GMC SILVERADO · model year

2002 GMC SILVERADO

10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002GMCSILVERADO carries 10 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, 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 2002 SILVERADO is air bags:frontal with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:catalytic convertor (1) and tires:tread/belt (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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2002 SILVERADO. 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.

10
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
TIRES:SIDEWALL1
EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT1
AIR BAGS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1
TIRES1
SERVICE BRAKES1
ENGINE1

Recalls (1)

06E02600023/03/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE D

Recent Complaints

20140505ENGINE

MANIFOLD BOLTS ARE BREAKING OFF AND CAUSING EXHAUST LEAKS. *TR

Mileage: 96,000

20140406SERVICE BRAKES

WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH A DEER RAN OUT IN FRONT OF MY TRUCK. I HEAVILY APPLIED THE BRAKES AND IMMEDIATELY THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR. ALL BRAKE FLUID DUMP OUT AND THE VEHICLE VEERED OFF INTO THE WOODS. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME I DISCOVERED THE "HARD" BRAKE LINES HAD HEAVY RUST AND CORROSION AND HAD DEVELOPED A PIN LEAK WHICH RUPTURED UPON PRESSING. I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN CORROSION ON BRAKE LINES LIKE THIS TRUCK. I ORDERED THE PARTS AND WAS TOLD BY A FACTORY GM MECHANIC THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. *TR

Mileage: 109,000

20080828TIRES

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 GMC SILVERADO 2500. THE VEHICLE HAS TELSTAR WEATHERIZER TIRES, SIZE 265/75/R16. THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM HIS GARAGE. HE NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT NOTICED BULGES ON THE EXTERIOR SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE DEALER AND HAD A TIRE REPLACED. TWO DAYS LATER, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT WITHOUT WARNING. HE REPLACED THE TIRE BUT, THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE DOT NUMBER AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 20,000.

Mileage: 20,000

20070116SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SILVERADO GMC WITH AN ODOMETER READING OF 111,000. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN THREE AND TEN MPH THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AND THE BRAKES LOCK. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE HAS ALL OF THE PARAMETERS OF THE CURRENT RECALL #05V379. THE RECALL DETAILS INDICATES: CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION. THIS CONDITION IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CORROSIVE AREAS. THIS RECALL WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODA ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THE SENSORS WERE NOT TESTED FOR CORROSION ON THE NEW MODELS. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 70,000 MILES AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN ON A DAILY BASIS AND OVER TIME HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE CONTAC

Mileage: 111,000

20050315CrashAIR BAGS

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH CONSUMER SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A TREE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

20040818EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT

PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE JACK, AFTER EXPERIENCING A TIRE BLOW OUT. (NAR) *PH *CB

20040706TIRES:TREAD/BELT

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE, AND DRIVE TO GOODYEAR. MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THE CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. GOODYEAR, WRANGLER, P235/75R16 R. *AK

20040706TIRES:SIDEWALL

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE, AND DRIVE TO GOODYEAR. MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THE CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. GOODYEAR, WRANGLER, P235/75R16 R. *AK

20040123ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

THERE IS BLACK SOOT IN THE TAIL PIPE FROM VEHICLE RUNNING RICH. *PH AND THE CONSUMER FEARS THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WILL BE DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 7700 MILES. *CB

20020123CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP, AND AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

Compare 2002GMCSILVERADO to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 GMC SILVERADO have?
The 2002 GMC SILVERADO has 10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2002 GMC SILVERADO?
Yes, the 2002 GMC SILVERADO has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 GMC SILVERADO?
The most-complained component for the 2002 GMC SILVERADO is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR and TIRES:TREAD/BELT.
Is the 2002 GMC SILVERADO 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.