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2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.

About this comparison →
509Owner complaints

Model-year median: 525

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

2Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
587
1999614
2000468
2001509
2002805
2003797
2004525
2005
Compare all Silverado 1500 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Service Brakes
184Service Brakes, Hydraulic
164Structure
30Power Train
26Steering
25
All reported categories
Electrical System
20Parking Brake
20Air Bags
14Engine And Engine Cooling
13Suspension
13Fuel/propulsion System
11Tires
10Unknown Or Other
10Visibility
10Fuel System, Gasoline
9Engine
8Equipment
6Seat Belts
5Vehicle Speed Control
5Seats
4Electronic Stability Control (esc)
3Equipment Adaptive/mobility
3Service Brakes, Electric
3Wheels
3Service Brakes, Air
2Trailer Hitches
2Exterior Lighting
1Forward Collision Avoidance
1Latches/locks/linkages
1Visibility/wiper
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

443 reports with mileage · 66 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 184 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 164 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

45 crash reports5 fire reports15 injury reports

Equipment Adaptive/mobility complaints

3 reports
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160,000 miles · Jul 1, 2015
Equipment Adaptive/mobilityService Brakes

MY BRAKE LINES FAILED, NEARLY RESULTING IN KILLING A CHILD THAT RODE HIS BIKE ONTO THE ROAD FROM A DRIVEWAY AND FORCING A VEHICLE HEADON INTO MY LANE OF TRAVEL. LUCKLY EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO SQUEEZE INTO APPROPRIATE PLACES AND WAS PAYING ATTENTION AS I WAS UNABLE TO SLOWDOWN. DUST COVERS ON THE REAR HAVE BEEN RUSTED AND GONE FOR…

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MY BRAKE LINES FAILED, NEARLY RESULTING IN KILLING A CHILD THAT RODE HIS BIKE ONTO THE ROAD FROM A DRIVEWAY AND FORCING A VEHICLE HEADON INTO MY LANE OF TRAVEL. LUCKLY EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO SQUEEZE INTO APPROPRIATE PLACES AND WAS PAYING ATTENTION AS I WAS UNABLE TO SLOWDOWN. DUST COVERS ON THE REAR HAVE BEEN RUSTED AND GONE FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND I HAVE REPLACED THE REGULATORS IN BOTH PASSENGER/DRIVERSIDE DOORS THREE TIME EACH DUE TO THE CABLES RUSTING AND SNAPPING. WHEN I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO CHEVROLET DEALER SHIP FOR MAINTENANCE, IT HAD LESS THAN 36K AT THE TIME, THEY REMOVED ONE PLASTIC PANEL (FALLING DOWN FROM BEHIND THE DOOR INTERIOR TRIM PANELS) FROM EACH DOOR THAT WAS HANGING DOWN AND SCRATCHING MY ROCKER PANEL, AND SAID "WE DONT KNOW WHAT THESE ARE FOR, SO WE JUST REMOVED THEM", HMMM, MAYBE IT WAS TO HELP WITH MOITURE RELATED ISSUES WITHIN THE DOOR PANEL. NOT SURE JUST GUESSING, BUT CANT BELLIVE THAT THEY COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. OVER ALL NOT IMPRESSED WITH CHEVROLET EVEN THOUGH IT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL I HAVE OWNED, IF THEY KEEP PRODUCING THIS CRAP THEY SHOULD LOWER THE PRICE.

NHTSA ODI #10731403

95,224 miles · Jun 21, 2012
Equipment Adaptive/mobilityService BrakesUnknown Or Other

I WAS DRIVING 60MPH WHEN CONSTRUCTION CONES BROUGHT TRAFFIC TO ONE LANE. AS I BEGAN TO APPLY MY BRAKES, I COULD FEEL MY FOOT GOING TO THE FLOOR AND I WAS NOT SLOWING AT ALL. I TRIED THE EMERGNCY BRAKE, AND ALSO NO BRAKING OCCURED. I MANAGED TO DRIVE ONTO THE MEDIUM, AND LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO AVOID ALL THE "CONSTRUCTION JUNK" TH…

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I WAS DRIVING 60MPH WHEN CONSTRUCTION CONES BROUGHT TRAFFIC TO ONE LANE. AS I BEGAN TO APPLY MY BRAKES, I COULD FEEL MY FOOT GOING TO THE FLOOR AND I WAS NOT SLOWING AT ALL. I TRIED THE EMERGNCY BRAKE, AND ALSO NO BRAKING OCCURED. I MANAGED TO DRIVE ONTO THE MEDIUM, AND LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO AVOID ALL THE "CONSTRUCTION JUNK" THAT LITTERED THAT AREA. AFTER A VERY LONG TIME, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MANEUVER TO A SAFE STOP. WHEN I SPOKE WITH THE MECHANIC, HE TOLD ME THERE WERE NO BRAKE LINES. *TT

