Get my offer

Selling a junk Chevrolet Silverado

Any Silverado sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

Step 1 of 3 · Your car

Your car and location

Free · No obligation · We name the buyer before sharing your number

What owners report about the Chevrolet Silverado

NHTSA has 10,454 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Silverado, model years 1995 to 2017, the 40th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are brakes (3,210, 31%), transmission and drivetrain (803, 8%), electrical system (738, 7%). 850 complaints involved a crash, 151 a fire, and 44 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 51,000 miles. The 1999 model year has the most complaints (2,104). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is brakes, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Chevrolet Silverado by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995331Visibility and wipers2000—
1996230Visibility and wipers173075,000
1997365Brakes2515072,000
1998335Brakes196073,500
19992,104Brakes126111764,000
20001,614Brakes163112055,000
20011,048Brakes11561550,000
2002853Brakes8551546,283
2003852Brakes49191343,000
2004723Brakes68101548,000
2005361Brakes1681463,000
2006223Brakes11101055,687
2007253Air bags1114457,800
2008221Air bags186265,650
2009103Electrical system95059,500
201091Other22143,232
201199Other154257,000
201291Air bags137228,500
201387Air bags143315,285
2014195Transmission and drivetrain290148,000
2015111Engine9279,447
20168Other102—
2017156Transmission and drivetrain154034,122

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Chevrolet Silverado recalls

NHTSA lists 62 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (10), steering (7), electrical system (7). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2014 model year, seat belts (campaign 16V209000, Apr 2016): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks manufactured January 29, 2013, to January 21, 2015. While entering the vehicle, the seat belt tensione…
  • 2016 model year, electrical system (campaign 16V084000, Feb 2016): Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ign…
  • 2016 model year, air bags (campaign 15V830000, Dec 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick up trucks manufactured October 13, 2015, to October 14, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the mounting stud used to secur…
  • 2013 model year, equipment (campaign 13V544000, Oct 2015): General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Express, and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, and model year 2013 GMC Savana compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles that fail to compl…
  • 2014 model year, electrical system (campaign 15V640000, Oct 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured January 24, 2014, to February 26, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles manufactured February 12, …

What a Chevrolet Silverado is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Silverado on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

Other Chevrolet models

All Chevrolet models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state

Questions people ask

What is a junk Chevrolet Silverado worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Silverado gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Silverado that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Silverado?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Chevrolet Silverado numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.