YearToAvoid

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Caution

Complaint Index

70/100

#7 most-complained of 21 Silverado 1500 years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has 1,076 owner complaints and 4 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 70 out of 100 — #7 highest of 21 Silverado 1500 model years (verdict: Caution). The most reported problem area is airbags (656 complaints, 61% of the total). Complaints report 46 crashes, 14 fires, 62 injuries, and 2 deaths.

Complaints
1,076
Recalls
4
Crashes / fires
46 / 14
Injuries / deaths
62 / 2
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
—

Top 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags656 (61%)
  2. Electrical System143 (13%)
  3. Structure & Body128 (12%)
  4. Other101 (9%)
  5. Engine82 (8%)
  6. Brakes48 (4%)
  7. Transmission & Powertrain37 (3%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires35 (3%)
  9. Fuel System27 (3%)
  10. Seat Belts16 (1%)
2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 complaints: complaints filed per quarter1462008 Q12010 Q32013 Q12015 Q32018 Q12020 Q32023 Q12025 Q3
1296 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2008 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2017 Q4 (146).

2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 recalls

4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 21V050000Feb 5, 2021Airbags2,641,272 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

  2. NHTSA 21V052000Feb 5, 2021Airbags557,023 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.

  3. NHTSA 09V325000Aug 3, 2009Other14 vehicles

    Equipment adaptive/mobility

    Quality vans is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2008 vans manufactured between august 2005 and november 2007, equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations in motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.

    Risk: The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.

    Remedy: Quality vans is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or quality vans at 1-480-464-7007.

See all 4 recalls for the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 →

2008 compared with other Silverado 1500 years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2006Best15541415
2007Caution601,0323—
2008Caution701,0764—
2009Good355203—
2010Best204253—

All Chevrolet Silverado 1500 years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ranks #7 of 21 among Silverado 1500 model years (Complaint Index 70/100, verdict: Caution). It has 1,076 complaints and 4 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
The most reported problem areas are airbags (656 complaints), electrical system (143 complaints), and structure & body (128 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 68,825 miles.
Does the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, most recently reported 2021, covering airbags, other, and electrical system.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.