2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 transmission problems

POWER TRAIN

There was premature torque converter failure that’s has taken out the transmission unexpectedly. I was coming from a side street to get onto a main highway and as I left the stop sign the truck stalled upon take off and I was stuck half way on the highway and halfway on the side road. Until it jerked hard back into gear and pulled off. If the torque converter wouldn’t have caught in time then it could have cause a serious accident. The truck only has 95,000 miles and is a 2018 Silverado 1500 LT 4x4 with the 6l80e transmission. I had to park the truck until the following week when I could take it to dealership and they diagnosed it and quoted me for a new transmission and torque converter. Something needs to be done about these transmission as they are a serious safety concern. No police report was made since there was no accident but there definitely could have been.

NHTSA complaint #11754640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH with cruise control activated, the vehicle shuddered and multiple warning lights illuminated, including the check engine, check oil, fasten seatbelt, traction control, and brake warning lights. The vehicle experienced steering overcorrection and lost power. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and slowly driven to an independent mechanic shop, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the first and second pistons and lifters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000.

NHTSA complaint #11749304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The engine lifters and camshaft started to fail at 114,000 miles. I had to have it repaired at a dealership and it cost over $10,000. I had completed all recommended maintenance prior to the failure. 500 miles after that repair was completed, my transmission overheated and completely left me stranded on the side of the road. I had to have it repaired at a dealership which cost $$8,000

NHTSA complaint #11748751 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

A known radiator issue, with microcracks in radiator is producing a leak and will require replacement. There are many examples of this online for the model years 2014-2018, and are known by the manufacturer. I am having mine replaced with 95,000 miles on my truck.

NHTSA complaint #11740845 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Vehicle was determined to be unsafe to operate per inspection performed by Mike Maroone Chevrolet on 8/26/24 immediately after I purchased from Rocky Mountain Auto Brokers in Colorado Springs on 8/8/26. It was discovered by customer immediately after sale that bank 2 catalytic converter was restricted internally (after Rocky Mountain failed to correctly diagnose and repair 3 times before and after purchase). Customer discovered emissions warranty extension and took to Maroone Chevrolet. After warranty repair inspection of vehicle determined it was not safe for customer to pick up and drive vehicle and generated a report and video showing front suspension damage so loose that could cause crash and vehicle was towed back to Rocky Mountain for repairs. Rocky Mountain has failed to provide any documentation on these repairs and many subsequent repairs including transmission replacement after many written requests. Customer cannot verify if vehicle repairs brought vehicle back to a safe condition. Almost anll repairs by Rocky Mountain has failed resulting in missing bolts, bolts falling out after transmission replacement As well as failure of many CV Axel replacements documented in their own records. Extended Warranty Company also refuses to provide documentation of transmission replacement after they supplied the part (transmission) to Rocky Mountain for installation. Customer cannot verify if in fact transmission was replaced as it was painted black. Any warranty on replaced transmission cannot be verified and they also have refused to provide documentation or serial number verifying same after many written requests. Customer would like to submit a detailed letter and safety inspection report with further info and details in addition to this online form complaint as this is a complex case and additional info will further prove up these allegations. Some documents provided by Rocky Mountain are inconsistent with customer complaints and do not reflect accurate info.

NHTSA complaint #11736467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I was driving on highway 20 in Cartersville ga at speeds around 55-60 mph with both of my kids the vehicle. All of a sudden my rpm’s shot up to over 5000 while losing acceleration control of the vehicle. I attempted to slow down and pull over on the side of the road to get out of traffic and was unable to get the vehicle to move forward or backwards at all. The rpm’s continued to rev out of control unless I was park. I had to shut the vehicle off for a few minutes, erase codes and attempt to move it again. I got it to move another few feet to just clear the roadway. I had to leave the vehicle on the side of the road and get both my kids out on the highway and wait for someone to come pick us up. The truck is now in the shop and I’m told that the torque converter shred to pieces and the my transmission was shot. This was a $7000 fix and the vehicle hasn’t even hit 100,000 miles yet. I also did the recommended service at 80,000 miles following the Chevy guidelines for my truck.

