2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500: common problems

Owners of the 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 filed 132 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and steering. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 132
involving a crash: 9

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 59% of all complaints
2 Steering 11% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
4 Tires 7% of all complaints
5 Powertrain 5% 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: 78 complaints (59% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 15 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 11 complaints (8% of all).
Tires: 9 complaints (7% of all).
Powertrain: 7 complaints (5% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 132 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion40 · 30%
brake failure24 · 18%
steering or power steering problems9 · 7%
fuel system, fuel smell6 · 5%
smoke, burning smell, fire5 · 4%
warning lights, check engine5 · 4%
knocking, grinding or other noise4 · 3%
vibration4 · 3%
airbags did not deploy2 · 2%
jerking, harsh shifts2 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	78	5
Steering	15	2
Engine and cooling	11	0
Tires	9	0
Powertrain	7	1
Electrical system	5	0
Fuel system	5	0
Air bags	4	2
Suspension	4	1
Fuel/propulsion system	2	0
Visibility	2	0
Engine	1	0
Equipment	1	0
Parking brake	1	0

What owners report

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet silverado 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph, the front passenger side wheel fractured from the axle. As a result, the contact lost control and crashed into the guard rail. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported.
Suspension · crash · 2014-07-16 · NHTSA complaint #10610906
Tried to make a normal stop and brake pedal went to the floor. Truck went through red light and through intersection of a section of highway that is 8 lanes wide. If not for early time of day it would have been a lot more traffic and killed someone. Stopped truck by slamming into park.
Service brakes · crash · 2013-08-29 · NHTSA complaint #10537842
I then hit the brakes at normal pressure and the pedal went to the floor with next to no resistance, having no brakes I downshifted the automatic transmission slowing me but not fast enough, I collided with a fire hydrant at the top of a steep embankment on the side of the at approximately 35mph and knocked the fire…
Service brakes · crash · 2012-01-24 · NHTSA complaint #10445136
He was wearing his seat belt. Air temps previous week were in the -20 to -40 range. Temperature at time of accident was -15. I raise this as indicated below. My concerns are: 1. The air bag did not deploy.
Service brakes · crash · 2004-02-04 · NHTSA complaint #10056511
Dispite the force of the impact, the air bags did not deploy. Craig had his seat belt on so was only bruised and sore after the accident. We are conserned with the airbag failure. What if there had been a passenger or cercumstances would have required them?
Air bags · crash · 2001-10-25 · NHTSA complaint #753484
The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. The contactâs husband replaced the spark plugs and added transmission fluid.
Powertrain · 2024-11-05 · NHTSA complaint #11623701
Tire size LT245/75R16 While driving on highway at speeds between 55 and 65 mph, front driver's side tire started to vibrate. Cause of vibration was not known at the time. Within 50 miles of driving, the entire tread on the front left tire separated from the tire while traveling at 55 mph.
Tires · 2023-09-25 · NHTSA complaint #11546327
The gm recall came out in may, 2016, it is now january 2018 and still no remedy. They have been building more new vehicles for 7 more model years, what airbags are they using in them? And now they stand to get millions of dollars from takata. Who is helping the consumer here? This makes no sense.
Air bags · 2018-01-23 · NHTSA complaint #11064399

When owners complained

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

20007
20018
20025
20036
20049
20059
20063
20077
200810
20095
201017
201110
201210
20138
20146
20162
20173
20181
20191
20201
20231
20242
20251

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,931 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Silverado 2500 has 121 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 132, about average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, steering, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 132. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (30%), brake failure (18%), steering or power steering problems (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

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 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 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 2000 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 2026-11-06.