2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

No clear pattern

0.5% of complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2004 vehicle, but with only 431 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (105 complaints), typically at 5.2 yr or about 67,400 miles.

Complaints: 431
Median age at failure: 7.3 yr
Median mileage: 75,000 n=393
Crash / fire / tow: 8.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

105 reports · 67,400 mi

5.2 yr

5.7%

Service brakes

99 reports · 103,000 mi

10.3 yr

9.1%

Service brakes, hydraulic

73 reports · 67,400 mi

7.3 yr

6.8%

Engine cooling

23 reports · 74,000 mi

6.8 yr

8.7%

Steering

18 reports · 40,000 mi

4.3 yr

5.6%

Power train

16 reports · 96,764 mi

6.4 yr

6.2%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

06E043000 2006-05-19

Fuel system

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

06E010000 2006-02-01

Steering

CERTAIN FABTECH AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT PITMAN ARMS, P/NOS. FTS71000 AND FTS71001, INSTALLED FOR USE ON CERTAIN 2001-2006 GM C/K 2500 PICK UP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE PIN LOCATED INSIDE THE PITMAN ARM CAN SHEAR OFF DUE TO A REVERSE BENDING FATIGUE CONDITION, RESULTING IN A TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.

LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH WITH POTENTIAL INJURY OR DEATH.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 12,363 mi 1.8 yr in service

TRUCK OVERHEATED FORCING ME TO RAPIDLY EXIT ROADWAY. PROBLEM IS CONTINUAL, AND NOT RECOGNIZED BY MANUFACTURER AS "PROBLEM" FOR MY MODEL OF TRUCK. *NM

Engine cooling 95,000 mi 4.0 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD. WHILE DRIVING UPHILL AT 55 MPH, THE ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HE REPRIMED THE FUEL FILTER AND THE VEHICLE DROVE APPROXIMATELY A MILE AND A HALF BEFORE IT SHUT OFF AGAIN. HE HAD TO REPRIME THE FILTER AGAIN. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO COOL OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE STATION AND THE MECHANIC SPOKE WITH CHEVROLET, WHO WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY RECALLS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 95,000. *UPDATED 12/27/07 *LJ UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

Engine cooling 44,000 mi 5.2 yr in service

THREE EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS HEAD SNAPPED OFF, RESULTING IN DANGEROUS EXHAUST BEING EXPELLED UNDER THE HOOD. *TR

Service brakes, hydraulic 30,450 mi 2.9 yr in service crash / fire / tow

(1) I WAS IN A TIGHT TURN. I HAD JUST HAULED 2 TONS OF FEED FROM A FEED MILL 30 MILES AWAY. (2) THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES BOTH STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY AND WITH NO WARNING. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY VEHICLE AND HAD TO RUN INTO A FENCE POST TO STOP IT. HAD IT HAPPENED A FEW MINUTES EARLIER WHILE I WAS ON A HIGHWAY, SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. THE TRUCK WAS COMPLETELY UNCONTROLLABLE. (3 VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. AFTER TWO DAYS OF TESTING, NO SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND. *NM

Other Silverado 2500 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.