Is your defective GMC Sierra 1500 actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,991 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.

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Owner Comments

problem #13

Feb 042024

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

My truck had smoke rolling out at work when I noticed it. Tried to put it out it Burnt my hands ! destroyed the inside I had it towed and insurance investigator said it was do to a brake controller for the trailer. And I took it to get estimate and the service dept said it was do To brake controller my truck was totaled my wallet toast my coat was toast my I phone my deposit my truck i drove daily to work out of and personal. General Motors would not help I called the. First. Then I was frustrated called my insurance they started a claim and low balled me now I lost 2 months of work bills stacked and low ball price on what the offer was) and haven-??t gotten one yet. Called gm back they said I had an active claim they woundenr help it-??s there defect I lost my job my mind etc on this. Two investigators state the same thing even there service dept. A gm service dept said the same thing. No warning indicators at al I will never buy another truck. The safety issue is people driving around not knowing. The 2500 and 3500 have them. Looked it up the plant that made my truck left the parts for manufacturing outdoors they got wet. It-??s on the internet people r gionbg to get hurt. Lucky I was outside when my was on fire. Please help on the matter. Thank u

- Okc , OK, USA

problem #12

Jan 042024

Sierra 1500

  • 34,500 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes seized, and the service brakes warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle jerked forward. The vehicle was driven to the residence and parked. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned off; however, the service brakes warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,500.

- Franksville, WI, USA

problem #11

Oct 292023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
"Service parking brake" "steering assist is reduced drive with care" comments showed up on screen-??check engine light on, truck shaking/ vibrating completely as if wanting to turn off this all happened while driving on the road and randomly happened-??please help..very Concerned

- Edinburg, TX, USA

problem #10

Aug 252023

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

When driving home after picking up my 2.5-year-old and 6-month-old the breaks felt very odd and not right. When I applied them, it felt rough to apply and then heard a nasty sound coming from the rear off truck. I took my truck immediately too the dealer and just got the phone call back that the master cyclinder for my brake system needs to be replaced. This vehicle has 22,500 miles on it and it already needs something fixed like this is pretty scary since my friend just had it happen to them and they got in a major car accident. Thank god I didnt have to put my family through that. Having a break failure is something noone wants and not when the vehicle is pretty much brand new still. The dealer has confirmed that this is a very rare code in terms they used to be happening. There was no warning light or anything it just happened then as I was taking it up to the dealer, I got the service brake system alert on my dash.

- Waterford, MI, USA

problem #9

Mar 312023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
While driving home from work around 6 am, my car had multiple warning lights and warning messages come up all of a sudden. Immediately after that I lost my power brakes and steering and was not able to control my car at 40 mph. I was lucky the light I passed was green and there was no other traffic. I was able to bring my truck to a stop after more than a quarter mile by putting all my weight on the brake pedal. The truck was towed to the dealer and has been there ever since.

- Coral Gables, FL, USA

problem #8

Mar 102023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I bought a loaner 2021 GM Sierra 1500 in Aug. 2021 from Starling Buick GMC, Venice, FL with 1600 miles on it. I used the Sierra to move items from my houses in my trailer from both FL to PA and PA to FL. On each trip The trailer brake controller would go out while driving. The first time it occurred was on a trip from FL to PA, during this trip it happened at least four times. Upon arrival in PA I took it to Kelly Buick GMC in Allentown, PA. They looked over the vehicle, saw there were codes in history indicating an issue with the trailer brake system but could not replicate it or pinpoint what part of the system was faulty. The dealer told me that GM will not fix it if it is in history only if it is currently giving a code. On the return trip back to FL from PA, same thing several times it occurred, took it back to the selling dealer Starling, and they gave me the same speech as Kelly, can't fix it without a current code. Next trip from FL to PA, same thing took it to Kelly again, same response. Back to FL from PA, same thing, Starling gave me the same response, they can't and won't do anything. I told Starling service rep I guess I need to die before you do anything, she was completely indifferent to my comment and backed GM without any regard for my safety. It is sporadic and inconsistent and obviously only occurs when there is a trailer attached. They said it was my trailer so I took it to a trailer mechanic, we tested it on its own and on another vehicle with no problem. The brake controller failed while hauling a trailer potentially allowing a serious if not deadly accident with improper braking capabilities. Even though two dealers in two different states acknowledge there is an issue they refuse to correct it because they can not replicate it. The brake controller lights would go out as you're driving indicating the brake controller is not connected to the trailer and providing a supplemental braking system. 2022 and 2023 have this issue.

