Chevy Silverado Years to Avoid
One of the most popular pickup trucks in America is the Chevy Silverado, which is close in popularity to the Ford F-150.
If you are considering buying a used Chevy Silverado, you should know that some models have a high level of reported faults.
The most problematic Chevy Silverado model was made in 2015, but five other models have also been reported to be bad.
The models that have been earlier are of higher quality. As time has passed, the production quality of the Chevrolet Silverado has fallen.
Chevy Silverado Years to Avoid
The Chevy Silverado has been available in three models since 1998 and is one of the most popular pickup trucks in the US.
The Ford F-150 is considered a rival truck because they both have similar prices and engine capabilities, but the F-150 is slightly ahead in the sales department.
As long as you know which years to avoid, the Chevy Silverado is still a good choice.
They’ve had a lot of recalls for major issues such as transmission problems, rusty brakes, engine problems, and excessive oil consumption.
Now we will discuss the Silverado years to avoid and what are the problems for their recall.
2005 Chevy Silverado
The 2005 Chevy Silverado faced 14 recalls, which gives you an idea of how important it is to thoroughly check this vehicle before buying.
It is one of the Chevy Silverado years to avoid, as it faced several serious safety recalls in 2005.
Steering Column
It was found that the power steering hoses on a huge number of Silverado’s were below the specification and that they were prone to fracturing and leaking fluid when braking in a full lock.
Brakes
The quality of the brakes is an issue because they are known to rust and a cracked pressure accumulator could cause the brakes to fail.
Transmission
The instrument panel of the 2005 Silverado may not illuminate the gear the vehicle is in because of the issues with the automatic transmission.
2007 Chevy Silverado
Improvements were made but still left room for further improvements as evidenced by the fact that the Chevy Silverado faced four recalls in 2007, which are significantly less than in 2005.
Although four recalls are not as bad as they could be, we still highly recommend this one of the Chevy Silverado years to avoid.
Airbags
This resulted in metal fragments striking vehicle occupants which could cause serious injury or even death, as a result of the inflators being prone to rupturing.
Electrical Systems
Cars with a heated washer fluid system are at risk of fire and smoke due to a short circuit on the circuit board.
2008 Chevy Silverado
The 2008 Silverado only achieved two recalls, but it was notorious for other problems that led it to be one of the Chevy years to avoid.
There are a lot of common faults and recalls for the 2008 chevy truck.
Oil Consumption
Some owners reported up to 3-4 quarts between oil changes, with the excessive oil consumption of these vehicles.
It would add up over time if you were covering a lot of miles and needed an oil change every 1,000 miles.
Four-Wheel Drive
You wouldn’t expect a four-wheel drive problem in a vehicle such as the Silverado. This is an expensive fix for issues that affect the utility of the truck.
2015 Chevy Silverado
After avoiding a large gap between the Chevy Silverado years, 2015, did not disappoint with a large number of recalls.
Steering, seat belts, and electrical system faults all cost users up to $5,000 to fix. The most common recalls and faults include:
Power Train
Powertrain issues were faced by several Silverados due to improper heat treatment from the manufacturer.
This could cause the rear wheel to separate and increase the risk of a crash if the rear axle shaft is fractured while driving.
Suspension
The suspension of the 2015 Silverado was even more prone to let you down than previous models, leaving drivers with a new car that certainly did not impress, as was reported by Chevrolet.
2016 Chevy Silverado
This year showed promise and improvement but still managed to accumulate 10 recalls in the entire year.
Seat belts, brakes, suspension, and electrical systems were some of the things that included airbag faults.
Here are two issues that have been reported on the 2016 Silverado.
Brakes
The brake system of Chevrolet let them down, even though they tried to improve their safety issues.
No one wants a car with faulty brakes, so there were a lot of reports from owners that their brakes were poor quality.
Engine Issues
There were serious complaints about the engine in the Chevrolet Silverado as well as high-level reports of engine knocking as air and fuel combusting outside the normal chamber.
Common Chevrolet Silverado Problems
There have been a lot of issues documented with the Chevy Silverado and although we have covered each year and their individual recalls, the issues faced by drivers that weren’t considered recall worthy make the list even longer.
Chevrolet has not addressed many of the issues and faults that owners have reported that they have not addressed.
If you want to avoid buying one of the Chevy Silverado years, you should check out the common faults reported on these cars.
Transmission Issues
Several of the Chevy Silverado years have had issues that involved the transmission system in their vehicle, but these can vary from hard shifting, sluggish acceleration, or clunking.
transmission issues are a huge hassle to deal with and are some of the most expensive repairs you can expect to pay out on your vehicle.
There have been lawsuits filed by car owners because the truck is faulty. The sheer bad workmanship on these cars has cost thousands of dollars to repair.
Short Lifespan
When you buy a new or used vehicle, you expect it to last a while before you have to make a new purchase.
The lifespan of the Chevy Silverado is less than ideal for the price range and varies for each person and their budget.
The trucks will last as little as 100,000 miles before they are no longer viable to repair. They stretch to 130,000 miles before high maintenance problems occur and cost too much.
Oil Consumption
There is too much of a good thing when it comes to keeping a vehicle on the road for a long time.
You can expect a good chunk of your pay each month to be going out on new oil as the Chevy Silverado drinks oil.
It’s not uncommon for owners to use 3-4 quarts between oil changes which can set you back a lot of cash over time.
Electrical Issues
The more modern your vehicle is the more reliant it will be on electrical power. There are a lot of problems with the interior electricity of the Silverado that you should avoid.
Problems such as speakers, batteries, power steering, sensors, and powered windows are all lacking in their performance.
Conclusion
The Chevy Silverado has left a bad taste in the mouth of many owners as the company seems to have created a bad streak of faulty trucks during the years 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2016
This truck is considered to be in the same league as the Ford F-150, so it shows that not all Chevrolet Silverados are bad.
We don’t blame you for wanting to stay away from the Chevrolets you may see on the market because of the many recalls and faults reported.
Truck driver by profession, automotive lover by heart. Ricky is the main publisher and editor at Truckile.com sharing his life-long knowledge and experience in the auto industry and truck driving!