2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Above average

Owners filed 359 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes. No safety recall has been issued.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
60,000 milesMedian miles at failure

311 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 60,00075,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes112
200
Electrical System35
080
Service Brakes, Hydraulic32
210
Air Bags22
12016
Steering14
010
Tires9
000
Suspension8
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission8
000
Power Train8
100
Fuel/Propulsion System7
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Suspension › Rear › Springs › Leaf Spring Assembly › U-bolt, Leaf Spring to Axle
Filed Aug 24, 2026ID

Purchased these aftermarket nylon rear axle lift blocks (level kit) online . They failed while the vehicle was in motion in the live lane on the highway. I was barely able to pull off the road . These blocks are not safe for regular road or highway use. They failed under normal driving on a otherwise stock 1/2 ton 1500 truck . I could have been on a freeway and or other highway with more traffic and this part could have caused a accident as both of these plastic nylon rear axle blocks collapsed under the weight of the truck.

FirerelatedFire
Filed Aug 21, 202660,000 milesNY

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked and turned off, the contact returned and discovered that the vehicle had caught fire. There was smoke coming from the center console below the radio. The contact extinguished the fire with a juice bottle. The Police and Firefighters arrived at the scene, and the firefighters hose down the battery. The contact was unaware whether a Police or Fire Department report had been filed. The vehicle was towed to a storage unit and was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The contact stated that two days before the vehicle caught on fire, the brake lights were inoperable. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the driver's side brake light bulb had melted, and the rear driver's side turn signal was inoperable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Service Brakes
Filed Dec 4, 2025MT

I was driving down the highway at 65 mph and went to slow down and I had no brakes. Resulting in me having to go into the ditch to avoid a collision. After I was able to get the truck to slow down and to a stop I inspected my braking system to find all of my brake lines were rusted out and I had ruptured my brake lines. Since the incident I have had to replace all my brake lines and both of my brake cylinders on the rear of my truck. Now I have minimal brakes after bleeding them and they are slowly coming back. The truck has almost 400,000 miles on the chassis but a new motor. During this event I was getting a grinding coming from the rear differential, after inspection, I found that my gov lock was bad and needed new spider gears which I have since replaced the rear differential with a posi differential and have had minimal problems since.

Power TrainCrash
Filed Mar 19, 2025CA

On [XXX], at or around midnight, I was traveling [XXX] at approximately 60 mph. The traffic was very light, with few vehicles on the road. It was raining, and I was in the number 1 lane. Two additional lanes were to my left, reserved for toll road traffic. I did not see any other vehicles on [XXX], nor did I see any vehicles to my left in the toll lanes. There was a physical separation between [XXX] and the toll road, consisting of 36-inch plastic candlestick dividers with approximately 10-foot separations. As I was traveling, I suddenly felt a lurch, and the right rear of my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado (Vin# [XXX] ) dropped. My pickup truck immediately began to spin to my left, forcing me into the toll lanes and into the concrete center divider. When my vehicle came to rest, I was facing eastbound in the westbound lanes of the toll road. My lights were no longer except a single amber light flashing, which gave limited warning to approaching vehicles. The California Highway Patrol arrived (unknown why no traffic collision report was taken), my vehicle was removed from the roadway, the right rear wheel and tire had separated from the vehicle and rolled to the right shoulder of [XXX] 150 yards from where my pickup came to rest. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard, where a vehicle inspection was conducted on March 19, 2025. The right rear wheel and tire for some reason were not recovered from the collision scene. The inspection revealed the cause of the collision was a broken/sev

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Dec 22, 2024RI

The auxiliary transmission fuel pump system is prone to failure. This makes it so the start/stop feature will not work, as the vehicle will stall when stopped (causing an unsafe situation), and it cannot pass state inspection. The part is entirely unavailable from Chevy, and results in the vehicle being scrapped. There is no way to permanently bypass this system.

