RoadVitals

2005 Chevrolet W3500

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.
2
Latest Sep 26, 2005
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.
0
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.
0
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Chevrolet W3500, most frequently naming the engine, electrical and transmission categories. 109 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

  • Engine250.0%
  • Electrical125.0%
  • Transmission125.0%

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

ElectricalEngineTransmission
Filed Sep 26, 2005

PURCHASED 2005 EQUINOX ON 12/14/04 FROM CRANE CHEVROLET IN CLIFTON, NJ. HAD A FUNNY SMELL FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SMELL GOT WORSE. INFORMED BY AN AUTO-GARAGE THAT I NEEDED A FLUSH-SHOULDN'T NEED A FLUSH UNTIL ABOUT 30,000 MILES. HAD APPROX. 14,000 MILES. TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER. THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE COOLING SYSTEM AMONG OTHER THINGS. GM NOR THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT TO DATE CONTACTED ME FOR THIS RECALL OR ANY OTHER RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. ON (5/27/05) TRUCK TO SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED SERVICE OF RECALL NOTICE I FOUND ON THE INTERNET. TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED HIS COMPUTER AND SAID, "OH YEAH, THERE IS A RECALL ON THE COOLING SYSTEM". THEY REPLACED COOLING SYSTEM HAD TO LEAVE TRUCK FOR A HOSE TO BE ORDERED. GOT THE TRUCK BACK-SMELL NOT AS STRONG, BUT STILL THERE. TOLD (BY DEALERSHIP-SERVICE AREA), IT WAS A RESIDUE PRIOR TO COOLING SYSTEM REPLACEMENT. SHORT TIME ELAPSED SMELL GETTING STRONGER AND NOISE (GROWLING NOISE) FROM EXHAUST. AGAIN FOR SERVICE (AT 17,083 MILES ON 7/8/05). THEY PERFORMED A FLUSH. GOT TRUCK BACK STILL HAD SMELL. ON 9/13/05 AT 21,272 MILES BACK FOR SERVICE AGAIN, IN ADDITION TO SMELL SMOKE COMING OUT OF MY AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING VENTS ON THE DASH BOARD AND THROUGH THE DEFROST VENTS ACROSS THE FRONT/BOTTOM OF MY FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE TEMPERATURE NEEDLE MARKING OVER THE MIDDLE RED MARK, INDICATING THAT THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING. SERVICE RAN THE CAR FOR 4 HOURS WITHOUT ANTIFREEZE -REPLACING IT WITH WATER. DEODORIZER WAS PLACED INSIDE THE VENTS. 9/25/05 HAVE THE TRUCK BACK STILL HAS ODOR AND SMOKING FROM THE VENTS. ODOR AND SMOKING HAPPENS WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON OR OFF. ALSO HAD THE PROBLEM; TRUCK IS IN PARK POSITION SHIFTED TO DRIVE POSITION AND IT WENT IN REVERSE, THIS HAPPENED TWICE. TRUCK HAS NOT START WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION KEY THIS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN THE SAME INSTANCE. IT TURNED ON AFTER THE THIRD TRY. THIS HAPPENED ONCE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10137553
Incident
May 27, 2005
Mileage
14,100 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 8, 2005

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 40 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BY OWNER.*AK *TC

NHTSA ID
10111276
Incident
Feb 4, 2005

Manufacturer communications

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

PIP5601C

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

PIT5074R

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B and Mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.

02-00-89-002X

This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only).

PIT3271P

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection.

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 W3500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2010000—
2009020—
2008030—
2007230—
2006230—
2005Viewing200—
2004410—
2003410—
2001201—
2000001—
1999000—
1998110—

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.