Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Chevrolet Silverado owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving at 55 MPH consumer lost control of vehicle while traveling up a hill. Then vehicle struck a wooden fence. One beam of the fence came through the windshield, striking the consumer in the head, eventually killing him. Also, two passengers sustained injuries. In the confusion, consumer depressed the gas pedal instead of the brakes and struck a fire hydrant. All passengers and the consumer were wearing seat belts. However, the air bags did not deploy. Police arrived on the scene and made a report. Manufacturer and dealer had been notified of the incident.
I was traveling westbound on state route 262 at approximately 32 miles per hour when I encountered a stopped vehicle. I applied the brakes and the vehicle began an initial brake and then lurched forward without my releasing my foot from the brake pedal. This caused me to strike the vehicle in front of me. The air bags did not deploy nor did the seat belt properly restrain me. This caused me to strike the steering wheel with my chest and stomach. The hamilton county police office documented that the air bags and the seatbelt did not properly function. I was sited for following to close even though I feel that the brakes failed. I plan to appeal the ticket due to this reasoning in court on November 29, 2001. The safey of other owners/drivers of these vehicles is what prompted me to write. I would like to know if there have been other failures. …
Dt: 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. The rear backing plates that hold the back rotors in place were completely rusted and had to be replaced. The consumer contacted the dealership, and they gave him the number to GMC. The consumer then contacted GMC, and they accepted the complaint and said that they would see if they could do anything to help. GMC called the consumer back a couple days later and stated that they could not do anything. There were no accidents. The consumer recently received a recall on the front hub bearing assembly and wheel speed sensor. (11/29/05)
Accelerator pedal sticks. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed the vehicle had a contaminated fuel system which would cost $170 and it would include cleaning the injectors. After not being able to get in touch with the customer service rep that the consumer spoke with previously who said the work should be performed at no charge, the consumer went to a friend and all he did was remove the air intake hose from the front of the throttle body and sprayed some cleaning agent and wiped around the butterfly valve, which resolved the problem.
Throttle sticking right off idle. Very hard to depress accelerator pedal. Truck "leaps" when pedal finally "frees-up". Has happened several times. Took vehicle to dealer...dealer unaware of any bulletin to repair properly. Dealer ran injector cleaner through the fuel system and replace fuel filter. This did not fix the problem...dealer did not repair according to the service bulletin available.
While driving accelerator pedal is hard to apply when passing or pulling from a stop, the pedal will stick. Consumer has to use his foot to release the accelerator pedal. The gas needle fluctuates from empty to full continually. Consumer very concerned that the fuel gauge problem could be a fire hazard.
While coming to a stop vehicle accelerated, applied brakes, but vehicle kept going. Went over a small barrier which caused vehicle to become airborne. Came down, and hit a parked vehicle. Distance travelled about 100 feet. Consumer injured back. Damage to vehicle unknown at this time.
While vehicle was stopped at a traffic light with foot on brake pedal vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without warning, resulting in a collision, cause unknown. Dealership advised consumer to bring vehicle in for inspection as soon as body work is complete. Manufacturer notified.
My 2001 Silverado 1500 the gas pedal sticks. I have to really push down hard to get it to move. This is also happening on my husbands new 2004 silveravo 1500. This has been happening for more than 2 years. It is getting so bad that I am almost afraid to drive it.
While driving at any speed and applying the brakes pedal went all the way to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance. This vehicle was unsafe to drive. However, dealer replaced the speed sensor, but problem recurred.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle sticking
There is no summary currently available
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…
Acceleration complaints in other Silverado years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, 4% of the model year's 877 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chevrolet Silverado acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado, though it has 4 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 2001 Chevrolet Silverado acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries and 1 death to speed control & acceleration 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.