2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
The 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 960 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (47%) concerns brakes. Next are electrical system (20%) and steering (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 960 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 47% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 34 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 21 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 82,000 miles 854 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 56 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 79 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 138 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 133 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 135 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 99 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 81 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 41 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 46 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 24 |
| 200k+ miles | 22 |
What the data shows
Of the 854 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 82,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 85,000 miles (431 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 34 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 21 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 15th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with enough data (317 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving 35 MPH consumer's vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy, and both frontal and rear seat belts failed to lock. Driver and two passengers sustained minor injuries, and were transported to the hospital. Vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection.
Chevy silverado 5.3 l engine. Reduced engine power message is displayed. Vehicle will not run above 20 MPH. Must pull over and turn off engine and restart. This is a known problem by GM. Dealer tried twice to repair the problem but could not. I replaced the accelerator sensor and the throttle body but the problem still exists. This is very dangerous when it happens on the highway. This has been going on with my truck for about 18 months. Again, no support from GM. Many people are having this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet silverado 1500. The contact stated that the emergency/parking brake failed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the backing plate for the emergency brake was completely rusted. As a result, the backing plate, brake pads and rotors were replaced but the failure recurred. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake pedal abnormally traveled to the floorboard.