Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
I was driving down the highway at 65 mph and went to slow down and I had no brakes. Resulting in me having to go into the ditch to avoid a collision. After I was able to get the truck to slow down and to a stop I inspected my braking system to find all of my brake lines were rusted out and I had ruptured my brake lines. Since the incident I have had to replace all my brake lines and both of my brake cylinders on the rear of my truck. Now I have minimal brakes after bleeding them and they are slowly coming back. The truck has almost 400,000 miles on the chassis but a new motor. During this event I was getting a grinding coming from the rear differential, after inspection, I found that my gov lock was bad and needed new spider gears which I have since replaced the rear differential with a posi differential and have had minimal problems since.
The auxiliary transmission fuel pump system is prone to failure. This makes it so the start/stop feature will not work, as the vehicle will stall when stopped (causing an unsafe situation), and it cannot pass state inspection. The part is entirely unavailable from Chevy, and results in the vehicle being scrapped. There is no way to permanently bypass this system.
On [redacted], at or around midnight, I was traveling [redacted] at approximately 60 mph. The traffic was very light, with few vehicles on the road. It was raining, and I was in the number 1 lane. Two additional lanes were to my left, reserved for toll road traffic. I did not see any other vehicles on [redacted], nor did I see any vehicles to my left in the toll lanes. There was a physical separation between [redacted] and the toll road, consisting of 36-inch plastic candlestick dividers with approximately 10-foot separations. As I was traveling, I suddenly felt a lurch, and the right rear of my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado (Vin# [redacted] ) dropped. My pickup truck immediately began to spin to my left, forcing me into the toll lanes and into the concrete center divider. When my vehicle came to rest, I was facing eastbound in the westbound lanes of the toll road. …
Tl contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact was experiencing a failure with the air conditioning and heating system in her vehicle. Neither were working properly and no air would go through the vents. The contact also smelled something burning in her vehicle and immediately took it to the dealer. She was informed that the resister needed to be replaced. While the new resister was being installed, the mechanic also discovered that a connector needed to be replaced because it had melted. Both the resister and the connector from the electrical air conditioning unit in her vehicle were replaced. The contact believes that a two year old vehicle should not experience those defects. The current and failure mileages were 50,612. Updated 10/07/08. The transmission line had a slight leak. Updated 10/08/08.
Exhaust manifold bolts broke off and is now leaking exhaust fumes in side the truck also emissions is effected for osha or emission test this is a problem of safety I have seen alot of people with same problem and yet no recall ,it is a problem in all phases of operation of the truck only has 49,000 miles don't have a photo but surely you are really familiar with this problem usually its the front and rear bolts cause is inferior materials and workmanship also can cause catalytic converter failure the cost of this repair should be on GM as it can run 1000s to fix
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving various speeds, the gear downshifted into neutral without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, but no failure could be detected. The independent mechanic replaced the transmission, but the failure recurred. The dealer (gosch Chevrolet, 400 carriage cir, hemet, ca 92545, [phone]) was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 208,025.
Truck driving transfer case go in neutral, then need to park and put the transmission in park and in neutral, then push the 4x4 bottom,then change to 2wld. Makes a lot noise.unsafe to drive.happen in the highway.
The manual transmission on my 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has a problem. When the clutch is pressed you can not shift, or it is very difficult to shift gears. And the dealers service department says Chevrolet designed all standard transmission vehicles to work this way. They say there is not anything to fix. I believe that since the transmission is hard to shift the transmission could wear out too fast, or and this is my big fear, the transmission could fail while the truck is being driven and a accident could happen, or the truck could break down in an unsafe place or time. I have had the truck in the service department at the dealer many, many times. The service advisor agrees that the truck doesn't shift like any standard transmission he has driven either. Yet, the official word is that this is normal, and there is nothing to fix. …
I had my truck fixed at sear automotive in hunt valley maryland after 3 week after I was promised 1 week.was told it needed a new rear differential and new brake lines. I got my truck back I lost brakes going down the road and my ABS light came on brought my truck back to sears. It was fixed so I was told and I lost brakes aging. And then I brought it back a 3rd time they finally fixed it. But they made me drive my truck with no brakes back to them. Next my rear differential locked up on 695 and I spun out I brought the truck back to them. They claimed it was out of warranty when the warranty expired well the truck was in the shop. So I started to drive the truck home and 4 wheel drive turned on and my front 2 wheels started dragging along with my back which made my truck come to a stop in the middle of york road. …
Our 2006 Chevy Silverado was making a slight humming noise. My husband thought he would need to change his brake pad. The hum was more on turns and went braking. Then on June the 13, 2006 , while driving, the whole hub/bearing everything broke off the right front tire. We had it towed to the local dealership. After inspecting the truck. They stated the we improperly fail to maintain are vehicle. He stated that he had never seen the whole drum /hub/bearing brake off , except in trucks that were made to go off road alot. We have never towed, went off road or hauled anything with this truck. The miles are highway miles. I asked how do maintain a piece of steel. He stated,"we should of had the bearing check". They had to replace the drum , rotor, hub, bearings hoses, everything. The total cost $1,412.00.
Transmission complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 8% of the model year's 359 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.