1999 Chevrolet Silverado LS review from North America

There is an intermittent short/overload in the electrical system. When it is very hot out (>100 degrees F), and I have the air conditioning running and stereo on, and then perform a maneuver such as a turn or acceleration, it blows a fuse. This shuts down the vehicle. This has happened twice, once in a parking lot, once in traffic. It cost me $250 to get this diagnosed, but they could not find the specific problem. Now I just carry spare fuses so I can fix the problem on the spot. Not an ideal solution.

The fuel tank sending unit is experiencing intermittent failure. When the tank is full, it will occasionally read empty, then flip back up to full. This only happens when the tank is completely full. The dealership said this would cost about $600 to repair. I'm living with it for now.

There was a build-up of carbon in the fuel injection system which caused the gas pedal to 'stick' when being depressed. It would release without any problem, so this was not a big safety issue. The stickiness upon depressing the accelerator would cause the truck to 'jump' from a standing start, and could not have been good for the transmission. This cost $100 to have a Chevy dealership fix.

The transmission is starting to slip a little when shifting between 3rd and 4th. The tachometer jumps and then drops back about 400 rpm. I talked to a transmission specialist and he suspects that the converter is failing. This will be $240 just to pull the transmission and have a look.

The ABS module failed, leaving the ABS pump running continuously. I was able to shut the pump off to prevent it's burning up by removing the ABS fuse in the engine compartment fuse box. The Chevy dealership states that a new Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) costs $700, and another $200 or so for labor. It will have the same undersized components, and will fail again. I'm seriously considering getting the module repaired by Circuit Solutions for $100 instead.

This truck has been nice, and I've put a lot of miles on it. In this day and age I expect to be able to get 200,000 miles out of a vehicle. The way this one is going I'm not sure it is going to make it. If I have too many more inexcusable problems with it I won't be returning to Chevy for another vehicle.