33 complaints reported

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
33
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jul 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notice of an unknown recall in approximately July 2025. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced, and the failure was associated with the recall. The contact was also advised that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for three months and was repaired when the parts became available. The contact stated that two days after the repair, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated and hesitated. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnose,d and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and three cases were filed. The failure mileage was 81,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2025
Jun 2026

2021 Silverado 19,000 miles no indication of failure at a busy intersection about to go thru intersection and engines started knocking, multiple check engine lights on. Luckily got thru the intersection and to my place of residence which was very close by. Truck was towed to Chevy dealer. Dealer found 3 bent push rods, 3 bad valves. This engine had the lifters fail completely out of the blue. Oil changed at the dealer, meticulously maintained. Dealer only replaced the faulty bank of lifters due to mileage, seriously if it was under 16,000 they would replace all of them. This is unacceptable. This truck left me almost stranded in a busy intersection, lucky I knew well enough to keep going versus getting T-boned. I just think GM needs to do something about this. Now fast forward to 41K and I'm at the dealer same symptoms except this time my warranty is running up soon and being forced into an extended warranty. There are plenty of online claims, chat rooms, posts, etc to warrant this as a safety issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2024
May 2026

As I was driving my 2021 Chevrolet z71 pick up I had a warning light appear on the dash indicating the safety traction control system was faulty, at the same time my truck had a loss of power as if it was not operating on all cylinders. I could hear some strange noises that were not normal, at the same time my transmission was shifting abnormally. I managed to drive to a dealer and was told it was a collapsed lifter on cylinder #5 this occurred out of no where, I was informed what took place could have damaged the camshaft and I could be looking at a repair cost upwards of $5,000.00 and the service writer indicated this has been an ongoing issue with the 5.3 liter engine. My truck has been serviced at the dealership it was purchased from, and all oil changes have been performed within a reasonable window from when oil changes and service inspection has been recommended by General Motors.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2026
Feb 2026

I bought this Truck in December 2023 from Honda of Ocala as a used vehicle it had 59,000 miles when I bought it. In October 24 it started smoking from the exhaust one morning as I was leaving work. I have always changed the oil on time and taken good care of the truck. I found out the lifters had failed and Honda of Ocala replaced all of my lifters on both sides around $4,000 in repairs the truck was at 73,000 miles at this time. A few months after getting it fixed the truck started smoking again and going into limp mode at 81,000 miles. I still owe $30,000 on this truck but can’t afford to keep fixing it and can’t afford to trade it in and go negative on it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Jan 2026

Component that failed: The valve train system failed due to collapsed lifters in the GM 5.3L L84 engine. The lifter failure caused internal camshaft damage requiring major repair. The failed components were removed by the Chevrolet dealership and should be available through the repair facility if inspection is requested. Safety risk: The engine failure caused a sudden and severe loss of power while driving. The vehicle would not accelerate beyond approximately 45 mph on a 65 mph roadway while en route to the dealership, creating an unsafe speed differential. When attempting to accelerate to pass another vehicle on a two lane road, the engine backfired and immediately throttled back, making it unsafe to complete the pass. The check engine light illuminated at the exact moment the vehicle lost power during the passing attempt. This sudden propulsion loss during an active maneuver created a hazardous driving condition. Dealer confirmation: An authorized Chevrolet dealership diagnosed collapsed lifters which damaged the camshaft and confirmed this as a known failure pattern in GM L84 engines. Inspection by others: Vehicle was inspected and repaired by the dealership. No accident occurred, so no police or insurance inspection was involved. Warnings or symptoms: No prior warning lights appeared before the passing event. The check engine light came on during the failure while accelerating. Additional context: This failure aligns with widely documented lifter collapse defects in GM 5.3L L84 truck engines. The breakdown was not caused by maintenance or wear and tear but by premature internal component failure known across this engine platform.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before slamming into gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had gotten worse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to several dealers; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

this is 6.2 l l87 engine that is being recalled but this vin is not on list. already had lifters and rods replaced while back. coming home from trip truck made awful noise and I lost power on the interstate. thankfully was able to get out of traffic but waited 3.5 hours for tow. at dealer but cant tell me when they can look at it. 60,200 miles and they are saying well we will see what we can do but your powertrain warranty ended at 60k. i have had numerous problems and these are all known by gm especially 2021 6.2l.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2025
Nov 2025

Vehicle feels like it's hitting a bump down the road 65 miles an hour. There is no bump it's the transmission. My truck has 80240

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Oct 2025

ENGINE IS JERKY READ ONLINE ISSUES HAVE A LEMON LAWSUIT . THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS AN 02 SENSOR IT DIDNT FIXED THE ISSUES

