Owner-reported complaints naming the powertrain system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
SOUND COMING FROM TRANSMISSION WHEN PUSH ON GAS,NO POWER ON RIGHT SIDE GEAR LIGHT DOESN'T WORK I SERVICE 4 WD IT'S TELL ME TO SERVICE I START UP IT'S PICKS WHICH GEAR (STATIONARY) DOOR ON RIGHT STOP WORKING LOST ALL POWER.
THE 2003 SILVERADO 1500 SHORT BED PU U-JOINTS KEEP GOING OUT. HAVE REPLACED THEM ATLEAST 6 TIMES. PU HAD 30,000 WHEN PURCHASED IN 2006. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE BUILD OF THE PU THAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM, DON'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF TIRES I PUT ON THE PU IT HAS A VIBRATION ALL THE TIME. THE VIBRATION COULD BE WHATS CAUSING THE U-JOINTS TO GO OUT. I HAVE HAD 10 PLY TIRES ON IT FOR OFF ROAD USE AND NOW I'M RUNNING HIGHWAY TIRES AND STILL HAVE THE VIBRATION, SO I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TIRES IT'S MORE OF A DESIGN IN BUILD PROBLEM RETHER THAN A MECHANICAL PROBLEM I THINK. *TR
I WAS DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I LOST POWER TO THE TRANNY, I TOOK THE TRUCK TO A DIAGNOSTIC CENTER AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MOTOR, MY ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AS WELL BUT I CANT ACCELERATE MORE THAN 35 MILES AN HOUR IT ACCELERATES SLOWLY GAINING SPEED. *TR
VEHICLE WAS ON CRUISE CONTROL PRIOR TO ACCIDENT, I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS & DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE CRASH EARLY ON. WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE ROLLED FRONT TO REAR 1 1/2 TO 2 1/2 TIMES, PRIOR TO COMING TO REST ON ITS TOP. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THIS ACCIDENT. I SPENT 3 DAYS IN ICU AND AM NOW RECUPERATING AT HOME. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED DUE TO THIS ACCIDENT . THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THE ACCIDENT. *TR
I HAVE A 2003 SILVERADO THAT HAS BEEN HAVING ROUGH IDLING ISSUES. THE TRUCK DOESN'T IDLE ROUGH EVERYDAY,BUT WHEN IT DOES THE VOLTAGE FLUXUATES BETWEEN 10-14 VOLTS. BEFORE THIS STARTED HAPPENING IT STAYED AT A STEADY 14 VOLTS. NOW THE VOLTAGE IS DROPPING AND THE RPM'S ARE DROPPING TO AROUND 200-300 RPMS THEN SOME TIMES IT WILL DIE IN MOTION. I HAVE REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND HAD THE BATTERY TESTED THEY ARE GOOD. THERE WAS LOW FUEL PRESSURE SO I REPLACED THE PUMP,STILL NOTHING IS HELPING. I FOUND A INTERNET SITE (WWW.TOPIX.COM) THERE IS 15 PAGES OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NOBODY CAN FIND A DEFINITE PROBLEM. THERE IS PEOPLE SPENDING THOUSANDS ON THEIR VEHICLE TO FIX IT AND THE PARTS DON'T ALWAYS HELP. I HAVE NO WARNING LIGHTS COMING ON,SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START ANYMORE. I'M BROKE. I FEEL THAT GM NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING FOR ALL THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THIS. *TR *JS
MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WENT INTO "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" MODE AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND IDLE SPEED. IT TOOK SEVERAL RESTARTS BEFORE IT CLEARED AND WOULD RUN CORRECTLY. ABOUT THE TIME I MADE IT HOME IT WENT BACK INTO THIS MODE AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AS IT OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING AT ANY SPEED. *TR
