What breaks most · 2002 to 2020 model years
GMC Sierra Denali problems by year
Owners have filed 247 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Sierra Denali across model years 2002 to 2020. Three years stand out: 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2011 for air bags complaints and 2019 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2007, 2005 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 2016, 2011, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2007, 2005, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 2472002 to 2020, all trims
- Worst year
- 201630 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 70 fires · 12 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 5Across 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 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Brakes (3) | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | Steering (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 18 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (6) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 28 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (17) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Steering (4) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 22 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (7) | |
| 30 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Engine (5) | |
| 26 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (8) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Engine (5) |
What fails on the 2016 GMC Sierra Denali
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 30% |
9 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 27% |
8 | 1 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 20% |
6 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 10% |
3 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 7% |
2 | 1 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
2 | 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.
-
The truck has a horrible vibration from around 45 mph and up. Have test drove other 2016 gmc sierras with same issue. Have taken it back to the dodge dealership we bought it from and they said it should be a recall
-
Dash board is cracking in three places . The most concerning one is around the passengers air bag. My passenger could be impaled with pieces of the dash if the airbag were to deploy.
-
Engine light keeps coming on take it to the dealer i guess they reset it and now this is the 3rd time it's now back on, back up camera goes out from time to time,
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 Denali years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2016, 2011, 2019 carry the most filings on the GMC Sierra Denali. The 2016 alone has 30 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common GMC Sierra Denali problem?
On the 2016 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Sierra Denali problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Sierra Denali complaints that include mileage is about 50,000 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.