Door Lock & Latch complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | 1% | 0 miles |
| 2009 | 2 | 3% | 78,000 miles |
| 2008 | 18 | 11% | 45,000 miles |
| 2007 | 4 | 2% | 36,000 miles |
| 2005 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2004 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2003 | 10 | 1% | 50,000 miles |
| 2002 | 9 | 1% | 46,000 miles |
| 2001 | 14 | 2% | 36,000 miles |
| 2000 | 28 | 2% | 50,000 miles |
| 1999 | 22 | 1% | 78,000 miles |
| 1998 | 2 | 1% | 50,000 miles |
| 1997 | 4 | 1% | 188,000 miles |
| 1995 | 2 | 1% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
All four doors would not lock or unlock by pressing the lock button on either front doors or by using the remote when stopped. It scares me as a parent of a seven year old that the doors May not lock when needed and my child could accidentally open the door when driving anywhere at any speed. For the safety of my family and friends this really concerns me because if we were in an accident what if the doors couldn't unlock by button or manually or lock to keep passengers in while driving. In my opinion this is a safety hazard that really needs to be investigated by GM and an action taken into affect to correct this faulty issue or parts.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V324000 (air bags). While driving at an unknown speed, the door latch actuator failed and the door opened on the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,205. Updated 09/14/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet suburban. The contact stated the exterior door handles were replaced several times. The rear driver and passengers side door handles were replaced twice under warranty. The front driver and passengers side door handles were also replaced at the owners expense. The dealer advised the contact that the failure was due to a manufacturing defect. The manufacturer advised they were not aware of such defect and would provide no assistance. The VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 33,372 and the current mileage was approximately 106,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado. While attempting to exit the vehicle, the interior door handle would not release the door latch. The contact had to utilize the exterior door handle to exit the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 81,000.
Tail gate latch failed to hold the tail gate in the latched position. The tail gate popped open and the retaining cable on the passenger of the tail gate broke as a result of the tail gate falling open. The tail gate then came out of its retaining socket , on the passenger side, and fell to the ground. I was in a road construction zone, with no place to pull over. After about an eighth of a mile I was able to pull to the shoulder. The tail gate was seriously damaged. My complaint is about the failure of the latch and the failure of the retaining cable.
2003 Chevrolet Silverado tailgate support cables snapped in half while loading an atv and severely damaged the tailgate and re-injured a sprained right ankle. If it wasn't for a commercial grade drop trailer hitch this accident could have resulted in a much more serious bodily harm. Both digital pictures were taken and the tailgate has been sent to colonial west Chevy in fitchburg mass. For immediate repair. I wouldn't be surprised if there's not a class action law suit ab out this.
Dt*: the contact stated the automatic door locks fail intermittently. On one occasion the driver and passenger were both trapped in the vehicle for several minutes because the door locks failed and the override feature would not work. The contact made several attempts to unlock the doors both manually and automatically, without success, however the doors opened as unexpectedly as they had locked. On another occasion the key had to be used to unlock the doors from the outside. The vehicle was seen by the service dealer several times, but the origin of the problem was never determined. Updated 03/06/07.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado. The contact stated that approximately 2 months ago she began to notice that the driver side door latch will not stay latched. The door flew open while she was going around a corner at approximately 35 MPH. She also said that the door handle does not go in after she pulls it out to open the door and as a result you can not get out of the vehicle if you are inside. The dealer had not been contacted. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 50,000. Updated 01/03/11
NHTSA investigations
Tailgate support cable breakage
Odi is upgrading rq04-010 and opening an engineering analysis to further investigate the tailgate support cables installed in 1998, 1999, and partial year 2000 silverados and sierras (c/k models).general motors is conducting recall campaign 04v-129 to replace the tailgate support cables originally installed in certain model year 2000 - 2004 sierras and silverados.general motors has advised odi that the materials…
Tailgate support cables
General motors is conducting a safety recall to remove and replace the tailgate support cables installed in 805,368 model year 1999 and 2000 gmt 800 model vehicles.the model year 1999 and 2000 gmt-800 series vehicles that will be campaigned had contributed a significant majority of the total complaints (87%) and injuries (79%) associated with the tailgate support cable breakage in the model year 1998 - 2000 c/k…
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…
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Silverado years have door lock & latch problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (28), 1999 (22), 2008 (18), 2001 (14) and 2003 (10) model years. Door Lock & Latch complaints make up 2% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Silverado door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for any Chevrolet Silverado model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Silverado door lock & latch problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles; 53% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the tailgate › latch (48 mentions), followed by the doors › latch (34).
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.