Problems · by component

2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 electrical system problems

104 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 cite electrical system, 20% of all 522 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
104
20% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the electrical system

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Power Sliding Glass window on rear of vehicle had a thermal failure, resulting in heavy smoke buildup in the cap followed by the window shattering. My vehicle has already received the recall repair, GM Program #N192265660 / NHSTA TSB #10171416, but the defect reoccurred and caused destruction to the vehicle.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2026Electrical systemODI 11773850
“On September 10, 2026, while traveling approximately 60 mph in the passing lane, my 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 suddenly lost normal acceleration and entered Reduced Engine Power mode. Vehicle speed dropped to approximately 40 mph, and pressing the accelerator would not provide normal power. This created a safety concern while traveling at highway speed. On September 11, OnStar On-Demand Diagnostics documented ECM code P2138 (Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor 1-2 Correlation) and ABS code U0422. The TCM reported no error codes. The check-engine light later turned off, indicating the problem is intermittent. GM Technical Service Bulletin 07-06-04-019F addresses intermittent P2138 with Reduced Engine Power and possible water intrusion/corrosion affecting the accelerator pedal position circuit. After removing the driver’s kick panel, we observed evidence of previous moisture/rust in the area, but the exact cause has not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle is scheduled for diagnosis by a Chevrolet dealer. I am reporting this because the sudden loss of acceleration at highway speed created a safety hazard and to document the incident for potential defect-trend investigation.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 21, 2026Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 11765761
“Intermittent issues seemingly related to power or ground problems. At idle, battery voltage drops down from 14-15v to <= 12v (as indicated on the voltmeter on the dash) while turning the steering wheel. "Service StabiliTrack" message shows up on the screen, and the steering becomes very difficult. Last night this issue happened and the truck completely lost power including interior lights, headlights, radio, accessory power, and the engine even turned completely off. This happened in the middle of the street as I came to a stop in front of my house and was going to reverse into my driveway. Cycling the key was enough to restart the truck and the power came back on. When this first happened to me almost two years ago, I brought the truck in for transmission concerns (resulting in a transmission replacement) to my local dealer, and I explained what had happened and they could not reproduce the concern and said everything checked out fine. I've had strange electrical problems pop up every now and then including this StabiliTrack warning message and a trailer brake warning when I am not even hauling a trailer, but this is a major safety concern. My wife and…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 18, 2026Steering, Electrical system, EngineODI 11765250
“Several times, while driving, the truck will simply shut down. It will becoime difficult to steer, then the engine will stall, killing the rest of the steering and the breaks as well as the dashboard, radio, etc. This can happen at any speed, low speed especially. I will give you an approximate date below, but there have been several incidents. The truck was looked at by our local mechanice, who could not find a problem and by the dealership electrical specialist who has also been unable to locate a problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 12, 2026Electrical system, EngineODI 11763791
“i was driving down the highway, turned on left signal to make left turn. the truck engine died with no warning, could not steer, almost ran into bank. all the dash lights went black, no power at all. the radio starts playing on occasion without being turned on. the clock loses time when it wants to.the blower on the ac comes on and off when it wants to.have had battery, alternator, ignition system checked. all these check out just fine. there were no codes , and absolutely no lights or warnings on dash. our truck was still in the highway lane. luckily the police stopped and assisted by directing and holding up traffic as necessary. i have had similar issues on other occasions but was always more brief and the truck would crank back up right away.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 21, 2026Electrical systemODI 11758428
“Purchased used 6/12/2026 at 188,882 miles from a franchised Chevrolet dealer. The integrated trailer brake system master fuse and passenger-side turn signal fuse were blown at delivery. When the fuses were replaced, the trailer brake system faulted and the failure disabled the ABS, traction control, and StabiliTrak (electronic stability control). Significant safety concern: with the master fuse blown/open, the vehicle displays NO warning messages of any kind — the safety-system failure is completely masked while trailer braking is inoperative. The warning cascade only appears when a good fuse is installed and the faulted circuit is energized. Separately, at approximately 12 days and ~1,700 miles after purchase, the engine began knocking and set diagnostic trouble codes; a dealer repair order dated 7/6/2026 documents the knocking complaint with no work performed. The vehicle is currently parked as unsafe to drive. No crash, injury, or fire. Reporting so the ABS/ESC failure mode — and particularly its masking behavior when the fuse is open — is on record for this VIN and vehicle line.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 11, 2026Electrical system, Service brakes, EngineODI 11749765

Showing 6 of 104 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.