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In-depth guide
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2020 Silverado 1500 brake pads and rotors from the owner's manual. Linings are replaced as axle sets. No pad or rotor thickness is printed.
Difficulty, time, and cost are estimates when this guide gives them. Torque is a cited figure, or it is left off.
Main source: 2020 Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual, GMNA 13337620, CTC 1/27/20 (opens in a new tab), General Motors, published 2020-01-27, read 2026-10-15.
Numbers on this page come from the cited source. Match the engine before you use a capacity or a torque. Do not work under a vehicle held only by a jack.
Torque wrench
For the wheel nuts after a wheel is reinstalled. The figure is on the wheel lug nut guide. No tightening order is printed in the capacity table that guide cites, so none is drawn.
Jack and jack stands
Support the truck before you look at a pad. Do not work under a vehicle held only by a jack.
| Item | Figure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Wear warning | Built-in wear indicators make a high-pitched warning sound when new pads are needed. Have the vehicle serviced when that sound is heard. | Vehicle Care, Brakes |
| Axle sets | Brake linings should always be replaced as complete axle sets. | Vehicle Care, Brakes |
| Brake fluid | The reservoir is filled with GM approved DOT 4 for a 1500, or DOT 3 for a 2500 or 3500, as indicated on the reservoir cap. DOT 3 fluid is GM Part No. 19353126, Canada 19353127. DOT 4 fluid is GM Part No. 19299570, Canada 19299571. Use the fluid the cap indicates. With the vehicle in Park on a level surface, the level should be between the minimum and maximum marks. | Brake fluid and recommended fluids |
| Fluid replacement | Replace brake fluid every five years. See the brake-fluid section. | Maintenance schedule footnote |
| What is not printed | No pad minimum thickness, rotor minimum thickness, or caliper torque was in the pages read. The manual does not give a different discard thickness for the front and the rear. | This page |
A high-pitched warning from the pad wear indicators means have the vehicle serviced. A squeal on the first or light application, in some climates, is the sound the manual says is not a fault.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete axle sets. The manual does not print a thickness that would let you condemn one pad and keep the other on that axle. Always use new, approved replacement parts.
With the vehicle in Park on a level surface, the level should be between the minimum and maximum marks. The 1500 reservoir is DOT 4 and the 2500 and 3500 reservoirs are DOT 3, as the cap indicates. Do not top off. Use only the GM approved DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid the cap indicates. Replace brake fluid every five years. Clean the reservoir cap and the area around it before it comes off.
This truck has a Brake Pad Life System that estimates remaining life of the front and rear pads. The Driver Information Center shows a percentage for each axle. A message appears when replacement is needed and may include mileage remaining. Reset the system every time the pads are changed. The screen path is in the manual at Driver Information Center (Base Level) and Driver Information Center (Midlevel and Uplevel). Those pages are figures. This page does not redraw them. When the tires are rotated, inspect the pads and tighten the wheel nuts to the torque in Capacities and Specifications. That figure is on the [wheel lug nut guide](/vehicles/chevrolet/silverado-1500/2020/wheel-lug-nuts).
The system can detect significantly worn pads and wear sensors after the ignition is turned on, and then you follow the prompts. To reset it manually: display Brake Pad Life on the Driver Information Center, press the thumbwheel or the trip-odometer reset stem if the truck has no DIC buttons, select front or rear, then select YES or press the stem. Repeat for the other axle if those pads were also replaced.
No caliper torque and no rotor minimum were in the pages read. Do not unbolt a caliper to a guessed number. The appearance-care brake sentence is a visual inspection of pads and of rotor surface condition, with no mileage on that sentence.
The brake-fluid reservoir location is a figure in the engine-compartment overview. Open the owner's manual (opens in a new tab) for it. This page does not redraw that figure or a Driver Information Center screen.
Wheel nuts go back to the figure on the wheel lug nut guide. The English specification there is 140 lb ft. It is not a caliper torque.
Left out, because the pages read do not print them: pad minimum thickness, rotor minimum thickness, rotor runout, caliper torque, and pad or rotor part numbers. The 2019 Silverado 1500 owner's manual was not obtained, so 2019 is not given this page. The 2015 book used for the oil guide is a different printing and is not a source for these brakes.
Outbound links only. BaySheet does not sell parts. Confirm fitment on the retailer page. Amazon links are searches for a real part name plus this vehicle. Tool rows do not get a product search. The search is not a part number.
Part
DOT 4 Hydraulic Brake Fluid GM 19299570
For a vehicle whose reservoir cap indicates DOT 4. The 1500 reservoir is filled with GM approved DOT 4. Canada part 19299571.
2020 Silverado recommended fluids (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Part
DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid GM 19353126
For a vehicle whose reservoir cap indicates DOT 3. In this book that is the 2500 and 3500 reservoir, not the 1500. Canada part 19353127.
2020 Silverado recommended fluids (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Part
Front brake pads for a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
No pad part number is printed. Linings on an axle are replaced as a set. Confirm the brake option and that the truck is a 1500.
2020 Silverado owner's manual (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Part
Rear brake pads for a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
No rear pad part number is printed. The rear axle is its own set. Do not use a front pad listing for the rear.
2020 Silverado owner's manual (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Part
Front brake rotors for a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The manual says to inspect rotors for surface condition. No minimum thickness is printed.
2020 Silverado owner's manual (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Part
Rear brake rotors for a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
No rear rotor minimum is printed. Surface condition is the inspection the appearance-care sentence names.
2020 Silverado owner's manual (opens in a new tab)Search Amazon.com (affiliate link) (opens in a new tab)
Tool
Torque wrench
For the wheel nuts after a wheel is reinstalled. The figure is on the wheel lug nut guide. No tightening order is printed in the capacity table that guide cites, so none is drawn.
Tool
Jack and jack stands
Support the truck before you look at a pad. Do not work under a vehicle held only by a jack.
The wear indicators make a high-pitched warning sound, except when the pedal is applied firmly. Have the vehicle serviced when you hear it. A light squeal in some climates is not that warning.
Not printed in the pages read, front or rear. The inspection is wear and rotor surface condition, plus the wear sound.
Not printed. The wheel-nut torque is on the wheel lug nut guide. Properly torqued wheel nuts help prevent pulsation. That figure is not a caliper torque.
The maintenance checklist is on the site now. The email list is not sending yet, so this box will not store an address.
Same repair, different model year. Use the page that matches the truck or car in the driveway. A figure on one year is not a figure for the next.
These guides cover the same kind of work. Their numbers belong to those vehicles, not to this one.