no report yet
Air bags: frontal
Risk. IF THE PASSENGER SENSING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, THE FRONT AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE MAY BE DISABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE ENABLED, OR ENABLED WHEN IT SHOULD BE…
2004 Chevrolet SilveradoProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 622 owner complaints about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, most often about the electrical system. It is covered by 8 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through June 24, 2022. Updated daily. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado has problems
622 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
159Electrical system9 crash/fire/injury
122Service brakes10 crash/fire/injury
84Service brakes, hydraulic22 crash/fire/injury
49Power train4 crash/fire/injury
44Steering3 crash/fire/injury
31Air bags
25Structure
24Engine and engine cooling
23Vehicle speed control
13621 other systems9 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 159 | 9 |
| Service brakes | 122 | 10 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 84 | 22 |
| Power train | 49 | 4 |
| Steering | 44 | 3 |
| Air bags | 31 | 22 |
| Structure | 25 | 4 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 24 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 23 | 1 |
| 21 other systems | 136 | 9 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
8 recalls
2004 Chevrolet Silverado recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Engine and engine cooling
Risk. IF THE DAMPER COMES LOOSE, A FUEL LEAK MAY RESULT.
no report yet
Parking brake
Risk. IF THE PARKING BRAKE DOES NOT HOLD, UNINTENDED VEHICLE MOVEMENT COULD OCCUR, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
no report yet
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk. A LAP PORTION OF THE SEAT BELT ROUTING THAT IS NOT LOW AND SNUG ON THE HIPS CAN ALLOW THE LAP BELT TO RIDE UP ON AN OCCUPANT'S ABDOMEN INSTEAD OF FITTING LOW…
Show 4 more recalls
no report yet
Service brakes, hydraulic
Risk. IF A SEPARATION OCCURRED AND THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE WERE OPEN, FRAGMENTS FROM THE ACCUMULATOR COULD CAUSE INJURY TO PEOPLE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA.
no report yet
Front: anchorage
Risk. THE STANDARD REQUIRES CHILD SEAT LOWER ANCHORAGES IN TWO SEATING POSITIONS FOR VEHICLES WITH THREE REAR SEATING POSITIONS.
no report yet
Tailgate: hinge and attachments
Risk. ANYONE SITTING OR STANDING ON THE HORIZONTAL SURFACE OF THE TAILGATE WHEN BOTH CABLES FRACTURED COULD BE INJURED BY FALLING FROM THE TAILGATE.
no report yet
Service brakes, hydraulic
Risk. CONSEQUENTLY, THE VALVE O-RING SEAL MAY FRACTURE.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Chevrolet.
Mileage at failure
When do electrical system problems start?
49kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 138 electrical system complaints. 92% were reported before 100,000 miles.
21under 30k miles127under 100k miles11100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Electrical system
17 owners mentioned a cost$500median
Middle half: $500 – $600
Service brakes
15 owners mentioned a cost$1,000median
Middle half: $780 – $1,700
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2004 vs. every other Silverado year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Silverado median. How we score
'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2004 Chevrolet Silverado safety ratings
2004 Chevrolet Silverado Regular Cab in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
- Rollover: 4 stars (18.5% risk)
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
1 investigation
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, and the recalls they led to.
- HYDRAULIC PUMP FAILRESLed to recall 05V-005
In owners' words
What Silverado owners report
Recent electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
INSTRUMENT PANEL/CLUSTER IS NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE AND SO ON ARE ERRATIC AND GIVING FALSE READINGS. DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO ASSIST. PLEASE ADVISE, RC, ESQUIRE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVER SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM BOX WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE AT NIGHT TO DISPLAY PERTINENT INFORMATION, SUCH AS THE SPEEDOMETER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 277,638.
Own a 2004 Silverado?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.