2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Brakes Problems

The Electronic Parking Brake System on my 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 continuously malfunctions. Chevy/ GM Customer Support has been made aware of this issue and continues to disregard it entirely. The Electronic Parking Brake, which is an automatic function that cannot be turned off or bypassed, fails to fully disengage when the vehicle is taken out of Park. The Electronic Parking Brake remains very slightly engaged, producing a slight noise while driving and causing excessively premature wear on the vehicles pads and rotors. My vehicle has about 64,000 miles on it, and I have had to replace my rear brakes twice now already, due to this issue. The majority of those 64,000 miles are from uninterrupted highway driving. Each time the rear brakes were replaced, I had the dealership inspect the braking system. The dealership was not able to definitively confirm for some reason but was able to speculate that the aforementioned is likely what is going on. I find that any malfunction of such a critical part of the vehicle and the safety of it's operators and passengers poses a major safety risk.

NHTSA ID

11751449

Incident

Jun 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of drive power with high RPM. The check engine, traction control, ABS, and parking brake warning lights were illuminated, and the message "Brake System Failure, 43 MPH Top Speed" was displayed. The contact disconnected the battery and was able to correct the failure. The failure later recurred with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11742019

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

Mileage

55,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, four different warning lights illuminated: ABS, Service Brake Assist, Service ESC, and two specific "Brake System Failure" messages limiting the top speed to 42 MPH and 62 MPH, suddenly the vehicle went into limp mode and had to be towed. The vehicle will be taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,264.

NHTSA ID

11737365

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

Mileage

114,264 mi

My son was driving his 2020 Silverado Trail Boss (50,000 miles) when suddenly the brakes were inoperative. He had to drive around several cars to avoid collision finally swerving into the parking lane and using the gearshift lever moving the transmission into park to stop forward movement. He had no warning lights or any indication the brakes were going to fail. The truck was towed to Harbor Chevrolet on Long Beach, Ca. They diagnosed the problem as a “software update” and this was “rare”. They seemed along with GM customer service seemed not to be very concerned about the problem and just gave me some GM Reward points. We are afraid to drive the car at this point.

NHTSA ID

11737195

Incident

Mar 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 10 MPH and depressing the brake while turning, the ABS warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal remained on the floorboard. The vehicle was pulled into a parking lot and was able to come to a full stop. The contact's wife inspected the vehicle and used a handheld diagnostic machine to retrieve an undisclosed DTC; however, the codes were cleared. The vehicle was then taken to the residence. On another occasion, while the vehicle was in reverse(R), the ABS warning light illuminated, and the brake pedal remained pressed to the floorboard. The contact used the handheld diagnostic machine to retrieve and clear the codes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that an ABS update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired, and the contact had not yet taken possession of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ID

11729965

Incident

Mar 15, 2026

Mileage

79,000 mi

Started to work first thing in the morning, the truck felt sluggish-like a lack of power. I drove about a mile to turn around and head back home, something was obviously wrong. When I got out of the truck there was a smell like something was hot and the wheels were extremely hot. I realized the lack of power was due to the brakes being locked. The parking brake was not engaged. After calling the local dealer for an appointment, I had to get the truck towed. Now the 2nd day at the dealer with no diagnosis, no service codes. The truck has approximately 77,000 miles with the original brakes from the factory and have never had to be replaced. The vehicle data display shows 42% of brake wear remaining.

NHTSA ID

11727202

Incident

Mar 25, 2026

Intermittent issue where info says brake failure/steering assist not working/limited speed to 43 mph. Very dangerous if you’re on the interstate. Becomes hard to steer, brakes don’t work, brakes start burning up. Have to carry tools with me to reset ecm. Very common problem with Silverado with 5.3 gas engine. Chevy needs to fix this issue before someone gets killed. I would give them my truck back if I could.

NHTSA ID

11725948

Incident

Mar 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed with force to stop the vehicle. The contact was concerned that the issue was abnormal. The failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to pull out of a parking lot, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the power steering was inoperative, but no warning lights were illuminated. The "Engine Control Module Battery - Service Soon" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there were codes in the engine control module battery that were incorrect and had to be reprogrammed, and the ground strap was corroded and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was concerned that both failures were connected. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ID

11723527

Incident

Mar 1, 2021

Mileage

15,000 mi

Brakes applied on their own while driving. Before being able to stop the rotors both front and rear were very hot and the smell of burning brake pads was evident. Let the truck shit after getting off the side of the road for a bit. Brakes seemed to release started driving and the brakes applied themselves again. We slowly stop and go drove home a few miles on the side of the road with the flashers on.

