2001 Chevrolet Silverado
The Verdict
The 2001 Chevrolet Silverado has 1,829 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are brakes (893 complaints) and engine (383 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 5/100, it earns a "Total Klunk" rating. If you're shopping for a Chevrolet Silverado, consider the 2006 model year which has 57% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2006 has 57% fewer complaints
View the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado dashboard →
Klunk Score: Total Klunk
Among the most complained-about vehicle years on record. Strongly consider alternatives.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 1
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AN 8.1L V8 ENGINE, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION CAN OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY OR FAIL COMPLETELY. IF THE SENSOR OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY, THE SES LIGHT MAY ILLUMINATE...
Risk
IF THE SENSOR BECOMES COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE, THE ENGINE WILL QUIT RUNNING AND WILL NOT RE-START. EITHER OF THESE FAILURES CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 18, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
Reported Jul 11, 2007
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
ABS locks up because of faulty wheel speed sensors known problem locking up brake pedal resulting in loss of control of vehicle causing collisions and dangerous situations.
I was driving down the road and I heard a clunk. I lost all power and coasted into a farmers field. The dash board said lost power, nothing else. I had no warning. Oil pressure was where it should be until is quit. Keller Chevrolet contacted us and told us the engine blew. The connecting rod broke and the piston come apart. I had service done on my truck 4 days prior. I always service my vehicle every 3,000 miles or 3 months which ever comes first. I have about 121,000 miles on my 2001 pickup. It has always been serviced at either Bob Schmidt Chevrolet or Keller Chevrolet. We are in the process of getting a new engine from GM and having it installed at Keller Chevrolet. You can contact them for more information.
STRUCTURAL FAILURE & AIRBAG FAILURE Crash on the bend of a dangerous Utah road. Lost control and vehicle crossed center line striking another vehicle headon. The cab separated from the frame of the truck. The airbags did not deploy.
The gm/gmc trucks with abs are unsafe and dangerous to the drivers and other pedestrians and vehicles on all roads. The Abs module light comes on and the brake warning light after driving normally and occasionally on its own and after a bump in the road. The abs system is unavailable/disabled when the light is on, the abs system has stopped and the light turned on when applying the brakes hard to avoid other vehicles and other actions such as steering away to avoid an accident arenecessary. While doing research on this problem I discovered that many gm/gmc pickup trucks have this problem with abs failure and the only sure repair being to replace the abs/ebcm module, there are codes stored for the abs system showing it has failed and stopped working. This problem is so large that an aftermarket industry has grown to address this issue providing rebuilt modules. I worked for a chevrolet dealership for 19 years and am an ase master technician and tested my own silverado and have had to replace my abs module, at my own cost as nearly all other owners, to ensure that I and my wife will be safe while driving. Please make the manufacturers responsible and liable for repairs/replacement so that the truck owners and others sharing the roads stay safe and alive.
Front right brake overheated.
While driving engine cuts off intermittently, usually will restart. This is caused by the Crank position sensor. Once replaced, the issue was resolved. This vehicle was NOT covered by NHTSA recall 07U521000.
My spare tire hoist cable broke causing the spare tire to fall away from vehicle into traffic.
The exterior of the wheel well separated from the interior cylinder of the wheel well. The issue appears that the wheel well (usually one piece) has cracked/separated into two pieces, likely due to rust. The car was parked at a store and made a loud popping sound, which could be heard from inside the store. The popping sound came from the loud separation of these pieces as shown in the attached images. This separation was powerful enough to bend and distort the entire exterior of the wheel/hub cap. The vehicle required a tow. This issue could have been a lot worse if the car was driving while the incident occurred. Upon inspection, the other wheel wells are likely to have the same thing occur due to similar appearance. For further details please see file number 529550.
The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 equipped with Kelly Tires, Tire Line: Edge, Tire Size: 245/75/R16, DOT Number: PJUYJH1R1918. The contact stated that upon exiting the vehicle, there was a loud boom sound that came from the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front passenger’s side tire had exploded. The contact stated that there was an excessive amount of rust between the rim and the tire. An independent mechanic was sent to the location and a spare tire was placed on the vehicle. The contact stated that the explosion of the tire caused the rim to be bent. The was concerned that the tire had been mounted improperly. The defective tire was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 154,000. The tire failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
Unknown Lost my truck to fire I was shopping and when I came out of the store the fire department had already put the fire out. They had said the fire started under the hood on the driver side.
Break line and break system has been giving issues and failure has occur. To the point of almost causing an accident. Steering issues several times. Pick-up truck suspension since newer truck has had big issues. Please remediate.
The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light, low fuel warning light, and the ABS warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Vehicle was involved in a motor vehicle collision where this vehicle struck another in an offset head-on manner. The cab completely separated from the frame of this vehicle. The cab came to final rest on the roadway separated from the frame, with the bed remaining attached to the frame.
Head on collision. No airbags deployed. Front of truck was completely crushed in, but no airbags.
The parking brake will fail without warning. The only way that it will work is with continuous adjustment. It has been repaired by a mechanic only to fail again. This has been a recurring problem since I purchased the vehicle in 2011.
My tires have very little wear because I drive far less now. On I-75 in FL recently, while coming off the ramp and increasing speed, the steering wheel began to wobble back and forth violently. As the road surface was wet, I lost control briefly. Once home, I began investigating the problem. I went back to Pep Boys and they inspected and said the tire was separated and they would give me a credit, but they've discontinued that model tire and I'd have to buy 2 new tires. I could not afford that. So they placed it on the rear and I left mad. A month later the steering wobble returned. I then went elsewhere to have it investigated and they said two more were separated. It turns out 3 of the 4 tires I bought are separated so much they are unsuitable for use on the front and make noticeable vibration in the rear when placed there. Date codes on all of my tires are within two sets of weeks of each other, 1717 and 2717 and all are from the same factory. I placed the best two of the 4 on the back and have to replace them all now as there's no way to use any on the front as it's dangerous. They've discontinued this line, but it needs a recall. Pep Boys is coping out of their responsibility. It is Pep Boys Futura Scrambler A/P, 265/75R16. The DOT code is U973PAM1717 and 2717.
VEHICLE PARKED AT PRIVATE RESIDENCE. TAILGATE DOES NOT OPEN. SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THERE IS NO ACCESS TO REPLACE BAD BRAKE LIGHTS.
GEAR SELECTOR LIGHTS AND MILEAGE LIGHTS DONT ILLUMINATE ON DASH, INTERMITTENTLY.
THE REAR BRAKE LINE ON MY 2001 CHEVT 1500 SILVERADO RUSTED INTO. IS WAS NOT A SALT CORRISON. MANY TRUCKS HAVE THIS ISSUE. I WORK IN A PARTS STORE AND A MAN CAME IN LAST WEEK WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS KNOW THESE CHECY TRUCKS IN THIS YEAR DO THIS. I HOPE U CAN TAKE THIS SERIOUS AND HAVE GM TO CORRECT IT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY. I RAN OFF THE ROAD DUE TO IT BREAKING AND SLIDE UPON A FENCE. WHEN I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE . I HAD NOTHING NO BRAKES AT ALL. PLEASE HELP. THANK YOU
SINGLE OCCUPANT BLACK ICE-INDUCED HEAD ON HIGH FORCE IMPACT TREE COLLISION WHILE WITH NO PRE-TENSIONER OR AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS OF ONE-OWNER VEHICLE
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