The Lemon IndexAll cars · Chevrolet · Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD problems, engines and recalls.
Owners filed 72 complaints with the government about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD, most often about engine (28%).
Which engine is in it
68 of the 72 complaints have a VIN we could decode, which tells us the engine.
| Engine | Share | Complaints | What they name most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 Duramax L5P diesel | 78% | 53 | engine 32%, fuel system 23%, electrical 11% |
| 6.0 V8 gas | 22% | 15 | too few to split |
Each diesel's page: Duramax L5P.
Nearby model years
What owners complain about
Share of this year's complaints that name each area.
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 6,700 and 52,000 miles; the middle report was at 23,277 miles (31 complaints with a mileage).
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports | Towed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA, not verified.
In owners' words
Vehicle displays airbag deployment codes, airbag sound was heard, airbag agent smell is present yet no airbags were deployed in the vehicle. Yes it is available for inspection on request, it will be inspected by insurance adjusters in the next week.
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11749702
Frontal driver airbag deployed spontaneously while vehicle was stopped at a stop sign. No collision or impact occurred. Deployment produced excessive smoke and heat. Minor burn to hand resulted from deployment.
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11746441
tail light assembly falls out of the truck body due to faulty bolt connections that fail ( crumble and break off) due to heat from parking in the sun
2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11682863
Recalls 6
24V756000 Oct 2024 Air Bags
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left or right-side roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Fix. Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC Customer Service at 888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N242474500.
23V047000 Feb 2023 Fuel System, Diesel
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 vehicles equipped with a dual fuel tank option. The rear fuel tank may collapse and prevent the fuel pump from transferring fuel to the front tank, resulting in an engine stall.
Fix. Dealers will inspect the fuel tank and fuel pump module, replacing them as necessary. Dealers will also add a vent hose to the rear tank assembly. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter informing owners of the safety risk was mailed on March 15, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 21, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at
21V496000 Jul 2021 Equipment Names the Duramax L5P / Duramax LB7 / Duramax LBZ / Duramax LLY / Duramax LML / Duramax LMM
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500 and 2017-2019 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with a Duramax diesel 6.6 liter engine and an optional engine-block heater cord. An electrical short-circuit may occur in the engine-block heater cable or in the terminals that connect the heater cable to the block heater.
Fix. Dealers will replace engine block heaters and heater cords. Vehicles that have this feature disabled as a remedy to the safety condition will be contacted and offered replacement block heaters and heater cords under a separate customer satisfaction program, free of charge. GM will provide free replacement block heaters and cords under a separate customer satisfaction campaign. For vehicles previ
19V328000 Apr 2019 Engine Names the Duramax L5P / Duramax LB7 / Duramax LBZ / Duramax LLY / Duramax LML / Duramax LMM
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500, 5500 and 6500 vehicles and 2017-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 vehicles and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with Duramax 6.6 liter diesel engines and an optional engine-block heater. The engine block heater cord or the terminals that connect the heater cord to the block heater may short circuit and fail.
Fix. GM will contact owners, dealers will replace the engine block heater, free of charge. Additionally, in Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 vehicles, dealers will install a new rerouted heater cord. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N182206310.
19V088000 Feb 2019 Fuel System, Gasoline
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
Fix. GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear-tank fuel-pump module, inspect the front tank and, if necessary, replace the front tank, free of charge. The recall began July 30, 2019. GM's number for this recall is N182204190.
17V567000 Sep 2017 Seat Belts
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks. The front seat belt retractor assemblies were built with the incorrect torsion bar. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Fix. GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front seat belt retractor assemblies, free of charge. The recall began March 24, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's numbers for this recall are 17368, 17375, and 17376.
NHTSA recalls for this model year under every name these trucks are filed under. A recall that names an engine applies only to trucks with it. Free at any dealer: check the VIN.
Quick answers
Is the 2018 Silverado HD reliable?
We can't score it per truck (heavy-duty sales aren't reported apart from the half-ton). Owners filed 72 complaints about it, most often about engine (28% of them). Compare the diesel generations on their engine pages.
What engine does the 2018 Silverado HD have?
By the VINs in owner complaints: 6.6 Duramax L5P diesel (78%), 6.0 V8 gas (22%).
How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD/3500HD have?
6. Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check the truck's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
The whole-line score for 2018, mostly half-tons: 2018 Chevrolet Silverado.
No Lemon Index score: automakers report heavy-duty pickup sales together with the half-ton (one F-Series, Ram or Silverado number), so there is no honest per-truck denominator. These are counts and shares of owner complaints, not failure rates. Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints filed under the truck's 2500/3500 (F-250/F-350) names, all years filed, one per complaint number. Engine: decoded from the complaint's VIN (position 8 is the engine code) with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. Complaints filed as just “Silverado” or “Sierra” are left out (they mix 1500s and HDs). Older trucks have had more years to collect complaints, and popular years draw more because more were sold.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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