2004 Chevrolet Silverado problems
Owners have filed 723 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 30% of complaints. Next are electrical system (22%) and steering (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 723 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 68 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 46 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 600 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 | 169 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 95 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 107 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 73 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 62 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 40 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 20 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 6 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 600 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 45,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 68,000 miles (195 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 68 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 46 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 26 model years of the Chevrolet Silverado with enough data (499 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 8 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.
Death was the result of a crash involving a 2004 silverado truck, dually. My son, gene, deceased owner, was returning home when truck skidded and rolled over at least twice, killing him. I think there may have been a problem with the brakes or power steering, but am not sure how to proceed with this. I hope you can help in some way. Gene's work was on the road, and he lived on the road.
Dt: not had a brake problem until applied brake pressure. While driving home saw road construction and hit brakes and slid to what seemed a long way. Felt there was extended stopping distance. This was the first incident of this type. This did result in an accident, striking vehicle in front. No repairs. One person died as a result of this accident. Consumer felt brakes contributed to this accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado z71. While driving approximately 5 MPH in reverse, the brake pedal traveled to the floor upon engaging. The vehicle continued to accelerate. The gear was immediately shifted into drive and the emergency brake was engaged in order to stop. The contact was able to drive with the use of the emergency brake for stopping. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the brake lines were completely rusted. The vehicle was not repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the reduced engine power warning message illuminated as the vehicle decelerated to 15 MPH. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floorboard but the vehicle would not accelerate. The failure recurred intermittently through out the years and the dealer replaced the electrical harness, the throttle grounding wire, throttle body and the fuel cap, but to no avail.