2008 GMC Sierra 3500: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 25 owner complaints on record; most reports concern air bags; the 2009 and 2010 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · latest recall Jan 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Started the truck in driveway waiting on woman to get in on passenger side BOOM! AIR BAG EXPLODED didn't know what happened and then the passenger side airbag exploded. Shut the truck off got out 5 minutes later passenger side airbag exploded again and it was smoking they are very loud thank God no one was injured or we were driving down the road and that happened that would have been terrible.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2026
“The dashboard is cracked in multiple locations including around the passenger side airbag. The material appears brittle and could potentially shatter in an accident.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Apr 2017
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Greenville motor co (169 interstate dr, greenville, al 36037, (877) 364-4812) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2017
Show 7 more owner reports
“Takata airbag recall: I had sent complaint #10821862 but no response. I received a letter about the recall in july 2015. Recall has been in effect since may 2015. I called the gmc dealer here in january 2016 and was told no parts available. I called the dealer again today (nov 2016) and was told the same thing. No part available. And was told to call back between 2-3 months. Complaint: too long for a recall. Safety issue.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2016
“Takata recall. This recall is taking an excessively long time. I have contacted gmc product support at 8004628782 to submit a tier 1 escalation on july 27th. As of august 25th, they still fail to expedite the parts to complete a safety recall. Since my wife is pregnant she cannot sit in the front seat. Once our second child arrives in mid september we will not be able to ride in this vehicle together. I am unclear how to resolve this issue.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 3500. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 15v324000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra ld. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v381000 (air bags), however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer (chrysler dodge jeep ram fiat of south savannah 8701 abercorn st, savannah, ga 31406 (912) 330-4132) was contacted and confirmed that the remedy part was not available. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the issue but no further assistance was taken. The contact had experienced a failure with the airbag warning light illuminated. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2016
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v324000 (air bags); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. Updated 05/06/16*lj updated 05/09/16.*jb”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
“While driving in a one lane construction zone with no place to pull over, the vehicle lost power and would not go over 10 mph, requiring it to be towed to the nearest dealership. This durmax diesel engine had only 84,000 miles and had excellent service maintance. Cost to repair is 3860.00.”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2015
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 gmc sierra 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v324000 (air bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2015
Recalls - 3 campaigns
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 28, 2006, to August 29, 2008, and 2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 27, 2006, to August 29, 2008. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's numbers for this recall are 15438 and 15817.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2007, to June 22, 2011, and GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery. Owners may unknowingly draw too much current through the vehicle's trailer harness resulting in the melting of fusible link for the auxiliary battery.
Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental Owner Manual information, free of charge. The recall began on August 29, 2014. 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 14260.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with non-desiccated, passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-866-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N192290990.
How other years compare
Check your exact Sierra 3500 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 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 reliable?
NHTSA has 25 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500. The most complained-about area is air bags.
Does the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. 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.