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Engine coolingPart report

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
60about this part
Share
7%of 851 total for the year
Median mileage
68,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 60 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 7% of the 851 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 68,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. …”

NHTSA complaint #11657612, filed 2025-04, 77,455 miles

“The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal metal-on-metal grinding sound coming from the engine. The contact also stated that whenever the vehicle was started, the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …”

NHTSA complaint #11658255, filed 2025-05, 47,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle came to a complete stop without warning. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. During the first failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer and a lifter inside the engine was replaced. The contact stated that after the second failure, the contact allowed the vehicle to sit for a while before restarting the vehicle and continued driving. …”

NHTSA complaint #11754554, filed 2026-08, 73,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound while driving. Upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, it was discovered that there were metal shavings inside the engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. …”

NHTSA complaint #11746179, filed 2026-06, 104,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that since the purchase of the vehicle, the transmission had failed three times. The transmission had been replaced three times in the past. The second time the transmission failed at approximately 40,000 miles. …”

NHTSA complaint #11709149, filed 2026-01, 169,800 miles

Related recalls

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202511%
2024206%
2023267%
2022254%
2021607%
2020263%
2019505%
2018102%
201741%
201610%
2015121%
201491%
201321%
201131%
201051%
200951%
200871%
2007273%
2006134%
2005183%
2004253%
2003202%
2002133%
2001174%
2000112%
1999102%
1998175%
1997356%
1996114%
1994220%

Other parts of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Engine
392 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
242 complaints
Electrical system
113 complaints
Other or unknown
75 complaints
Brakes
45 complaints
Steering
43 complaints
Fuel system
32 complaints
Body and structure
29 complaints
Air bags
20 complaints
Suspension
18 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
15 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
10 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology