1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: common problems

Owners of the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 filed 587 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and structure. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 587
involving a crash: 43

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 62% of all complaints
2 Structure 9% of all complaints
3 Seats 5% of all complaints
4 Suspension 5% of all complaints
5 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
7 Fuel system 4% of all complaints
8 Air bags 3% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 363 complaints (62% of all), 27 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 53 complaints (9% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seats: 30 complaints (5% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Suspension: 29 complaints (5% of all).
Powertrain: 26 complaints (4% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 587 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion197 · 34%
brake failure78 · 13%
warning lights, check engine39 · 7%
rollaway, parking brake20 · 3%
fuel system, fuel smell14 · 2%
knocking, grinding or other noise13 · 2%
seat belts13 · 2%
vibration10 · 2%
windows, sunroof10 · 2%
airbags did not deploy9 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	363	27
Structure	53	2
Seats	30	1
Suspension	29	0
Powertrain	26	0
Electrical system	25	2
Fuel system	21	1
Air bags	19	14
Vehicle speed control	18	3
Steering	15	0
Parking brake	14	0
Tires	12	0
Seat belts	11	0
Engine and cooling	10	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Pulling into driveway at my brother's house and brake line rusted through causing my to on this downhill grade run into another vehicle at his house. Damaged the bumper and grill on my truck and his bumper and hood of his car in an olds alero.
Service brakes · crash · 2015-07-11 · NHTSA complaint #10733382
Brake lines were totally rusted. Truck has a good engine, but terrible rust on brake lines, frame, lower body panel behind doors. Paint pealing off hood and roof.
Service brakes · crash · 2015-06-02 · NHTSA complaint #10722998
An inspection revealed that the front to rear brake line had rusted and burst. Further inspection revealed very rusty brake lines which appear ready to fail in many locations.
Service brakes · crash · 2015-01-01 · NHTSA complaint #10669480
During the incident a passenger was thrown from the vehicle out of the passenger side window. The front axel was broken and the entire passenger side wheel was torn off including the axel and brakes.
Air bags · crash · 2013-11-26 · NHTSA complaint #10553810
Purchased wind deflectors for front and passenger windows for chevrolet suburban 1999 ls from mcneil automotive products, 1 mcneil court, bolingbrook, [ZIP] (phone [phone], fax [phone]).
Structure · crash · 2013-05-21 · NHTSA complaint #10512929
Throttle body sticking at low speeds throttle sticks until pedal is pushed beyond desired point causing vehicle to surge forward. I hit garage wall. Exact problem occurred at 30,000 miles, dealer replaced throttle body(bad bushings) under warranty.
Fuel system · crash · 2006-08-03 · NHTSA complaint #10164339
Upon impact, the driver's side airbag didn't deploy. The crash was head on and the vehicle flipped over. It was hit a second time after becoming airborne and landed upside down. Consumer was hanging upside down until rescue officials arrived. Vehicle was totaled.
Air bags · crash · 2003-06-16 · NHTSA complaint #10024170
The air bag did not deploy. Consumer states that this letter is in support of the air bag recall, as he believes that the quality standards of this vehicle had created a safety hazard for the occupants.
Air bags · crash · 2002-09-17 · NHTSA complaint #567410

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19984
199921
200027
200127
200227
200320
200419
200525
200634
200726
200824
200921
201064
201147
201240
201338
201457
201530
20167
201712
201810
20193
20212
20233

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 602 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 2% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Silverado 1500 has 534 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 587, about average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, structure, seats. Total complaints: 587. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (34%), brake failure (13%), warning lights, check engine (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1999 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.