2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Problems & Complaints

Better than average59% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Silverado 2500 at the same age

Owners have filed 61 complaints about the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is 59% fewer than a typical Silverado 2500 model year at the same age, making the 2009 one of the better Silverado 2500 years. The most reported problem area is the air bags (24 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles). 5 recalls cover this model year.

61complaints
5recalls
6crashes
3fires
9injuries
0deaths

Most common 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems

  • Air bags~75,000 miles
    2439%
  • Other / not specified~79,000 miles
    1016%
  • Electrical system~54,000 miles
    915%
  • Body & structure~123,000 miles
    610%
  • Brakes~148,000 miles
    58%
  • Speed control & acceleration~2,000 miles
    47%
  • Engine & cooling~41,000 miles
    47%
  • Steering~12,000 miles
    47%
  • Wheels & tires~59,000 miles
    35%
  • Equipment & accessories~12,000 miles
    23%
  • Transmission & drivetrain~41,000 miles
    23%
  • Stability & traction control~1,000 miles
    12%
  • Windows, wipers & sunroof~110,000 miles
    12%
  • Lights~110,000 miles
    12%
  • Seat belts~54,000 miles
    12%
  • Fuel & propulsion system~73,000 miles
    12%

Share of the 61 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Chevrolet Silverado 2500 complaints by model year

’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’2664738113238835144936826917820419161211045351401791235453741088897471432912
Owner complaints per model year, Chevrolet Silverado 2500. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best Silverado 2500 years: 2014, 2012, 2013. Years to avoid: 2024, 2022, 2020, 2015, 2025. Compare all years →

2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 recalls (5)

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 21V-053 · Feb 5, 2021 · 692,526 vehicles

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida,…

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 21V-052 · Feb 5, 2021 · 557,023 vehicles

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas,…

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 21V-050 · Feb 5, 2021 · 2,641,272 vehicles

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in…

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021.

Equipment

NHTSA recall 18V-267 · Apr 26, 2018 · 6,154 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018.

Electrical system

NHTSA recall 14V-407 · Jul 2, 2014 · 9,371 vehicles

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2007, to June 22, 2011, and GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery.

Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental Owner Manual information, free of charge.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500:

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.

What 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 owners say

Air bags all 24 →

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

0 miles · Feb 2021

i have a 2009 Chevy 2500 HD and my ABS, Stable Trac and air bag lights resently went on and i all the sudden lost brake power and found out that the Abs module and Harness were melted really bad. i have not reported it to anyone yet i dont know how to go about it .

Apr 2023 · fire

Electrical system

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the trailer brake warning message displayed. Additionally, while towing a trailer, the trailer brake erroneously activated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the trailer brake sensor was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Integrated trailer brake control · 120,000 miles · Oct 2014

Our truck 7 pin female hitch plug caught fire and caught our trailer on fire. There is a recall for the 2009 Chevy 2500's but the recall is not on our VIN Number. We would like to report this just in case it is happening to other 2009 Chevy 2500 trucks. ,

Aug 2023 · fire

Body & structure

The chrome plating is peeling off the drivers interior door handle that has created a sharp surface and has already cut my wife's hand. Upon researching the issue further it was found there is a service bulletin directly related to this exact issue. The problem is the bulletin is only referencing 2007 model year's specifically. The bulletin was released in July/August of 2010 so many years from 2007 ' 2009 were affected by this defect. In the document page 51 of 86 specifically mentions model year 2007 ' 2009 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC sierra and denali trucks equipped with rpos an3, y91, or gat. My truck has rpo code an3 and the handle is peeling. I have already contacted Chevy customer care and inquired about this defect but they are not willing to admit to or repair the defect free of cost as per this bulletins extended coverage of 10 years or 100,000 miles. …

Body · 99,000 miles · Sep 2017 · 1 injury

Dash around the air bag and in front of instrument cluster started cracking shortly after warrantee was out. I contacted Chevrolet and they said it was because of the sun. I told them I bought it in florida and I'm sure the sun doesn't shine there. What am I suppose to do keep it in the garage and never take it out. They offer me 100.00 towards the repair. That was an insult to a clear manufactures defect. The plastic upon a collision could become a flying projectile that could cause serious injury.

Body · Jun 2013

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 a good car?

Based on 61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Silverado 2500 rates better than average: 59% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Silverado 2500 at the same age. 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 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

The air bags — 24 complaints, 39% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (9) and body & structure (6).

How many recalls does the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 have?

There are 5 recalls for the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). 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 2500?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2012 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2022, 2020, 2015 and 2025. See the full Chevrolet Silverado 2500 years comparison.

At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 59,000 miles; 39% 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.