What breaks most · 1996 to 2026 model years
GMC Sierra 3500 problems by year
Owners have filed 572 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Sierra 3500 across model years 1996 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2020 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2024 for electrical system complaints and 2001 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2010 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2020, 2024, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2010, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 5721996 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202051 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3317 fires · 29 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 58kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 111Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | Steering (4) | |
| 12 | 0 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 19 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (7) | |
| 26 | 3 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (12) | |
| 36 | 3 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (10) | |
| 20 | 3 | 3 | Brakes (4) | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (2) | |
| 24 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (8) | |
| 24 | 0 | 1 | Steering (5) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Steering (3) | |
| 16 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (7) | |
| 25 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (17) | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 5 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 20 | 0 | 5 | Air bags (8) | |
| 9 | 0 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 14 | 1 | 4 | Air bags (5) | |
| 7 | 1 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 31 | 1 | 7 | Exterior lighting (6) | |
| 19 | 0 | 6 | Steering (6) | |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Brakes (5) | |
| 14 | 0 | 6 | Brakes (6) | |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | Brakes (4) | |
| 51 | 4 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 20 | 0 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 31 | 3 | 3 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 28 | 5 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (14) | |
| 44 | 0 | 3 | Electrical system (12) | |
| 16 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (4) | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 2020 GMC Sierra 3500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 37% |
19 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 18% |
9 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 14% |
7 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
6 | 1 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 12% |
6 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 8% |
4 | 0 | — |
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.
-
Valve body failed while pulling my camper down the interstate. Transmission began to have issues and locked up on us while driving. Luckily i was able to avoid any accidents. Had truck towed to a private Transmission shop to have the transmission repaired. Shop advised the failure was due to the faulty valve body.
-
Battery would not hold charge and would need jump start. Transmission would not stay in gear while towing trailer and would only go to 5th or 6th gear and would jerk out of gear and oil temperatures would go to 225 degrees. Erratically shifting and while driving with cruise control stop with out warning
-
After experiencing ABS braking problems on my 2001 gmc truck model nk3, i became aware of GM recall no. 05068, 05v379000, which the local dealer says this issue does not involve my vehicle. For safety reasons, i did repair the problem.
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 3500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2020, 2024, 2001 carry the most filings on the GMC Sierra 3500. The 2020 alone has 51 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common GMC Sierra 3500 problem?
On the 2020 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 19 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Sierra 3500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Sierra 3500 complaints that include mileage is about 58,000 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.