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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 · Updated July 2026 · ~$3,450/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

The lowest-complaint year we cover — newest and quietest, but GM's own programs admit the lifter and 8-speed still travel with it.

On the numbers, 2023 is the best year in our Silverado set — the lowest complaint count and only three recalls, helped by being the newest and mostly still in warranty. But GM's own paperwork tells you the two signature issues are still around: a Customer Satisfaction Program covers oversized lifter bores by replacing the engine, another covers soft transmission pinion gears by replacing the transmission, and the older 8-speed it carried drew a class action over harsh shifting.

The saving grace is that these are free remedies, and the truck is young enough that most are still available. So 2023 is a genuinely sensible buy — the discipline is confirming the programs and recalls are done and listening for the same lifter tick that defines every year of this engine family.

Evidence: 342 NHTSA complaints · 3 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 342 federal complaints, the fewest of any Silverado year here, and only three recalls — the newest, calmest year. But 2023 also drew four Customer Satisfaction Programs that each replace a major assembly (engine for oversized lifter bores, engine for cracked blocks, engine for a mis-built camshaft ladder, transmission for soft pinion gears or an out-of-spec case), and an active 8-speed class action shows the familiar patterns didn't fully leave. Reassuringly, the fixes are free.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

342

Federal complaints

3

Recalls

$3,000–$10,000

Out-of-program lifter repair

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 PU/CC RWD (NHTSA VehicleId 18275)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Engine lifter bores — Customer Satisfaction Program

major
  • 5.3L V8
  • 6.2L V8

GM's clearest admission of the lifter problem lands on 2023: a Customer Satisfaction Program for trucks that may have oversized engine lifter bores, with the remedy being engine replacement. That's the same lifter-failure family — tick, misfire, power loss — that spans this engine across the generations, now serious enough that GM replaces the whole engine on affected trucks. The good news is it's a free fix if the truck qualifies; the discipline is confirming eligibility by VIN and whether the work was done, and cold-starting to listen for any valvetrain tick.

This problem spans 2016–2023 — the full 5.3L / 6.2L V8 lifters (AFM / DFM) story →

This is a 5.3L V8 and 6.2L V8 problem. The 3.0L Duramax diesel doesn’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Under the lifter-bore CSP (engine replacement)

$0

Out-of-program lifter repair

$3,000–$10,000

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Silverado 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

Three more 2023 programs that replace the engine or transmissionmajor

The lifter-bore program isn't the only one. GM ran three further Customer Satisfaction Programs on 2023 trucks, each with a replacement as the remedy: one for engine blocks "produced with cracks" (replace the engine), one for an overhead camshaft ladder assembly that was "mis-built and installed on the engine" (replace the engine), and one for a transmission case that is "out of specification" (replace the transmission). None of the three names a specific engine or transmission, so they can't be pinned to one powertrain. Four separate programs in a single model year, all replacing a major assembly, is a lot of factory rework — and the reason to treat a 2023 as a VIN-check job rather than assuming the newest year is the safe one. All four are free where the truck qualifies.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Silverado 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

$0

Under any of the three programs (engine or transmission replacement)

8-speed harsh shifting — class action, and a pinion-gear programmoderate

  • 8-speed automatic

2023 shipped the older 8-speed on some trims, and owners describe harsh shifts — hard first-to-second, delayed park-to-drive engagement, shudder — enough to feed a class action. Separately, GM ran a Customer Satisfaction Program for 2023 trucks with transmission pinion gears of low core and surface hardness, replacing the transmission. Between the class action and the program, the transmission is the second thing to check: test-drive for shudder and hard shifts, and confirm the pinion-gear program by VIN. The 10-speed on other trims is the stronger unit.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Silverado 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (T1XX Silverado; AFM/DFM lifter deep-dives)

$0

Pinion-gear CSP (transmission replacement)

6.2L V8 connecting-rod / crankshaft failure — recall 25V274major

  • 6.2L V8

If the truck has the 6.2L, it's covered by GM's ~597,571-vehicle recall (2021–2024) for connecting-rod and crankshaft defects that can cause sudden engine failure; the remedy inspects and repairs or replaces the engine free and moves to 0W-40 oil. On a 2023 the truck may still be in warranty, but confirm the recall specifically was completed by VIN and look for the 0W-40 spec.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Silverado 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

$0

Under recall 25V274 (inspect/repair/replace)

Infotainment glitches and heated-seat programminor

As on 2022, owners report infotainment and backup-camera flicker/reset behavior, usually a nuisance, and GM ran a Customer Satisfaction Program for 2022–2023 trucks whose heated/ventilated seats were left non-functional by the chip shortage. Exercise the screen, camera, and seat heaters/coolers, and VIN-check the seat program.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (T1XX Silverado; AFM/DFM lifter deep-dives)

Low-brake-fluid warning software — recall 24V674minor

A 2023 recall addresses electronic-brake-control-module software that may fail to display a low-brake-fluid warning light. The fix is a software update, delivered over-the-air or by a dealer, free. It's a compliance/software item rather than a mechanical failure — just confirm it's been applied.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Silverado 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

Customer Satisfaction Program: certain vehicles may have oversized engine lifter bores — dealers are to replace the engine.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Chevrolet dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 25V2746.2L V8 connecting rod/crankshaft defect can cause engine failure (2021–2024); inspect and repair or replace the engine free, switch to 0W-40 oil.open
  2. 22V903Daytime running lights may not deactivate with the headlights on (2022–2023); body-control-module software update, dealer or over-the-air, free.open
  3. 24V674EBCM software may fail to show a low-brake-fluid warning light (2023); software update over-the-air or at a dealer, free.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2023 Silverado 1500

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

18 MPG combined (16 city / 20 highway) for the RWD, 5.3L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 45770 (Silverado 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.3L 17 MPG · 4WD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 17 MPG · 4WD, 2.7L turbo 19 MPG · RWD, 2.7L turbo 20 MPG.

$3,450/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 55% more often than the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab 4WD.
Other series: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab 165 · Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ext. cab 4WD 25, where 100 = average.

155 vs 100

55% above average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Under the lifter-bore CSP (engine replacement)$0
Out-of-program lifter repair$3,000–$10,000
Under any of the three programs (engine or transmission replacement)$0
Pinion-gear CSP (transmission replacement)$0
Under recall 25V274 (inspect/repair/replace)$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Cold-start and listen for a valvetrain tick or misfire; VIN-check the lifter-bore Customer Satisfaction Program (engine replacement) and whether it was performed.
  2. 02VIN-check the other three 2023 replacement programs too — cracked engine block, mis-built camshaft ladder, out-of-spec transmission case — and ask whether the engine or transmission has already been replaced under any of them.
  3. 03If it's a 6.2L, confirm recall 25V274 was completed by VIN and look for the 0W-40 oil spec.
  4. 04Test-drive for 8-speed shudder and hard shifts; VIN-check the pinion-gear transmission Customer Satisfaction Program. Prefer the 10-speed where available.
  5. 05Confirm the software recalls (22V903 DRLs, 24V674 brake-fluid warning) are applied.
  6. 06Exercise the infotainment, backup camera, and heated/ventilated seats; VIN-check the seat program.
  7. 07Confirm remaining factory warranty coverage — much of this truck may still be covered, which changes the math on any open item.
  8. 08Because it's the newest year, weight documented program/recall completion heavily — most fixes are free and still available.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

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