What breaks most · 1994 to 2026 model years
GMC Sierra 1500 problems by year
Owners have filed 8,734 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Sierra 1500 across model years 1994 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2014 for steering complaints, 2015 for brakes complaints and 2019 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1996 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2014, 2015, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1996, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 87341994 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2014738 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 25795 fires · 185 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 60kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 142Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 0 | 0 | Wipers and visibility (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 83 | 0 | 5 | Steering (25) | |
| 59 | 6 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (15) | |
| 158 | 9 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (70) | |
| 181 | 10 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (78) | |
| 140 | 10 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (59) | |
| 166 | 17 | 4 | Brakes (64) | |
| 180 | 13 | 4 | Brakes (55) | |
| 212 | 8 | 5 | Electrical system (81) | |
| 177 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (67) | |
| 144 | 8 | 2 | Brakes (40) | |
| 262 | 9 | 3 | Air bags (145) | |
| 381 | 12 | 2 | Air bags (243) | |
| 234 | 4 | 4 | Air bags (122) | |
| 168 | 2 | 4 | Air bags (77) | |
| 284 | 5 | 5 | Air bags (113) | |
| 107 | 4 | 3 | Air bags (42) | |
| 115 | 2 | 3 | Unknown or other (42) | |
| 738 | 24 | 9 | Steering (154) | |
| 716 | 23 | 9 | Brakes (219) | |
| 340 | 11 | 7 | Brakes (100) | |
| 352 | 14 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (116) | |
| 298 | 10 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (126) | |
| 633 | 12 | 10 | Engine (297) | |
| 456 | 12 | 12 | Engine (225) | |
| 551 | 5 | 7 | Engine (290) | |
| 570 | 9 | 6 | Engine (231) | |
| 455 | 5 | 3 | Engine (200) | |
| 347 | 5 | 1 | Engine (174) | |
| 110 | 3 | 1 | Engine (50) | |
| 96 | 0 | 2 | Engine (66) |
What fails on the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 21% |
154 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 20% |
148 | 3 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 19% |
139 | 10 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
128 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
91 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
69 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
69 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 8% |
56 | 2 | Shop stability control parts for the 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 |
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.
-
Truck shut off and would not turn back on. Negative battery cable so hot it burned skin off. Would not start, tried to start clicking sound, radio blipped for a moment.
-
When backing up, either on a hill or flat surface, the brakes fail to stop the vehicle. There is a pulsing sensation with the brakes due to failure of the vacuum. The brake pedal also becomes impossible to depress. No warning lights appear when this occurs.
-
ENGINE DIED!!,Had it towed to local dealer and was told I have L87 engine failure ,but the recall dosen't cover 2019 models. Service tech says it only covers 2021-2024 6.2 engines. Is there any action I can follow to be added to the recall. Thanks for your swift attention.
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 6, 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, 2019 carry the most filings on the GMC Sierra 1500. The 2014 alone has 738 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common GMC Sierra 1500 problem?
On the 2014 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 154 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.