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Imagine buying a new Chevrolet Silverado pickup with only 11,000 miles on it. It won't move forward or backward. 

Rachel Brent owns a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3-liter with a 10-speed transmission. She posted her story about a failed transmission on the Chevy Silverado Owner's Facebook page. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case for the new 2024 Silverado. 

She says, "My 2024 Chevy Silverado won't shift into forward or reverse. Now the dealer says the transmission has failed, and they must keep it for three months, minimum."

I recently wrote a story about a 2019 GMC Sierra Texas Edition owner who has replaced her 10-speed transmission twice. Her first transmission lasted 80,000 miles, and the second lasted only 10,000 miles. Check out her story here.

Back to Rachel's 2024 Chevy Silverado 

Rachel says, "I bought a new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. I have now had two occasions where the truck shuts off and says put in neutral to restart. The first time, I was parked about to get gas, and the last time, I was still rolling to park at home." 

"Both times, it restarted with no issue. Has anyone heard of this before? I will call the dealer on Friday, but now I'm scared to drive it if it happens while driving at a higher speed."

"My Silverado 5.3L has a 10-speed transmission with only 11,000 miles. Today, I came out of the grocery store, cranked my truck, put it in reverse, and it wouldn't move. It would go forward and wouldn't move where I put it in reverse." 

"It revved it up, but it wouldn't budge. I tried doing this several times. I pushed it out of the parking spot with the help of a very nice stranger and could go forward, but once I got to around 15 to 20 mph, the engine started revving itself up and then made a loud bang. So, I pulled over and sat there for a few minutes, then tried putting it in reverse again, and it worked perfectly." 

"I have since driven about 40 miles to get home, and it's driving like nothing has ever happened. I am calling the dealer first thing in the morning, but does anyone know what could have caused this? I am at a complete loss."

UPDATE: Another GM 10-speed Transmission Failure

Rachel's transmission finally fails, and she takes it to the dealer. 

Rachel shares, her sense of helplessness. "Now I’ve discovered that my truck has a serious transmission issue. I’ve gone back and forth with Chevrolet, and they keep giving me vague responses like they're 'going to work on it' and will get back to me. I'm on day eight without a vehicle and with no end in sight," 

She's not happy with Chevrolet. "Unfortunately, I have to wait until it's been in the shop for 30 days to take legal action, but that's certainly coming!" she declares, her anger towards the company unmistakable.

"Now the Chevrolet dealer says my truck will be in the shop for three months minimum because the transmission valve cover is on backorder."

What are Other Silverado Owners Saying?

Patrick Postle says, My 2021 wouldn't shut off when I put it in park. It kept prompting me to "put it in park," So, I took it to the dealer, and the warranty covered it. It had a bad shift solenoid. 

George Kulesza - Mine did the same thing. The valve body assembly went bad on mine, and they are on backorder with no ETA on the part. Oh, by the way, I only had mine for two weeks. I'm pretty pissed.

GM Issues a Recall 

In November 2024, the NHTSA and GM issued a recall for the 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks; however, the recall only involved vehicles equipped with diesel engines, not the 5.3-liter V8.

GM faces a class action lawsuit over defective transmissions

The problem is so bad that General Motors faces a class action lawsuit alleging the company knowingly sold several hundred thousand vehicles with defective transmissions.

The lawsuit covers approximately 800,000 vehicles manufactured from 2015 through 2019, 514,000 of which are in the certified classes. 

Did GM fix the transmission problems in 2020 and the newer Silverado and Sierra trucks? 

Reports say that newer models like the 2020 and 2021 Sierra and Silverado with the 10L80 transmission have also been subject to similar issues, indicating that the problems persist despite GM's attempts to address them.

According to discussions on Reddit, there are reports of transmission issues with the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra, with users mentioning problems like torque converter failures, "blown valve bodies," and concerns about the transmission running too hot, leading to potential premature wear and tear, particularly when towing heavy loads. Some users even claim these issues are frequent enough to warrant other potential class action lawsuits against GM. 

Final Thoughts and Questions For Silverado and Sierra Truck Owners

General Motors has not fixed the problem with the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra truck transmissions. 

To make the problem worse, GM doesn't have the parts to fix the transmissions, so customers like Rachel have to wait months for their new trucks to be fixed. 

It's Your Turn

Have you experienced transmission problems with your Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra pickup, or other GM model? Please let us know by clicking the red Add New Comment link below.

Check out my GMC Sierra Pickup report, "My GMC Sierra Pickup Has 20,000 Miles, and It Won't Start. My New Battery Is Dead, and the Dealer Says They Can't Fix It." 

I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news and providing expert analysis on Subaru, which you'll find here, ensuring that you, as a reader, are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl, Rachel Brent