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Oct 2025

While driving the engine shut off without any warning lights which could have caused a serious accident causing bodily harm or property damages as I was unaware of the issue and was going 50mph at the time - this occurred on 10/23 I noticed a ticking and brought the vehicle to the dealer for inspection on 10/20, at the time of this inspection the technician said that they could not replicate the sound and I explained that this was happening at 3000 RPM. The technician said that I would need to bring the vehicle back and they would need to start to take apart my engine piece by piece and I said the ticking is part of the known lifter problem and the technician shrugged his shoulders offering no other options. That same day I took my vehicle to another independent shop and he confirmed the ticking is a known issue that occurs prior to the lifter collapsing. After the vehicle shut itself off, and I was able to restart the vehicle, many warning lights appeared on my dash, there were none there before, one of the codes that was flashing was ESC and the vehicle began to lurch and downshift. I called my mechanic who said the code was to do with the electronic stability control system but I should be okay to drive until I could get to him for him to look at the codes. On 10/24 I took the vehicle to the mechanic and another code was for Cylinder 3 misfire which he stated could be the collapse of the lifter and the codes will not clear. The vehicle now downshifts without warning, there is an engine knocking that is occurring and the vehicle is not safe to drive as the engine may seize at any moment.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2025
Sep 2025

Truck has under 45k miles on it. After reaching 35-40mph, it began to shake and jolt. Once we drove approximately 20miles, the engine light began flashing, in addition to the parking break light turning on. The truck began to lose power and we were forced to pull over on the side of a busy road. After waiting a little bit, we were able to drive it to our local shop who advised us to tow it back the the dealership for repairs.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2025
Sep 2025

My truck is experiencing what is commonly known as the Chevy shakes. Whenever the transmission goes over 2000RPM or below 2000RPM my truck jumps. Also, the rear wheels lock up for a short time while I start driving for about 50 feet. Almost as the brakes are pressed slightly.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2025
Aug 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving off an off-ramp at approximately 40-60 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly lost power and turned off. The contact restarted the vehicle to continue driving. The failure had occurred twice. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes grabbed, causing the vehicle to lunge forward, decelerate, and then lunge forward again, before coming to a complete stop. The contact shifted to park(P) and then to drive(D) and continued driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer four times before receiving notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train). The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that one hour after the recall repair, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was informed of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired again. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2023
May 2025

The truck, while driving at highway speeds on the interstate, experienced catastrophic engine failure, seizing the motor while in driving. Luckily, I was able to pull the truck to the side of the road safely, without a crash occurring. Losing engine/braking power could have been a major concern but thankfully, traffic was light enough I had space to pull to the side of the road. The truck had to be towed to the nearest dealer, where it was discovered the motor had seized. 2021 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss 6.2L motor with 47k miles on the factory warranty/no modifications. Since taking the truck to the dealer, they warranty-swapped a remanufactured crate motor in the truck. Hearing of the major increase in issues with this truck, I traded it in on a different manufacturer and now have a different vehicle. Aside from this huge inconvenience and safety issue, GM's customer support line failed to cover the full cost for a rental truck while my vehicle was down for a new motor (late November 2024 until mid January 2025) and I still have yet to receive a refund for my tow bill. This experience that has now lasted almost 6 months (still with no resolution) has been horrible. I hope General Motors is held liable for this major issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2024
May 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The vehicle was initially taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train). The contact stated the vehicle was not repaired. While driving 30-35 MPH, the rear-end locked up and caused the vehicle to enter the wrong lane. The contact stated that other vehicles were able to drive around the vehicle during the failure. The engine revved, and the RPMs revved too high. The driver was able to pull over safely. The check engine, traction control, parking brake, and maintenance warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear-end had locked up, and the #5 cylinder and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The mechanic was unable to unlock the rear-end. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on six other occasions for unknown issues. The manufacturer was contacted regarding a buyback. The failure mileage was approximately 34,958.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2025
May 2025

Engine Seized up on me while driving on the freeway. Four of the crankshaft bearings seized up and one of those four completely melted. good thing the freeway I was on was not too crowded, my dash just all of a sudden lit up saying shift to neutral to restart engine. I was able to get to the shoulder. I tried re starting the engine and nothing happened. I had it towed to Simpson Chevrolet in Irvine CA. they reported back to me and said Engine has seized and I will need a new engine, cost of $16,893. I cannot afford a new engine right now and have been left without a vehicle. GM has taken no responsibility for this failure even though all maintenance has been performed on time every time.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2025
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated, and the rear wheel seized. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal and the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart; however, reverse(R) was the only operational gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. However, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that weeks before the failure, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000. .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2021
Apr 2025

