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2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

700 reports with mileage · 97 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 267 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 229 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 100 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

33 crash reports8 fire reports17 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

229 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2024
Air BagsService BrakesUnknown Or OtherCrash

Abs system is failing light comes on then brakes don’t catch, airbags message keeps coming on . Pulling in to store when it done it end up hitting the metal pipe in from of store to stop

NHTSA ODI #11563911

Mileage unknown · Sep 4, 2021
Power TrainService BrakesCrashInjury

# 1 is the 4l60E transmission that sits on the exhaust and runs next to it on the opposite side the heat from the trans itself and the exhaust overheat the gasket which causes weak spots that leak along with burning up the 3-4 clutch. Lost everything but 1&2,R,N on trip to Illinois on way back went to speed up to pass and all su…

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# 1 is the 4l60E transmission that sits on the exhaust and runs next to it on the opposite side the heat from the trans itself and the exhaust overheat the gasket which causes weak spots that leak along with burning up the 3-4 clutch. Lost everything but 1&2,R,N on trip to Illinois on way back went to speed up to pass and all sudden the engine started tacking out and leaking fluid. I applied fluid all the way home at a speed of 45mph in a 70 mph limit which caused a major safety hazard with traffic. Took to trans shop said the 3-4 clutch was fried and was no good due to overheating and loss fluid from damaged gasket that's split on the stamps from AC Delco. 2nd issue arises out 1rst, even more dangerous to point of dragging me down drive way and cutting into my leg leaving a small scar. When wheels are chalked , E brake applied the vehical should not move, so after doing so I climbed under and unhooked the shift cable from the trans instantly with dog in truck it began rolling right over me I grabbed the frame and stopped it for a few sec then boom it went again I had spin around or my legs or head would've be smashed to Oblivion. At that point it just kept going as it cut into my leg, I let it roll over me hopped up and tried trow it in park yet no cable attached it wouldn't stop and just kept going till it hit a small ditch at end my drive and half way in the road.My leg was cut and I was scratched up in many spots yet dog was ok. The trans quitting lead to the unhooking of the cable then the e/p brake not holding due to worn brake shins in the rear which have calipers so if the calpier would've held with the brake it'd been fine but under everything is a set small and thin pads that hold the truck when brake applied. There was a recall (#05042). Yet my vin was not included, chevy was called yet denied any responsibility of either matter or action to cure it. These defects could've killed me, decapitated, or killed my service dog!

NHTSA ODI #11431699

Mileage unknown · May 16, 2021
Service Brakes

Vehicle was being driven when "Service Brake System" appeared in the DIC. Vehicle was safely returned to owners home where it was discovered a master cylinder failure had occurred. The master cylinder contained no brake fluid, the booster was covered in brake fluid, and fluid was dripping from the undercarriage to the ground. Th…

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Vehicle was being driven when "Service Brake System" appeared in the DIC. Vehicle was safely returned to owners home where it was discovered a master cylinder failure had occurred. The master cylinder contained no brake fluid, the booster was covered in brake fluid, and fluid was dripping from the undercarriage to the ground. The master cylinder and booster were replaced. In the process of bleeding the brake lines, a secondary leak was discovered in the brake line to the left front caliper. An inspection revealed a failure of the brake line due to rust. Inspection of the other brake lines revealed rust which will require replacement of all the brake lines. In this instance, the vehicle was actively being repaired when the failure of the brake line occurred. Had the brake line not failed during the repair process of the master cylinder and booster, a failure would have occurred while the vehicle was being operated possibly resulting in a crash with injury or death to the occupants or other drivers.

