Used Chevrolet Silverado: which years to avoid
The Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup truck is one of the top 5 best-selling vehicles in the country, and that's no coincidence. The complete range meets the needs of a wide variety of buyers, and the improvements made by General Motors in recent years have made it highly competitive in terms of technology and refinement.
Of course, if you're here, it's because you're more interested in a used model, perhaps to save money like many, or because you don't necessarily want to take advantage of today's conveniences and gadgets. Rather than telling you whether or not a used Chevrolet Silverado is a good buy, we'll simply answer the question: are there any model years to avoid?
Basically, let's say that the period from 2012 to 2019 has not been the best. The 2012-2013 models (the last two years of the second generation) experienced a good number of problems, mainly with the engines and transmission.
The renewal of the Silverado for 2014 (the first year of the third generation) has not produced the results initially expected. It is with this model that the most problems and complaints about the truck have been recorded. Several examples have suffered engine failures, but there have also been problems with the electronics, notably the multimedia screen, and especially the heating/air conditioning system.
In the case of 2015 to 2017 models, problems with the transmission were not uncommon, resulting in jerky acceleration and even power loss in some cases. In addition, the transfer case software and fuel sensor were not to be trusted. As for 2019 (the first year of the fourth generation), youthful niggles affected several examples, even with low mileage.
Looking further back, 2008 was one of the worst years on record. Among other things, the Silverado suffered mechanical problems, including over-consumption of engine oil. Not to mention the faulty airbags supplied by Japanese equipment manufacturer Takata, whose inflation device could explode and project debris.
Finally, if we look at Transport Canada's list of safety recalls, over a hundred have been issued ranging from 2000 to the present day. Once again, 2014 stands out as a fairly problematic year (21 recalls in all), with brakes, steering, transmission, transfer case, airbags and more at issue.
Shopper beware, ask about maintenance history, and look for a used Chevrolet Silverado that passes a relatively thorough inspection, so you can better understand its weaknesses and plan for future work.
