2019 GMC Sierra 1500: problems, recalls and reliability
10 recalls and 647 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is engine (40% of complaints); the 2017 and 2018 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 20 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Dec 2021
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 647 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I had complained to the dealer less than one year after purchase in may of 2019 that there was a shuddering noise and the transmission hesitates and seems to lock up at times. I was told it was "just how the 8-speed transmission operates". It has contnued throughout ownership and now seems to lose power and vibrates excessively during acceleration.”Owner report · Power Train · Sep 2026
“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and DTC: P0016 was retrieved. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to catastrophic engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle experienced engine failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with total engine failure. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 142,370.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle came to a full stop to allow wildlife to cross the road. Upon accelerating, the engine made an abnormal banging noise. The contact stopped to inspect the vehicle and observed an engine misfire while idling. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the lifters had collapsed, and that the engine needed to be disassembled for further diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2026
“Driving vehicle at normal speeds and engine suddenly shut of and stopped in the road. would not restart. Had to get it towed to dealer who diagnosed problem as a seized up engine and need a new engine replacement”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2026
“The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle started jerking and shaking before unintendedly accelerating. Additionally, the vehicle jerked and started to lose motive power. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“The lifters collapsed on cylinder 3 causing the camshaft to shed metal into the oil leading to bearing failure. Leaving us stranded 210 miles away from home. Motor has 85,909 miles. This is the same problem that the 2021 model year trucks have that has a recall. The 2019 model years have the exact same problems. I personally know 6 people who have had this happen. Check out the Facebook page. GM 6.2 Lifter and bearing failure.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“TSB 19-NA-121. My truck is experiencing the exact issues detailed in the listed TSB. Randomly and quite often my truck feels like I am running over speed bumps. This just started about 3 days ago. The truck has been maintained. Oil is changed on time and there was a 100,000 mile service and I just had a 150,000 service done. Currently there are roughly $148,000 miles on the vehicle. Is there a way to have GM cover the costs of the repairs even though my VIN# was not listed. Also I am experiencing sudden power loss which is also mentioned in other bulletins. Basically it feels like the engine hesitates to accelerate.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“Experienced the GMC shudder while driving on the highway. This is a known issue with GMC transmissions valve bodies and torque converters. I would like to know why my vehicle is not on the recall list 2019 GMC? 85,000 miles and has always shifted hard randomly when cold but was unaware of the problem until this shudder became an issue and started looking into it.”Owner report · Power Train · Jul 2026
“Engine failure at random while operating. Dealership stated vehicle blew engine block fuse and crankshaft is now seized.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 13 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 10 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202314870.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Remedy: Dealers inspect and replace the tires as necessary, free of charge, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212336230.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. These vehicles received updated software for the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM). This software has an error, and as a result, the vehicle's electronic brake assist may be disabled. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192268091.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's manual insert clarifying which spare tire to use with the accessory road tires and with the 17" original tires. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212346510.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cadillac CT6, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. Due to an Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) software error, the vehicle's Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Antilock Brake System (ABS) may become disabled. Furthermore, if this specific error occurs, the vehicle's diagnostics will not illuminate the instrument cluster ESC and ABS malfunction warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control" and 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192268090.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary. If arcing has damaged the cable, nut, or alternator, the dealer will replace the damaged components. All services will be performed free of charge. GM issued owners an interim notification on February 4, 2020. GM issued second notice and the recall began March 9, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192273510.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The passenger-side frontal air bag module may have been damaged during assembly, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating properly in the event of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N182198820.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Sierra 1500 years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
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 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 reliable?
NHTSA has 647 owner complaints and 10 recall campaigns on record for the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The most complained-about area is engine (40% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 19,000 miles or less.
Does the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 have open recalls?
10 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train. 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.