2021 Silverado LT Trail Boss 6.2 (production date: 01/2021) was taken to the GM/Chevy dealer (Ed Morse Chevrolet) on 01/29/2024. It was confirmed by the GM mechanic that the engine had failed (75k miles) due to a shattered camshaft and metal in the engine and a complete engine replacement is needed. Had prior complaint at around 6k miles for engine noise along with hard shifts and a check engine light that had appeared then went away on its own (documented). I was told by a GM certified dealership, it was normal in the new trucks and no action was taken. Unsatisfied, I made another appointment for a second opinion and only regular maintenance service was suggested and performed several days after, at a GM certified dealership. All oil changes have been performed in a timely manner. No forewarning prior to engine failure to include check engine light or any system messages, although trucks performance from the initial complaint did not subside. To my knowledge, this vehicles engine is weighing heavy on consumers safety with engine failure and is a well documented issue, leaving many stranded. Thank you!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2025
Feb 2025

With absolutely no warning, the 6.2 liter V-8 engine with 28,500 miles on it seized up solid and would not run. I was stranded in heavy Christmas traffic and completely blocked one lane. It was an unsafe situation. I had to summon a wrecker to come and tow the vehicle, and I called 911 for police presence to alert and direct traffic. The vehicle was at the Chevy dealer for a month while they installed a new engine. The dealer never fully confirmed what the cause was - I don't believe they really know - and I only have 10 months of warranty left. I am concerned about another failure and thought I should at least get the warranty on the new engine re-set to 60,00 or more miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2024
Jan 2025

At 4K miles, the lifters of the engine went bad. It was determined a rod was bent and had to be replaced. At 26K miles, another cylinder went bad and had to be replaced. At 40Kmiles, serpentine belt had to be replaced. At 41K miles, another cylinder went bad and had to be replaced. Now, at 55K miles, I am getting the same issues with loss of power, engines stuttering and misfiring and will be taking the truck to the dealer on 1/28/25.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2022
Jan 2025

Lifter failure at 8629 miles. All warning lights went on at time of incident, truck would barely drive home and I had it towed into the dealership where they replaced the entire bank of lifters. This is on my repair order- "Checked and found dead mis on cylinder 4 and ticking noise from engine//performed compression test and found no compression on cylinder 4//removed passenger side cylinder head and found lifter bad causing push rod to bend//replaced all lifters on right bank and 1 pushrod//changed oil and filter//filled coolant and test drove and found all ok. I called Chevy at time of incident (1/21/22) and opened case# 9-7252876703 stating I wanted both banks of lifters replaced because I pull a 30' camper with my family and didn't want the other side to fail while I'm pulling 7000+ pounds. They declined to replace the other bank stating that since the vehicle had more than 5000 miles it did not qualify for both sides to be replaced and it was for only vehicles after 11/21 and mine was built 2/21. I still would like to get the other bank of lifters replaced under warranty.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2022
Jan 2025

At 2000 miles my truck developed a new “fluttering”, “ticking sound” once all cylinders reactivated as apart of the dynamic fuel management system. After bringing the truck to dealership, they proceeded to replace the lifters, the exhaust system twice, and performed a computer reflash. The truck was at the dealership for over 45 days within the first 6 months of ownership. After all the repairs, the sound is still audible and getting worse. In addition to this sound, at around 30,000 miles the transmission has now developed an audible clunking sound that can be felt once on release the gas peddle under slower operating speeds. After trying to engage with GM on simply understanding what the problem is and why there is the need for so much repair on a brand new vehicle, I am candidly fed up and let down as long term GM customer.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2022
Oct 2024

When I started my truck in the morning a group of warning lights came on. This included check engine, ECS control, Parking Brake service I took truck to dealer that said I had bad or broken lifter in cylinder # 6.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2024
Feb 2024

My lifters gave out on a brand new engine with 4000 miles on it. Truck was currently at 60,000 miles on odometer. I was traveling 75mph when everything locked up and all my lights on my dash board lit up. Causing multiple cars to swerve around as I guided the limping truck off the highway.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2024
Sep 2023

Vehicle began to shudder on the highway, managed to pull off at next exit and drive to nearest gas station approximately 3 miles away from the highway. Vehicle was towed to neared GM dealership. Dealership has determined that the fault is caused by a failed or multiple failed Camshaft Lifters inside the engine. This has been reported to be a common issue with the GM 5.3L Engine with no active recalls. The vehicle shudder began on a highway during construction where the highway was restricted to one lane. There was an accident with bumper to bumper traffic where an ambulance required way. The vehicle was not in stable condition and could have caused safety risks to other drivers on the high way as well as my passengers and myself. There were no symptoms prior to the vehicle shudder, the Check Engine Light did not come on until about 3 miles of driving closer to the gas station. The Service is being warranted by GM. There are active GM tickets open. Vehicle is being serviced by Stickland Cadillac Buick GMC Chevy in Brantford Ontario Canada

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2023

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Quick Summary

The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 33 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.