Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact became aware of a stain on the rear driver's side interior of the roof of her vehicle and became aware that the source of the leak was the edge of the window. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be inspected, and the contact was informed that there would be no assistance with repairing the vehicle since the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,900.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that he noticed that the front driver's side bumper filler was slightly detached and was wearing down the panel. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was referred to an auto body shop. The contact took the vehicle to the body shop and had the front driver's side bumper filler and bracket replaced. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while washing the vehicle, he noticed that water was entering the vehicle through a crack in the rear window seal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
My 2021 Silverado (~29500 miles) pickup has a multifunction tailgate. I noticed about two weeks ago that the tailgate would unlatch and come down at random. I might unlock and open the door or I might start the vehicle or I might turn off the vehicle and the tailgate would come down. It is very random and has no pattern to why it is happening. The gate is electrically controlled inside the vehicle as well as the controls on the gate itself. I find this such a serious safety concern because you can not tell when it might come down and if you are pulling a trailer it could be disastrous. My main concern is that I might be backing into a parking spot, which I frequently do, and the tailgate is either down or comes down at the wrong time and at best I might back into something or at worst back into or pinch a person between the tailgate and another object. …
Vehicle door locks. The key from my 2016 Chevy will open my 2021 Chevy. It does not seem safe when you assume locking your doors would prevent someone from gaining access to your vehicle. How often do you go shopping, put your purchases in the vehicle and shop some more not knowing that someone can just unlock the doors and steal your valuables or wait in the backseat for you to return and harm you. What are the odds that I have a key from an older vehicle that unlocks my new truck doors and also how many other keys are out there that will do the same thing. At the very least GM should at least warn a buyer that just because you lock your doors that doesn't really mean anything. I am sure alot of people are not aware of this lack of safety. …
Tailgate operation failure. The tailgate switch appears to be operating when no button is pressed. When vehicle is unlocked or key fob near vehicle tailgate automatically goes down on own. Component is available upon request. Appears to be tailgate release switch 85734717. Safety at risk as although it does not open in driving it does when stopped and in park. Tailgate went down and driver failed to realize this as component had failed and it had been put up and driver drove forward so unable to witness it down as truck was not in reverse. Upon driving forward materials in bed of truck were dispersed in roadway until driver realized tailgate had come down just prior to pulling away. Causes a safety hazard to drivers and others on road. Problem has happened in park and has not been taken into dealer yet as it is out of dealer warranty. Vehicle not inspected by anyone else. …
The way I can best describe it is my vehicle falling apart, either due to cheap parts. Or poorly being put together. I was driving down the highway at about 65 miles an hour, when suddenly I hear something smack what seemed to be my headlight, then again snack into my drivers side mirror. I had not seen anything on the road previous to this or anything in the air so it seemed strange to have "hit" something. I was about an hour from my destination still so when I arrived I checked out my headlight. I then discovered I hadn't hit anything, a piece of the fascia of my truck had blown off in the wind, which was the first sound I heard, then proceeded to impact my drivers side mirror. I'm not sure how long it was in the air or if it had impacted any vehicles on the highway behind me.
I discovered that the key to my 2016 chevy van unlocks the doors to my 2021 chevy silverado. I feel totally unsafe now when I leave anything of value locked in my pick-up. With auto thefts and break-ins at an all time high how can anyone ever feel safe locking valuables up in their vehicle.The Chevy dealership where I bought it first didn't believe me but later checked with Chevy and found out that Gm ran out of key codes so they started to reuse them. People in the business of stealing cars or stealing the contents probably can wander thru shopping malls or parking lots get in and out of cars without the owner aware of it. What are the odds that I would have a key that opens two different vehicles and how many other keys like that are out there?
When my truck is outside and gets rained on. The Tailgate automatically drops and keeps dropping over and over again. It's been doing this for months. I have many safety concerns. I've had my tailgate open while driving. I had a young child standing behind my truck and it automatically opened. Recently over the period of the night it kept sending signals to drop annd lights would alol turn on until my truck battery was drained. I've looked up and saw other Silverados in my time frame with same problem with tailgate switch and have been recalled. This is 100 percent same thing going on with my truck. I have video but couldn't upload below
According to 2 mechanics- including a body shop - the frame has prematurely rusted due to: TSB 19-NA-255 - Wax Coating on Frame Peeling, Metal Shows Corrosion/Rusting There's so much damage to a 2021 truck, that it may not survive this winter. The frame welds are breaking due to the lack of frame protection. I asked my dealership, Lamoille Valley Chevrolet 868 VT RT 15E HYDE PARK, VT 05655, on two separate occasions to check for damage. One time they made no report, the second time they told me it was normal wear and tear. I've been told trucks 20 years older than mine, are in better condition. There was no protection for this frame.
Body complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the body & structure of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 3% of the model year's 847 complaints. The component named most often is body (26 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, though it has 8 recalls for other components. 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 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to body & structure 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.