NHTSA complaint #11732767 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

We purchased a 2018 Fully Loaded Chevy Silverado LTZ/Z71 ($60,000) in 2019, with the idea it would last. After being super meticulous with maintenance and keeping this vehicle in top condition, we just passed the 110,000 mile mark. I have receipts of all the work/maintenance completed on this vehicle. I began to hear a ticking noise in the engine block, and the check engine light came on, so I pulled the codes and went to a local transmission/engine mechanic to find that I have a bent push rod (manufacture failure) due a failed lifter/AFM system. I opted not to take it directly to the dealer as they charge $179 base rate for diagnosis which could increase depending on the diagnosis needed. After numerous calls, I found this is a very common ($7,500-$11,000+) issue with '18-'21 models. Explored my options only to find the 2021- 2026 engines are worse with issues involving crankshaft, engine seizures and an active lawsuit with the new 6.2L V8 engines. (Silverado, GMC Sierra, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukons) I was then pointed in the direction of speaking to the GM Manufacture directly, again. I had contacted them numerous times and was told the damages, even though are not preventable and are directly due to a manufacture error. I was told I must take my vehicle to a licensed service dealer to be diagnosed. I informed them, that I was already told my vehicle would not be covered so I did not feel the need to endure additional cost only to be told the cost would again, not be covered. I'm not seeking full payment; I even mentioned Goodwill assistance of which they denied; however, I'm without a vehicle and have received very little to no communication in resolving this issue, which is an issue I'm finding is happening to many others alike and General Motors Corp, is not taking any responsibility or accountability in this matter.

NHTSA complaint #11724143 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Transmission skips 1st gear and jumps and shakes vibrates. The transmission has to have a total rebuild

NHTSA complaint #11722583 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

-Transmission failed. - Driving down the highway and the truck just quit. (Morning rush hour traffic) -truck was towed to my mechanic -only made a weird noise the day before.

NHTSA complaint #11720996 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My transmission failed at around 69,000 miles. This was confirmed by the dealership. I bought my vehicle from and was covered under warranty. I purchased my vehicle in 2019 from a Dodge dealership and it came with a 10 year hundred thousand mile warranty for the powertrain. The tech indicated that the torque converter failed sending metal fragments through the transmission, coolant lines and transmission cooler. There were no warning indicators only hard shifting clunking when shifting and shuttering at different speeds.

NHTSA complaint #11719128 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Transmission is having hard shift and shutter at a speed of 60/65

NHTSA complaint #11717417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While pulling a 14' enclosed trailer when i left off the gas pedal there was a sudden low growl/vibration coming from the bed area of the truck. I was slowing down for a red light and it started at around 20mph. I pulled off slowly when the light turned green and was listening with my head out the window but everything seemed normal, about 2 miles down the road from the initial vibration/growl incident and running about 40mph the rear differential completely locked up causing the drive shaft to snap off the pinion yoke and left me sideways in the middle of both lanes with an enclosed trailer and alot of ticked off people cussing at me like i did it on purpose or something. Because the rear end was completely locked up, there was no way for me to move out of the road way so i had to sit blocking both lanes for 2 hours while waiting for a tow truck. There was no warning lights, the only kind of warning was the quick and subtle vibration/growling noise at the redlight.

NHTSA complaint #11716898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that the transmission was failing to shift into gear properly. The contact was unaware of which part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,690.

NHTSA complaint #11716817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My truck has been into the dealership repeatedly from Aug 2024 to where it sits now to this day because of the engine and the electronic fuel management system. This fuel management system has destroyed my engine by allowing excessive oil consumption to which it turns the oil black. The engine goes from v8 to 4 cylinder to save on fuel which makes the engine work harder. It causes the rocker arms and pistons to work harder which makes them fail. These problems have occurred with my truck and now the dealership wants 20,000 to replace the engine when they worked on it continuously even after my warranty period had expired. Keep in mind that they were still fixing these problems when my warranty hadn't expired yet they fail to fix it properly. I make payments on a truck that I hardly ever get to drive. I have service invoices to back up my claims. There are numerous others that are dealing with this problem and it's all over the internet so i am not the only person

NHTSA complaint #11712824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated or shuddered while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission failure. Due to the failure, the torque converter and the transmission were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls for the failure under the VIN. The failure mileage was 85,377.

NHTSA complaint #11712095 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

We bought the truck new 2018 and started having trans issues and leaf springs popping. So, we took back to dealership and all they did was change fluid in trans and pump grease in-between leaf springs. I did get them to finally change passenger side leaf spring out, but that does no good when leaf spring they put on has the same issue. The leaf springs have to much gap in between each leaf. I told them to give me a 1,000.00 and I would go and have some made. That way, if I put a load on leaf spring it less chance they could break going down the road. Also, we have issues with radio that also did not get fixed by gm and still has the issue we can't use today. My truck also has the 6.2l engine that you guys have had complaints on. I will tell you that I'm not happy with what Gm is doing with these defected parts on these trucks. They are doing quick fixes to save them money on their screw ups and could get us killed. We are still having the issues to this day and they just brush us off. We pay a lot of money for these truck and Gm is ripping us off and costing us more money because we have to pay to fix their mistake, they should be fixing for free. All I want from Gm is get these issues fixed right and pumping grease in-between parts does not fix anything. We have to hold them accountable for these issues and make them fix it before it cost more peoples lives. I just want what I paid for and I did not get that when I bought it with these types of issues.

