2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Silverado 3500 years
- Fewer complaints than other years 17th of 31 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. That ranks 17th out of 31 Silverado 3500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (14 complaints, 45%), typically at around 66,558 miles. Complaints mention 2 crashes, 1 fire, 2 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 31owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 2complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 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 | 14 | 45% | 66,558 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 6 | 19% | 156,350 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 13% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 6% | 24,960 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 6% | 9,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 3% | 24,960 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 3% | 113,873 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 3% | 200 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 3% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 3% | 125,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 3% | 25,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 recalls (4)
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 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with non-desiccated, passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. 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 front passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-866-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N192290990.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 28, 2006, to August 29, 2008, and 2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 27, 2006, to August 29, 2008. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's numbers for this recall are 15438 and 15817.
Electrical system
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2007, to June 22, 2011, and GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery. Owners may unknowingly draw too much current through the vehicle's trailer harness resulting in the melting of fusible link for the auxiliary battery.
Risk: If the fusible link melts it may come into contact with adjacent components, damage the electrical center cover, the nearby wiring harness conduit and other vehicle components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental Owner Manual information, free of charge. The recall began on August 29, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 14260.
Electrical system
Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
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.
- Non-crash engine compartment fires (EA08010) — opened Jun 12, 2008, closed Sep 8, 2008, led to recall 08V441000.
- Non-crash engine compartment fires (PE08010) — opened Feb 4, 2008, closed Jun 12, 2008.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 162,000. It was later discovered upon checking a Carfax report that…
Airbag and steering wheel problems. Neither driver's nor passenger's airbag deployed in a major crash. Our truck was hit by a fully loaded dump truck, speed unknown. Our driver had "mustang sign," bruising to chest. Passenger had seatbelt bruising. No warning lights or other indication was present…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED UPON STARTING. THE FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT DROVE TO TEAM CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC (404 JAKE ALEXANDER BLVD S, SALISBURY, NC 28147, [redacted]) WHERE IT WAS…
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. WHILE REVERSING, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AND THE SERVICE AIR BAGS AND PASS LOCK SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V381000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS MALFUNCTIONED. THE MOTOR FOR THE WIPERS WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES AND THE CIRCUIT BOARD UNDERNEATH THE HOOD WAS REPLACED ONCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BLADE CHEVROLET & RVS (1100 FREEWAY DR, MT…
Other Chevrolet Silverado 3500 years
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, unknown or other problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 14 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Silverado 3500 model years, the 2008 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.