2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500: common problems

Owners of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 filed 179 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 179
involving a crash: 6

What fails most often

1 Electrical system 32% of all complaints
2 Service brakes 21% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
4 Air bags 9% of all complaints
5 Steering 9% of all complaints
6 Fuel/propulsion system 9% of all complaints
7 Engine 7% of all complaints
8 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints

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

Electrical system: 58 complaints (32% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Service brakes: 37 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 20 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 17 complaints (9% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 17 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 179 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

warning lights, check engine32 · 18%
smoke, burning smell, fire13 · 7%
steering or power steering problems13 · 7%
windows, sunroof13 · 7%
loss of power / limp mode11 · 6%
fuel system, fuel smell9 · 5%
infotainment or screen glitches9 · 5%
seat belts8 · 4%
headlights and tail lights7 · 4%
stalls while driving6 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Electrical system	58	1
Service brakes	37	1
Powertrain	20	1
Air bags	17	2
Steering	17	1
Fuel/propulsion system	16	0
Engine	12	0
Exterior lighting	9	0
Visibility	9	0
Seat belts	7	1
Structure	6	1
Tires	4	0
Fuel system	3	0
Suspension	3	1

What owners report

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

Hit a deer about 50mph air bags went off cab filled with smoke but air bags did not deploy only the charge went off
Air bags · crash · 2022-09-09 · NHTSA complaint #11483607
The vehicle had a handicapped driver conversion, with a gull-wing driver's door. The driver's door was only held closed with a magnet at the front of the door opening. There was not a latch to actually hold the door closed. In the accident, the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed on a gravel road.
Structure · crash · 2019-06-21 · NHTSA complaint #11221787
The vacuum pump ticks like it is about to destroy itself. The truck has 70k miles.
Service brakes · crash · 2019-02-19 · NHTSA complaint #11181055
My truck has a steering issue while under normal driving lots of play on steering with a serious shaking from steering wheel and steering column moves when u push it up or down or side to side also when driving under normal conditions truck is shaking alot and bottom out with a humming sound from front end closer to…
Powertrain · crash · 2018-10-24 · NHTSA complaint #11142499
During the crash, the driver and passenger side panel air bags did not deploy. The contact indicated that the air bag panels on both sides had separated. Smoke appeared from the air bag panels, but the air bags remained in position and did not deploy.
Air bags · crash · 2017-06-01 · NHTSA complaint #10992712
This identical failure mechanism matches existing GM safety campaigns (such as NHTSA Campaign 21V504000) concerning roof-rail airbag inflators suffering from internal manufacturing corrosion and thermal cycling stress.
Air bags · 2026-10-12 · NHTSA complaint #11770663
Additionally, the front end wobbled while driving over cracks on the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the front driverâs side wheel stud and lug nuts needed to be replaced and scheduled an upcoming appointment for repair. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Wheels · 2026-09-14 · NHTSA complaint #11764015
While driving south on Interstate 95, the driverâs side rear tire sidewall blew out, inside sidewall. The tires have approximately 14000 miles on them. There were no sidewall defects noticed approximately 4000 miles prior during a tire rotation.
Tires · 2026-06-06 · NHTSA complaint #11742465

When owners complained

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

201521
201616
201718
201814
201918
202016
202113
202216
202314
202410
202513
202610

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,256 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Silverado 2500 has 121 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 179, above average.

What to check before buying

Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, service brakes, powertrain. Total complaints: 179. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (18%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%), steering or power steering problems (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2015 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 2015 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 2015 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.