2009 Chevrolet Silverado Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe cracks in the dashboard near the passenger air bag, air bag warning lights, and intermittent electrical trouble where gauges, door locks and warning chimes act up together. A second cluster of complaints involves the 5.3L V8 using oil and the throttle system putting the truck into reduced power; both tend to appear from roughly 30,000 to 80,000 miles, with some reports much earlier.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Intermittent electrical faults: gauges, door locks, chimes

   • 10 complaints (13%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2012–2022

   Complaints describe gauges sweeping or dropping to zero, door locks cycling on their own, warning chimes sounding and dash lighting flickering, sometimes with the truck briefly losing power or failing to accelerate. Owners report trouble starting, dead batteries tied to the fuel module or OnStar module staying awake, and melted fuses or wiring in the underhood fuse box; dealers replaced battery cables in one case and could not reproduce the fault in others. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 135,000 miles, often with no warning and sometimes after heavy rain.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the battery cables, body grounds and underhood fuse box have been inspected, and note any of these symptoms during a test drive with the lights and accessories on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Several times while driving at various speeds the stability control warning light would flash, the door locks would cycle and the gauges would stop working. After a few seconds the warning light would go off and the truck would return to normal. I took the vehicle to the dealer and I was informed that both battery cables had high resistance and needed to be replaced. It is ridiculous that battery cables need to be replaced at 62000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10588767, filed 2014-05, 62,000 miles

   “Driving on i10 heading to houston, the entire truck completely shut down, and then turned back on, this again happened 02/2014....the whole truck shut down , thank god the wheels did not lock up or we would have been killed both times. It is at the dealers ...freedom chevy san antonio tx....something is bad on the truck...like playing with a light switch...the dash, every instrument shut off both times, now I am worried that it will happen again, and I can not afford another truck. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10568800, filed 2014-03, 27,860 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Dashboard cracks near passenger air bag

   • 14 complaints (18%)
   • median 64,500 mi at 5.8 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2016

   Complaints describe cracks developing in the top of the dashboard, most often around the passenger air bag, and sometimes spreading toward the windshield or over the radio and instrument cluster. Owners say the cracks appear with little warning, in some cases while the truck is parked or just from closing a door, and some report pieces of trim becoming loose. Several took the truck to a dealer and were told the dashboard needed to be replaced, with some saying the repair was not covered once the vehicle was out of warranty. Reported from as little as 10,000 miles up to around 90,000 to 100,000 miles, including on garaged trucks.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Look closely at the top of the dash around the passenger air bag and the defroster vents for hairline cracks, and ask whether the dash has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Several cracks in my dash (4-5). One is at the corner of the passenger airbag. The dash is so brittle it cracks from just closing the door. I'm afraid what might happen if I'm in an accident and broken dash pieces go flying throughout the cab. This is no doubt a safety concern! Not to mention an eye sore and resale killer. This started a few years ago and continues to get worse.”

   NHTSA complaint #10818346, filed 2016-01, 60,000 miles

   “The dash panels on the top of the dash board have completely broken I feel that if the passenger airbag were to deploy it would be a safety issue. Pieces of the dash could possibly become a hazard and injure myself or my passengers this needs to be addressed this is a very common issue among many Chevrolet vehicles”

   NHTSA complaint #10851741, filed 2016-03, 80,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light and no deployment in crashes

   • 12 complaints (16%)
   • median 76,600 mi at 5.8 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2021

   Owners report the service air bag message appearing on the driver information center, sometimes with no obvious trigger, and dealers clearing the code without identifying a cause or telling them to expect further diagnosis. In several crashes described in the complaints, owners state the front air bags did not deploy; one involved a front crash sensor found to have water damage, and drivers report being told their VIN was outside a related campaign. Appears at a wide range of mileages, from roughly 30,000 to over 100,000 miles, and often noticed at start-up.

   What to check: Check that the air bag light comes on and goes out at start-up, ask for any stored air bag codes to be scanned, and confirm which open campaigns apply to the specific VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2009 chevy Silverado 1500. The service airbag light came on when I started the car. I noticed there was a recall on this exact thing in the year and make of my vehicle. My VIN number was not included in the recall. After talking to a chevy representative they indicated the best way to solve this problem was to make a claim because it is the same problem seen in other 2009 chevy silverados, and my VIN may be accepted through the claim. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10584184, filed 2014-04, 130,000 miles

   “Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA campaign number 21V052000 (Air Bags) however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 105,139.”

   NHTSA complaint #11435108, filed 2021-10, 105,139 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Reduced engine power and throttle faults

   • 11 complaints (14%)
   • median 59,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2010–2016

   Complaints describe the truck suddenly losing power with a reduced engine power message, a service traction control or StabiliTrak warning, and a rough idle; dealers replaced the throttle body or throttle position sensor in several cases. One owner reported the accelerator sticking at highway speed and another could not cancel cruise control with the brake, while others describe engine stall and restart after a pause. Mostly reported between roughly 22,000 and 98,000 miles, often at steady highway speeds.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body or throttle position sensor has been replaced and whether any stored codes relate to reduced engine power; a service bulletin describes harness connector repair for this message.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Accelerator stuck driving on an interstate going 65m/h. Slammed on my brakes took a good 30 seconds before I could get it to slow down and stop on the side of the road. Has not happened since.”

   NHTSA complaint #10663139, filed 2014-12, 98,000 miles

   “Driving down highway, check engine light pops up, tractions control indicator light, along with digital display saying several things. Such as, engine reduced power, service traction control soon..........pulled over, had a very rough idle. Made it to parts store and have the truck scanned. Turns out it need the throttle positioning sensor needs replaced. Had them clear the code, drove few more miles and all happens again.”

   NHTSA complaint #10563232, filed 2014-02, 71,288 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Oil consumption and lifter/carbon problems on 5.3L V8

   • 5 complaints (7%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2012–2015

   Owners of trucks with the 5.3L V8 report the oil level dropping sharply between changes, fouled or cracked spark plugs, and a check engine light; some say a dealer attributed it to the engine's fuel management system and rebuilt part of the engine to clear carbon. Others describe a knocking or ticking noise traced to valve lifters and camshaft wear, and a low oil pressure warning that was treated first as a bad sensor. Reported from around 32,000 miles up to about 140,000 miles, with several owners noticing it soon after an oil change.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the oil level and smell the dipstick for fuel, ask how often oil is added between changes, and listen for ticking or knocking on a cold start.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving my 2009 Silverado at 33,000 miles I noticed the check engine light went on and it was running rough. After taking to the dealership it was determined the #7 cylinder was not working. According to the mechanic the afm for the 5.3 liter engines has an oil consumption issue. Half of the engine was rebuilt due to the amount of carbon built up inside the engine. Again at 78,000 miles the check engine light went on again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10787475, filed 2015-10, 142,000 miles

   “I got this truck used at 94k miles on it. It was still in standard warranty. I got the oil changed started getting that clicking/knocking noise. I took it back to the shop that did the oil changed. They looked into and told me it was a common problem with chevy engines is the valve lifters break and needs replaced along with the cams. If I drive too much a possibility to add shavings into the motor and tear it up. Quotes from 3 different friend recommend auto shops from all of them to get a new engine or get rid of the truck. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10722428, filed 2015-05, 10,999 miles

Buying note. Inspect the dashboard around the air bag, confirm the air bag light behaves normally at start-up, and check the oil level and throttle response on a road test. Service records showing cable, fuse box and throttle repairs help separate a well-sorted truck from one still chasing intermittent electrical faults.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.