Most common 2001 Chevrolet Silverado problems
Share of the 877 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Silverado complaints by model year
Best Silverado years: 2016, 2010, 2013. Years to avoid: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 1999. Compare all years →
2001 Chevrolet Silverado recalls (4)
Engine and engine cooling
On certain pickup trucks equipped with an 8.1l v8 engine, the crankshaft position can operate intermittently or fail completely. If the sensor operates intermittently, the ses light May illuminate and the vehicle May run rough. The engine May stall, and if so, May re-start immediately or after a cool down period.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the crankshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2007. Owners May contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles May experience unwanted antilock brake system (ABS) activation. This condition is more likely to occur in environmentally corrosive areas.
Remedy: Dealers are to remove the wheel speed sensor and thoroughly clean the wheel speed sensor mounting surface on the bearing, apply rust inhibitor to the cleaned surface, grease the mounting surface, reinstall the wheel…
Parking brake
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions and built with either pbr parking brake systems or trw parking brake systems, the parking brake friction linings May wear to an extent where the parking brake can become ineffective in immobilizing a parked vehicle.
Remedy: Dealers will install a low-force spring clip retainer for vehicles equipped with a pbr parking brake system. On vehicles equipped with the trw parking brake system, dealers will install a redesigned parking brake cable…
Structure › Body › Tailgate › Hinge and attachments
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the galvanized steel tailgate support cables that retain the tailgate in the full open (horizontal) position May corrode, weaken, and eventually fracture. If both cables fractured, the tailgate would suddenly drop and strike the top surface of the rear bumper.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cables. Interim owner notification began on April 7, 20004. The recall began on September 24, 2004, when replacement parts were available, and will continue through October 29, 2004.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 13 possible defects involving the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado:
Brake line corrosion failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received Defect Petition DP10-003 on March 2, 2010, requesting the investigation of model year (MY) 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 4WD pickup trucks for corrosion failures of the vehicle brake lines.DP10-003 was granted and on March 30, 2010, Preliminary Evaluation PE10-010 was opened on more than six million model year 1999 through 2003 light trucks and sport utility…
Crank position sensor failure - stall
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe06-016) on May 4, 2006 based on eleven vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) and early warning (ewr) data alleging sudden engine shutdown while driving as a result of crank position sensor failures in my 2001-2002 general motors c/k platform vehicles equipped with 8.1l engines.in response to an information request letter sent by odi, general…
Unwanted low-speed ABS activation
In a letter dated August 29, 2005, GM notified odi that it was recalling certain model year 1999 through 2002 c/k pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles to correct a problem with anti-lock brake system (ABS) wheel speed sensor corrosion that May result in unwanted ABS activation and extended stopping distances during low-speed braking (recall 05v-379).GM's recall covers approximately 804,000 vehicles currently…
Parking brake failure
Odi opened pe03-057 to assess parking brake ineffectiveness in the subject vehicles.these vehicles are equipped with four wheel disc brakes that incorporate a single-shoe drum-in-hat parking brake independent of the service brakes.complaint and warranty data indicate that the parking brake linings tend to wear out early in the life of the vehicle (at an average of 24 months in service), reducing the parking brake…
Tailgate cable breakage
During the pe, odidiscovered that one or both of the tailgate support cables can break due to the effects of metal fatigue at the point where the cable flexes when the lift gate is opened and closed. Concurrently, the strength of the cable degrades over time due to corrosion of the wire strands in the support cables.when the vehicle is stationary and cargo is being loaded or unloaded, the tailgate can tip downward…
Steel wheel rim fracture
There have been less than 2 complaints per 100,000 subject vehicles related to the alleged defect.the oldest vehicles (my 1999) have only 2 complaints in over 140 thousand vehicles after over 4 years in service.the rate of warranty claims potentially related to the alleged defect is less than 0.1%.there are no known incidents involving rapid loss of tire pressure or loss of vehicle control.
Throttle sticking
There is no summary currently available
Brake line corrosion failure
On January 11, 2011, ODI opened EA11-001 to investigate allegations of premature brake line corrosion failure in model year (MY) 1999 through 2003 General Motors (GM) full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles sold or registered in the following region of the United States that NHTSA has viewed as salt states for investigations of corrosion related issues:Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,…
Hydraulic pump failres
GM is conducting a recall on all subject vehicles build between May 1999 and October 14, 1999.significant changes were incorporated into production in early October 1999, and vehicles built after that date have lower warranty failure rates.the complaint and warranty data appear to support the effectiveness of these changes.
Parking brake failure
In a letter dated April 20, 2005, GM notified NHTSA that it had decided that defects that relate to motor vehicle safety exist in certain model year (my) 1999-2002 c/k 1500 series (pbr parking brake system) and my 2001-2005 c/k 2500 and 3500 series (trw parking brake system) pickups with manual transmissions.according to GM, some of these vehicles May have conditions that cause the friction linings to wear to an…
Tailgate cable breakage
General motors filed a defect notice 04v-129 on March 17, 2004, which outlines a program to replace the tailgate cables installed in affected model year 2000-2004 vehicles.refer to odi's closing report for ea04-005 for additional information.odi is aware of reports of tailgate cable breakage occurring in model year 1999 and earlier vehicles.these vehicles were equipped with similar tailgate cables as addressed by…
Throttle sticking closed
This investigation involves the general motors corporation (GM)throttle body (tb) utilized in model year (my) 1999-2002 silverado, sierra, tahoe, suburban, avalanche and yukon (subject vehicle(s)) with 4.8l, 5.3l, and 6.0l engines. The tb valve May intermittently stick in a closed position.in such a situation, an operator May apply additional accelerator pedal force to increase engine speed.the application of…
Parking brake failure
Odi's review of complaint data received since the close of ea04-011 revealed no indication that the investigation should be re-opened.more details can be found in the federal register notice enclosed in the dp05-009 public file.odi reserves the right to reopen the investigation in the future should conditions warrant.
