Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle in the morning, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the starter motor was not turning over as designed. The contact stated that she had to wait until all the warning lights had stopped being illuminated and then the vehicle was able to be started. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the failure was an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was supposedly 168,000. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be inspected, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced and that the transmission needed to be repaired; the contact did research and discovered that
Design flaw - Brake light switch- the end section of the internal spring is placed in a position that allows it to potentially slide down and block the space needed for when the plunger is depressed, jamming up the switches ability to properly function. I have not determined what happened to the switch on my truck, but noticed that this scenario was a possibility and felt obligated to report my opinion.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the wiring harness under the steering wheel caught fire and melted. In addition, the windshield wipers started functioning independently and the radio stopped functioning. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle in the middle of a residential area and exited the vehicle. The contact's husband used his shirt to extinguish the fire. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that a specialist would call her back. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Used aux port to charge cell phone. With in seconds smoke starts coming from dash. After containing fire I removed dash cover to find that the power wire that controls aux port and obd2 port had over loaded and caught fire with caused internal damage to all electrical and internal dash. After doing complete walk through I noticed in fuse box under the hood that the fuse that controls 2 auxs had melted down. Right fuse was installed before electrical fire. During time of incident vehicle was mobile in town on public roads. After cab of pick up started filling with smoke I pulled over and used chemical fire extinguisher to smother flames.
The inside and outsides lights started going off by themselves. There was no smoke or burning smell. My husband was going too have it checked out on presidents day, but the truck burnt the day before. Our insurance would not cover it due to normal wear and tear. So here we are out vehicle.
This is not a rare complaint. Factually, several retailers on ebay sell discussed replacement parts; and they reveal the burnt, burning, and or melted parts in the parts auctions descriptions! This should be a recalled item! 1. While operating vehicle, driver & three passengers smelled something burning or fire within the passenger/cab compartment of our 2005 Silverado, followed shortly, within 2 minutes of air conditioning blower assembly failure. That is, we smelled something burning and the air conditioning quit working. Upon further investigation, removal of the air conditioning "resistor" (p/n "52408586, 42/04 slovania") revealed a severely burnt and melted [male] "resistor" connector and [female] wiring harness connector (refer to (3) for resistor and harness replacement part numbers). …
I started my truck and turned the air conditioner on its highest setting while I loaded my two children into their car seats. I had one of my children in their car seats and was putting the second one in his when I smelled smoke and quickly realized there was smoke blowing out of the vents. I got my boys out of their seats and shut the vehicle off. I opened the doors and searched for something to extinguish flames. After grabbing the garden hose and returning to the truck I noticed that there was smoke coming from under the dash but I didn't see any flames. I waited to see it the smoke was getting worse but it wasn't. I opened the hood and nothing was smoking in the engine compartment. I felt around the console and noticed that there were a number of areas that were extremely hot. A day later I tried to see if I could find the location of the fire. …
Noticed upper brake light on while parked in driveway. Truck wouldn't start. Truck wouldn't accept an extended jump. Truck towed.mechanic found the under dash fuse box melted in two different places. Truck needed new fuse box. Plugs and interior wiring harness. No modifications to the electrical system had been made to this vehicle. Parts have been saved. $1,745.00 to fix. I see many reports of electrical fires in GM, Chevy products on the web with no apparent action to force a fix. Vehicles are being destroyed, severely damaged, people and property endangered because they are apparently using cheap, inferior grade products. People would not mind paying a few dollars more to ensure they won't die in a fire or have their house burn down. …
I was driving to work, had lower and heat on. First I smelled something burning, then I noticed smoke coming from behind glove box and through the passenger dash vents. I had my truck towed to the dealer. I started the truck again while there and noted same problem. I turned my truck off and the blower and took my keys out of the ignition, but the blower continued to smoke. I had to call the fire department who came out, disconnected the battery and found burned wires behind the glove box. The dealer blamed it on a resistor and a wiring harness connected to the blower motor which burned out. They replaced the blower connector and resistor. I asked twice for the defective parts to be returned to me but the dealer did not comply with my request. The truck has a strong smell of smoke in it upon its return to me.
Electrical complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 189 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 36% of the model year's 525 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (62 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 29 fires and 1 injury and 1 death to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.