2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
889 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 70/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 83,500 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990, 1992–1994, 2012–2013.
Avoid
Where 2019 sits among all Sierra 1500 years
What owners report
“Engine failure on 12/1/2025 16,253 miles and 591.9 hours on vehicle. Vehicle has the 6.2l engine. Towed to dealership”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
“The transmission failed and GM will not provide parts to repair the truck. Only has 57000 miles”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
“Service esc warning on dash service trailer brake on dash brake system failure - 62 mph top speed warning on dash steering assist reduced drive with care on dash restarted truck and check engine light came on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
“Truck parked in morning, turned it on and multiple warnings came on, service trailer brake system,service esc,brake system failure at 62mph,got warning from onstar that there is an issue with my antilock braking system, i took pictures of error but only could upload one.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
“Experience water leaking 3rd brake light and rear window. Leaking in both areas. Also concerned about mold that could be caused by this.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
“The steering wheel locked up with no warning while driving and truck shuts down and displays no power steering assist service. ERC warning twice in one week.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2019 Sierra 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 293 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 13,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 5,000 and 64,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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,…
Fix: 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…
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The affected tires were cured for too long during production.
Fix: Dealers inspect and replace the tires as necessary, free of charge, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 25, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
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…
Fix: 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,…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. These vehicles received updated software for the Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM). This software has an error, and as a result, the vehicle's…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cadillac CT6, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. Due to an Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) software error, the vehicle's Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Antilock Brake…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer…
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…
Fix: 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…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The passenger-side frontal air bag module may have been damaged during assembly, possibly resulting in the air bag not inflating…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on December 18, 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: 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…
Led to recall campaign 25V274.
Technical service bulletins
1,748 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2019 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 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 reliable?
The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 drew 889 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 70/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 are engine (312 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (132), and brakes & stability (117).
At what mileage do 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 problems around 13,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 5,000 and 64,000 miles.
Does the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2019 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.