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 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. When the contact started the engine, flames appeared under the hood. The vehicle was towed to bayside Chevrolet in prince frederick, md (phone: [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the hybrid module overheated and caused the wires to burn. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle's warranty had expired. The failure mileage was 94,656.
Whenever using the heater in my 2006 Chevy pick up truck you can smell strong burning smell coming from under the dash on pass side of truck . One night turned on heater while going down the road and could see floor board on pass side glowing orange and starting to smoke, had to pull over do to the smell of melting plastic and burning electrical tape . Heater and A/C no longer work so now have no defrost in the winter , can live without the A/C but could not melt the ice in the winter. Bought ac/delco pigtail connector replacement parts and rewired them to spec and turned on A/C and it works, only problem is the wires get so hot it burns your hand at the touch and you can smell the wire covering starting to melt again. It is my opinion that if left uncorrected my truck could catch fire if a heaver gage wire is not installed to maintain the current of the blower motor. …
Leaving the car wash, fan quit working and I smelled a burning odor. Pigtail to resistor had a burnt wire. Got pigtail from dealer for $95.00. Parts manager told me they replace 4 or 5 a month. Still didn't fix the problem. Purchased fan resistor from auto parts store. Problem fixed. April 2010 the same thing happened again. Went to salvage yard and got 2 used pigtails and installed one of them. Resistor seemed to be OK. Approx. November 2011 received letter from general motors saying they would reimburse me for the parts. I did get $95.00 back for the pigtail but couldn't find the receipt for the resistor. April 2015 problem occurring again. I still have one used pigtail I will have to install, maybe the resistor. This is a safety issue. There should be a recall. If I park my truck in the garage I take a chance of burning down my house. Please someone do something.
I parked my truck in a bank parking lot after running errands. I went into the bank lobby, looked back, and noticed my headlights flashing. I returned to the truck, thinking I set off my panic alarm, only to find smoke filling the cabin. After the smoke cleared, I turned the ignition key to aux power and none of my electrical systems were working (e.g. Windows, door locks, OnStar, radio). After inspection, the Chevy dealership found the main body wire harness had melted through from heat. The final analysis is that there is a short in the wire harness that caused the entire harness to melt. Damage was limited to the harness and carpet because the short immediately drained the battery and did not allow the harness to heat up to a combustible temperature.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The driver was traveling 30 MPH and noticed smoke and flames coming from the hood. The contact was able to move the vehicle off the roadway. The police and fire department assisted with extinguishing the fire. A police report was available. The vehicle was towed to the nearest dealer. The dealer did not give specifics on what caused the fire, but stated that the failure was warranty issue and the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 10,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving various speeds, the vehicle lost engine power without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that it needed to be completely reprogrammed and the ignition control module harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred several times after the repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three other times, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Randomly my truck will go in engine power reduced and top speed is 35 MPH. It happened a couple of time on the interstate. The code that pops up is p2135 and I looked it up on line. The internet is full of forms and videos about this problem. Everything on the internet points to the throttle position sensor. I've replaced it twice and replaced the throttle body twice and wiring twice. I put truck in the shop three times. Spent a good $1500 trying to fix the problem and it still pops up every couple of months.
A little whild after turning the truck off I noticed smoke coming from inside the truck. After putting out the fire, I inspected the wires to find that the blower motor had shorted out and caught fire. I have had a similiar issue with my 2003 as well but was able to catch the issue before any fire broke out. There needs to be a recall on this part. Thankfully noone was hurt but this is a definite safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the automatic climate control was activated and smoke emitted into the cab. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the blower motor resistor, resistor harness, and connectors. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 86,700.
My blower motor wiring harness at the resistor lightly caught on fire today. I was diving on the highway with the fan on full blast. No one was hurt and I managed to stop and turn off the truck info time to stop further damage. The resistor was extremely hot you the touch after. This is a common problem that I've read about all over. My VIN did not however pull a recall...
Electrical complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 13% of the model year's 359 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › switch (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2006 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 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 8 fires and 0 injuries 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.