NHTSA ID

11721269

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

Brakes lock up on vehicle while driving Must turn vehicle off and restart several times to disengage brakes. This has happened twice in the last 8 weeks, very concerning as we cannot use our travel trailer as we do not trust this not reoccurring. Chevy dealership says there is a recall on this issue but not on my truck?. But they say it is THAT problem

NHTSA ID

11719749

Incident

Feb 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. The message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the message "Service Brake Assist" was displayed on the instrument panel again. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,593.

NHTSA ID

11712668

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

Mileage

101,593 mi

While driving home from work the truck displayed numerous trouble codes including ebc failure, braking failure, traction control failure and trailer brake failure as well as vehicle governed to 42 mph. I took it to the dealership and they checked all of the braking system and could not find any issues. They reset the codes, and changed all 4 pads and rotors as all 4 wheels were 1/32 out of true as a precaution. I drove it home about 5 miles with no issues. The next morning I was on my way to work and the codes reappeared with me being governed to 62 mph. At the stop sign I had no braking at all. Pumping the brakes resulted in no braking or pressure in the pedal. Luckily there was no traffic and I was able to use a hill to stop. I turned around and went the mile back to my house and was unable to stop again ending up with the front end in my neighbors yard. I had the vehicle towed back to the dealership where they still have not found a cause or a solution to the issue

NHTSA ID

11712219

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

My truck started acting sluggish like the parking brake was applied while driving. At a traffic light I put the vehicle in park applied and released the parking brake. I put the vehicle back in gear an let off the brake. The vehicle did not move so slightly pressed the accelerator. The vehicle still acted as if the brakes were applied. I could feel the slight movement and torque being applied but only slightly lurching. The traffic light turned green so I proceeded up to 45mph. A vehicle in front of me slowed to make a turn. Applied the brakes and nothing happened. I pressed the brake so hard that I lifted myself off the seat. I swerved to miss the vehicle avoiding a collision. Then warnings started popping up; "brake system failure max speed 62mph", "brake system failure max speed 42mph", Brake system failure", service traction control", "service trailer baking system". among others I was too busy to see all of them. I coasted to a stop in a nearby parking lot with visual and audible warnings still going. I shut the vehicle off then restarted it. Some warnings remained like traction control and the engine light. The vehicle appeared to be operating correctly so I drove it to a local dealer. they said there was a code for low voltage in the brake control module but couldn't get me an appointment for over two weeks. I took the vehicle to a regular mechanic who said what I described was impossible. That mechanic kept my truck for the balance of the day but could find nothing wrong. I no longer trust this vehicles brake system. In many scenarios the failure, were it to happen again could be catastrophic.

NHTSA ID

11701666

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

Brakes would not release after driving a little ways the brake system failure warning came on. I stopped and killed engine and restarted but it lunged and I lost all braking. I pulled over to side of road and again killed engine a couple minutes I restarted it released. Then drove normal. ????

NHTSA ID

11700485

Incident

Nov 19, 2025

While driving it said "service ESC", "brake system failure" and then "trailer brake system failure" "max speed 62." Brakes when pressed would not work. Had to cruise to stop. When truck shut down and restarted it said "max speed 43" and check engine light came on. Truck was then towed to mechanic and waiting to be looked at/worked on.

NHTSA ID

11699675

Incident

Nov 15, 2025

There was a brake system failure and the brakes stopped working while going 50 mph

NHTSA ID

11699212

Incident

Nov 12, 2025

While driving on a residential side street my 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (81,996 miles) suddenly lost power steering and braking with no waring. Several messages appeared in the dash and the check engine light illuminated. I was able get the vehicle safely to the shoulder and put in park without power steering or brakes. At this point the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Chevy dealer on 10/29/2025. The technician verified the loss of power steering, brakes, and several other codes and diagnosed the issue as corroded engine grounding straps per GM bulletin #23-NA-201. The grounding straps were replaced and the codes cleared. The technician test drove the vehicle and verified normal operation after the repair. I was responsible for paying the full cost of these repairs as my vehicle was out of warranty. I feel incredibly fortunate that this happened on a residential side street with no traffic. Had this failure happened on the expressway while pulling my 4,000 lb trailer, this could have been a fatal accident if I suddenly lost power steering, brakes and had the engine stall like it did. I see multiple complaints for this issue on the NHTSA website and the GM TSB for this issue dates back to 2023. I am shocked that this is not a nationwide recall yet. It is a significant safety threat to the driver and others. I also know this is not an isolated incident, as my service advisor at the dealer suggested it was probably the grounding straps before the technician even inspected my vehicle. It was pretty clear from our conversation that I was not the first vehicle they had repaired with this issue.