SteeringFire
Filed Dec 8, 2024WI

Hi the power steering hose failed and caused a fire and total loss

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Apr 4, 2024187,000 milesMO

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that upon a vehicle inspection performed by an independent mechanic, it was discovered that the brake line and the fuel line were severely corroded. Upon further inspection, the contact stated that the brake lines had blown out. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and that the lines needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Jan 12, 2024NY

A LITTLE WHILD AFTER TURNING THE TRUCK OFF I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM INSIDE THE TRUCK. AFTER PUTTING OUT THE FIRE, I INSPECTED THE WIRES TO FIND THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR HAD SHORTED OUT AND CAUGHT FIRE. I HAVE HAD A SIMILIAR ISSUE WITH MY 2003 AS WELL BUT WAS ABLE TO CATCH THE ISSUE BEFORE ANY FIRE BROKE OUT. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS PART. THANKFULLY NOONE WAS HURT BUT THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE.

Engine
Filed Sep 9, 2023GA

Service Engine Soon light came on while driving. Code P0327 - Knock Sensor 1, Circuit Low Input (Bank 1) shown on code reader. Took vehicle to local service station and had both knock sensors and wiring harness replaced. Mechanic said that the rear knock sensor was corroded due to water getting to the sensor. Drove vehicle for about 2 weeks and service engine light came back on. Took vehicle back to service station where knock sensors were replaced again. Mechanic again stated that the rear sensor was corroded due to water getting to the sensor. Drove vehicle for about 1 week and the Service Engine light has come back on for the third time with the same P0327 code showing.

Air Bags
Filed Sep 27, 2021FL

My air bag singnol is on

Structure › Body
Filed Sep 24, 2021WV

The Frame has excessive rust especially the crossmembers that are in-between the two main lateral frame beams. In this vehicle they have rotted all the way through and there is nothing left of them and they look like swiss cheese. This particular vehicle also has only 130,000 miles on it which I personally feel is very excessive for them milage. I do understand it is a little older at this point but I have a dodge van and a Chevy sedan both having over 200,000 miles on them. Both also have been driven in West Virginia all winter long with salt exposure that do not show this amount of rust in the frame components. I feel this is a flaw in the manufacturing I have been looking online and it seems to beyond a common problem with this make and model of vehicle.

Engine
Filed Mar 9, 202148,000 milesIL

EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS BROKE OFF AND IS NOW LEAKING EXHAUST FUMES IN SIDE THE TRUCK ALSO EMISSIONS IS EFFECTED FOR OSHA OR EMISSION TEST THIS IS A PROBLEM OF SAFETY I HAVE SEEN ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH SAME PROBLEM AND YET NO RECALL ,IT IS A PROBLEM IN ALL PHASES OF OPERATION OF THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 49,000 MILES DON'T HAVE A PHOTO BUT SURELY YOU ARE REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM USUALLY ITS THE FRONT AND REAR BOLTS CAUSE IS INFERIOR MATERIALS AND WORKMANSHIP ALSO CAN CAUSE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE THE COST OF THIS REPAIR SHOULD BE ON GM AS IT CAN RUN 1000S TO FIX

Service Brakes
Filed Dec 26, 2020175,000 milesTX

THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ON THE GAUGES ALL TURN OFF MAKING IT HARD TO SEE THE SPEED LIMITS. BRAKES SOUND AS IF GRINDING BUT CANT TELL IF ITS BRAKES OR DIFFERENTIAL AND U JOINTS. NOISE GETS LOUDER IN THE CABIN OF THE TRUCK AS I DRIVE ON THE ROAD. 3. SIGNAL LIGHTS TURN ON BRIGHT WHILE ON LEFT HAND TURN SIGNAL. AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER AND OTHER COMPONENTS WONT WORK

Electrical System
Filed Dec 8, 2020WV

THE PASSLOCK LIGHT COMES ON AND THE TRUCK WON'T START. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS GETS BRIGHT THEN DIM. BACK AND FORTH. WHEN THE PASSLOCK COMES ON IT WILL KEEP THE TRUCK FROM STARTING FOR DAYS AT A TIME. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE TRUCK ANYWHERE

Power Train
Filed Sep 18, 202013,100 milesCA

TRUCK DRIVING TRANSFER CASE GO IN NEUTRAL, THEN NEED TO PARK AND PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND IN NEUTRAL, THEN PUSH THE 4X4 BOTTOM,THEN CHANGE TO 2WLD. MAKES A LOT NOISE.UNSAFE TO DRIVE.HAPPEN IN THE HIGHWAY.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Sep 15, 2020125,603 milesNY

