2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Typical pattern

1.7% of complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2004 vehicle — around the middle of the 236 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (272 complaints), typically at 4.6 yr or about 63,575 miles.

Complaints: 939
Median age at failure: 7.1 yr
Median mileage: 70,000 n=829
Crash / fire / tow: 7.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

272 reports · 63,575 mi

4.6 yr

1.8%

Service brakes

229 reports · 88,356 mi

10.7 yr

6.6%

Service brakes, hydraulic

105 reports · 48,823 mi

6.4 yr

7.6%

Steering

74 reports · 38,000 mi

4.7 yr

2.7%

Air bags

34 reports · 93,400 mi

10.3 yr

44.1%

Power train

27 reports · 70,000 mi

7.0 yr

7.4%

Engine cooling

26 reports · 85,000 mi

5.7 yr

19.2%

Speed control

18 reports · 79,000 mi

6.3 yr

5.6%

Engine

18 reports · 130,000 mi

10.3 yr

16.7%

Structure

15 reports · 101,027 mi

8.1 yr

33.3%

In owners’ own words

Power train 5,000 mi 10 mo in service

WHILE PARKED AND KEY IN THE IGNITION VEHICLE DISENGAGED FROM PARK AND BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS. *AK

Power train 24,200 mi 2.8 yr in service

CLUNKING SOUNDS FROM TRANSMISSION/DRIVETRAIN. GENERALLY LOUDER WHEN SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR. HAVE MENTIONED TO DEALER A COUPLE OF TIMES AND WAS TOLD IT IS NORMAL. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE ON THE WEB. *TR

Power train 131,000 mi 5.3 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TRANSFER CASE FAILED AND WORE A HOLE IN THE HOUSING OF THE TRANSMISSION. AS A RESULT, OIL LEAKS OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ALSO LOCKED THE FRONT TIRES AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE MOVED. HE HAS AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE HIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 131,000.

Structure 5,000 mi 6 mo in service

MOISTURE CAME THROUGH THE VENTS IN THE DASHBOARD ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE RADIO, SO MUCH THAT CONSUMER'S HANDS GOT WET IF HE TOUCHED IT. CONSUMER HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED DUE TO THE FUNGUS, OR MOLD THAT GREW FROM THIS MOISTURE. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THEY CUT A HOLE IN THE AIR HOUSING AND POURED A CHEMICAL INSIDE TO KILL THE FUNGUS. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

Other Silverado 1500 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.