CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 · model year

2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

627 NHTSA complaints, 84 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2001CHEVROLETSILVERADO 1500 carries 627 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 84 crashes, 10 fires, 57 injuries, and 14 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 2001 SILVERADO 1500 is service brakes with 133 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic (86) and service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (43). 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 2 investigation files overlapping the 2001 SILVERADO 1500, and 1 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.

627
Complaints
84
Crashes
10
Fires
57
Injuries
14
Deaths

Total Complaints

627 filings

Crashes Reported

84 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES133
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC86
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP43
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE28
PARKING BRAKE25
TIRES14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM13
POWER TRAIN12
STRUCTURE:BODY11
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM11
ENGINE11
AIR BAGS10
STEERING10
WHEELS9

Recent Complaints

20251215CrashSERVICE BRAKES

ABS locks up because of faulty wheel speed sensors known problem locking up brake pedal resulting in loss of control of vehicle causing collisions and dangerous situations.

20251215CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ABS locks up because of faulty wheel speed sensors known problem locking up brake pedal resulting in loss of control of vehicle causing collisions and dangerous situations.

20251215CrashSTEERING

ABS locks up because of faulty wheel speed sensors known problem locking up brake pedal resulting in loss of control of vehicle causing collisions and dangerous situations.

20250602CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

STRUCTURAL FAILURE & AIRBAG FAILURE Crash on the bend of a dangerous Utah road. Lost control and vehicle crossed center line striking another vehicle headon. The cab separated from the frame of the truck. The airbags did not deploy.

20250602CrashAIR BAGS

STRUCTURAL FAILURE & AIRBAG FAILURE Crash on the bend of a dangerous Utah road. Lost control and vehicle crossed center line striking another vehicle headon. The cab separated from the frame of the truck. The airbags did not deploy.

20241204SERVICE BRAKES

The gm/gmc trucks with abs are unsafe and dangerous to the drivers and other pedestrians and vehicles on all roads. The Abs module light comes on and the brake warning light after driving normally and occasionally on its own and after a bump in the road. The abs system is unavailable/disabled when the light is on, the abs system has stopped and the light turned on when applying the brakes hard to avoid other vehicles and other actions such as steering away to avoid an accident arenecessary. While doing research on this problem I discovered that many gm/gmc pickup trucks have this problem with abs failure and the only sure repair being to replace the abs/ebcm module, there are codes stored for the abs system showing it has failed and stopped working. This problem is so large that an aftermarket industry has grown to address this issue providing rebuilt modules. I worked for a chevrolet dealership for 19 years and am an ase master technician and tested my own silverado and have had

20230721WHEELS

My spare tire hoist cable broke causing the spare tire to fall away from vehicle into traffic.

20230708WHEELS

The exterior of the wheel well separated from the interior cylinder of the wheel well. The issue appears that the wheel well (usually one piece) has cracked/separated into two pieces, likely due to rust. The car was parked at a store and made a loud popping sound, which could be heard from inside the store. The popping sound came from the loud separation of these pieces as shown in the attached images. This separation was powerful enough to bend and distort the entire exterior of the wheel/hub cap. The vehicle required a tow. This issue could have been a lot worse if the car was driving while the incident occurred. Upon inspection, the other wheel wells are likely to have the same thing occur due to similar appearance. For further details please see file number 529550.

20230629TIRES

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 equipped with Kelly Tires, Tire Line: Edge, Tire Size: 245/75/R16, DOT Number: PJUYJH1R1918. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, there was a loud boom sound that came from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had exploded. The contact stated that there was an excessive amount of rust between the rim and the tire. An independent mechanic was sent to the location and a spare tire was placed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the explosion of the tire caused the rim to be bent. The was concerned that the tire had been mounted improperly. The defective tire was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 154,000. The tire failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Mileage: 154,000

20230629WHEELS

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 equipped with Kelly Tires, Tire Line: Edge, Tire Size: 245/75/R16, DOT Number: PJUYJH1R1918. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, there was a loud boom sound that came from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had exploded. The contact stated that there was an excessive amount of rust between the rim and the tire. An independent mechanic was sent to the location and a spare tire was placed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the explosion of the tire caused the rim to be bent. The was concerned that the tire had been mounted improperly. The defective tire was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 154,000. The tire failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

Mileage: 154,000

20230527SERVICE BRAKES

Break line and break system has been giving issues and failure has occur. To the point of almost causing an accident. Steering issues several times. Pick-up truck suspension since newer truck has had big issues. Please remediate.

20230527STEERING

Break line and break system has been giving issues and failure has occur. To the point of almost causing an accident. Steering issues several times. Pick-up truck suspension since newer truck has had big issues. Please remediate.

20230527SUSPENSION

Break line and break system has been giving issues and failure has occur. To the point of almost causing an accident. Steering issues several times. Pick-up truck suspension since newer truck has had big issues. Please remediate.

20230309ENGINE

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light, low fuel warning light, and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Mileage: 200,000

20230309SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light, low fuel warning light, and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Mileage: 200,000

20221031CrashFatalSTRUCTURE:BODY

Vehicle was involved in a motor vehicle collision where this vehicle struck another in an offset head-on manner. The cab completely separated from the frame of this vehicle. The cab came to final rest on the roadway separated from the frame, with the bed remaining attached to the frame.

20220716CrashAIR BAGS

Head on collision. No airbags deployed. Front of truck was completely crushed in, but no airbags.

20220624SERVICE BRAKES

The parking brake will fail without warning. The only way that it will work is with continuous adjustment. It has been repaired by a mechanic only to fail again. This has been a recurring problem since I purchased the vehicle in 2011.

20210915TIRES:TREAD/BELT

My tires have very little wear because I drive far less now. On I-75 in FL recently, while coming off the ramp and increasing speed, the steering wheel began to wobble back and forth violently. As the road surface was wet, I lost control briefly. Once home, I began investigating the problem. I went back to Pep Boys and they inspected and said the tire was separated and they would give me a credit, but they've discontinued that model tire and I'd have to buy 2 new tires. I could not afford that. So they placed it on the rear and I left mad. A month later the steering wobble returned. I then went elsewhere to have it investigated and they said two more were separated. It turns out 3 of the 4 tires I bought are separated so much they are unsuitable for use on the front and make noticeable vibration in the rear when placed there. Date codes on all of my tires are within two sets of weeks of each other, 1717 and 2717 and all are from the same factory. I placed the best two of the 4 on the

20210501STRUCTURE:BODY

VEHICLE PARKED AT PRIVATE RESIDENCE. TAILGATE DOES NOT OPEN. SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THERE IS NO ACCESS TO REPLACE BAD BRAKE LIGHTS.

Mileage: 230,000

Compare 2001CHEVROLETSILVERADO 1500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 have?
The 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 has 627 NHTSA complaints, 84 crashes, 10 fires, 57 injuries, and 14 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500?
The most-complained component for the 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 is SERVICE BRAKES with 133 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP.
Is the 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 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.