2001 Chevrolet SILVERADO 3500: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
72 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
68,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2001 model year. Data snapshot: . 55 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Service Brakes is the most frequently named component, appearing in 16 of 72 complaints (22.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 42 | 58.3% |
| Engine operation | 12 | 16.7% |
| Steering behavior | 10 | 13.9% |
| Fuel system concerns | 5 | 6.9% |
| Transmission and shifting | 2 | 2.8% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 1.4% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 16 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 10 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 |
| Engine | 7 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 7 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 5 |
| Electrical System | 3 |
| Suspension | 3 |
Service Brakes: 16; Engine And Engine Cooling: 10; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 8; Engine: 7; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip: 7; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 5; Electrical System: 3; Suspension: 3
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 6 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 7 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 18 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 11 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 10 |
| 150,000 and above | 3 |
Under 25,000: 6; 25,000 to 49,999: 7; 50,000 to 74,999: 18; 75,000 to 99,999: 11; 100,000 to 149,999: 10; 150,000 and above: 3
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (18). 17 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 4 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 6 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 5 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 7 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
2001: 3; 2002: 5; 2003: 4; 2004: 3; 2005: 2; 2006: 6; 2007: 7; 2008: 5; 2009: 5; 2010: 6; 2011: 2; 2012: 7; 2014: 5; 2015: 5; 2016: 1; 2017: 3; 2018: 1; 2023: 1; 2024: 1
Pattern summary
Service Brakes leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 42 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 12 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 10 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10029647 · 2003-07-18 (July 18, 2003)
ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPED WORKING. VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. DEALER REPLACED THE PEDAL SOFTWARE ON 7/17/2003. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10029647 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10029843 · 2003-07-22 (July 22, 2003)
CONSUMER STATES THAT BRAKE SYSTEM WAS SO EXCESSIVELY RUSTED AND CORRODED THAT THE VEHICLE'S STOPPING DISTANCE HAD TRIPLED. THE DEALER TURNED THE ROTORS BUT REINSTALLED SAME BRAKE PADS. THERE EXISTS ONLY 2.5 INCHES OF SURFACE ON THE ROTORS LEFT FOR PADS TO HIT.
Owner-reported narrative. 15,096 miles reported. Look up ODI 10029843 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10048788 · 2003-11-28 (November 28, 2003)
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT AN ENGINE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT MAINTAIN THE THROTTLE. ENGINE WENT INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT A CAUSE. ALSO, A SUSPENSION PROBLEM DUE TO BOLTS PLACE DIN UPSIDE DOWN POSITION WHICH MIGHT CAUSE VEHICLE TO FLIP. ALSO, WIRES AND PLASTIC BOLTS MELTED.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 68,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10048788 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10049552 · 2003-12-10 (December 10, 2003)
I OWN A 2001 CHEVY SILVERADO K3500 WITH THE 6.0L ENGINE. MY VEHICLE HAS CONSUMED OIL FROM DAY ONE AND THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. I TRAVELED TO OHIO LAST MONTH AND USED ONE QUART IN ABOUT 450 MILES. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. NOW I MUST GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND ON MYSELF. MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE WAS A 1995 GMC SIERRA K3500 WITH A 7.4L ENGINE, BOTH THE 2001 AND THE 1995 I PURCHASED NEW. I FOLLOWED THE MANUFACTURER'S DIRECTIONS ON BREAKING IN THE VEHICLE IN BOTH CASES. THE 1995 VEHICLE NEVER CONSUMED OIL, EVEN AT 145,000 MILES. I CHECK MY OIL AT LEAST…
Owner-reported narrative. 1 miles reported. Look up ODI 10049552 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10053002 · 2004-01-12 (January 12, 2004)
I HAVE A 2001 CHEVROLET C3500 PICKUP, I AM A TRAILER PULLER FOR FEMA WHILE WORKING IN CA, AND DRIVING DOWN A STEEP MOUNTAIN SIDE WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES, MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT ALSO MY POWER BRAKES BECAME REAL HARD . LATER I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP TALKED WITH A TECHNICIAN, I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH POWER STEERING PUMPS, I REMOVED MINE, FOUND HALF BROKEN, AFTER REPLACING POWER STEERING PUMP, STEERING AND BRAKES RETURNED TO NORMAL. *LA
Owner-reported narrative. 127,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10053002 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10074655 · 2004-06-02 (June 2, 2004)
2001 K3500 W/ 8100 V8. VEHICLE USES 3 TO 4 QUARTS OF OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES (EVERY 3,000 ML.). I'M NOT GETTING MUCH ACTION FROM THE DEALER & MY WARENTY IS ALMOST OUT!!*AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10074655 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10097976 · 2004-10-29 (October 29, 2004)
ABS PULSATES ON LEFT FRONT WHEEL WHEN APPLIED (A NOISE EMINATES FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL). DEALER REPLACED RIGHT FRONT HUB AND LEFT LOW SPEED BRAKE SENSOR. BRAKES STILL PULSATED ON LEFT FRONT SIDE. RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD NOW THE LEFT HUB NEEDS REPLACING. (DID NOT HAVE REPLACED. ) PULSATION IN BRAKE SYSTEM HAD NOT STOPPED AFTER THE TWO EARLIER REPAIRS. HAVE SPENT OVER $1000.00 FOR THESE REPAIRS AND DO NOT FEEL THE GM EXPERTS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. WANT THE PROBLEM RESOLVED, BUT DON'T WANT TO SPEND ANOTHER $1000.00 ONLY TO FIN…
Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10097976 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10130159 · 2005-07-26 (July 26, 2005)
PURCHASED A 2001 CHEVROLET 3500 DUAL WHEEL DIESEL SILVERADO PICK-UP NEW IN 2001. THE BRAKE PEDAL HAS ALWAYS FELT LIKE A BUCKET OF MUSH. IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS THE DEALER REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ALL OF THE BRAKE ROTORS WHICH WERE RUSTED. THE PROBLEM WAS STILL THERE. IT IS NOW JULY 2005 AND I AM TAKING MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TOMORROW TO REPAIR A BRAKEL FLUID LEAK ON THE LEFT REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT STOP LIKE A NORMAL VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED. I ALSO OWN A 2000 CHEVROLET 25OO A…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10130159 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
01V220000 · Interior Lighting
Reported: 2001-06-26 (June 26, 2001)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 6.6L DIESEL ENGINES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 105, "HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRIC BRAKE SYSTEMS." THESE VEHICLES HAVE A BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT MAY NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE FLUID IS LOW. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE BRAKE FLUID IS LOW, THE VEHICLE MAY NOT MEET THE PARTIAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 105.
Consequence: THESE CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CHANGE THE LOCATION OF A WIRE CONNECTION IN THE UNDERHOOD BUSSED ELECTRICAL CENTER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 9, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020 OR GMC AT 1-800-462-8782.
NHTSA campaign record ↗