER TRAIN

WHILE TRAVELING AT 31 MPH ON A SLIGHT DOWN-GRADE, THE TRANSMISSION 'SHUTTLES' BETWEEN GEARS WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. IT IS MOST PROMINENT WHEN THE ENGINE HAS NOT REACH FULL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING, SUCH AS ENTERING A FREEWAY. A VIDEO IS AVAILABLE.

Mileage: 2,000

20180821VISIBILITY/WIPER

MY 3500 HD SRW HAS A POWER FOLD BUTTON FOR THE SIDE MIRRORS. WHILE PASSING A SEMI TRUCK AT 70 MPH ON I-20, I WENT TO ADJUST THE RIGHT MIRROR SLIGHTLY. I ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED THE POWER FOLD BUTTON ( IT IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MIRROR ADJUSTMENT BUTTON ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR ). THE SIDE MIRRORS FOLDED IN. I TRIED TO RETURN THE MIRRORS BACK TO THEIR OPERATING POSITION BUT THEY WOULD ONLY UNFOLD A SLIGHT AMOUNT DUE TO THE WIND RESISTANCE. SINCE I WAS PULLING MY FIFTH WHEEL MY REAR VIEW MIRROR WAS USELESS. I DID NOT HAVE ANYONE WITH ME AT THE TIME TO HELP FORCE THE MIRROR OUT SO I AM NOW COMPLETELY BLIND AND BESIDE A SEMI IN THE LEFT HAND PASSING LANE. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY GET SOMEONE HURT SERIOUSLY. YOU CAN NOT PULL OVER SINCE YOU ARE IN THE LEFT LANE, CAN NOT SLOW DOWN SINCE YOU ARE ON AN INTERSTATE HWY AND HAVE NO SIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE.

Mileage: 35

Compare 2018CHEVROLET3500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 CHEVROLET 3500 have?
The 2018 CHEVROLET 3500 has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 CHEVROLET 3500?
The most-complained component for the 2018 CHEVROLET 3500 is VISIBILITY/WIPER with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2018 CHEVROLET 3500 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.