2021 Chevrolet Silverado 15004th gen (2019–), third year

Updated 2026-08-31NHTSA counts read on this date — 792 complaints. They rise over time.

The 2021 Silverado’s Engine Recall Covers the 6.2. 89 of Its 315 Engine Filings Are 5.3s.

Eight recall campaigns cover this model year, and one of them is the engine — 25V274000, reported April 2025. It is the first engine campaign anywhere in this series, and it names two parts: the connecting rod and the crankshaft, on the 6.2-liter V8.

The engine section here is 315 filings, the largest in this series and the largest section on this truck. Decode the VIN on each one: 168 are 6.2s, 89 are 5.3s, 29 are the 3.0 diesel and 27 are the 2.7 turbo.

The parts line up too. 11 filings name a connecting rod or a rod bearing and every one of them is a 6.2. 21 name the crankshaft, a crank bearing or a crank journal and 20 of those are 6.2s. But the most common failure in this section is neither: 98 filings name a lifter, and 56 of those are 5.3s.

Owners have filed 792 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 model year. Chevrolet sold 593,057 Silverados in calendar 2020 and 529,765 in 2021 — that is the whole Silverado line, not just the 1500 — and 2021 trucks were sold across both of those years. 792 complaints against a few hundred thousand trucks is not a failure rate, 792 filings are not 792 owners, and the number is only worth anything because every other year in this series is counted the same way.

The basics

Third year of this body style. Five engines: the 2.7-liter turbocharged four, the 4.3-liter V6, the 5.3-liter V8, the 6.2-liter V8 and the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel.

Specs

Displacement and cylinder count are from NHTSA’s vPIC catalog, which holds what the manufacturer submitted. Fuel economy is EPA, city / highway / combined, in mpg.

The 5.3 came with a six-speed, an eight-speed or a ten-speed this year and EPA rates twelve versions of it; the figures above are the best of each drive type. EPA lists the 6.2 in four-wheel drive only.

What owners filed

Sections below are sorted by count. Each complaint is counted once, assigned to the first section it matches in a fixed order that runs steering, brakes, transmission, engine, electrical, body, air bags, suspension — the same order on every year in this series. The cross-year table on the model page uses NHTSA’s own component labels instead, so a section here can be bigger than the matching row on that page.

The sections below add up to 733. The remaining 59 are spread across the smaller categories, and the last section below breaks them out.

Configuration comes from decoding the VIN attached to each filing. 785 of the 792 decode, and 779 of those come back as a crew or extended cab — 95.6 percent crew and 4.4 percent extended.

The cab split stops telling you anything on this truck. On the 2016, the brake section ran nineteen points off its baseline. Here the baseline itself is 95.6 percent, and none of the four sections with more than forty decoded cabs moves more than two points off it. The cab split is played out. The engine is what separates these trucks now.

Engine — 315

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged engine, plus those that name a lifter, cylinder deactivation or a misfire.

Forty percent of everything filed on this truck, and the first time in this series that the engine is the largest section.

98 name a lifter — 56 on 5.3s, 40 on 6.2s. 35 name the camshaft. 21 name the crankshaft or a crank bearing and 11 a connecting rod or a rod bearing. Take them together, allowing for the seven filings that say both, and 25 filings name one of those parts — 24 of them 6.2s. 69 describe the engine losing power or stalling. 68 say the engine was replaced or rebuilt.

35 filings name 25V274000 by number. Four of those are on 5.3s, which the campaign does not cover.

ODI 11708927:

“The engine failed while driving down the road at night in single digit temperatures. After further investigation, there is a connecting rod sticking out of the engine. I looked to see if there was a recall or anything. Sure enough there was. 2021-2024 Silverado 6.2 liter engines for crank shafts and connecting rod malfunction. I’m curious how my 2021 6.2 liter Silverado that has a connecting rod sticking out the side of the block is not part of this recall?”

ODI 11680530:

“So many vehicles like mine have si.ilar issue. Lifter issues causing engine damage and other part damage. Causes issues at high-speed with power and stranded motorists on dangerous highways. It is a safety issue because you could be stranded in middle of highway. Lifter issues causing bent pushrods and other engine part damage costing . I had one pushrod covered, but others failed and now thousands in repairs. In expensive vehicles. Also towing charges, hotels, rental cars, etc… I dont want to be stranded again as only one bank was all replaced. The entire top half of the engine should be fixed and should be replaced and a service bulletin and recall should be issued to help.protect consumers.”

313 of the 315 list a cab, and 97.1 percent of those are crew against a 95.6 percent baseline. One and a half points.

Transmission — 239

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged power train, plus those that name the transmission, a shudder or the torque converter.

53 describe a hard shift, a bang or a clunk. 44 describe a shudder or a vibration. 15 name the torque converter.

Two campaigns are here and both are diesel only: 24V797000 and 26V083000, the transmission control valve and the redo of its repair. The 2020 page has the same pair.

Electrical — 55

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged electrical system.

Steering — 45

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged steering, plus those that name the power steering, the steering assist or StabiliTrak.

Brakes — 35

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged service brakes, plus those that name the vacuum pump, the brake booster or brake assist.

