2002 Chevrolet Silverado Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 58about this part
- Share
- 8%of 710 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 27,500miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 58 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, 8% of the 710 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 27,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Engine knock.. Hot & cold. Sounds like lifter noise, GM says it's normal . Over 30 years as a mechanic, I know there's no such thing as a normal knock. After researching this issue, I find there are about 800,000 vehicle involved. Gm needs to fix these vehicles. Gm service bulletins refer to this as piston slap. Any slap, scuff, or abnormal noise in a cylinder is detrimental to the metals.”
NHTSA complaint #10064545, filed 2004-04, 18,000 miles“I too have the piston slap problem with my 2002 Silverado hd 6.0l engine. I took it to the dealer at about 2400 miles and was handed a technical bulletin that was dated from 1999 (problem has been known since then) telling me that GM is working on a fix . They did want to look at the truck to make sure nothing else was wrong. There is no fix , just an extended warranty on the engine alone even though I already paid for the extended warranty for the entire vehicle. …”
NHTSA complaint #10023028, filed 2003-06, 2,400 miles“2002 chevy Silverado with a 4.8l engine knock, from what GM said is piston slap. They said they will not fix this problem at this time. They said they send out a letter of warranty for six years or 100,000 miles, if engine fails due to the piston slap/knock. I think that something needs to be done about this. There could be a safety issue with this, such as engine failure on the interstate. We the consumer should not be told to deal with it, when paying up to 30,000 dollars for a new vehicle, that has a piston knock. This needs to be fixed, not covered up.”
NHTSA complaint #10030467, filed 2003-07, 12,000 miles“Vehicle stalled while driving at 55 MPH. The consumer was told that the distributor cap and rotor needed to be replaced. The problem continued, then the consumer was told again that the distributor cap and rotor needed to be replaced again. The dealer found that the A/C line was routed directly above the distributor cap to retain moisture and misfire.”
NHTSA complaint #10083706, filed 2004-07, 45,798 miles“Many of the problems took several times in the shop to fix. The castrophic failures in the engine & transmission have never been fixed. The truck has lunging, dead spots & surges & the transmission clunks (shifts hard, jerky) the auto may or may not accelerate on demand & will later accelerate when you need to apply the brakes.”
NHTSA complaint #10071040, filed 2004-01, 24,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10056354Sep 1, 2014Gmc/chevrolet: engines, with egr system, has leakage from egr cooler engine coolant into the combustion chamber. Model 2002-15 silverado, sierra, 2004-09 kodiak c4500-c5500…
- 10037933Jan 1, 2011Gm: the service engine soon light is on, there is also a misfire or engine noise. There are multiple possible causes.
- 10017214Dec 1, 2008Hard start / no start outside temperatures below freezing. *tt updated 7/13/09.
- 10024344Feb 1, 2008Possible engine oil leak due to pcv freeze-up, equipped with the 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, and 6.2 v-8 engines.
- 10024154Feb 1, 2008Chevrolet gmc service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Special coverage adjustment - engine glow plug on certain vehicles with 6.6l diesel v8 (rpo lb7 - vin…
- 10021839May 1, 2007Diesel engine cylinder head gasket missing thickness grade markings.
- 10021021Feb 22, 2007Service vme. Supplement to 00-02-35-003l. Update on new I-shaft.
- 10011126Dec 1, 2006Various intermittent driveability conditions - hesitation, lack of power, etc.
- 10012561Oct 1, 2006Information on servicing fuel injectors to avoid contamination. *eh updated 03-19-07.
- 10020072Jul 19, 2006Turbocharger oil feed line kinked or restricted.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 1% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 2% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2010 | 3 | 5% |
| 2009 | 4 | 5% |
| 2008 | 4 | 2% |
| 2007 | 6 | 3% |
| 2006 | 7 | 4% |
| 2005 | 20 | 6% |
| 2004 | 24 | 4% |
| 2003 | 26 | 4% |
| 2002 | 58 | 8% |
| 2001 | 91 | 10% |
| 2000 | 88 | 7% |
| 1999 | 61 | 4% |
| 1998 | 15 | 5% |
| 1997 | 20 | 7% |
| 1996 | 13 | 7% |
| 1995 | 15 | 6% |
| 1994 | 5 | 2% |
| 1993 | 2 | 3% |
| 1992 | 7 | 18% |
| 1990 | 2 | 8% |
| 1989 | 3 | 14% |
| 1988 | 1 | 7% |
| 1984 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado
350 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
70 complaintsSteering
39 complaintsBody and structure
36 complaintsAir bags
30 complaintsSuspension
29 complaintsTires
27 complaintsElectrical system
25 complaintsFuel system
23 complaintsVehicle speed control
22 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
19 complaintsSeat belts
16 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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