2009 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
328 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 84,300 miles.
Typical
Where 2009 sits among all Sierra 1500 years
What owners report
“" takata recall" i have called dealer and got no information or help. Recall # 49151 --- ??/??/ 2016”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Sierra 1500
“2009 gmc sierra 1500 dash is cracked up this is a safety hazard if the air bag comes out”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Sierra 1500
“Dashboard instrument panel all lights and gauges goes out while driving down the road when vehicle is turned off a clicking noise is made in the dash. This issue causes when driving down the road, not knowing the speed because the speedometer is out or how much gas the vehicle has, or any other…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Sierra 1500
“Cracked dash above the instrument panel and by the passenger air bag. Could cause a safety hazard if the airbag was deployed and is not aesthetically pleasing considering the money spent on the vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2009 Sierra 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 188 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 63,704 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 98,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold,…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain…
Fix: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
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
Led to recall campaign 22V063000.
Technical service bulletins
952 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2009 Sierra 1500 TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 reliable?
The 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 drew 328 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 are airbags (132 complaints), other (48), and electrical (33).
At what mileage do 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems around 63,704 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 98,000 miles.
Does the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.