NHTSA complaint #11711866 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My transmission blew up and I almost wrecked my truck. No engine lights came on, and still no engine lights are coming on it only has 69,000 miles on it and has never missed a service. Its currently at the dealership where I bought it from

NHTSA complaint #11709805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Torque converter failed which led to premature transmission failure at 115,000. Known common issue with 6L80 and TSB advising this. No recall

NHTSA complaint #11706541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

shudder while driving

NHTSA complaint #11699260 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

2018 6.2l engine dropped 3 lifters at just a little over 70k miles. Vehicle is my wife’s and almost caused her and my child to have an accident while traveling on highway at posted speed. Vehicle lost power that resulted from premature engine failure resulting in vehicle losing power to the brakes and steering while in heavy traffic. This directly affected my wife and immediately caused her to have a panic attack. Vehicle has always been maintained to the highest levels. This issue affects a substantial amount of these motors around the same mileage. Very bad and unsafe AFM design that is common among vehicles with this engine. Transmission is also experiencing studdering/vibration issues. Right now we have paid out over 5k for engine repairs. Transmission needs repaired and presents a constant safety risk to our family as well as others. GM needs to stand by their products as we consumers put our trust in these vehicles to be safe and to last more than a few miles. My wife and I both have to work and unfortunately we don’t have the extra funds to purchase another vehicle or to keep shelling money out to fix a basically new vehicle that we have babied. Please help us hold companies accountable for their failure to stand behind their products. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA complaint #11698549 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

My 2018 Silverado z71crew cab LT , 5.3L engine was having issues with hold Freon in AC unit. We took to dealer to be fixed in June 2025. They added Freon and it was running good for a week then once again blew but no cold air. So took back second time 7/3/25 and they started the die test and machine went down in middle of doing it. So could not finish fixing . We took back on 07/20/25 and they completed the test needed condenser . So few days later we took to our local mechanic to have the condenser replaced and all is well with the AC unit now. Everything was fine from mid July 2025 till Oct 14 th 2025 , when it started shaking and was running rough and engine light was on so I had it checked for codes to see what it needed. Came back as bad injector. So we took to local mechanic to have injector replaced and tuneup and coils replaced . After this was completed was running much rougher then before we even had that injector and tuneup done. So mechanic suggested for him to keep it and let him dive deeper into what was wrong and why it was running rougher than before, so we let him do that.. after two days, he came back and told us that there was a crack in the engine and that is why it was running rough and that it probably was going to have an engine failure and might be and must be replaced. So I looked up my VIN number to see if there’s any recalls for my particular truck and engine size which is a 5.3 L and it doesn’t show my particular truck but it does show my year of a Silverado and the 3.6 L engine has had the same issues so I was wondering if this recall should be extended to the 5.3 L 2018 seems to be the same problem with the engine block.

NHTSA complaint #11694938 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

2018 Chevy Silverado with 84,000 miles and the transmission is broken. Truck is currently in a shop to have a new transmission installed.

NHTSA complaint #11686620 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

No check engine light come on until continued driving over 15-20 miles. Transmission slams into second gear when taking off or when stopping it may or may not downshift into first causing safety issues when in traffic. Possible electrical error or clutch inside transmission. On this model it is a sealed transmission so no way of identifying if metal shavings come out with a transmission flush. The issue only happens when vehicle is at temperature, if under and still cool drives perfect but as soon as it hits the temperature of 210 it slams very ugly.

NHTSA complaint #11683324 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Multiple Ttansmission failure, Torque Converter failure which leads to a completely destroyed transmission, vacuum pump to transmission fails which then completely destroys the transmission, transmission cooler failure which destroys said transmission. Due to parts availability, GM continues to replace with reman transmission which continues to fail. 6L80E transmission. Engine catastrophic failure due to stuck lifter, recommended oil weight starved viscosity and causes lifters to become lodged and rockers, valves and other internal parts to fail catastrophically.

