Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Pickup Truck Problems and Complaints

2020 Chevrolet SilveradoOwners of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup truck complain they have transmission problems and other issues that hinder their enjoyment of the vehicle.

Indeed, the truck’s ongoing reliability issues as far back as 2015 and as recently as 2021, were not lost on Consumer Reports when they set rankings for pickup trucks. They awarded the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 its lowest predicted reliability rating. Despite these low rankings, the 2020 Silverado was the number two highest-selling vehicle of the year with 594,094 sold. The Ford F-Series trucks sold 787,422 units and remained No. 1 as they have for 44 consecutive years.

The truck comes equipped with one of five engines starting with the standard 285 hp V6 engine up to the largest, 420-hp 6.2-liter V8 engine.

Not surprisingly, Chevy truck owners say both minor and major repairs to their pickup truck were just some of the issues they faced. Specifically, drivers experienced surging and jerking in the transmission. A transmission fluid flush may offer an affordable fix for rough shifting transmissions, but it may not be enough in some cases.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Transmission Problems

  1. Hard or rough shifting
  2. Sudden jerking
  3. Trouble downshifting

Transmission issues will certainly put a damper on a new car owner’s enjoyment of their vehicle. The top complaint from owners of the Silverado involves trouble downshifting, hard shifting, and clunking sounds made in low drive gears. Most drivers expect their new vehicle to run smoothly, but that hasn’t been the case with the Chevy Silverado.

Sudden jerking or acceleration hesitation and metallic banging noises comes in second place.

These issues stem from the transmission. Indeed, the most expensive repair cost to most cars — other than replacing the engine — is the transmission. Typically, the estimated to cost to replace or repair the transmission is somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000 for most vehicles.

Owners Complaints: Transmission Problems

Some owners of the Chevrolet 1500 report that dealerships have discounted their complaints. In fact, one driver of a 2017 pickup told Consumer Reports the dealer’s service center told them the truck is adjusting and learning their driving habits. A few weeks later, however, the owner was told it might be the torque converter or the automatic 4WD. Instead of fixing it, they told the truck owner to switch to 2WD.

Consumer Reports also received a complaint from a 2017 Chevy 1500 owner who replaced their transmission at 66,000 miles. It was not covered under warranty for the two-year-old vehicle and cost $3,000 to replace.

There are fewer complaints from consumers about the newer 2019 Silverado 1500. However, these drivers brought up different transmission problems. One involved the truck suddenly slamming into first and second gear after a brief pause allowed the engine to rev. The issue also does the same thing in the opposite direction from reverse into drive. Additionally, the pickup may surge forward upon lightly accelerating with grinding noises. 

Chevrolet 1500 Silverado Pickup Truck Lemon Help

Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck lemons

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup truck has transmission issues or other ongoing problems, Johnson Attorneys Group is here to help you. Is your vehicle a safety risk? Perhaps you are footing the bill for costly repairs and or the value of your vehicle has diminished. These are just some of the prerequisites for a Lemon Law claim.

Call us for a FREE CONSULTATION at 855-703-4186. In lemon law cases, our attorneys fees do not come out of your settlement. That’s because the manufacturer is required to pay them directly to us under California Lemon Laws.

James Johnson ESQ
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