NHTSA ODI #11417374

120,905 miles · Nov 13, 2020
Service Brakes

WHEN YOU APPLY THE PARKING BREAK THROUGH A FOOT PEDAL ON THIS YEAR OF TRUCK AND THEN PULL THE HANDLE TO RELEASE IT THE PARKING BREAK WILL ONLY COME BACK A LITTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY REACH DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND PULL THE PARKING BREAK FOOT PETAL BACK UP TO OPERATIONAL HEIGHT WHERE THE PARKING BREAK (EMERGENCY BREAK) IS NO L…

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WHEN YOU APPLY THE PARKING BREAK THROUGH A FOOT PEDAL ON THIS YEAR OF TRUCK AND THEN PULL THE HANDLE TO RELEASE IT THE PARKING BREAK WILL ONLY COME BACK A LITTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE TO MANUALLY REACH DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND PULL THE PARKING BREAK FOOT PETAL BACK UP TO OPERATIONAL HEIGHT WHERE THE PARKING BREAK (EMERGENCY BREAK) IS NO LONGER APPLIED. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND THE CABLE IS STILL CONNECTED AND WILL ONLY BRING THE PARKING BREAK BACK UP AROUND A INCH UNTIL YOU HAVE TO PULL IT THE REST OF THE WAY BACK.

NHTSA ODI #11374492

142,000 miles · Jun 3, 2020
Service BrakesSteeringSuspension

I STARTED TO NOTICE MY BRAKES AND STEERING COMPONENTS ARE VERY UNSAFE, MY STEERING WHEEL HAS TO MUCH PLAY, SOMETHING INSIDE THE STEERING MAKES A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN I HIT A BUMP, THE BRAKES DON?T OPERATE CORRECTLY, THE TRUCK SHAKES AND MAKES THE STEERING VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES DUE TO THE SHAKING…

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I STARTED TO NOTICE MY BRAKES AND STEERING COMPONENTS ARE VERY UNSAFE, MY STEERING WHEEL HAS TO MUCH PLAY, SOMETHING INSIDE THE STEERING MAKES A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN I HIT A BUMP, THE BRAKES DON?T OPERATE CORRECTLY, THE TRUCK SHAKES AND MAKES THE STEERING VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES DUE TO THE SHAKING AND VIBRATION. I WAS TOLD IT MIGHT BE LEAKING HYDRAULIC FLUID. BUT TO SUM IT ALL UP TODAY ON 06-02-2020, I REALIZED THE TRUCK IS ONLY GETTING WORSE AND GETTING HARDER TO STEER AND THE BRAKES CAUSE THE STEERING TO MAKE IT EVEN HARDER TO DRIVE WITH ALL THE SHAKING AND PULLING TO THE SIDE AND ALSO I NOTICED THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL BE REALLY HARD AT TIMES AND THEN REALLY LIGHT AT TIMES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11327048

60,000 miles · Dec 24, 2019
Service Brakes

I PRESSED THE BRAKES HARD TO AVOID HITTING A DEER. ONCE I PRESSED THE PEDAL, THE TRUCK SLOWED AND THEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. A STEEL BRAKE LINE BELOW THE CAB BLEW. AFTER INSPECTION, I FOUND THAT ALL THE ORIGINAL STEEL LINES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY RUSTED.

NHTSA ODI #11291059

48,000 miles · Dec 10, 2019
Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS ENGAGED WHEN THE VEHICLE BRAKED AT LOWER SPEEDS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS SENSOR FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NO…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS ENGAGED WHEN THE VEHICLE BRAKED AT LOWER SPEEDS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS SENSOR FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.

NHTSA ODI #11288142

60,000 miles · Sep 23, 2019
Fuel/propulsion SystemService Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE ROTTED THROUGH AND WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACTED STATED THAT THE FUEL LINES WERE ALSO ROTTED AND SPILLED FUEL ALL OVER THE PLACE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. ALSO, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRA…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE ROTTED THROUGH AND WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACTED STATED THAT THE FUEL LINES WERE ALSO ROTTED AND SPILLED FUEL ALL OVER THE PLACE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. ALSO, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE CONTACT USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11257305

115,000 miles · Jun 25, 2019
Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN REVERSE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE, BUT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN REVERSE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE, BUT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINE NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

NHTSA ODI #11222455

170,000 miles · Jan 7, 2019
Service Brakes

BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO RUST AND USE OF INFERIOR PARTS FROM CHEVROLET. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED DUE TO AWARENESS OF OTHER DRIVERS. IN A NEIGBORHOOD STREET, WITH CHILDREN PRESENT VERY NEAR.

NHTSA ODI #11165019

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.