Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
1 crash 1 of the 3 reports for this failure mention a crash, a fire, an injury or a death. Those are the owner's words on the complaint form, not a verified finding, and one report can mention more than one.
Only 3 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure gets reported
There are 3 reports of control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 3 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 33rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 129,896 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Of these reports, 1 a crash is mentioned. Owners write their own complaints and the agency does not verify them, so read this as what the reports say happened rather than as a confirmed count.
Putting it right typically runs $700–$3,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 21 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2020, at a median of 15,000 miles, and latest on the 2002 at 130,000 miles.
By volume the 2014 carries the most reports, with 29; the 2002 has 3. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Electronic brake control module ebcm (brake traction control module) internally shorted causing pump to run all the time, even when vehicle ignition was turned off. Danger of ABS failure and fire without unit replacement. *tr
With engine on and going at approximately 45 MPH, an 'ABS system' warning light came off along with a continuous motor type sound. I parked the car on side road and loud 'motor' type noise continued coming underneath the car. I drove the car back home and ABS system light on with continuous sound did not stop. Turned engine off and the sound did not stop. After a couple of hours, the sound did not stop and had to disconnect car battery. Took car into car dealership and right away before car was formally tested/diagnosed, the service advisor stated he knew exactly what the issue was. The car was diagnosed and service advisor confirmed the car had a 'known' problem related to abcm (ABS control module). According to the service advisor this is a potential safety related problem. This is the reason why I am submitting this safety complaint. According to the service advisor, damaged abcm computer can send an incorrect signal and the breaks can close when the car is running. I contacted chevrolet corporate and explained the situation (service req # 71-1092953268). I was informed there are no recalls for this type of problems. I did a…
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet silverado 1500. While driving, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an unknown independent mechanic who informed the contact that the ABS control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to stewart chevrolet (780 serramonte blvd, colma, ca 94014) where the contact was informed about an unknown manufacturer recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not being repaired per the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 133,475. *tt consumer stated he had a numerous close calls with the brakes. Had one accident where they failed to do their jobs. Updated 8/7/18*jb
Also reported on the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Loss of braking
Other brake problem
ABS module or sensor failure
Brake line, hose or caliper failure
Parking brake failure
Rust or structural corrosion
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 3 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 3 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure happen on the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
Across 3 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 130,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure on the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
3 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed