IllustrationMANUFACTURER SENT OUT A LETTER STATING MAJOR GAUGE PROBLEMS. ONE OF WHICH IS A SAFETY RECALL PROBLEM WHERE THE SPEED IS NOT PROPERLY REGISTERED. THEY DENY RESPONSIBILITY DUE TO VEHICLE MILEAGE. *TR
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
680–25K
15025–50K
17150–75K
14875–100K
118100–150K
45150K+
700 reports with mileage · 97 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 267 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 229 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 100 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
33 crash reports8 fire reports17 injury reports
What owners actually said
797 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED AND THE DIAL WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER STATING THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER IF THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT REPAIR TH…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED AND THE DIAL WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER STATING THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER IF THE VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT EXCEEDED 70,000 MILES WHEN THE NOTICE WAS RECEIVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 79,000.
CLUNKING SOUNDS FROM TRANSMISSION/DRIVETRAIN. GENERALLY LOUDER WHEN SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR. HAVE MENTIONED TO DEALER A COUPLE OF TIMES AND WAS TOLD IT IS NORMAL. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE ON THE WEB. *TR
SPEEDOMETER ON 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO Z71 SHOWING INCORRECT SPEED. WORKED FINE ONE DAY AND THE NEXT DAY WAS MESSED UP. NOW AM UNABLE TO TELL WHAT IS MY ACCURATE SPEED. IT WILL SOMETIMES WORK AND THEN GOES BACK TO INCORRECT SPEED. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON WEB SITES FOR THIS ISSUE ON THESE TRUCKS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH WITH THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ACTIVATED, THE TIRES BEGIN SPINNING. THE FAILURE OCCURS WHEN THE GROUND IS SLIPPERY DUE TO MUD, SNOW, OR ICE. WHEN THE TIRES REGAIN TRACTION AND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL WILL NOT GO DOWN AT ALL. THE VEHICLE REVS…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH WITH THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE ACTIVATED, THE TIRES BEGIN SPINNING. THE FAILURE OCCURS WHEN THE GROUND IS SLIPPERY DUE TO MUD, SNOW, OR ICE. WHEN THE TIRES REGAIN TRACTION AND THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL WILL NOT GO DOWN AT ALL. THE VEHICLE REVS AND SURGES. THE ABS MOTOR CAN BE HEARD BUT THE BRAKES FAIL TO OPERATE. THE CONTACT WAS INVOLVED IN THREE CRASHES DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE FIRST CRASH DENTED THE DRIVER SIDE. THE SECOND CRASH OCCURRED WHEN HE STRUCK A TREE WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE. THE BUMPER WAS BENT AND THE QUARTER PANEL WAS CAVED INWARDS. THE THIRD CRASH OCCURRED WHEN HE ACCELERATED AND THE VEHICLE REVVED AND SLIPPED ON WET GRASS. THE VEHICLE THEN WENT OFF THE EDGE OF THE ROAD AND DOWN 30-40 FEET INTO A SNOW BANK. A TOW TRUCK HAD TO RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY 5 OR 6 TIMES, BUT THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAS THE WORK ORDERS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 72,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND ONE WEEK LATER, THE GAS GAUGE STARTED STICKING & GOING CRAZY. NEXT WENT TACHOMETER FOLLOWED BY THE AMP HAND. HAVE A 126,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK - EVERYTHING ELSE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR
THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL GAUGES ARE NOT WORKING, SPEED ODOMETER, OIL GAUGE, WATER TEMP ETC.. THE GAUGES STOP OPERATION AROUND MILEAGE READING 95000 AND PRESENTLY AT 101000. VEHICLE PRESENTLY JUST PARKED AT HOME. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYS INCORRECT SPEEDS OR JUST FAILS COMPLETELY. HE NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS AND THEY AUTHORIZED A SPECIAL SERVICE NOTICE, OFFERING TO COVER THE DEFECT FOR UP TO 70,000 MILES. ADDITIONAL MILEAGE WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE FAILURE AN…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYS INCORRECT SPEEDS OR JUST FAILS COMPLETELY. HE NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS AND THEY AUTHORIZED A SPECIAL SERVICE NOTICE, OFFERING TO COVER THE DEFECT FOR UP TO 70,000 MILES. ADDITIONAL MILEAGE WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 77,000.
SPEEDOMETER FAILURE. *TR
INSTRUMENT PANEL. *TR
Official recalls
0No 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.