- Nokomis, FL, USA

problem #7

Sep 282022

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

All 4 brake rotors are warped according to my local GMC dealership. They also told me all of the inside brake pads are worn twice as much as the outer pads, which in my opinion indicates a manufacturing and/or computer controller issue. Safety is an issue when the inside brake pad wears down to metal while the outers are still over 75% of new thickness. GMC dealer told me they're seeing this on countless Sierra trucks made in the past few years but there is no recall and GMC will not cover it under warranty. First symptom was slight pulsing while braking downhill. 2-3 weeks later my brake pad wear indicator read 82% front, 88% rear. The following day it gave me an error message saying "service brake monitor" so I took it to my GMC dealer which is when they told me my brake pads and rotors all need to be replaced but the truck only had 22800 miles on it at that time. They said it could still be driven and pass inspection. Since then I have contacted GMC about them covering it and I have not made any progress. GMC has had numerous brake issues resulting in recalls in the past 3-6 years but unfortunately this particular issue has not yet reached recall status. I hope this gets resolved before I am forced to pay for brake replacements out of pocket, which nobody should have to do on a vehicle with so little miles on it. The work order invoice I uploaded indicates ""pads at wear limit, both front and rear" but it does not specify what the technician and service advisor told me regarding only the inside pads are worn. However I do have a recording of the service advisor telling me that if needed. You'll also notice that I uploaded a copy of the state inspection done by them that same day which indicates my brake system passed the requirements. Please help.

- Brattleboro, VT, USA

problem #6

Nov 072022

Sierra 1500

  • 21,539 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the grandson was driving in stop-and-go traffic, the braking system suddenly malfunctioned causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of a second vehicle. The grandson was driving approximately 10 MPH when suddenly while pressing the brake pedal to stop the message "brake failure" displayed before the vehicle crashed into the rear of the second vehicle. During the crash, no injuries were reported and a police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the master cylinder and brake booster and the failure was remedied. The failure mileage was 21,539

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #5

Sep 192022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I start my car and I went to pull off and the steering wheel locked up and I couldn-??t turn it and it was just stuck going to sit power steering EC something. And then came home parked the car few days later try driving it and then the ABS brake light came on warning me not to go over 65 mph and my brakes pad feel really loose now.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #4

Feb 132022

Sierra 1500 8-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that when pulling a trailer with electric brakes with their vehicle, a warning light stating to check the trailer would illuminate on their instrument panel. The warning light would also state that the electric brakes had disconnected and then reconnected shortly after. The failure would occur on a consistent basis. The main control computer system in the center where the radio is located would flash the message that the trailer brake gain not been recalled. The contact contacted the dealer who confirmed that the computer system was known to have an issue due to the interference between the electric brakes and the LAD lights on the vehicle, however, there was no recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 21,000.

- Orange, TX, USA

problem #3

Oct 082021

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

I started my truck this morning, drove it 3 miles, and all of a sudden got an ESC warning, Parking break warning, and a degraded power steering warning all at one time. My steering wheel started vibrating vigorously, a clanking sound started under the hood somewhere, and none of my safety features worked after.. Cruise Control, Vehicle Collision Control, Vehicle Gap sensors, etc.. The vehicle is currently at the dealer being looked at.

- Live Oak, FL, USA

problem #2

Aug 272021

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Driving the car it started backfiring and then the ESC light came on and the car engine seemed to become erratic as well as steering and braking error messages and the check engine started blinking. Very scary before I got it pulled over and very thankful I wasn-??t on the highway etc. I-??m seeing all the issues online sounds like the supposed fixes for the 2019 models having issues aren-??t solving the problem. I bought mine in April and 4 months later it-??s become unreliable.

- Georgetown, MA, USA

problem #1

Dec 072020

Sierra 1500

  • 847 miles
Started vehicle everything was normal shifted vehicle into drive proceeded forward. While driving vehicles steering seized I was unable two move the steering wheel. It was also very difficult to stop the vehicle brakes were not working properly. Messages came up on to display reading service power steering and briefly imessage about the brakes flashed quickly on the message board. At that point turn the vehicle off after I got it stopped turn it back on same message still unable to turn the steering wheel repeated this several times approximately for fourth time the message cleared and the vehicle was back to normal. This occurred on a city street.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

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