Most common 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
Share of the 747 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 complaints by model year
Best Silverado 1500 years: 2012, 2013. Years to avoid: 2019, 2021, 2014, 2022, 2024. Compare all years →
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls (12)
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module › Software
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Fluid/lubricant › Valves/valve body
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a…
Tires › Temporary/emergency spare tire
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function…
Remedy: Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's…
Tires
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021.
Seat belts › Critical fasteners
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021.
Tires
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020.
Show 6 more recalls
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020.
Air bags › Side/window › Curtain › Inflator
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at…
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Camaro, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. The fuel pump may be missing a pressure regulator, allowing for over-pressurization of the fuel system.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2019. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, Chevrolet customer service at…
Seat belts › Pretensioner
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500:
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
On January 16, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 after receiving complaints and field reports concerning engine failures in MY2019-2024 GM's full-size truck and SUV T1XX platform equipped with the L87 6.2L V8 engine.
Air Bag Malfunction
On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM).
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274.
What 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners say
Engine & cooling all 271 →
The truck caught on fire while I was returning from a trip out of state and then it appears it came from underneath either the transmission the engine or electrical. While returning home a message came on the panel on the highway, saying transmission, hot idle run I pulled off and did this and after about 15 minutes, the message light went off and I pursued Coming home nothing was wrong with the truck. After I dropped off to the passengers, I was on the way home and turned on home road and the message came on that says truck powering down all the lights came on the dashboard. I put the truck in park and shut the engine off had a manly open the doors and got out and smoke was rolling from underneath the truck. I grabbed the cell phones and told my passenger to call 911. …
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH and making a turn in the opposite direction, the vehicle lost motive power and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rod and the lifters had failed, causing damages to the upper half of the engine. The dealer replaced the gaskets, the rods, the guides, the lifters, the camshaft, and the transition kit. Additionally, and oil change was performed. The vehicle was not covered under warranty and was repaired at the customer's expense due to the mileage. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 235 →
The truck caught on fire while I was returning from a trip out of state and then it appears it came from underneath either the transmission the engine or electrical. While returning home a message came on the panel on the highway, saying transmission, hot idle run I pulled off and did this and after about 15 minutes, the message light went off and I pursued Coming home nothing was wrong with the truck. After I dropped off to the passengers, I was on the way home and turned on home road and the message came on that says truck powering down all the lights came on the dashboard. I put the truck in park and shut the engine off had a manly open the doors and got out and smoke was rolling from underneath the truck. I grabbed the cell phones and told my passenger to call 911. …
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated after an independent mechanic had performed an oil change on the vehicle, the vehicle was moved and parked. The contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The mechanic diagnosed that the engine had seized and there were metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had denied coverage because the vehicle was previously serviced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE25001 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). Additionally, the contact stated while idling and while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound. …
Brakes all 115 →
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the service brakes were inoperable. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard and the vehicle did not stop or slow down. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that due to the service brakes being inoperable, he tried to avoid a crash. While the contact was making a left turn, an oncoming vehicle crashed into the vehicle on the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to roll while he continued to depress the brake pedal and the vehicle finally came to a stop. The axle was fractured and the frame underneath of the vehicle had shifted. The vehicle was undrivable. The contact and the other driver contacted the local police and the incident report was taken over the phone. No injuries were reported. …
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 71 MPH with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced braking and power steering failure. The Traction Control, Brake, Parking, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Fuel Control, and Check Engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the Brake Assist failure, Steering failure, and Trailer Brake failure messages were displayed. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted over to the side of the road. After turning off the vehicle for approximately an hour, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove 40 MPH back to the residence. The contact stated that after the failure, the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral, and then the parking brake was activated to come to a stop. The contact stated that a diagnostic test confirmed the steering and brake failures. …
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel | 10-speed automatic | RWD | 23 / 33 / 27 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 23 / 29 / 25 |
| 2.7L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed automatic | RWD | 20 / 23 / 21 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 8-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.7L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed automatic | 4WD | 19 / 22 / 20 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 16 / 22 / 19 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 8-speed automatic | 4WD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 21 / 17 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 21 / 17 |
| 6.2L 8-cyl | 10-speed automatic | 4WD | 16 / 20 / 17 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 a good car?
Based on 747 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2020 Silverado 1500 rates avoid: 4.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Silverado 1500 at the same age. It is one of the Silverado 1500 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
The engine & cooling — 271 complaints, 36% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › emission control. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (235) and brakes (115).
How many recalls does the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have?
There are 12 recalls for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the most recent from February 12, 2026 (software). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2021, 2014, 2022 and 2024. See the full Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 29,000 miles; 58% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.