DUE TO FAULTY UNDERCOATING FROM FACTORY THE BACK CROSSMEMBERS ROT AND CAUSE SHOCKS TO BECOME DISPLACED AND GAS TANK TO UNSECURED ALONG WITH REAR SHAKELS TO GO THREW THE BOTTOM OF TRUCK BED.... WILL COST OVER $2500 FOR REPAIRS

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Aug 28, 2020PA

THERE'S COMMON PROBLEM WITH GAS LINES AND FRAMES RUSTING OUT THE 2006 CHEVY PICKUP TRUCKS THAT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM. THE PRICE FOR THE GAS LINES ARE WAY OVER PRICED AT $318.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Mar 25, 2020160,000 milesTX

WE WERE DRIVING AND STARTED RUNNING REALLY ROUGH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT SAID REDUCED ENGINE POWER TOOK IT TO A SHOP THEY SAID IT WAS SOME WIRING THEY REPLACE THE WIRING ABOUT A MONTH LATER I WAS PARKED AT HOME STARTED THE TRUCK AND IT WAS DURING THIS SAME THING ANGELITE I JUST TURNED ON RUNNING ROUGH SAID LOW ENGINE POWER I TOOK IT BACK TO THE PLACE WE HAD TO WORK DONE THEY SAID A WIRE JIGGLED LOOSE AND THEY SCREWED IT BACK IN SAID I WAS GOOD TO GO LAST WEEK I WAS TAKING MY TRUCK TO GET IT INSPECTED WAS FINE ALL THE WAY TO TOWN PARKED IT AT THE SHOP GO IN AND TELL THEM I NEED INSPECTION THEY COME OUT START THE TRUCK SAME SCENARIO AS BEFORE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON LOW ENGINE POWER RUNNING ROUGH COULDN'T GET IT INSPECTED THEY PUT THE CODE DEVICE ON IT AND IT SAID THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR HARNESS SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Air BagsCrash
Filed Jan 15, 2020200,000 milesVA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A TREE. DURING THE CRASH, THE FRONT END EXPERIENCED SEVERE DAMAGE BUT THE FRONT AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED AND NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO A PARKING LOT AND A TOWING COMPANY WAS CALLED. THE COSMETIC DAMAGES WERE BEING REPAIRED AND THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED AS OF YET. A LOCAL DEALER (UNKNOWN) WAS CALLED AND INFORMED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER THEN CALLED THE CONTACT AND OPENED A CASE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

Service Brakes
Filed Jan 6, 2020120,000 milesIL

AT 45,000 MI, HAD TO REPLACE ABS HUB SENSOR ASSY DUE TO FALSE ACTIVATION. I HAVE SINCE REPLACE 3 MORE ASSYS COSTING OVER $400 EACH OCCURANCE. AT 100,000 MI, HAD TO REPLACE A LEAKING BRAKE LINE WHICH HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND AT 120,000 MI LOST ALL HYD PRESSURE WHILE BRAKING TO AVOID SEVERAL DEER ENTERING THE ROADWAY. REPLACED ALL BRAKE LINES AT A COST OF $1200. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ON BOTH ISSUES, BUT GM WILL NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR EITHER.THIS IS THE 9TH SILVERADO I HAVE OWNED OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS. NEXT ONE WILL BE A FORD.

20 of 359 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2014
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
202693310Do not drive
202598040Routine
2024306200Above average
2023373360Above average
2022619660Above average
20218178110Above average
20207281290Above average
20191,0781080Above average
2018516741Fatalities reported
20177116120Do not drive
201679311101Do not drive
20151,10411141Fatalities reported
20141,4346184Fatalities reported
2013301200Above average
2012216210Above average
2011563441Fatalities reported
2010362310Above average
2009444360Above average
2008914391Fatalities reported
20078492142Fatalities reported
2006 — this page3590150Above average
20055250342Fatalities reported
2004797081Fatalities reported
2003805070Above average
2002509051Fatalities reported
2001468053Fatalities reported
2000614053Fatalities reported
1999587252Fatalities reported
19983612110Above average
19975552131Fatalities reported
19967001Fatalities reported
19953000Routine
199410010Routine

Compare every Silverado 1500 year →

Reading this record

Complaint volume is well above typical for a single model year.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.