NHTSA ID

11696803

Incident

Oct 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 71 MPH with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced braking and power steering failure. The Traction Control, Brake, Parking, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Fuel Control, and Check Engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the Brake Assist failure, Steering failure, and Trailer Brake failure messages were displayed. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted over to the side of the road. After turning off the vehicle for approximately an hour, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove 40 MPH back to the residence. The contact stated that after the failure, the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral, and then the parking brake was activated to come to a stop. The contact stated that a diagnostic test confirmed the steering and brake failures. The contact used a diagnostic tool to retrieve DTC: C0580. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact discovered information related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V116000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11695795

Incident

Oct 23, 2025

Mileage

104,000 mi

Rear brake inner pads completely worn while outer pads look brand new at 35,000 miles. This appears to be due to the electronic parking brake not releasing quick enough but this condition almost disables the rear brakes and could cause an accident.

NHTSA ID

11677941

Incident

Jul 12, 2025

Vehicle started and behaved as expected when leaving my home and for a dozen lights or so between my home and place of the incident. While stopped at a red light, the auto stop function shut the truck down as normal. On re-start when getting green light, after releasing brake pressure, the start up was belabored for two turnovers before starting up. As I pulled off the stop with a green light, the dash lights illuminated and display started rolling through system failures, one of which was the brakes system and ESC. I cautiously proceeded through my turn to a thankfully quiet intersection as the brakes were completely unresponsive. I had ZERO brake function. I was able to slowly come to a rolling stop enough to get the truck in park where I turned it off and back on and the brake function returned. I cautiously drove to the local chevy dealer where I was informed that the battery drain pulls from low voltage when it needs extra power for start up. This is utterly terrifying that it is even possible for the battery to start the truck WITHOUT ANY BRAKE FUNCTION. Had this happened just two lights before or after where I was, it would have been a news headline. I could have easily been headed up and over a bridge leading to a catastrophic event at the bottom where I would have been completely unable to stop my truck by any means other than a collision. I would have preferred a dead battery at a red light. Seems a whole lot safer. I'm now stressed beyond measure at the thought of some failure in the future that could lead to another event such as this. My truck is now a nightmare wondering what electrical malfunction is going to put me and/or my wife and daughter in a life or death situation, let alone others on the road. This shouldn't even be an option for the truck to start at the expense of a critical safety function. Not to mention there is no function for the auto start stop system to be deactivated permanently by my choice. I am beside myself and scared to drive.

NHTSA ID

11667337

Incident

Jun 16, 2025

The rear brakes of the vehicle are locking up while driving. The truck is a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are listed as included in the recall per the NHTSA Campaign # 24V797000 recall. When searching the VIN number of our vehicle, [XXX] , it states that it is not included in the recall and has no unrepaired recalls. Our vehicle is experiencing the issue as outlined in the recall notice but is not currently included in the recall when it should be. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11665938

Incident

Jun 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the front wheels seized, and the contact was forced to pull over to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. This failure reoccurred a second time and while pulling over the front wheels seized, and the brake pad and rotors were visibly red. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11662804

Incident

Dec 31, 2024

Transmission is changing out very hard in each gear. On tonight while I was driving, I lost speed on the interstate and when I push the accelerator, It was like back wheels were locked up. I left it at the next exit gas station and came back and towed it home. Lucky I was able to put hazard lights on and get off the side of the road but it was very slow speed. Yes I have had it look at certified dealer under Cheverolet. It was no warning light. I was going 65 and in a split second the rpm went up high and I was doing like 25. Once I finally made it to the gas station and got out the truck smell like a burning smell

NHTSA ID

11660298

Incident

May 11, 2025

I have the L87 6.2 liter V8 engine from General Motors. I had sudden engine failure. Apparently the rods and bearings are bad. It is the same problem as the recall issued for 2021-2024 vehicles, exept for my truck is a year 2020. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11659696

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, with the check engine, Service ESC, and the “Service Parking Brake” warning lights were flashing. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was blown, and the engine needed to be taken apart for additional diagnostic tests. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phaser and lifters had failed and the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11657948

Incident

Apr 3, 2025

Mileage

104,000 mi