2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 transmission & drivetrain problems

Related recalls

• Recall 26V083000Feb 12, 20261,055 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODY

  General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.

  Risk: Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.

• Recall 24V797000Oct 24, 2024463,295 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODY

  General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.

  Risk: Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.

What owners say

1. Filed Oct 7, 2026KYTransmission & Drivetrain

   2021 Silverado with 5.3 engine/8spd transmission/38,000 miles just outside of the 5-year powertrain warranty *No current recalls under this VIN as of 10/07/2026* Undiagnosed issues with symptoms similar to transmission or rear end slippage, torque converter or clutch pack problems. No warning lights or messages have appeared 1) Vehicle seems to hunt for proper gearing between 30-40 mph (3rd to 4th gear) with light shuddering before shifting gears. Occurred 20+ times 2)…

   NHTSA complaint #11769503 · source
2. Filed Oct 4, 2026TXEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionTransmission & Drivetrain

   I am submitting this complaint regarding a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Trail Boss 4WD with the [6.2L V8 (L87)], VIN [XXX], 101,000 miles. The truck was assembled in Mexico in XXX, about six weeks before XXX, just outside the build range of GM recall 25V-274 (N252494000, Engine Failure). On 10/2/2026, [XXX], [XXX] a certified GM dealership, diagnosed crankshaft and lifter failure, matching the recall condition. Codes: P0300, P050D, P0016. The truck was shaking violently,…

   NHTSA complaint #11768822 · source
3. Filed Sep 30, 202660,000 miMSTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had a bell housing installed to catch internal metal shavings; however, the housing assembly failed again and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The contact associated the failure with the torque converter. The torque converter was previously replaced once. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle felt like it was driving…

   NHTSA complaint #11768122 · source
4. Filed Sep 29, 2026AZEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   This vehicle's engine failed on a high-volume roadway in [XXX] which resulted in a significant safety issue. The vehicle was taken to a certified Chevrolet dealership in Scottsdale (Van Chevrolet) whereby the engine in this 5.3L V8 was replaced due to catastrophic engine failure with the lifters being the suspected cause of the failure. Aside from the $10,400 cost of the remanufactured engine replacement, I have had considerable discussions (live and written) with GM Arizona…

   NHTSA complaint #11767705 · source
5. Filed Sep 28, 2026NMTransmission & Drivetrain

   Vehicle has a bad valve body which was confirmed by the dealer. Driving down the street and the engine went from 3 to 4 gear and the rear wheels locked up. Also when coming to a stop the truck jerks so bad it snaps your neck. GM has major problems with these trucks and knows the problems and keeps issuing bulletins however they have a massive backlog of orders for parts to fix these trucks which leaves people's trucks sitting at service centers for months waiting for…

   NHTSA complaint #11767590 · source
6. Filed Sep 23, 2026102,490 miVATransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after activating the 4WD feature, the rear wheels locked up with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions to be diagnosed. Several unknown parts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced Safety Recall : N242454440; as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified…

   NHTSA complaint #11766400 · source
7. Filed Sep 21, 2026MSTransmission & Drivetrain

   Around 60k miles my truck started shifting rough and at odd times. Then it went into “limp” mode. I took it to the dealership and they replaced my battery and a solenoid. I asked about the transmission and they told me it was because it was in “limp mode”. I’ve continued to have issues with it then a couple of months ago while driving to work at around 60mph the truck harshly downshifted into a low gear causing the rear tires to break loose on the wet roads and sending me…

   NHTSA complaint #11765787 · source
8. Filed Sep 17, 2026PAElectrical SystemEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   2021 silverado engine failure. Yes it was inspected by a dealership and my extended warranty company and serviced by the dealership. Back on August 5th I experienced a misfire cylinder 3 and felt loss of power. On August 7th the dealership diagnosed both camshafts, 1 lifter, 1 valve, and 1 fuel injector was damaged and never received at warning lights or messages on the dashboard. I was without the vehicle for 39 days and within 10 hrs after picking up the truck i got an…

   NHTSA complaint #11764947 · source
9. Filed Sep 9, 202653,020 miNCTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping while shifting gears and the transmission was shuddering. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed…

   NHTSA complaint #11763159 · source
10. Filed Sep 2, 2026TNTransmission & Drivetrain

    While driving on the road, the transmission in my truck completly neutralized all the gears (meaning it just started revving and slowing down rapidly in the middle of the road with cars in front of and behind me). And almost got me hit by several cars. I got the vehicle towed to the Chevy dealership it was bought from. The mechanics then confirmed the code was for a failed valve body in the trucks transmission. Which they had recalled in all the diesels but not gas engines.

    NHTSA complaint #11761775 · source
11. Filed Aug 30, 2026KYTransmission & Drivetrain

    Engine failure , early on it had the dod replace. Under warranty and I’m not 100% sure but this time it failed and took out the engine. New rotating system and valves replaced Happened at just under 100k miles With all I’m seeing about these engines I figured I’d report it.

    NHTSA complaint #11760706 · source
12. Filed Aug 30, 2026MAEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

    About 2 months after bringing the truck in for the engine recall, my oil cooler blew up and I required that to be replaced, along with the radiator and hoses.

    NHTSA complaint #11760698 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology