2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
453 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 41/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 45,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2016 sits among all Sierra 1500 years
What owners report
“At low speed the brakes become hard to stop the vehicle and in reverse the brake pedal become hard and becomes very difficult to stop truck the truck was in a drive through and almost hit anouther car due to brakes failing a service brake booster soon warning came on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
“Transmission began to shift hard at 55 miles per hour on Highway. Then when I got to a parking lot it began shifting hard and also in reverse.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
“Started truck with rear defrost on, loud gun-like sound and smoke came from left, rear window and left window shattered while stationary.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
“Rear window glass on driver side of sliding rear window exploded after using defrost in cold weather while driving on the interstate.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, there was a clicking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stopped and examined the vehicle and became aware that the clicking sound was coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
“While turning steering wheel got hard and cut my turning radius causing almost to go out of the road”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Sierra 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 227 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 49,800 miles. Half of those reports fall between 34,375 and 75,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RRAB modules on the left and/or right side, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on December 22, 2020. Owners may…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge.…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 19V645000.
Technical service bulletins
1,269 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 reliable?
The 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 drew 453 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 41/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 are brakes & stability (106 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (83), and electrical (60).
At what mileage do 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems around 49,800 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 34,375 and 75,000 miles.
Does the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.