GMC Sierra 1500 Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every GMC Sierra 1500 model year from 1990 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 16,189 federal complaints, 64 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 1999–2000, 2014–2015, 2019, 2021–2022. These years top the Sierra 1500's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990, 1992–1994, 2012–2013 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Sierra 1500's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 3 open defect investigations on the GMC Sierra 1500.
Component: ENGINE
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 36 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall 25V274. In each VOQ, the engine had the recall remedy completed prior to the reported failure incident. Recall 25V-274 addresses vehicles equipped with…
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
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) 2019–2024…
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Brakes & stability tops the GMC Sierra 1500 file with 3,240 complaints, concentrated in the 1999–2002, 2015 model years, most often reported around 65,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Too early to call | 114 | 2 | Engine | 8 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 148 | 1 | Engine | 11 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 459 | 1 | Engine | 37 |
| 2023 | Below average | 577 | 3 | Engine | 43 |
| 2022 | Avoid | 728 | 6 | Engine | 56 |
| 2021 | Avoid | 741 | 7 | Engine | 56 |
| 2020 | Below average | 661 | 12 | Engine | 52 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 889 | 10 | Engine | 70 |
| 2018 | Below average | 420 | 7 | Transmission & drivetrain | 35 |
| 2017 | Below average | 550 | 5 | Transmission & drivetrain | 45 |
| 2016 | Below average | 453 | 7 | Brakes & stability | 41 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 993 | 9 | Brakes & stability | 81 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 1,161 | 9 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2013 | Better year | 193 | 3 | Other | 18 |
| 2012 | Better year | 195 | 3 | Other | 17 |
| 2011 | Below average | 431 | 5 | Airbags | 35 |
| 2010 | Typical | 259 | 4 | Airbags | 22 |
| 2009 | Typical | 328 | 4 | Airbags | 27 |
| 2008 | Below average | 524 | 2 | Airbags | 46 |
| 2007 | Below average | 384 | 3 | Airbags | 36 |
| 2006 | Typical | 247 | 2 | Brakes & stability | 24 |
| 2005 | Typical | 370 | 3 | Electrical | 34 |
| 2004 | Below average | 477 | 5 | Brakes & stability | 44 |
| 2003 | Below average | 458 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 43 |
| 2002 | Below average | 483 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 44 |
| 2001 | Below average | 504 | 5 | Brakes & stability | 53 |
| 2000 | Avoid | 772 | 3 | Brakes & stability | 77 |
| 1999 | Avoid | 903 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 83 |
| 1998 | Typical | 298 | 4 | Brakes & stability | 30 |
| 1997 | Typical | 402 | 5 | Brakes & stability | 31 |
| 1996 | Typical | 317 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 31 |
| 1995 | Typical | 330 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 32 |
| 1994 | Better year | 236 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 19 |
| 1993 | Better year | 109 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 10 |
| 1992 | Better year | 33 | 0 | — | 3 |
| 1991 | Few reports | 12 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 1990 | Better year | 30 | 0 | Brakes & stability | 5 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 29,891 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the GMC Sierra 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the GMC Sierra 1500 TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What GMC Sierra 1500 years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 1999–2000, 2014–2015, 2019, 2021–2022 as the GMC Sierra 1500 years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common GMC Sierra 1500 problem?
Brakes & stability tops the GMC Sierra 1500 file with 3,240 complaints, concentrated in the 1999–2002, 2015 model years, most often reported around 65,000 miles.
What are the best GMC Sierra 1500 years to buy used?
The quietest GMC Sierra 1500 years in federal records are 1990, 1992–1994, 2012–2013 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the GMC Sierra 1500 only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.