Owners have filed 5,563 complaints on the GMC Sierra, covering 1989–2008. The system named most often is Service Brakes (1,522 reports). Worst years by volume: 2000, 2002, 2001; cleanest: 1991, 1989, 1990. 352 reports describe a crash, 93 a fire, 12 a death. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Sierra
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 5,563 Sierra complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 1,522 Read
The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 1500. While driving 30 mph, the contact rear ended another vehicle due to faulty brakes. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified and stated that they were not aware of the failure. The contact found out that the brakes were faulty from the mechanic. The dealer wants the…
The contact owns a 2007 gmc sierra. While driving 55 mph, the brake pedal failed to respond when it was depressed and the ABS indicator illuminated. The contact discovered that there was no brake fluid in the reservoir and the brakes were rusted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, but was not…
While following other normally traveling vehicles downhill - vehicles in front came to a stop - brake peddle was fully depressed...no response...brake fully applied 2nd time...no response...resulting in a rear end collision multiple vehicles...possible total of my 2007 sierra. Damages are very extensive . Insurance to…
Air Bags 520 Read
" takata recall" last memorial day, I had just left a stoplight traveling approx. 20 mph, when I was struck broadside by a volvo sedan traveling between 50-60 mph. I have a slt model with front and side airbags and none of my airbags deployed
I was in an accident and hit a fence and then a power pole. The impact pushed the power pole about a foot and my engine was pushed into the interior. The airbag did not deploy. At this impact should the airbag have deployed?
Vehicle's airbags did not deploy upon collision with two concrete walls, causing a life threatening tbi and also severe damage to the left arm which resulted in it's inability to control/use below the elbow, and especially the hand. This was due to the brachial plexus injury that was caused when the airbags did not…
Electrical System 423 Read
The contact owned a 2008 gmc sierra 1500. While driving 55 mph, smoke emerged from the vents on the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to a shoulder lane where the passenger side began to catch fire. The contact stated that wires were visible prior to the fire. The fire department extinguished…
The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 1500. The contact stated that there had been a burning odor emitting from within the cabin of the vehicle. Then suddenly the heating system failed without warning. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who stated that the heater wires that had a connector that had…
On 04.12.2014 after going to the store, parked under the carport. The time was 10pm. While inside heard a pop sound around 10:15 pm. Went outside and the truck was on fire. Put truck in neutral and pushed it from under the carport, trying to save damage to the house. Fire dept came and put the fire out. The fire…
Steering 240 Read
While driving a brand new 2008 gmc sierra, 4 door, 4 wheel drive with only 872 miles on the odometer, going approximately 30 to 40 mph, the steering knuckle holding the tie rod broke on drivers front side. The driver impacted a pull camper trailer exploding the tire upon impact with the camper. The wheel rim was…
Driving home, the spindle arm broke, causing the tires to lose steering ability, leading to the loss of control and the truck going into pensacola bay. No airbag deployment. Driver knocked unconscious
The contact owns a 2007 gmc sierra 1500. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle drifted to the right and the steering wheel seized. The contact crashed into a drainage ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle had to be extracted and towed. The contact notified the…
Power Train 172 Read
The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 1500. After the contact parked and exited the vehicle, it began to roll forward in his garage. The vehicle crashed into the garage door and the contact sustained injuries. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they could not find any failures. The contact called gmc and a…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc sierra 1500. While the vehicle was parked on a non-leveled surface, it rolled backwards into a river. A police report was filed. After inspection, the contact concluded that the transmission did not engage itself into park, which allowed the vehicle to shift into reverse. He is in the…
We were in a storage facility parking our camper when I got out of my gmc truck...I left it running in park because it was so hot outside...while I directed my brother to put the camper in place with his vehicle. This took approx. 20-30 minutes when all of a sudden my truck is going in reverse all on its own running…
Engine And Engine Cooling 162 Read
The contact owns a 2006 gmc sierra 3500. While driving 10-75 mph, the engine stalled. There was a loss of power steering and brakes. The vehicle would restart by itself after drifting for 50 yards. There were no warning indicator lights prior to the failure. The contact noticed thick, black smoke coming from the…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc sierra 2500 hd. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph and smelled burning coolant and the temperature gauge began to rapidly increase. The contact inspected under the hood and noticed the engine overheating with complete loss of coolant. Immediately, water was dispensed into the…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc sierra. The contact stated the vehicle caught fire while it was parked in the garage. The fire department stated the fire originated in the engine compartment. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure which was under investigation. The vehicle failure and current mileage was 36,000.…
Structure 123 Read
There is a piece of plastic under the center console which protrudes above the accelerator pedal. Especially when warm, the plastic piece protrudes far enough to catch my shoe and hold it on the accelerator when I try to brake. I did have a crash when someone stopped quickly in front of me, and I later had a near miss…
While slowing down for a light on a 4 lane highway my brake lines burst in two places failed from being weaken by rust....I had no chance to stop or advert the car and crashed into and totaled a new buick.....the driver was taken to the hospital...the front of my truck need repair....gm made the lines out of steel…
The accident happened in a parking lot. As I was turning at the end of row of parked vehicles ,a pick-up truck was backing out of a parking place. I applied the brakes but there was no response only a ratcheting noise coming from the front end of my pick-up. I put the truck in neutral but it continued to go forward…
Fuel System 122 Read
The accident caused the gmc sierra pick-up to explode and burn
2000 gmc sierra involved in accident - truck exploded and burned
Driving 2006 gmc sierra pick up in utah on hwy 191 in a cross country move and pushed off the road to the side by a trucker franticly telling me to run from the truck,it was on fire. Local fire department concluded their investigation that it was the fuel line leaking as cause of origin. Also state highway patrol…
Sierra years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Air Bags | 15 | 5 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 11 | 5 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 14 | 10 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 11 | 18 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 20 | 10 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 26 | 10 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 48 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 48 | 4 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 43 | 4 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 46 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 19 | 9 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 6 | 5 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 17 | 3 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 17 | 1 | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | 2 | 2 | |
| 1993 | Electrical System,visibility,equipment | 4 | — | |
| 1992 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | 1 | |
| 1991 | Exterior Lighting | — | — | |
| 1990 | Power Train | 1 | 2 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 2 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 3,065 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.8 |
| Worst single series | 16 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 1.8 hides a worst series at 16. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Sierra?
By complaint volume, 2000, 2002, 2001 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Sierra years are the cleanest?
1991, 1989, 1990 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Sierra have?
5,563 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1989–2008. Of those, 352 describe a crash and 93 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.