Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1GCHK29U73E••••••2003 Chevrolet Silverado
This build draws 3.2× more complaints than the average 2003 Chevrolet Silverado build (12 vs 4).
12on this build
1754on the model
473builds in total
1involved a crash
1involved a fire
Most reportedService Brakes 7Hydraulic 7Electrical System 4Power Train 1
What owners of this build wrote
Electrical SystemfireJun 2016
Traveling on highway when smoke started coming from the dashboard. Pulled over and within several minutes the whole truck was on fire
Service BrakescrashDec 2011
While traveling on I-95 at approximately 50mph traffic in front of me stopped to avoid road way debris. When I applied my brakes the pedal went to the floor. Pumping didn't help although the truck did slow down before hitting the vehicle in front of me. Luckily no one was…
SteeringNov 2006
The contact stated there was a rattling noise in the vehicle. The service dealer previously greased the intermediate steering shaft to resolve the issue. After the service, the rattling sound returned. After the second incident, the service dealer stated the steering shaft will…
Power TrainMay 2003
Vehicle seems to go into 4-wheel drive by itself while driving . This has happened to me three times already. I want to switch dealers but gm told me no I have to stay with the dealer who worked on the vehicle. As this happens the vehicle slows down considerably causing the seat…
Service BrakesDec 2009
My wife bought a used 2003 chevy silverado 2500hd from a dealership about a month ago. We have two problems which seem to be common with this vehicle. The first problem is that the ABS system seems to engage at low speed, causing the truck to continue moving forward. I also…
Read all 12 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 473 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1GCHK29U73E218085 · decoded Oct 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.