2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

Typical pattern

7.3% of complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2006 vehicle — around the middle of the 250 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is service brakes (46 complaints), typically at 8.5 yr or about 70,000 miles.

Complaints: 218
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 52,000 n=204
Crash / fire / tow: 10.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

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

Service brakes, hydraulic 3,690 mi 2 mo in service

WHEN BACKING ON A COLD MORNING I LAST POWER ASSISTED BRAKES AND STEERING. THERE WAS A SMALL LOSSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID. *NM

Service brakes, hydraulic 14,530 mi 1.6 yr in service

VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR APPROX. 72 HOURS. LOST POWER ASSISTED BRAKES AND POWER ASSISTED STEERING ON TWO OCCASIONS ON SAME DAY WHILE BACKING AFTER STARTING. REMOVED POWER STEERING/POWER BRAKE CAP ON RESERVOIR WITH ENGINE NOT RUNNING AFTER THE SECOND OCCASION. FLUID BLEW OUT OF RESERVOIR (APPROXIMATELY 2-3 OUNCES). DID NOT DRIVE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. NEXT TIME STARTED APPROX 8 HOURS LATER, NO FURTHER PROBLEM. DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE PROBLEM THE NEXT DAY. *JB

Service brakes, hydraulic 17,000 mi 1.9 yr in service crash / fire / tow

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SLID 25 FEET WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A POLE. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE WET. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A PARTIAL TEAR TO HIS ACHILLES TENDON. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT FELT THAT THE ANTILOCK BRAKES CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,300.

Steering 3,690 mi 2 mo in service

WHEN BACKING ON A COLD MORNING I LAST POWER ASSISTED BRAKES AND STEERING. THERE WAS A SMALL LOSSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID. *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.

2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Silverado 2500 model years

How to read this