NHTSA ODI #10462552

168,241 miles · Jun 22, 2010
Equipment Adaptive/mobility

HAVE OWNED MY 2002 CHEVY SILVERADO SINCE NEW. I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN A FLAT TIRE WITH THIS TRUCK UNTIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. I GOT A FLAT TIRE ON MEMORIAL DAY ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY (RT-1). I WAS IN AN ODD SPOT TO MOVE FARTHER FROM THE TRAFFIC LANE AND I COULD NOT GET THE TRUCK HIGH ENOUGH WITH THE FACTORY JACK THAT WAS PROVIDED. …

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HAVE OWNED MY 2002 CHEVY SILVERADO SINCE NEW. I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN A FLAT TIRE WITH THIS TRUCK UNTIL A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. I GOT A FLAT TIRE ON MEMORIAL DAY ON A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY (RT-1). I WAS IN AN ODD SPOT TO MOVE FARTHER FROM THE TRAFFIC LANE AND I COULD NOT GET THE TRUCK HIGH ENOUGH WITH THE FACTORY JACK THAT WAS PROVIDED. I FIGURED IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE UNEVEN GROUND I WAS ON. ABOUT A WEEK LATER I HAD A BLOW OUT WITH THE SAME TIRE IN A PARKING GARAGE (NICE LEVEL FLAT CONCRETE SURFACE). I HAVE BEEN A MECHANIC IN ABOUT 1975. HOLD MY PA STATE INSPECTION LICENSE AND WAS A ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC. THE SUPPLIED JACK WITH THE SAME FACTORY SIZE TIRES WILL NOT GET THE VEHICLE HIGH ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE TIRES. I TRIED THE FACTORY RECOMMENDED SPOTS AND COUPLE OF OTHERS. HOW COULD GM PUT PEOPLE IN A POSITION LIKE THIS? SOMEBODY COULD GET KILLED TRYING TO USE THIS EQUIPMENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10339580

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

2

EA04011 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Apr 9, 2004 · Closed May 10, 2005

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake; Parking Brake:conventional; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical; Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Parking Brake:conventional

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage And Cable

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

Parking Brake

IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 20, 2005, GM NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT HAD DECIDED THAT DEFECTS THAT RELATE TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY EXIST IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES (PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) AND MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES (TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM) PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.ACCORDING TO GM, SOME OF THESE VEHICLES MAY HAVE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THE FRICTION LININGS TO WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.GM'S ACTION COVERS AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 142,585 VEHICLES.DEALERS WILL INSTALL A LOW-FORCE SPRING CLIP RETAINER FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM AND INSTALL A REDESIGNED PARKING BRAKE CABLE ASSEMBLY ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM. A TOTAL OF 58 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS WERE RECEIVED BY ODI AND GM CONCERNING THE APPROXIMATELY 59,000 MY 1999-2002 C/K 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCKS WITH THE PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM.THESE INCLUDED 22 ALLEGED ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS, RESULTING IN A RATE OF 38.5 ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES.ODI IS AWARE OF 24 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE MY 2001-2005 C/K 2500 AND 3500 SERIES MANUAL TRANSMISSION TRUCKS RECALLED BY GM, INCLUDING 5 ALLEGING ROLLAWAY INCIDENTS.THOUGH THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN GM'S LETTER ARE ALSO PRESENT IN THE C/K TRUCKS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE ROLLAWAY RATE IN THOSE VEHICLES WAS SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN PEER VEHICLES STUDIED BY ODI IN THIS INVESTIGATION.THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

PE03057 · Parking Brake Failure

Opened Dec 8, 2003 · Closed Apr 9, 2004

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Parking Brake

ODI OPENED PE03-057 TO ASSESS PARKING BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THESE VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH FOUR WHEEL DISC BRAKES THAT INCORPORATE A SINGLE-SHOE DRUM-IN-HAT PARKING BRAKE INDEPENDENT OF THE SERVICE BRAKES.COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA INDICATE THAT THE PARKING BRAKE LININGS TEND TO WEAR OUT EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE (AT AN AVERAGE OF 24 MONTHS IN SERVICE), REDUCING THE PARKING BRAKE SYSTEM'S TORQUE BELOW THAT NEEDED TO IMMOBILIZE THE VEHICLE.GM HAS ATTRIBUTED THIS ACCELERATED WEAR TO FOREIGN MATERIAL INTRUSION AND A FAILURE OF THE BRAKE SHOE TO PROPERLY SELF-CENTER WITHIN ITS BRAKE DRUM.EFFECTIVE WITH THE START OF MY 2003 PRODUCTION, A NEWER REDUCED FORCE HOLD-DOWN CLIP WAS INTRODUCED TO FACILITATE BRAKE SHOE DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE DRUM SURFACE.THIS PART IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE LEVEL FOR THE MY 1999-2002 VEHICLES.GM HAS INDICATED THAT THE PAKING BRAKE IS INTENDED TO OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRANSMISSION TO IMMOBILZE PARKED VEHICLES, AND THAT IN MANY CASES, ACCELERATED PARKING BRAKE LINING WEAR IS CAUSED BY ROUGH USE, VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS, AND DRIVING WITH THE PARKING ENGAGED. ODI HAS UPGRADED THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO GATHER FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING PARKING BRAKE USAGE FACTORS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SEVENTEEN REPORTED VEHICLE CRASHES.