Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 514 safety complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

514
Complaints
7
Recalls
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 10 crashes, 4 fires, 11 injuries, 1 death.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 169 of 514 complaints, followed by Brakes & stability.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 40 of the 514 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 7 years after the model year (91 filed in 2025) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 514 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
169
Brakes & stability
110
Engine & cooling
108
Electrical
100
Other / unspecified
60
Steering
41
Suspension
32
Airbags & restraints
23

"The engine lifters and camshaft started to fail at 114,000 miles. I had to have it repaired at a dealership and it cost over $10,000. I had completed all recommended maintenance prior to the failure. 500 miles after that repair was completed, my transmission overheated and completely left me stranded on the side of the road. I had to have it repaired at a dealership which cost $$8,000"

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Power Train,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11748751

"A known radiator issue, with microcracks in radiator is producing a leak and will require replacement. There are many examples of this online for the model years 2014-2018, and are known by the manufacturer. I am having mine replaced with 95,000 miles on my truck."

Owner complaint filed May 2026 · Power Train,Unknown Or Other,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11740845

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2025, 7 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
18
53
44
71
71
71
51
91
44
181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2018 compares with other model years

Across the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 model years we track, the 2014 has the most complaints on file (1,558); the 2018 ranks 9 of 10.

Total complaints by model year — Chevrolet Silverado 1500
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
423
638
1,558
1,185
797
836
2018
514
1,073
719
807
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 7 recalls

7 recalls apply to some or all 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Sep 201919V-645
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

Oct 201919V-761
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Wheel Speed Sensor/Tone Ring

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is trav…

Oct 202020V-603
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon vehicles equipped with either a 5.3L or 6.2L V8 engine. The output of the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time, decreasing the amount of vacuum/power brake assi…

Oct 202424V-756
Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain:Inflator

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall ma…

Jun 202525V-432
Air Bags

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Sierra 2500, 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the infl…

Mar 202626V-166
Air Bags

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflat…

May 202626V-325
Air Bags

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator s…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 514 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have?

The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 7 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.