What breaks most · 1994 to 2019 model years
GMC Sierra 1500 problems by year
Owners have filed 3,489 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Sierra 1500 across model years 1994 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2014 for exterior lighting complaints, 2015 for brakes complaints and 2008 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1996 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2014, 2015, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1996, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 34891994 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2014413 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 14839 fires · 100 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 60kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 112Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 82 | 0 | 5 | Steering (25) | |
| 56 | 6 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (15) | |
| 157 | 9 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (70) | |
| 175 | 9 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (78) | |
| 137 | 10 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (59) | |
| 162 | 17 | 4 | Brakes (62) | |
| 178 | 13 | 4 | Brakes (55) | |
| 204 | 8 | 5 | Electrical system (80) | |
| 167 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (64) | |
| 138 | 8 | 2 | Brakes (38) | |
| 198 | 6 | 3 | Air bags (98) | |
| 294 | 9 | 2 | Air bags (184) | |
| 175 | 3 | 4 | Air bags (90) | |
| 132 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (60) | |
| 195 | 5 | 5 | Air bags (85) | |
| 57 | 1 | 3 | Unknown or other (28) | |
| 56 | 2 | 3 | Unknown or other (25) | |
| 413 | 13 | 9 | Exterior lighting (129) | |
| 315 | 11 | 9 | Brakes (109) | |
| 93 | 5 | 8 | Brakes (41) | |
| 41 | 5 | 6 | Brakes (12) | |
| 28 | 2 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (8) | |
| 16 | 0 | 10 | Electrical system (7) |
What fails on the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 31% |
129 | 3 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 18% |
74 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 17% |
70 | 3 | Shop steering parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
57 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
49 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 8% |
35 | 2 | Shop stability control parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 6% |
25 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
21 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Was driving down the highway at highway speeds rolled the passenger window up the stereo cut off the gauges cut out and the wipers wipes in one time. Then a message stating stabilitrak needed to be serviced and electronic power steering was out
-
Brake pedal becomes hard and non efective when attempting to park or at low idle speeds on numerous occasions nearly causing serious harm to bystanders and property. This is a major problem with GM trucks and do not know why a recall has not been issued to protect the public from serious injury.
-
Power door locks work intermittantly. This poses a saftey concerne as the locks sometimes will not auto lock when put in gear
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which GMC Sierra 1500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 2008 carry the most filings on the GMC Sierra 1500. The 2014 alone has 413 complaints, led by exterior lighting.
What is the most common GMC Sierra 1500 problem?
On the 2014 model year, the most-reported component is exterior lighting with 129 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Sierra 1500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Sierra 1500 complaints that include mileage is about 60,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.