RoadVitals

2018 Chevrolet 3500

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest Feb 25, 2021
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet 3500, most frequently naming the brakes, electrical and powertrain (other) categories. 410 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes125.0%
  • Electrical125.0%
  • Powertrain (other)125.0%
  • Visibility125.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

BrakesElectrical
Filed Feb 25, 2021

WHILE PULLING A VARIETY OF 3 DIFFERENT TRAILERS, THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL DOES NOT PROPERLY SEND OUTPUT TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THIS CAUSES THE TRUCK (TOW VEHICLE) TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BRAKING WORK ON ITS OWN. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I'VE HAD THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE ON THE TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT BECAUSE I WASN'T GETTING ADEQUATE BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER DUE TO THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL FAILING TO SEND ADEQUATE POWER TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. THE GAIN ON THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL WAS SET PROPERLY FOR THE LOAD BEING PULLED ON THE TRAILER AND THE GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK/TRAILER/LOAD DID NOT EXCEED THE RATED CAPACITIES OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE TRIED BLAMING THE TRAILER OR THE OPERATOR. I HAVE SHOWN BOTH DEALERS THAT THE TRUCK DOES IT WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TRAILERS AND PROVEN THAT IT'S NOT THE TRAILER. I HAVE MY CLASS A CDL AND HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAILERS WITH BRAKE CONTROLLERS FOR 20 YEARS. THIS INSTANCE HAPPENS AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS OF TRAVEL WHILE DRIVING, WHETHER IT BE 5 MPH OR 65 MPH OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. ALSO, WHILE SITTING STILL AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, THE TRUCK PUTS NO BRAKING POWER TO THE TRAILER WHICH IS HORRIBLE WHEN YOU ARE SITTING ON ANY KIND OF SLOPED GRADE. FROM A COMMERCIAL DRIVER STANDPOINT, THIS TRUCK DOES NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM PASS A DOT SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THE TRUCK HAS ROUGHLY 37,000 MILES, IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF, AND IS FLEET MAINTAINED. THE ATTACHED PHOTO IS WHILE SITTING STILL WITH A LOADED GOOSENECK TRAILER HOOKED TO THE TRUCK.

NHTSA ID
11397975
Incident
Jan 28, 2021
Mileage
36,000 mi
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 21, 2021

WHILE TRAVELING AT 31 MPH ON A SLIGHT DOWN-GRADE, THE TRANSMISSION 'SHUTTLES' BETWEEN GEARS WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. IT IS MOST PROMINENT WHEN THE ENGINE HAS NOT REACH FULL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN ACCELERATING, SUCH AS ENTERING A FREEWAY. A VIDEO IS AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
11389208
Incident
Apr 4, 2018
Mileage
2,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 21, 2018

MY 3500 HD SRW HAS A POWER FOLD BUTTON FOR THE SIDE MIRRORS. WHILE PASSING A SEMI TRUCK AT 70 MPH ON I-20, I WENT TO ADJUST THE RIGHT MIRROR SLIGHTLY. I ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED THE POWER FOLD BUTTON ( IT IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MIRROR ADJUSTMENT BUTTON ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR ). THE SIDE MIRRORS FOLDED IN. I TRIED TO RETURN THE MIRRORS BACK TO THEIR OPERATING POSITION BUT THEY WOULD ONLY UNFOLD A SLIGHT AMOUNT DUE TO THE WIND RESISTANCE. SINCE I WAS PULLING MY FIFTH WHEEL MY REAR VIEW MIRROR WAS USELESS. I DID NOT HAVE ANYONE WITH ME AT THE TIME TO HELP FORCE THE MIRROR OUT SO I AM NOW COMPLETELY BLIND AND BESIDE A SEMI IN THE LEFT HAND PASSING LANE. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY GET SOMEONE HURT SERIOUSLY. YOU CAN NOT PULL OVER SINCE YOU ARE IN THE LEFT LANE, CAN NOT SLOW DOWN SINCE YOU ARE ON AN INTERSTATE HWY AND HAVE NO SIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
11121227
Incident
Aug 1, 2018
Mileage
35 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT5099J

PI to help diagnose A/C concern

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet 3500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2022300—
2021000—
2020200—
2019200—
2018Viewing300—
2017100—
2016500—
2015000—
2014000—
2008010—
2007010—
2006030—
2005020—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.