NHTSA complaint #11678955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

1. The components that failed were the transmission because the vehicle was driving and continued to slow down until it came to a complete stop gradually, and had to be pushed home. And also, there was an issue with the doors unlocking on their own and all windows rolling down by themselves. 2. The safety risk was the issues that happened without any knowledge of any issues at all with the vehicle. And the vehicle could have stopped on the highway, and another vehicle could have run into it, and it could have been a very bad incident. And with the doors unlocking and the windows rolling on their own could be exposed to unsafe environments and possibly theft of the vehicle or harm to the occupants. 3. Had a scan done, which showed the issues that were going on with the vehicle 4. I haven't had a chance to have it taken to the manufacturer because it broke down, and I was waiting for some help to get these issues repaired from the manufacturer. And needed from ACC. 5. There wasn't no indicators or lights on when this happened? I was told by a coworker about the windows being down, and with further investigations, I found the doors were unlocked as well, which was done automatically without my control.

NHTSA complaint #11678120 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The transmission has been shifting hard. I have had it serviced to try and address the issue. It continued to shift hard, until suddenly slamming me down and locking me into first gear. It would not shift from first gear until I found a parking lot, placed it in park, shut the truck off and restarted it. This caused me to nearly rear end the vehicle in front of me. This has not been reproduced to date because the shop cannot get to my truck for 4 weeks and I cannot be without a vehicle for that long (won’t schedule and let me bring in the day before). There has not been an inspection done by anyone because I was able to avoid the collision, and the shop is too far out time wise. There were no prior indications/lights to warn me of a severe problem. The dealership informed me that this has been an ongoing problem with the valve body inside the transmission, but there is no warranty or recall for it. They were sure happy to take my money without telling me of the problems when I bought my truck.

NHTSA complaint #11676824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

I purchased my truck in December 2018 which is a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4 crew cab automatic from Servco Chevrolet Dealership in Waipahu, Hawaii and making monthly payments for my truck February of 2019 truck runs good and purchased the warranty also had my oil and service changed when time is due which I always kept up. [XXX] and mileage was 40k while leaving work to go home at a stop light was red once turned green I pushed pedal to go and truck just changed noise tone started to run like rough idle, loud tapping noise coming from the engine, shaking and check engine light came on almost causing me to get into an accident. I pulled on the side and checked what was going on and heard the tapping noise from the motor. So I made an appointment with service department with Servco Chevrolet Dealership where i bought my truck from and spoke with the service tech for my truck to go in for repairs due to issue. It took 2 to 3 weeks for repairs to be complete and service tech informed me that I'm not the only person to have that issue which had to do with the lifters and camshaft with these motors but GM never came out with any recalls due to how much people has the same motors with the same issue. So luckily it was still covered under warranty but said the problem might come back and would just replace the faulty lifters and camshaft. So in August of 2023 my truck has the same issue but wasn't covered under warranty anymore and mileage is 61k and missed the warranty repairs that was for the lifters which I got it scanned cause check engine light and same issue and code was P0016. So I called Servco Chevrolet dealership in waipahu again and spoke with the service technician which he told me I just missed the coverage of the warranty repair and only way to get it fixed I would have to bring it back for them to scan and roughly would range from 4k to 8k to get it fixed. So my truck is parked in my garage and hasn't been moved but paying for truck. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA complaint #11676464 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

10 miles from home on [XXX] after Thanksgiving with my children sleeping at [XXX] in snowy cold weather, my engine began to fail. Power was limited on hills and the check engine light would come on and go back off when on flat or downhill. The next morning I took my truck to the dealer that I purchased it from where I was told the lifters had failed and I need a new engine. 1000 miles after I replaced my engine my transmission failed completely requiring a transmission replacement. Immediately upon picking up the vehicle and going down a long hill in the area, engine breaking turned on as expected but as the truck tried to slow itself, after 2 or 3 downshifts, the transmission began making a loud grinding sound and while still going close to 50 MPH, the speedometer showed 10-15 MPH and the tach dropped to idle. The transmission was decoupled from the motor. When gas was reapplied it seemed to make the connection again and resume normal driving. I called the dealership whose techs did not believe me and told me that I could 'turn off' the engine breaking feature. The situation continued to worsen each drive and it would do it more often. This was unacceptable and they finally had a tech ride with me to experience it and immediately agreed there was an issue and reordered another transmission. The third transmission did not fix the issue and was experienced immediately. They are now guessing how to fix the issue telling me I have to replace the transfer case out of my pocket with no diagnosis, not sure what is causing it and have not fixed the problem. Videos would not fit in upload due to size. Videos show speedometer failure. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11675854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact's husband owns a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that metal shaving were discovered in the radiator due to a defective torque converter. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 143,057.

NHTSA complaint #11675435 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

While driving on an Interstate the vehicle violently shook and drive shaft ce off.

NHTSA complaint #11674704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.