Total Complaints
642 filings
CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 · model year
642 NHTSA complaints, 27 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2005CHEVROLETSILVERADO 1500 carries 642 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 27 crashes, 45 fires, 19 injuries, and 2 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 2005 SILVERADO 1500 is electrical system with 117 filings, followed by service brakes (82) and electrical system: instrument cluster/panel (62). 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 2005 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.
Total Complaints
642 filings
Crashes Reported
27 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 117 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 82 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 62 |
| AIR BAGS | 49 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 41 |
| STEERING | 33 |
| ENGINE | 18 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 17 |
| POWER TRAIN | 13 |
| SUSPENSION | 11 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 11 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 11 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 9 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 9 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 9 |
The front airbag impact sensor when they stop working will not work on impact. You can get them from GMC because they stopped making them and you can not find them on the aftermarket. How can a company discontinue a safety part.
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Suspension system potentially life threatening. On [XXX] I purchased a 2005 Chevy Silverado truck from used car dealer in Tallassee, AL/$6000. Several days after driving home at Interstate speeds, I discovered extreme rust on the underside of the truck. The spare tire rim was unusable from rust and the tire hoist was rusted beyond use--I had to cut the tire hoist cable tip with a grinder and let the tire fall to the driveway. At that point, I found an extremely unsafe and dangerous defect to the truck. The top of the right rear shock absorber was not attached to the truck frame. The connector bracket had rusted completely away from the truck frame. I texted pictures and called the dealer and was told the sale was âas isâ--not his problem. I asked if he inspected, or even looked at the bottom of the truckâhis text reply was âI personally did not do anything other than a walk around and test driveâ He later said by text he had been a used car dealer for 32 years and had
03/09/2025 Purchased 2005 Chev Silverado 1500 from Tony's Trade Co, Inc. Owner stated he had been a highly respected licensed used car dealer 34 years. AutoCheck had no issues. 1-Component: Right Rear Shock absorber--critical suspension part (49 CFR Section 570.8 Suspension Systems)-mechanic agrees. Upper mounting bracket to frame totally rusted away. Bottom of shock absorber attached--top floating in the air. Shock absorber is untouched and available for inspection. 2-Truck was driven at highway speeds several time before unattached shock absorber noticed - found. One trip included a medium load for the truck. 3-Free floating shock absorber top is apparent in pictures. I sent the used car dealer a photo of the detached shock absorber top and mount. Will pay for a professional view and statement of the shock absorber if requested by you. Heavy rust under the truck bed/frame will require extensive metal replacement to make a hard connection bracket for attachment. 4-N
Gear shifter indicator has no display as the GM recalls that already exists for this year. Major safety hazard with known GM issues. Why is only my vehicle not covered under this recall.
AIR BAG LIGHT ON, LIGHT ON GEAR SHIFT REAL DIM
AIR BAG LIGHT ON, LIGHT ON GEAR SHIFT REAL DIM
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle in the morning, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the starter motor was not turning over as designed. The contact stated that she had to wait until all the warning lights had stopped being illuminated and then the vehicle was able to be started. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the failure was an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Mileage: 120,000
Air bag impact sensor under radiator cracked and is no bad
Power steering system has failed. Power steering pump where the hose is connected leaks out any power steering fluid left after I pour more in and turn the truck on. Issue has caused the rack and pinion steering system to leak from the left side, and cause a whining noise when I turn the truck left or right when making sharp turns or backing up. Dealership failed to look at the truck with a simple inspection.
Recently replaced o2 Sensor and cleared check engine status. I failed the state emissions test because the Cat indicates inc or not ready,(catalytic converter). The procedure to clear this condition is dangerous and unreasonable. It calls for accelerating to 55MPH or higher for 2-3 minutes then decelerating to 20 MPH, not using brakes, and travel for 2 minutes then accelerating back to 55MPH, repeating this process up to 5 cycles to clear the CAT status. Given the drive speed this procedure would have to be done on a highway and could very likely cause a collision. This is very hazardous and should not be a requirement to complete vehicle inspection.
I have had brakes fail twice because of corroded brake lines now one of my fuel lines ruptured because of corrosion I have been told by mechanics that corroded failing lines is a common issue on Silverado's
I have had brakes fail twice because of corroded brake lines now one of my fuel lines ruptured because of corrosion I have been told by mechanics that corroded failing lines is a common issue on Silverado's
code po446 will not go away it is costing me a fortune to fix now i cant get it through inspection in delaware i dont have the funds to get a new vehicle
The airbag light is on. I took it to the chevy dealership on battlecreek rd, the service clerk said they do not work on vehicles with over 150k miles. How do I get the airbag serviced.
Design flaw - Brake light switch- the end section of the internal spring is placed in a position that allows it to potentially slide down and block the space needed for when the plunger is depressed, jamming up the switches ability to properly function. I have not determined what happened to the switch on my truck, but noticed that this scenario was a possibility and felt obligated to report my opinion.
Design flaw - Brake light switch- the end section of the internal spring is placed in a position that allows it to potentially slide down and block the space needed for when the plunger is depressed, jamming up the switches ability to properly function. I have not determined what happened to the switch on my truck, but noticed that this scenario was a possibility and felt obligated to report my opinion.
Well, I contacted GM years ago asking why the frames on these vehicles rot out so fast. They told me to send pics. and thatâs all that came from that. So, years ago, I heard a banging noise in the right rear side of my truck. My rear shock mount rotted out and driving home later there was even more noise. The left rear shock mount rotted out also. I removed the bed to assess damage, and I couldnât believe the amount of rust I was looking at. I bought an aftermarket kit and had the shock mounts welded back on. The company selling the kit said that they sell tons of those kits. I would say thatâs a safety issue. Especially when the whole from appears to be rotting away. That seems like a mayor issue to me. I probably wonât be buying another Chevy truck seeing how my wifeâs Honda is as old as my truck and has no rust under it.
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.