REDUCE ENGINE POWER MESSAGE. 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO. DRIVING DOWN MAJOR 3 LANE HIGHWAY, MESSAGE APPEARS AND TRUCKS POWER GOES TO 15 MPH. TRIED TO GET INTO SLOWER LANE AND OFF HIGHWAY AND WAS ALMOST IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DUE TO NO POWER. TRUCK WILL NOT ACCELERATE ANY FASTER THAN THIS. HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE. MAJOR SAFETY FEATURE WITH CHEVROLET. OTHER THAN DINGER GOING OFF AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT TRUCK LOOSES ALL POWER TO ACCELERATE. CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. CODES ARE READING THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THIS IT SEEMS THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER YEAR AND MODELS DOING SAME WITH PEOPLE SPENDING $1,000.00 OR MORE AND PROBLEM NOT RESOLVED. HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE. AFTER UNHOOKING BATTERY FOR APPROX. 10 MIN. IT WILL RESET ITSELF AND MESSAGE WILL BE GONE UNTIL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. *TR
PURCHASED A USED 2003 SILVERADO, 120,000KM. ENCODER MOTOR ON TRANSFER CASE (4X4) FAILED. WAS TOWED AND PART REPLACED. COST $900.00.ENCODER OFF MY TRUCK WAS CORRODED AND SEIZED. VERY POORLY BUILT. THIS IS APPARENTLY A PART COMMON TO MOST 4X4 GM TRUCKS. THIS MUST BE A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR THE INDUSTRY AND CONSUMERS. *TR
MY 2003 CHEVROLET C/K 1500 SILVERADO IS HAVING A MESSAGE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOWING REDUCED ENGINE POWER. THEN, THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED POWER. THE SPEED WILL DRAMATICALLY SLOW TO AROUND 15 MPH. THIS HAPPENED 3 PREVIOUS TIMES. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL NEAR MISSES AS A RESULT OF THE POWER REDUCTION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS DUE TO THE ENGINE POWER FAILURE - AT TIMES THE ENGINE WILL NOT RESTART. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, THROTTLE BODY, POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE, THROTTLE ACTUATOR, CONTROL MODULE, ALSO, THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED AND THE ENGINE WAS STILL LOSING POWER. THE DEALERSHIP AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET ANY HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR
NOTICED ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO THAT WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE ACCESSORY POSITION THAT I CAN SLIP THE GEAR SHAFT INTO DRIVE, REVERSE, WHATEVER, WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. ALSO HAVE NOTICED THIS ON MULTIPLE 2006-2007 CHEVY EXPRESS VANS. WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE START POSITION OR ENGINE IS STARTED THAT THE BRAKE NEEDS TO BE DEPRESSED TO PLACE INTO GEAR. *TR
THE TRANSMISSION/DRIVE LINE SHIFTS HARD AND SEEMS TO BE IN A BIND DURING SHIFTING OPERATIONS. THERE ARE LOUD BANGING NOISES COMING FROM THE DRIVELINE/AXLES. THERE ALSO NOW SEEMS TO BE FLUID LEAKAGE FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AXLE HOUSING. I CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL AND HAD TO ADD ONE PINT OF AXLE OIL TO THE AXLE UNIT. *TR
DRIVETRAIN NOISE; RANGING FROM CLUNK TO METALLIC CLANK; PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE NEW. 1-2 UPSHIFT CAUSES CLUNK AT DRIVER SIDE FRONT. (4 WHEEL DRIVE MODEL) AND CLANK IAT DIFFERENTIAL. SITUATIONS WITH VERY LIGHT THROTTLE (1-2 SHIFT) RESULT AT TIMES WITH IMPACT/CLANK (W/ VERY AUDIBLE METALLIC SOUND);SUFFICIENT TO "SHUDDER" VEHICLE. SHIFTING IN 4W LOW (MANUFCTURER INSTRUCTIONS) ALSO RESULTS IN CLANK/SHUDDER; NOT UNLIKE BEING STRUCK BY A HAMMER. SLOWING DOWN/RELASING THROTTLE TO NEGOTIATE 90 DEG. TURNS; THROTTLE GOES "DEAD" - NO RESPONSE - THEN RESPONDS ABRUPLY. ON 2 OCCASIONS NOW-WET CONDITIONS-REAR END (3.73 LIMITED SLIP), THIS HAS RESULTED IN REAR END DRIFTING. MY CONCERN IS SNOW/ICE CONDITIONS. I VIEW THIS AS A LEGITIMATE SAFTEY ISSUE. DEALER HAS LOOKED AT THIS 3 TIMES AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG; CLAIMING ALL FUNCTIONS ARE NORMAL. THE LAST TIME I HAD IT SERVICED, THEIR REPORT NOTED THAT THE SYMPTOMS COULD NOT DUPLICATED; YET THE ODOMETER READING INDICATED LESS THAN .2 MILES DRIVEN. ROCKENBACH CHEVROLET IN GRAYSLAKE ILLINOIS. THEY SUGGESTED THAT I GET A LAWYER.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .