The Used Car Index

2020 GMC Sierra 1500 problems

NHTSA lists 469 complaints for the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500, 12 of them mention a crash and 5 mention a fire. 6 complaints mention an injury, with 13 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as GMC SIERRA 1500.

At a glance

Complaints
469
With crash
12
With fire
5
With injury (complaints)
6
Injuries
13
Deaths
0
Recalls
12
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
624,216
Investigations
3
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
1,538

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE23550.1%
POWER TRAIN9720.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8017.1%
SERVICE BRAKES4910.4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER449.4%
STEERING377.9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM265.5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING194.1%
SUSPENSION183.8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE143.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY12
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING11
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM4
BACK OVER PREVENTIONWARNINGS3
EQUIPMENTELECTRICAL2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEWARNINGS2
LANE DEPARTUREASSIST2
AIR BAGSSRS MALFUNCTION WARNING LAMP/LIGHT1
BACK OVER PREVENTIONREARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
mechanical failure23650.3%0.89
electrical electronic8217.5%0.87
loss of control7716.4%0.77
structural or corrosion194.1%0.68
noise or comfort143.0%0.86
visibility or lighting112.3%0.91
fluid or fuel leak91.9%0.71
unclear81.7%0.89
restraint or airbag71.5%0.88
fire or overheating61.3%0.97
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate28159.9%0.81
low16234.5%0.73
high204.3%0.79
none51.1%0.90
critical10.2%0.71

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 469 tagged complaints of 469 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

12 recalls. Showing the latest 10 of 12.

26V083000

Date: 2026-02-12. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up. (excerpt)

Consequence: Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on Feb (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

24V797000

Date: 2024-10-24. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up. (excerpt)

Consequence: Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V985000

Date: 2021-12-16. Systems: TIRES.

Defect: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle is not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions. (excerpt)

Consequence: An ABS system that does not function properly can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Dealers will provide a new 17" spare tire and wheel assembly that is compatible with the accessory wheels, free of charge. Dealers will also apply a new spare tire information label, and provide owners with an owner's manual insert clarifying which spare tire to use with the accessory road tires and with the 17" original tires. Owner notification letters were mailed February 7, 2022. Owners ma (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

21V115000

Date: 2021-02-25. Systems: TIRES.

Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020 Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, GMC Acadia, Sierra 1500, and certain Continental tires sold to the aftermarket for various model year 2018-2021 vehicles. The affected tires were cu (excerpt)

Consequence: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall resulting in sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could lead to a tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212329050. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V792000

Date: 2020-12-17. Systems: SEAT BELTS.

Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.

Consequence: If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V684000

Date: 2020-11-05. Systems: TIRES.

Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse vehicles and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with Continental tires that were overcured. (excerpt)

Consequence: Overcured tires may experience a carcass break in the sidewall resulting in a sudden air loss or could develop a belt edge separation which could lead to partial or full tread/belt loss. Either condition increases the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles and replace tires that have DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental, free of charge. The recall began December 17, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V650000

Date: 2020-10-22. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 and 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 trucks. One of the driveshaft joints may not have been properly welded, causing the driveshaft to separate while the vehicle is moving.

Consequence: If the driveshaft separates, there may be a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202314870.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V446000

Date: 2020-07-30. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.

Consequence: If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V116000

Date: 2020-02-27. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The bolts used to attach the front and/or rear brake calipers may have not been heat treated and may break under load.

Consequence: Broken caliper bolts can reduce brake performance or interfere with wheel rotation and increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake caliper bolts, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 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 N202294420.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V888000

Date: 2019-12-12. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an intermittent electrical connection between the B+ cable and alternator. (excerpt)

Consequence: An intermittent electrical connection between the B+ battery cable and the alternator could cause the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash. The intermittent connection could also lead to electrical arcing, which could generate sufficient heat to damage surrounding material, increasing the risk of a fire. (excerpt)

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach the B+ cable connection, as necessary. If arcing has damaged the cable, nut, or alternator, the dealer will replace the damaged components. All services will be performed free of charge. GM issued owners an interim not (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

3 investigations; 1 open.

EA25007

Opened: 2025-10-23. Closed: Not listed.

Loss of motive power due to engine failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274. These engines are installed in Model Years (MY) 2019a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2021-2024MY Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon

Systems: ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

PE25001

Opened: 2025-01-16. Closed: 2025-10-23.

Loss of motive power due to engine failure

On January 16, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 after receiving complaints and field reports concerning engine failures in MY2019-2024 GMa s full-size truck and SUV T1XX platform equipped with the L87 6.2L V8 engine. These complainants alleged engine bearing failures resulting in knocking and growling noises from the enginea s bottom end and i

Systems: ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Linked campaign numbers: 25V274.

PE21010

Opened: 2021-04-09. Closed: 2023-08-24.

Air Bag Malfunction

On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

1,538 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT380
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM368
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING320
POWER TRAIN185
ENGINE174
UNKNOWN OR OTHER163
STRUCTURE101
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY57

11037555

Date: 2026-09-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.

11037550

Date: 2026-09-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI communicates the proper part numbers for transmission connectors and internal harness to prevent confusion when ordering

11037253

Date: 2026-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

11036713

Date: 2026-08-27. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This document assists GM dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. The torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the technician will be asked to follow 25-NA-148 before requesting a part through PQC.

11036196

Date: 2026-08-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary information communicates an issue where an aftermarket autostop device or rear taillights is causing a dead battery.

11035709

Date: 2026-07-31. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This document assists GM dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. The torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the technician will be asked to follow 25-NA-148 before requesting a part through PQC.

11035350

Date: 2026-07-23. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI provides information to repair the door water deflector which is not sealed properly allows water into the door jam/sill area.

11035308

Date: 2026-07-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.

11035340

Date: 2026-07-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

PI to help diagnose A/C concern

11035133

Date: 2026-07-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI was created to help avoid unnecessary front camera module replacements

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
SIERRA 1500469

Same model, other years

All model years | All GMC models

Other GMC models, 2020

Sources

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