What 2001 Chevrolet Silverado owners say
Brakes all 418 →
Dt: after purchasing the vehicle the owner noticed that there was a brake problem. Brakes felt mushy, and operated poorly. The owner was going to try to live with this, then it got worse. The owner was involved in a collision about 6 months ago while driving on the highway at 55 MPH. Traffic stopped and the owner pushed the brakes to the floor and the vehicle wouldn't stop. Had to veer onto the shoulder of the road in order to give the truck enough room to stop. There was only 20,00 miles when this occurred. The owner got the parts, and then took off front wheels and the front brakes looked like brand new. However, when he pulled off the rear wheels he saw that rotors were warped. The owner contacted GM, they advised him to take vehicle to the dealer. He took vehicle to the dealer, and dealer advised him that the rotors could not be turned. …
(1) on Saturday March 5th, 2005 we were pulling my 2001 Chevrolet exteneded cab 4x4 out of the mud. (2) the failure is that the anti-lock brakes locked up while pulling the truck out of the mud and it caused my truck to crash into the 2004 Hummer SUV that was pulling my Chevrolet out of the mud. The brakes became totally disabled while pulling the truck. The pedal was so hard and did not move. I had both legs on the brake pedal and the brakes did not work. There is no way to disable the anti-lock brakes on this vehicle. We are very lucky that nobody got hurt and the only damages were to my truck. I am requesting some repair assistance and improvements be made to allow me to disable the anti-lock braking system when needed to prevent these types of accidents and injury. (3) to date the failure is not fixable and I have not replaced the damaged parts on my Chevrolet truck. …
Engine & cooling all 95 →
We purchased our 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 new. Right around the 15,000 mile mark we noticed a slight tapping in the engine. This seemed to only occur on start up and mostly in the morning when cold. It would tap for several seconds and then dissipate. Initially we thought it was a lifter, but we have since come to find out it is not. The overall diagnosis is GM piston slap. This occurs when the pistons are ill fitted to the cylinder walls, and hence you get the noise. We were told it was nothing to be concerned about. GM knows of the problem (well they don't call it a problem), but refuse to do anything about it. They say they have tested these engines thoroughly and the piston slap causes no long term engine problems. The noise not only began to get louder, but also became non stop. It did not go away, and now we have to listen to it all the time. …
To: <[email]> subject: owner assistance: p. Adams subject: customer has serious issues mossy Chevrolet date: Monday, September 19, 2005 4:59 pm to Chevrolet: management and customer relations:from: [email] sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 10:14 pm subject: GM 2001 Firestone steeltex a/t custom alloy wheels w/a/t tires. That makes 8 rims but end result was the tires where Firestone lt245/75-16 steeltex a/t. 50psi.load range c spec. Or numbers on tires 108/104rm/s tpc spec.2313 (00 8008) (08162 0r5) (lt245/75-r16) Firestone steeltex a/t tires on customers truck where defective and sight of sidewall deformations customer given incorrect response to request before warranty expired it was brought to mossy Chevrolet that customer advising service writer of continuous problems with vehicle tires [peeling] GM in their 'commitment to safety' warranties such defects I will be filing for …
Transmission & drivetrain all 64 →
Received letter from GM regarding possible engine light coming on. When it did come on several times, went to dealer, and they replaced fuel pressure regulator on GM. A month later, at freeway speeds transmission failed and went to neutral, almost causing an accident with several trucks. Limped home after several occurrences of same thing by stopping and totally restarting and moving on until another failure. (approx. 15 times) went to dealer and GM now replaced the injector pump assembly. Brought the vehicle home, parked it for 5 days and then started it up the transmission wouldn't engage and then suddenly "clanked" into gear and then disengaged into neutral. Stopped engine, restarted and then drove to dealer, who said GM wouldn't participate, saying it was now transmission problem and no longer warranted. The dealer installed a drain back kit in the transmission at my expense. …
To: <[email]> subject: owner assistance: p. Adams subject: customer has serious issues mossy Chevrolet date: Monday, September 19, 2005 4:59 pm to Chevrolet: management and customer relations:from: [email] sent: Saturday, September 17, 2005 10:14 pm subject: GM 2001 Firestone steeltex a/t custom alloy wheels w/a/t tires. That makes 8 rims but end result was the tires where Firestone lt245/75-16 steeltex a/t. 50psi.load range c spec. Or numbers on tires 108/104rm/s tpc spec.2313 (00 8008) (08162 0r5) (lt245/75-r16) Firestone steeltex a/t tires on customers truck where defective and sight of sidewall deformations customer given incorrect response to request before warranty expired it was brought to mossy Chevrolet that customer advising service writer of continuous problems with vehicle tires [peeling] GM in their 'commitment to safety' warranties such defects I will be filing for …
2001 Chevrolet Silverado engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 16 / 14 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 16 / 14 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 17 / 14 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 16 / 14 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado a good car?
Based on 877 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Silverado rates avoid: 4.6× as many complaints as a typical year of the Silverado at the same age. It is one of the Silverado 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 2001 Chevrolet Silverado?
The brakes — 418 complaints, 48% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the engine & cooling (95) and transmission & drivetrain (64).
How many recalls does the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, the most recent from November 7, 2007 (engine and engine cooling). 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?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2016, 2010 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 1999. See the full Chevrolet Silverado years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Chevrolet Silverado problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 49,000 miles; 51% 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.