2016 GMC Sierra 1500: problems, recalls and reliability
7 recalls and 340 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes (29% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 4 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jul 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 340 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Catastrophic engine failure while traveling 40 mph. Dealership diagnosed as cylinder walls being scorched and rods blown through. No warning signs existed - just had a loud thud before the check engine light started flashing and grinding sound started coming from engine.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that she had noticed the frame had rusted in two places. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there were no open recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Structure · May 2026
“1- transmission issue, it'll occasionally slip from 1-2 gear and engine rpm's will shoot up making it when you release the gas pedal it'll kick into second gear it'll also do minor kicks into other gears (8l90 transmission) 2- breaks issue, unsure of what the problem is but at very low speeds like parking or going in slow traffic the break pedal will get really hard making you have to press extra hard for it to break, releasing and pressing again doesn't help either”Owner report · Power Train · Mar 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“While traveling at low speeds in parking lots and in the operation of parking, my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a hard brake pedal that goes to the floor but I have no brakes. I almost hit a person in a local grocery store parking lot, at the bank driving up to the ATM, and I almost lost my truck over a bank because the brakes failed. This has happened multiple times at low speeds but it is getting more consistent recently. It has endangered myself and others. It is only a matter of time until damage occurs or someone gets hurt.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2026
“The other night, I was backing into a parking spot at the market. As I slowed I noticed the brake pedal was getting harder to depress and it felt as though I was going to back into the car behind me. It took more effort to stop the truck.”Owner report · Structure · Dec 2025
“Noticed the bed of my truck was touching the cab when looking under truck the frame is total structural failure rusted all the way threw on the driver side and beyond”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2025
“Loose steering and sometimes steering wheel wants to return to center When this happens I loose all electrical - dash goes blank engine dies etc. the hot battery cable is very hot to the touch. I disconnected the ground cable and wait a few minutes and power returns This is going to cause a wreck if it is not corrected Local dealer says could be bad battery I had already changed it there is a place to say when this occurred it has happened several times over the last year the last 2 times were within a week”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2025
“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the radiator was leaking fluid. There was no warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Jul 2025
“Truck has 8L90 transmission, has recently started shuddering at speeds from 65-75 and higher, I am experiencing issues with occasional hard shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, and 2 days ago experienced a very hard shift around 30-40mph when it slammed it made the tires chirp. 85k miles.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2025
“I purchased a set of Firestone Destination A/T2 tires from Firestone in Southaven, MS. I had the tires for less than 16 months. I took the tires in for inspection & was told the treat belts had separated from the tires. The tires are a hazard. the tires are 275/55R20. Driving on the interstate, I had to pull over as it felt as though the truck would overturn/rollover. They must be recalled. I contacted Firestone, they were of little to no assistance. Unable to obtain a refund or credit. I googled info on firestone tires & a plethora of information exhibited the same thing, problems with tread separation.”Owner report · Tires · Apr 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 7 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RRAB modules on the left and/or right side, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on December 22, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Note: GM filed a new recall, number 21V-504 that supersedes this recall. All vehicles previously recalled under 20V-736 will now be repaired under the new recall number 21V-504. GM's numbers for this recall are N202309680, N202309681, and N202309682.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Phase I owner notification letters were mailed on May 5, 2022. Phase II owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 20V-736. GM's number for this recall is N202324251.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sierra 1500 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 reliable?
NHTSA has 340 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The most complained-about area is service brakes (29% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 48,000 miles or less.
Does the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 have open recalls?
7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.