2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 363 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (55% of complaints); the 2012 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 3 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Feb 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 363 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Driving home south on [XXX] from New Brunswick. The motor started acting weird. It gave me a low power message and then shut off and I coasted to the shoulder. After finally getting it, restarted the engine started and make noise from the bottom end I had went to Chevy again and I asked him to do a pico test and they refused. They said my truck is too old. Remind you. I only have a little over 100,000 miles on this motor that's been replaced from Chevrolet back in 2011. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2026
“As noted in my last report that I sent to you now my truck needs an engine because of a road knock. This is the second engine. It was changed in 2011 and I've been complaining about this and I wanted Chevy to do a pico test they refused to do it because they're telling me it's too old but the truck only 111842 miles on it As prior complaint coming back from Cape May, the truck stalled I toasted to the side and it took a long time for it to start back up and when it did, it started knocking real loud Now Chevy refuses to do anything about this. Maybe I could get some response out of you. Thank you for your help.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2026
“Driving down the road returning from Cape May on my way back home before I got off the exit at [XXX] the truck shook shimmied and shut off. It took a long time before I could get it to start and when it did start, the motor knocked clanked real loud. And shook real bad. I stopped at the Chevy dealer [XXX] there [XXX] and they said there was nothing wrong with my truck mileage on my truck is111547 I need to remind you that the engine was changed at 10,000 miles INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“Air bag code and light on dash code B0085-00 . Code is set when the key is in on position and the door is opened. Left front side impact sensor. I am a master technician and determined wiring problem between the driver door and cab . Performed search on line common problem. This is a safety issue and should be addressed. Thank you”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2026
“My truck tires were bought at Costco in 2015 and had 70k Warranty or 6yrs WCF. My added truck mileage since then is 12k miles. I discovered my driver rear passenger tire go flat . I put the spare and took it to Costco for repair. Costco informed me that this is a tire defect as the tire had a side wall perforation. Tire cannot be repaired and a new replacement is required. I looked up Michelin tire recalls and found one issued in 2013 about Michelin X-Radial tires discussing this same defect but it did not include my tire size ( P245/70R17 ) . Fortunately this incident did not occur while driving at high speed.”Owner report · Tires · Jan 2026
“For the last couple years, I have been talking to Chevrolet GM. My engine has been replaced at 9000 miles. This motor now does not even have 100,000 miles on it. The second engine left me stranded twice coming back from a long trip. The motor shook stalled and I could not get it. Restarted once I did get it restarted the engine made a loud banging noise my truck looks practically brand new. It just sits in the driveway and looks pretty. I'm afraid to drive it because it's gonna leave me stranded again and I have been talking with Chevrolet and he seemed to keep pushing me away and I don't know what else to do”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2025
“My trailer brake service light is on and my trailer brakes don't work . That's about all I can think of and haven't been able to figure out the fix.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2024
“Engine has a loud tapping sound and starting to stumble, have a collapse lifter on a 5.3L. Sell it or trade it in only wanna give me $2500 for due to the engine failure. I've maintained this vehicle. I work in the automotive industry change the oil every 5000 miles changed all the fluids spark plugs, brakes tires, no tears no rips, immaculate and I have a weight I've had it since 2012 or 2013 engine failure is not acceptable well like compensation or have it repaired?”Owner report · Engine · May 2024
“Just told by car repair shop; dealer; and frame and body shop that the 2010 Silverado truck we paid $20, 000 for 2-1/2 years ago has a frame that is rotted. All professionals mentioned it is a design flaw GM was aware of. The 2010, however, was not part of their recall. What can we do to seek restitution for this vehicle that now is worth $800 to a scrap yard?”Owner report · Structure · May 2024
“As a safety recall, I did take the truck in for the airbag recall upon completion. I ran the codes and I have an airbag code. They're saying that the dashboard was broken before they started. It was not. They broke it on installation of the new airbag.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2024
When filing, owners marked a crash in 7 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Silverado 1500 years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Silverado 1500 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 reliable?
NHTSA has 363 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The most complained-about area is air bags (55% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 69,500 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.