Most Silverado transmission problems are centered on hard shifting or surging issues after stopping. These problems could create safety hazards and should be brought to a Chevrolet dealer's attention immediately.
On 2005 Silverados, the light for the transmission shift lever may not illuminate, which may prevent the driver from knowing which gear is selected, according to Motor Trend (see Reference 1).
Some Silverado transmissions may have difficulty getting out of third gear and may be caused by a faulty shift solenoid, according to lemonlawclaims.com (see Reference 3).
The Silverado's automatic transmission may have problems shifting from first to second gear with a hard jerking, and likely can be solved with a retrofit kit from a Chevrolet dealer (see references 2 and 3).
The Silverado 2500 heavy-duty pickup equipped with an Allison 1000 automatic while in reverse could jerk and surge. It should be inspected by the dealer, according to lemonlawclaims.com (see Reference 3).
On some occasions while the transmission is cold, the Silverado may experience surging after the brakes are applied, forcing the driver to put the vehicle in neutral. A dealer should inspect the problem (see Reference 3).
A wet safety switch on the diesel-powered 2004 Silverado with the Allison transmission may short out and force the transmission into fail safe mode preventing it from shifting (see Reference 3).
