2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Silverado 1500 years
- Fewer complaints than other years 21st of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 444 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. That ranks 21st out of 32 Silverado 1500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (230 complaints, 52%), typically at around 74,000 miles. Complaints mention 9 crashes, 6 fires, 3 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 444owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 230 | 52% | 74,000 | “takata air bags” (30%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 56 | 13% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Structure problems | 54 | 12% | 72,000 | “passenger side” (30%) | — |
| Electrical System | 43 | 10% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 36 | 8% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 13 | 3% | 76,993 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 3% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 12 | 3% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 2% | 67,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 2% | 14,900 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 10 | 2% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 2% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 9 | 2% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 2% | 46,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 1% | 12,905 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 1% | 10,422 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 1% | 27,700 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 1% | 24,502 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 0% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 6,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 250 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | 3,050 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 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 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, 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." 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 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 N212328780.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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."
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V052000 (Air Bags) while having an inspection completed. After receiving notification of the recall, while driving approximately 35 MPH, the passengerâs side air bag unexpectedly…
Driver and passenger side extended cab doors metal is cracking horizontally near the front edge of the doors.
The front drivers headlight low beam keeps going out. I just received my second warning for this failure. It got dark before I got home from the store. We took it to a friend who does mechanical work back in the spring. He fixed it; but now itâs doing it again. Yes we had it inspected last…
P305/55 r 22
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that after having the vehicle inspected, the contact was informed that the under body was extremely rusted, and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The certified mechanic determined that the sub frame could not be repaired and needed…
Other Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years
← 2008 Silverado 1500 · 2010 Silverado 1500 →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Silverado 1500 | 117 | 3 |
| 2025 Silverado 1500 | 106 | 0 |
| 2024 Silverado 1500 | 314 | 2 |
| 2023 Silverado 1500 | 387 | 3 |
| 2022 Silverado 1500 | 647 | 6 |
| 2021 Silverado 1500 | 844 | 8 |
| 2020 Silverado 1500 | 742 | 12 |
| 2019 Silverado 1500 | 1,093 | 10 |
| 2018 Silverado 1500 | 521 | 7 |
| 2017 Silverado 1500 | 714 | 7 |
| 2016 Silverado 1500 | 797 | 12 |
| 2015 Silverado 1500 | 1,110 | 11 |
| 2014 Silverado 1500 | 1,436 | 6 |
| 2013 Silverado 1500 | 301 | 2 |
| 2012 Silverado 1500 | 216 | 2 |
| 2011 Silverado 1500 | 563 | 4 |
| 2010 Silverado 1500 | 363 | 3 |
| 2009 | 444 | 3 |
| 2008 Silverado 1500 | 914 | 3 |
| 2007 Silverado 1500 | 849 | 2 |
| 2006 Silverado 1500 | 359 | 0 |
| 2005 Silverado 1500 | 525 | 0 |
| 2004 Silverado 1500 | 797 | 0 |
| 2003 Silverado 1500 | 805 | 0 |
| 2002 Silverado 1500 | 509 | 0 |
| 2001 Silverado 1500 | 468 | 0 |
| 2000 Silverado 1500 | 614 | 0 |
| 1999 Silverado 1500 | 587 | 0 |
| 1998 Silverado 1500 | 361 | 0 |
| 1997 Silverado 1500 | 555 | 0 |
| 1996 Silverado 1500 | 7 | 0 |
| 1995 Silverado 1500 | 3 | 0 |
See all Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
Owners most often report air bags, unknown or other, structure problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 230 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Silverado 1500 model years, the 2009 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.