The smallest brake section in this series by a wide margin. The 2015 has 360. One filing here puts the failure at low speed. The 2016 had 136.

Body and structure — 25

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged structure.

Air bags — 14

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged air bags.

Suspension — 5

Counted as filings NHTSA tagged suspension.

The rest is thin

59 filings. The largest groups are 24 that NHTSA tagged unknown or other, 13 latches and locks, 4 exterior lighting, 3 tires and 3 seat belts.

Recalls

NHTSA files this model year under “Silverado 1500” only. Eight campaigns, and the engine one is the reason to read this section.

Across all eight, 35 filings say the owner’s VIN was not included in a recall they had read about. That is the most of any year in this series, in count and as a share — 4.4 percent of everything filed here, against 1.3 percent on the 2016, which is the lowest. Counted as filings where “VIN” shows up in the same sentence as “was not included,” “not covered,” “not listed” or “not in the recall.”

The engine

25V274000 — reported April 24, 2025, covering 2021–2024 Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade with the 6.2-liter V8 gas engine.

“The connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.”

The consequence GM states is one line: “Engine failure increases the risk of a crash.”

The remedy has two paths. Dealers inspect the engine and repair or replace it if it fails. For the trucks that pass, the remedy is heavier oil, a new oil cap, a new filter and an updated owner’s manual. Owner letters went out June 18, 2025.

The transmission, twice, and diesel only

24V797000 — October 2024, the transmission control valve, on diesels. 26V083000 — February 2026, for trucks that may have been repaired incorrectly under the first one. Neither reaches a gas truck.

The rest

21V495000 — July 2021, and 2021 Silverado 1500 only: the driver’s frontal air bag module may be missing metal tabs that hold the plastic cover to the housing, which GM says may keep it from deploying properly.

20V811000 — December 2020, seat belts fastened with incorrect bolts. 20V792000 — December 2020, seat belt brackets that may not be secured to the seat frame.

20V684000 and 21V985000 are tires: Continentals cured too long in production, and a spare that does not match the accessory wheels some trucks were sold with.

What doesn’t show up in the complaints

NHTSA gives it four stars in the frontal test on every cab. Overall, it is five stars on the regular and extended cabs and four on the crew cab. Side impact is five, rollover is four. That is the same set of scores as the 2019 and the 2020.

The 3.0 diesel repeats its 27 mpg combined from the 2020, the best number in this series. It also accounts for 29 of the 315 engine filings.

What the complaint curve says

2020    3     2023   62     2026  198
2021   57     2024   91
2022   52     2025  329

The record more than triples in 2025, and 2026 is at 198 through August.

The engine filings move before the campaign, not after. They go from 1 in December 2024 to 19 in January 2025, three months before 25V274000 was reported and five months before the owner letters went out. April and May 2025 are the tallest months at 25 and 26, still before the letters. This is the opposite of what the 2020 truck’s transmission section does, where the climb starts the month after its campaign was announced.

A complaint count going up can mean owners got a recall notice, not that the trucks got worse. Here the dates rule that out for the engine, and the record has nothing else to offer about why.

Complaint databases collect complaints. Nobody files to say the lifters are quiet. You cannot compare these numbers across models unless you count them the same way on both. What this data supports is the ranking inside this truck and which engines sit under which failures.

If you’re looking at one

Ordered by what it costs you if it goes wrong, not by how many people filed.

Find out which engine it has before you read anything else on this page. The 6.2 has a recall for the connecting rod and crankshaft. The 5.3 does not, and 56 of the 98 lifter filings here are 5.3s.

If it is a 6.2, ask whether 25V274000 was done and which remedy it got. Trucks that pass inspection get heavier oil, a new cap and filter, and a manual update. That is a different piece of paper from an engine that was opened up.

If a recall lookup says your VIN is not included, you would not be the first. 35 filings on this model year say that about one campaign or another, the most of any year in this series. Eleven of the 35 are 6.2s; the rest are spread across the other engines and the diesel transmission campaigns.

Whatever engine it has, listen to it on a cold start. 98 filings name a lifter and they are on both V8s. 68 say the engine was replaced or rebuilt.

If it is the diesel, ask about 24V797000 and 26V083000 by number. The transmission control valve and the redo of its repair. Neither applies to a gas truck.

Numbers worth writing down

The 2022 truck is next, and it is the last year in this series.

Sources

• NHTSA complaint database — 792 complaints for the 2021 Silverado 1500, quoted above by ODI number
• NHTSA recall API — eight campaigns, quoted from the campaign summaries, consequence and remedy text
• NHTSA vPIC — engine, cab and drive type, decoded from the VIN attached to each filing
• NHTSA safety ratings — 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• EPA fuel economy — city / highway / combined
• GoodCarBadCar Chevrolet Silverado sales figures

Complaint counts and quotes come from NHTSA’s public database, retrieved 2026-08-31; each quote lists its ODI number so you can look it up. Configuration comes from decoding the VIN attached to each filing — 785 of the 792 decode. Recall applicability depends on the VIN — check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls. This summarizes what owners reported. It isn’t buying or repair advice.