2009 Chevrolet Silverado LT 5.3L V8

Summary:

Well-made, solid truck with few flaws

Faults:

Driver seat (power) no longer articulates completely; happened at approx. 120,000 miles.

Rear window controls in driver door don't roll down windows, but roll them up.

Center console handle (plastic) has broken off and won't latch.

Water pump made a ton of noise beginning at approx. 135,000 miles - replaced it myself.

Transmission hesitates from stop to first gear and shifts hard sometimes - began at approx. 140,000 miles.

One wheel has a flaw that causes the tire to lose pressure slowly - since day one.

General Comments:

Engine has plenty of power, always starts, runs more like a car with 60-70,000 miles than one with 150,000 miles.

Regular maintenance has been performed, though not always perfectly on schedule.

Changed out tires twice, brake pads once, and drained / refilled transmission fluid once.

I installed a K&N air filter almost day one.

The truck has been in 2 accidents; one at the front right fender and one at the driver's door.

Have pulled trailers less than 5 times, but has a towing package.

The truck has a chrome package and 20" wheels.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th February, 2016

2009 Chevrolet Silverado LS 4.3 V8

Summary:

Reliable, sturdy and roomy

Faults:

Cheap plastic on steering wheel peels off.

Door locks only work half the time.

Stablitrack system causes brake control to trip.

Tire pressure sensor constantly going out; not a required fix.

Lost key very expensive to replace ($150).

Stereo speakers only worked in warm weather.

General Comments:

This truck was not bought for me, we bought this for my husband and I ended up taking it over. Had I known I would end up with it, I would've bought the Denali edition of the Sierra.

This truck is a champ! Hauled 2 kids both in car seats and enough room for them to make a mess. We had a very bare bones edition. Nothing fancy at all. I love OnStar, and since I am alive today because of it, I keep it active.

I drove this while pregnant with my son and found it much more comfortable then the 06 Accord we purchased at the same time.

The little glitches with things were mostly fixed by the shop I work for. The battery gave out at about 60k and left me and 2 kids stranded at a gas station. We jumped the battery with an Excursion and it managed to start, but died again while running. The shop I work for put me into an Excursion, and after they replaced the battery, cables and checked the alternator, I was never so happy to see my truck again.

The stereo is the most annoying thing. When it's cold or freezes, only the tweeters work. This is because the cheap plastic clips separate when cold and don't make a good connection. I replaced them about 3 times before we finally decided to get an aftermarket set and things worked fine. I live where it snows and have an hour drive to town; the radio was really annoying. It will usually kick itself back on when it warms up enough.

I just recently let the truck and its outrageous payment go back to the bank. I just purchased an 04 Suburban with cash (yes, 5 months of its payments allowed me to pay cash). I need 4x4 where I live and our truck didn't have it. I shed tears all the way home last night after turning it in. I love the truck, the body is beautiful, it was very reliable, and roomy for all of us. That truck took a beating and kept on purring. I am very familiar with the Chevy product, and even with its annoying little problems, it's a great, sturdy truck. It was involved a few fender benders by my husband, and never any noticeable damage... Great truck, a little pricy, but you can't put a price on reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th March, 2014