Most common 2005 Chevrolet Silverado problems
Share of the 316 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 →
2005 Chevrolet Silverado recalls (8)
Engine and engine cooling
On certain trucks equipped with an 8.1l v8 (rpo l8-VIN g) engine have a condition in which the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip May fracture resulting in inadequate retention of the damper.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine fuel rail pulse damper retainer clip free of charge. The recall began on August 31, 2006. Owners May contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC trucks at 1-866-996-9463.
Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Hose, piping, and connections
Certain passenger vehicles May have been built with a power steering hose that is not to specification. Under extreme steering maneuvers, such as turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right while braking, the hose May fracture and leak fluid.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the power steering hose(s) for two suspect date codes and replace them if required. The recall will begin on October 14, 2005.
Seat belts › Rear/other
On certain crew cab pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the 2nd row center occupant seat belt routing May make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of occupants, especially smaller occupants, seated in this position.
Remedy: Dealers will cut open the guide loop, remove a portion of the loop, and then the remaining two sides should be folded over and secured with a retainer free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2005.
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…
Power train › Manual transmission › Shift pattern indicator
Certain sport utility vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, "transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock and transmission braking effect." under certain vehicle starting conditions, the shift lever position indicator…
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster free of charge. The recall began on February 14, 2005. Owners May contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, and GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans equipped with Bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies, the hydraulic brake booster pressure accumulator May crack and separate from the hydro-boost assembly during normal operating conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will test the hydro-boost assembly for functional operation of the two-function valve. If the hydro-boost assembly fails the test, dealers will replace the assembly free of charge.
Show 2 more recalls
Steering › Gear box › Shaft sector
On certain trucks, the bolt that attaches the intermediate steering shaft to the steering gear May not meet specification. The bolt May fracture resulting in the loss of steering.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the intermediate steering shaft bolt free of charge. The recall began on January 24, 2005. Owners May contact GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks equipped with 5.3l (rpo l59) v8 engines, the engine fuel rail crossover tube retainer screws were not manufactured to specifications and May break.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel rail crossover tube and, if necessary, replace the retainer screws. Owners were notified by telephone on July 30, 2004, with a followup owner letter began August 5, 2004.
What 2005 Chevrolet Silverado owners say
Brakes all 87 →
Approaching a traffic light at the bottom of a steep graded highway, I noticed the brake pedal felt spungey and near the bottom the brake pedal went clear to the floor board. I was forced to leave the highway to prevent a rear end collision with the stopped vehicle in front of me resulting in no real damage to the vehicle itself. It could have been much worse. The brake lines (4 of them) have rusted out so much that they could not contain pressure of the fluid when applying the brake and bursted. My mechanic tells me this will be in excess of $600.00 to repair do to the cab having to be unbolted and lifted from the chassis to access the lines for replacing. He also tells me that many GM models, new and old have this problem with rusting brake lines. GM is aware of these problems. Why has this not been addressed? Why have these models not been recalled? …
Another driver notified us that our brake lights were not working. We stopped to check the situation and my wife applied the brakes as I checked the lights, which were not working. I then moved the truck about 50 yards and as I applied the brakes the pedal went to the floor. When I got out there was a puddle of brake fluid on the ground. The brake line had rusted out and when I applied pressure to stop, it gave out. I took the vehicle to a nearby dealer and they replaced all the brake lines due to the rust. Total cost $1050. This is a major safety issue. Luckily I was stopped when the failure occurred and no one was injured. If this had happened while moving in traffic the result could have been serious.
Electrical system all 64 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado. While the vehicle was parked with the air conditioner set on level five, the blower intermittently clicked off and on. The contact also stated that a burning smell emitted through the vents of the vehicle. The failure recurred on several occasions until level five and four settings no longer worked. The contact inspected the connector sw/power st adjuster and discovered that the wires were melted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the connector and resistor for the air conditioner and heater and the resistor for the heater needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
I was driving along when the cab filled with smoke and a burning plastic smell. I saw smoke come from under the passenger side dashboard. The blower motor resistor harness had caught fire. I was able to put it out with damage to only the harness and resistor. It was replaced under the extended warranty I had purchased from GM. Fast forward to May 9, 2010 and 50,000 miles later, the same thing happened and GM corporate told me there was nothing they could do even though this same model vehicle has been recalled in Canada for the same problem. I was quoted $300.00 for the repair. On May 10.2010, my dealer called and said he received an e-mail from GM stating that GM was in the process of offering a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty on the blower motor and harness repair. Have not received any notice from GM yet but dealer said they would fix it no charge.
Transmission & drivetrain all 29 →
I bought a new 2005 Chevrolet Silverado in May of 2005. A few weeks after owning my truck, and with less than 1,000 miles on it, I noticed the auto transmission would slip. It would only occur when I was accelerating from a stop. Basically, I would give the truck gas and the engine would rev up to about 2,000 RPM's, without the vehicle moving, and then it would all of the sudden make a loud thud sound and then lurch forward, as if it was not in gear and then all or the sudden put into drive. This can't be good for the transmission of the engine. I called the Chevrolet dealership and asked them if I brought my truck in if they could look at it and they said they would, but if they could not duplicate the problem or if there was not any check engine light on they would not be able to diagnose the problem to fix it. The slipping of my transmission has occurred about a dozen times. …
The 4 wheel drive buttons fail to work every so often. I was coming home from ann arbor, mi. One night and my indicator light said I was in neutral for some reason. I played with it for a bit and no luck. My friend was with me and he owns a repair facility in south lyon, mi. He knew what was wrong! The encoder motor for the transfer case is bad. It is an electric item and fails. The encoder motor is what shifts in to 4 hi, 4 low, auto 4 wheel and 2 hi. This happened again toward the end of feb 2010 when my truck would not shift at all, 2 hi was my only option. Another friend of mine has a 2004 Silverado and her encoder motor went bad on the freeway. Her problem was that her truck threw her into 4 low while she was at 70 MPH. Omg is that safe???? GM needs to do something before people start to crash or worse getting hurt and dyeing as a result.
2005 Chevrolet Silverado engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3L 8-cyl hybrid | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 19 / 17 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl hybrid | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 18 / 16 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 17 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado a good car?
Based on 316 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Silverado rates use caution: 1.5× 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 2005 Chevrolet Silverado?
The brakes — 87 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the electrical system (64) and transmission & drivetrain (29).
How many recalls does the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, the most recent from August 3, 2006 (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 2005 Chevrolet Silverado problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 54,000 miles; 47% 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.