Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 across 29 model years. The 2024 model year has the most (19). The words owners use most often: “trailer brake” (13% of reports).
- 137electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 59%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Trailer brake: mentioned in 18 of 137 complaints (13%)
- Turn signal: mentioned in 7 of 137 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 71 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 137 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 14 a fire, 2 an injury.
Chevrolet Silverado 3500 electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Silverado 3500 | 4 | 33% | 1,500 |
| 2024 Silverado 3500 | 19 | 37% | 500 |
| 2023 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2022 Silverado 3500 | 5 | 19% | 50,000 |
| 2021 Silverado 3500 | 13 | 32% | 1,457 |
| 2020 Silverado 3500 | 5 | 12% | 39,000 |
| 2019 Silverado 3500 | 5 | 23% | — |
| 2018 Silverado 3500 | 3 | 16% | 28,400 |
| 2017 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 8% | 22,000 |
| 2016 Silverado 3500 | 6 | 12% | 27,000 |
| 2015 Silverado 3500 | 16 | 31% | 21,500 |
| 2014 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 10% | 37,900 |
| 2013 Silverado 3500 | 4 | 15% | 69,500 |
| 2012 Silverado 3500 | 2 | 9% | 40,175 |
| 2011 Silverado 3500 | 2 | 7% | 59,328 |
| 2010 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 50% | 202,456 |
| 2009 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 10% | 6,100 |
| 2008 Silverado 3500 | 6 | 19% | 156,350 |
| 2007 Silverado 3500 | 2 | 5% | 5,000 |
| 2006 Silverado 3500 | 3 | 6% | 128,000 |
| 2005 Silverado 3500 | 9 | 20% | 40,000 |
| 2004 Silverado 3500 | 4 | 10% | 71,000 |
| 2003 Silverado 3500 | 6 | 14% | 111,128 |
| 2002 Silverado 3500 | 1 | 2% | 40,213 |
| 2001 Silverado 3500 | 4 | 6% | 72,000 |
| 2000 Silverado 3500 | 5 | 6% | 49,500 |
| 1999 Silverado 3500 | 2 | 4% | — |
| 1998 Silverado 3500 | 3 | 4% | — |
| 1997 Silverado 3500 | 3 | 5% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
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
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Service Trailer Brake System error. There's a known issue for a faulty wire harness and BCM. Error makes it hard to drive and see the speed, keeps popping up.
On XXX the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado was taken to Mayse Automotive Group at [XXX] dealership for the complaint of the key getting stuck in the ignition and unable to remove causing a safety and security risk. Service department found that the transmission control in column needed to be replaced. The…
The infotainment/control module in my 2024 Silverado 3500HD failed unexpectedly while I was traveling cross-country. The module is available for inspection upon request. Prior to the failure, I did not receive any warning lamps or messages. When the system failed, I lost access to multiple camera…
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…
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH with a trailer hitched to the vehicle, the trailer brake failed to respond on and off independently. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The trailer brake failure warning light was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Silverado 3500s have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 137 owner complaints about electrical system for the Chevrolet Silverado 3500. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 electrical system?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the Chevrolet Silverado 3500?
The most frequent phrase is “trailer brake”, in 18 of 137 complaints, followed by “turn signal” (7).
Other Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems
See all Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems.