10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
35,289 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #96

Sep 252024

Sierra 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving at low speed such at in drive thru or parking lot if you press brake couple repetitive times pedal gets hard and you have to press really hard to stop it-??s like vacumn assist losses vacumn in braking assist been happening last couple years but I-??ve learned to adjust my braking at low speed to adapt

- Linden, NC, USA

problem #95

Sep 052024

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Stopping at a stop sign with several cars in front of me my vehicle wouldn-??t stop, luckily the car in front of me moved. I immediately called the dealership to have my vehicle repaired. They confirmed my brakes had a problem including the vacuum pump having an internal failure. They replaced vacuum pump and required belts then charged me $800 for this service.

- Delta, OH, USA

problem #94

May 022024

Sierra 1500

  • miles
On a recent road trip my family and I experienced an issue with the Brake Assist on my 2016 GMC Sierra. When I returned back from our vacation I took the vehicle to a 3rd party mechanic that I trusted to perform diagnostics. He advised that I would need a new vacuum pump and stretch belt to correct the issue. Upon receiving this information I advised him to move forward with the repair. What I didn't know was that Special Coverage N182202780 covers this exact repair from GM at no cost to the customer. I followed up with GM to see if I could recoup any of the cost and I was told no because I didn't get the work done at a GM dealership. I find this to be extremely frustrating as I did not know there was a special notice that would have covered this defect, and if I had I would of taken the vehicle to a GMC dealership. I feel that GM should reimburse me for the defect that was known even if I had the vehicle serviced at my chosen mechanic. Any help would be greatly appreciated

- Normal, IL, USA

problem #93

Sep 062023

Sierra 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Braking system is malfunctioning while driving at slower speeds. It has malfunctioned while backing up and almost hit another vehicle. It also malfunctioned while coming to a stop light. Brake system is not working as it should and is feeling spongy upon braking. It feels like the brake pedal is all the way to the floor before it will eventually stop the truck. In researching this problem, there was a recall on the secondary brake system back in Feb of 2020. I bought the truck in June of 2020. I never got any information that there was a recall from the dealership I bought it from. I am unable to drive my truck due to this problem. I have not taken the truck to a GMC dealer as of yet but planning to.

- Mendon, UT, USA

problem #92

Nov 142023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Brakes go out at low speeds, especially in reverse. Makes it really hard to stop vehicle. It happens at least once every couple days and seems to be getting progressively worse.

- Saint Johns, FL, USA

problem #91

Aug 112023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
While parking in San Francisco after driving for about 100 miles, the brakes felt they had lost all power, the pedal was pressed down to the floor and caused the braking distance to increase drastically. There was a fence post to the left of my truck. So I was going to go forward a little then back up and straighten out to pull forward and finish parking. Going slow 3-5MPH I pressed the brake and the truck kept going forward, I felt a shake from the brake pedal and then no pressure, straight to the floor, then the brake pedal didn-??t return up. i kept pressing/pumping the brake pedal but still felt like there was no power at all. When you released the brake pedal the pedal would not return to the top like normal. So the truck would not stop, it felt like forever, but when the truck did stop it had just come to rest on the fence post left of me, causing a small dent on the, rear passenger, driver side door. This was really scary because I was parking on a ocean pier and I though I was going to go into the fence in front of me and then into the water. I know now that that was most likely not going to happen because of the low speed I was going at but non the less SUPER SCARY. So now I have a dent on my truck and I am also scared to drive the truck because the brakes might not work when I need them too.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #90

Jul 022023

Sierra 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power brake booster failed, truck would not stop in a timely manner

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #89

Jul 192023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Brakes will sometime seize up and not allow car to stop in sufficient time.

- Isle Of Palms, SC, USA

problem #88

Apr 072023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Out of the blue I am getting constant trailer brake system alarms dinging at me. Even if I select dismiss the alarm keeps coming back. There seems to be no way of getting this to stop.

- Pontiac, IL, USA

problem #87

Jan 272023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
At low/idle speeds the brake pedal becomes hard and will not stop. At speeds between 35-75mph the engine/transmission has a vibration about every 10seconds and the transmission shifts hard and/or rough at times when first taking off.

- West Monroe , LA, USA

problem #86

Dec 282022

Sierra 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At low speed (5 mph or less), my GMC truck looses brake pedal resistance and I have to mash the pedal hard to stop.... very dangerous when in traffic, parking lot or pedestrians crossing in front. This needs immediate attention. No warning lights on dash. After researching this issue online I discover there are many youtubes and complaints about this apparent brake vacuum pump problem). I also see where there is a recall of over 3.5 million Chevy/GMC vehicles (recall #s N202300860 and N192268490) for this exact low speed brake pump problem. My GMC truck falls within this recall (GMC Sierra LD between 2014 and 2018). But when I check my VIN # on the NHTSA website, it states no recall. How can this be? It clearly is the exact same issue.

- Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #85

Nov 302022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Was in a parking lot, moving just 2mph and had to literally mash down on the brake pedal - both forward and backward. Also, I put my truck in drive and has been making a noise in the transmission it seems and is a loud + lurches forward a bit. Additionally, I was traveling on vacation to Rockport, TX. I've made a appointment with the dealership here at 10:00 A.M. on 9 Dec 22, it's the earliest I can get my truck in. There was previously a brake issue covered under warranty & should be again!

- Deepwater, MO, USA

problem #84

Oct 202022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Brakes give out in the parking lot or at low speeds out of no where. I was told there are recalls for this but I looked it up and it-??s saying no? I don-??t wanna have a brake failure and wreck. Looking for some help please

- Lake Wylie, SC, USA

problem #83

Jun 152022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I'm having problems with my low speed braking. When I am breaking at low speed such as at a stop sign or parking, it's like the pedal stops working, gets stiff, and I have to brake very hard to get it to work. This is of great concern to me as a safety hazard. Unable to stop in a parking structure or at a stop sign/signal can be fatal and this needs to be addressed and dealt with immediately.

- Constantine, MI, USA

problem #82

Sep 082022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Trailer brake system service light

- Bay City, MI, USA

problem #81

Aug 272022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
The brakes stop working at low speeds and the brakes drag and it doesn-??t stop.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #80

May 092022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
At low speeds my brakes do not work well. Mostly while driving at idle speeds like in a parking lot the brake pedal gets hard and the truck does not stop very easily. If you idle the truck up to a higher RPM, the brakes begin to function properly again.

- West Monroe , LA, USA

problem #79

Mar 042022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I purchased a certified pre owned 2016 sierra slt in February and just after a month of owning it a notification started to pop up and chime on my dash stating "SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM". I have had my truck in the shop multiple times after to have this issue repaired and nothing has worked. They replaced the dash GM Genuine Part 84108373 break controller switch and buttons, the GM Genuine Part 23337305 trailer brake control module as well as the 7/4 pin 23404450 GM OEM Trailer Tow Receptacle. Nothing has fixed this issue! when the truck chimes I lose my trailer breaks and this is extremely dangerous hauling a camper weight 6500lbs. I also lose the ability to make phone calls, hear my blinker also the radio. This renders my truck inoperable and a danger to drive.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #78

Jan 012022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
We recently had the recall installed on our truck, which was a brake software update for "increased brake pedal effort". No other work was performed and we had had no other issues prior to the recall being performed. Now, after the recall software update, we have all of the symptoms of the low speed increased brake pedal effort. There have been multiple times where we can barely get the truck to stop at low speed in a parking lot. The brake pedal vibrates and can hardly be pressed. Took it back to the dealer to complain about the recall installed and they said they would give a small discount for a vacuum pump repair but other than that there was nothing they could do due to our high mileage.

- Elysburg, PA, USA

problem #77

Jan 102022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Brakes failed in parking lot, had a solid pedal and could not get truck to stop

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

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