2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 553 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (42%) concerns air bags. Next are body & structure (10%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 553 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 299 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 | 43 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 31 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 45 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 55 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 44 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 26 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 19 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 8 |
What the data shows
Of the 299 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 74,000 miles (76 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 86% 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 2009 ranks 29th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with enough data (123 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Vehicle was struck by a motorcycle traveling around 50MPH in the drivers side front tire. This is a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The motorcycle was only a 50cc model small motorcycle. This resulted in the spindle breaking in two at the point just behind where the tie rod end connects resulting in a loss of steering on that wheel. Luckily the silverado was only traveling approximately 25 MPH at the time of the accident and was safely stopped in a short distance. This is a heavy duty part and should not have broken.
Vehicle caught fire after being parked for 2.5 or so hours in driveway. Determined by fire marshall to have started from a ECM in right front dash area. Fire department responded and extinguished fire with water instead of foam because "foam tank was not operational at that time". No repairs have yet been made to the vehicle due to outstanding insurance investigation.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet silverado 1500 crew cab. He stated the passenger's side power door locks failed. The dealer replaced the lock actuator under factory warranty. Later, he could smell a burning smell, similar to burning plastic, from inside the vehicle but could not determine the source. On a later date, while getting out of the vehicle, he noticed a two inch burn hole near the driver's side door handle. The dealer was contacted and advised replacing the door handle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet silverado 1500. While driving at unknown speeds, the driver and passenger seat belts unlatched without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 196,618.
The contact’s father owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his dad was driving 25 MPH, he heard a loud explosion coming the front driver’s side air bag. The air bag warning light was illuminated prior to the explosion. The air bag did not deploy because there was no crash. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.