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 2004 Chevrolet Silverado owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2004 Chevrolet Silverado accelerator got stuck on start up, caused rollover. One person injured. Total loss of the vehicle. Also was having problems with the brakes not stopping the vehicle. Had it in twice for the brakes, dealership told me that this is the way there suppose to be. I kept on complaining that these brakes were not right. Example: when I tried to stop at a red light the vehicle kept on rolling, and I would yell stop, stop. I also had problems with the brake pedal dropping an inch while stopped at red lights. This was a bran new vehicle.
Driving through utah at posted speed limit of 75 with cruise control on, the speedometer suddenly started to indicate a deceleration from cruises speed to 30 MPH. My vehicle did not physically slow as evidenced by my GPS which continued to show actual speed of 75 MPH. Disengaging the cruise control did slow the vehicle when the actual speeds were 50+/- MPH than indicated on speedometer. Stopping my vehicle and turning the ignition off apparently reset something? Immediately restarting my pickup seemed to remedy the problem for a short period of time. This speedometer problem has persisted for over one year requiring the continual use of GPS to confirm my actual speeds. I have a significant cause of concern when indicated speeds are significantly faster than indicated. I contacted GM dealership, only to be told they have no idea of the problem and would not confirm the continual problem. …
Dt: the consumer complained about an instant acceleration problem when approaching a stop sign or red light and when applying brake pressure. This often occurred when stopping at low speeds, such as 10 MPH or lower, and was intermittent in nature. This has happened at least five times. When brakes pressure was applied the engine suddenly revved. The consumer applied brake pressure and rear wheels spun, smoke appeared, and burning rubber fell on the pavement. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer several times for this problem. The dealer checked the calibration and performed a diagnostic check. These measures did not reveal any type of problem or failure. The dealer installed a device into the vehicle to record any incident. However, while the device was installed there were no recorded incidents of this type. …
Last month after driving about 1 hour at highway speeds; my speedometer started dropping. It would show I was going 35 on the freeway. This was clearly not accurate. The needle started jumping then dropped to 0. The next day, it was working fine. The next 2 long distance trips I took, the speedometer did the same thing on the way home; not on the trip down. I took my truck to the dealership and was told that it was some sort of cable to the transmission; that there had been a lot of trouble with the speedometer and that there had been a previous recall but it was too late. Bottom line the charge to repair is 440.00. I purchased this vehicle new and it currently has 130,000 miles. I never received any type of recall notice, I live in the same place I did when I purchased the truck, absolutely nothing has changed. How is it too late? If the part is defective, it is defective. …
While driving on I-75 north comming from florida after crossing the georgia state line driver made stop at the rest area,when I resumed trip the cruise control failed to engage,a few miles later in heavy traffic the cruise control engaged on it's own. Almost causing a accident,this truck has had nothing but problems since the day it was bought,anymore problems this truck will be parked and tiltled only for my safty and the safty of others on the road.seems to me after 100 years of auto building general motors could get it right,oh by the way the local dealer said he could not find anything wrong with the cruise control,I have no doubt if this had been a cash fex instead of a warrenty problem they would have found the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the reduced engine power warning message illuminated as the vehicle decelerated to 15 MPH. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floorboard but the vehicle would not accelerate. The failure recurred intermittently through out the years and the dealer replaced the electrical harness, the throttle grounding wire, throttle body and the fuel cap, but to no avail. The dealer could not diagnose the problem. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl*- the contact stated that each time he drove the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado with 47000 failure mileage)at any rate of speed and coming to a stop the speedometer needle did not return to zero. The contact stated that each time the vehicle was put into park and turned off the needle will go to a lower position each time. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer and the vehicle will be repaired at another location. The contact was not able to continue the interview. Returned usps, 2nd attempt made 4/05/07 failed .
The 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 43000 miles and the speedometer stopped working and did not register anything. I looked online for recalls and found none pertaining to this. However, I found 208 similar complaints on topix.net/forum/autos/Chevrolet-Silverado-1500/tr5qab2mn19bl1d2j/p11#lastpost. Obviously this was a danger and Chevrolet should be issuing a recall. All estimates range around 500.00.
Speedometer on 2004 Chevrolet Silverado truck sticks at various places. If I turn off the engine and it is stuck on 30 MPH the next time I drive the needle went up from there as if that was zero. So I might only be going 30 MPH, but the speedometer said im going 60 MPH. This is dangerous because I don't know what speeed I am going. I have heard of many others with this problem on GM trucks.
Dt: the contact stated the speedometer stopped working without warning. He took the vehicle to a local dealership to be checked. They determined the instrument cluster panel was faulty. This caused the speedometer to malfunction. He contacted the manufacturer, and they approved the repairs to be made without cost to the contact.
Acceleration complaints in other Silverado years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, 4% of the model year's 622 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chevrolet Silverado acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, 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 2004 Chevrolet Silverado acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.