2020 GMC Sierra 2500: problems, recalls and reliability
9 recalls and 73 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is power train (30% of complaints); the 2018 and 2019 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 73 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“A couple times I heard loud clanking coming from rear brakes. One time in particular I was trying to stop and it felt line someone had ran into my truck but must have been the rear wheel locking up”Owner report · Power Train · Jan 2026
“The rear defroster massively overheated. It started heavily smoking and eventually exploded the rear windows. Only warning sign was the smoke which we noticed quickly because the windows were up. Had the windows been down we might not have noticed before a fire started. I'm taking it to a dealership now. This module also triggers on from a remote start. Extremely dangerous!!!”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2025
“Bad vibration and bad wobble in steering wheel and front end components. This is the 3rd or 4th time my truck has been back to the dealer because of the same issue!”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 30 MPH, the rear wheels locked up and the vehicle skidded to a complete stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission had imploded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train); the VIN was included but the vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2025
“Torque converter in my transmission we out, causing my gears to grind and lose power. Slight rumbling sound under the front passenger seat, First dealer (Palmen Motors, Kenosha WI) told me there was nothing wrong with the vehicle and no transmission error codes exist. Second dealer (Parks GMC, Greenville SC) indicated that i need a complete new transmission. Part is on backorder for the last 4 weeks and I am without my vehicle. No ETA for new part or any information on why it failed prematurely.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2025
“After the transmission recall was completed, I'm now having erratic shifting. Having the recall adding software monitoring for a hardware issue is inadequate. Now that I am out of warrentee, gm has not resolved the issue and now I am having shifting problems.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2025
“The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V797000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Power Train · May 2025
“Cracks in the rear sliding window plastic upper rail glass guide causing Rear window leaking water and causing mold from water leaking. GMC has a service bulletin number 18-NA-383 knowing of this issue and not telling customers purchasing the GMC vehicle. The service bulletin was released in 2019 before purchasing the truck and they still didn't inform the customers. My child rides in the back in a car seat and now has been breathing in this mold and mildew for how long. I have had my vehicle in with Titus will Gmc in olympia multiple times for service and inspection of various recalls and still didn't inform me of this issue.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2025
“I have a notice of a recall for the transmission control module and I took it to a GMC dealership and they are refusing to fix it. The transmission will not shift so I am unable to drive it”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2025
“ODI # 11646185 My truck on [XXX] leaked transmission coolant from the jumper line leak( which this part is recalled but not for my VIN #) $400.61 dollars and left me stranded in the middle of the highway and had to be towed. After the repair and checking the transmission was discovered it was ruined because of the leak. So now I have to have a new transmission installed at Jennings in Beardstown IL to the cost of $7363.39. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 9 campaigns
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454440.
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 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The hood-latch striker wires may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 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 N192284960.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles previously recalled under 20V-142. Some of the vehicles in 20V-324 were not part of Recall 20V-142 but received defect parts during another service (typically during collision repair). The hood-latch striker wires on replacement hoods installed for Safety Recall 20V-142 may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. For hoods sold over the counter, dealers will contact customers with instructions for hood replacement. The recall began July 7, 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 N202306490.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and GMC Sierra 2500 vehicles equipped with a 17" spare tire (RPO ZHQ or ZXT) and either the 20" accessory road tire (RPO REM) or the 18" accessory road tire (RPO Q2V). Operating the spare tire with other 20" or 18" tires can prevent the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) from engaging.
Remedy: Dealers will provide the appropriate spare tire and apply a new spare tire information label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 18, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212329780.
General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. The tailgate's electronic gate-release switch may short circuit due to water intrusion, which can result in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
Remedy: Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N232426400.
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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sierra 2500 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 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 reliable?
NHTSA has 73 owner complaints and 9 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 GMC Sierra 2500. The most complained-about area is power train (30% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 62,000 miles or less.
Does the 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 have open recalls?
9 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission:control module:software. 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.