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2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 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

198 reports with mileage · 318 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.

  • Power Train. Review the 170 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports4 fire reports9 injury reports

Power Train complaints

170 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 2, 2024
Power Train

Transmission jerking on downshift between 3/2 and 2/1 gears! I have seen GM has been aware of a recent transmissions issue with 2012-2018 plus 2019-2022 years

NHTSA ODI #11612145

Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2024
Power Train

6l80 transmission out of no where started kicking in and out of gear while in busy traffic. The motor would rev up and then kick itself back into gear multiple times. This wasn’t stop and go traffic also moments later i was at a light turning left as i did the vehicle start this losing power to the transmission except this time…

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6l80 transmission out of no where started kicking in and out of gear while in busy traffic. The motor would rev up and then kick itself back into gear multiple times. This wasn’t stop and go traffic also moments later i was at a light turning left as i did the vehicle start this losing power to the transmission except this time i was in the oncoming traffic’s lane trying to turn. Thankfully the other vehicles stopped although it could have ended much worse.

NHTSA ODI #11611293

Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2024
Power Train

2 separate lifter failure incidents at 61,000 miles. One failure, happened on a busy interstate, while flowing with the speed of traffic. Truck started to misfire, jerk and blow smoke. I had trouble getting to shoulder of highway to get out of the speed of traffic. The issue was a collapsed AFM lifter # 6. All the lifters were r…

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2 separate lifter failure incidents at 61,000 miles. One failure, happened on a busy interstate, while flowing with the speed of traffic. Truck started to misfire, jerk and blow smoke. I had trouble getting to shoulder of highway to get out of the speed of traffic. The issue was a collapsed AFM lifter # 6. All the lifters were replaced on the passenger side on my dime. 450 miles later, I had to limp again to the repair shop that performed the previous repair to find AFM lifter # 4 failed this time. GM has been knowing about these lifter issues for many of years and this is a safety concern while on busy highways.

NHTSA ODI #11605782

81,000 miles · Jul 25, 2024
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced.…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA ODI #11604584

Mileage unknown · May 9, 2024
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

Vehicle shuts off while driving in traffic at low and high speeds stabilitrak service light comes on and the vehicle dash goes dark Radio and temp control panel go dark/ black

NHTSA ODI #11587949

Mileage unknown · May 2, 2024
Power TrainService BrakesUnknown Or Other

I've been in and out of dealers over the transmission shifting points and hard down shifts when almost stopped. And the a/c condenser has cracked on the side for no known reason at 75k miles except for the fact of bad manufacturing

NHTSA ODI #11586597

128,000 miles · Apr 11, 2024
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer wa…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that no assistance would be provided and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ODI #11582430

130,000 miles · Mar 22, 2024
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds for an extended period, the transmission temperature, traction control, and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that when the failure occurred on several …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds for an extended period, the transmission temperature, traction control, and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that when the failure occurred on several occasions, he came to a stop to allow the vehicle to cool off. The contact stated that on other occasions, the vehicle would begin to jerk upon releasing the accelerator pedal quickly. The contact also stated that it was difficult to shift into gear when the failure occurred. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11578912

52,000 miles · Mar 11, 2024
Power TrainService BrakesStructure

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced several safety related failures which included unintended acceleration. The contact indicated that the transmission needed to be replaced on multiple occasions due to the failure. The braking system had malfunctioned and caused …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced several safety related failures which included unintended acceleration. The contact indicated that the transmission needed to be replaced on multiple occasions due to the failure. The braking system had malfunctioned and caused the brake pedal to become difficult to depress. The brake master cylinder was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering failed causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The steering rack was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that there was a loud clanking sound underneath the vehicle while driving over a bump in the road. The motor mount was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.

NHTSA ODI #11576663

Mileage unknown · Mar 7, 2024
Power Train

2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2020 was under warranty (22,000 miles)….felt a little vibration in my steering wheel and suspected a transmission problem and called the dealer’s service department. I told them what I felt and they said…yes you have a transmission problem (that Chevrolet knows about) bring it in and we will fix it. Th…

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2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2020 was under warranty (22,000 miles)….felt a little vibration in my steering wheel and suspected a transmission problem and called the dealer’s service department. I told them what I felt and they said…yes you have a transmission problem (that Chevrolet knows about) bring it in and we will fix it. The fix was…change transmission fluid to synthetic. Now I was not comfortable with the repair but what can I do. I also know changing to the synthetic fluid can handle higher temperatures and will not breakdown as quickly. So my point is Chevrolet knows and knew about the problem and did not even think about a recall due to the expense it would cost them. Chevrolet expects me to absorb the cost of a manufacture problem. Last year was the start of my families transmission problems. It started May of 2023 with my 2014 Silverado’s transmission (175,000 miles) and ended up getting it overhauled. The truck was not abused. November my 1st grandson’s 2018 Silverado’s transmission failed, December 2nd grandson’s 2015 Serria’s transmission failed. I also recently (3 days ago) found out my friend’s 2018 Silverado went failed last year. All within a 6 month’s period. Now I have lost my 2018 Silverado transmission (mentioned above) with 88,000 miles. This is just my family…I really can’t imagine what is going on country wide. All of the above events has prompted me to look into this problem. Every transmission shop and dealer is telling me Chevrolet knows and knew about the problem…I can go on. I am very concerned and will not stop at getting resolve with GM/Chevrolet taking ownership of the transmission problem. Sure I want help...but I also want to help others with the same problem.

NHTSA ODI #11575974

Official recalls

7

26V325000 · Air Bags

May 21, 2026

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262557310. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 26V166.

26V166000 · Air Bags

Mar 19, 2026

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262549710. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.

25V432000 · Air Bags

Jun 26, 2025

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Sierra 2500, 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increases the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2025. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252513060.

24V756000 · Air Bags:side/window:curtain:inflator

Oct 10, 2024

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC Customer Service at 888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N242474500.

20V603000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

Oct 1, 2020

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon vehicles equipped with either a 5.3L or 6.2L V8 engine. The output of the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time, decreasing the amount of vacuum/power brake assist.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A decrease in brake assist can increase the brake pedal effort and distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2020. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-522-9559, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N202300860.

19V761000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:wheel Speed Sensor/tone Ring

Oct 24, 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Service Brakes

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

Consequence: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:wheel Speed Sensor/tone Ring

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

Consequence: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

Consequence: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

19V645000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

Sep 6, 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.

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.