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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,855 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #46

Jun 142024

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

On [XXX] at approximately 3 pm I left my house and was traveling on [XXX] in Fort Mohave Arizona I was only traveling 7 miles. When I looked at the temperature in the cab was 121 degrees a few moments after the display system went black and never turned back on. I arrived at the store 4 minutes after the display shut off with no warning lights or any type of notification on my phone, I had rolled down the windows to get air in the cab to see if that would help cool down if needed. I was in the store 20 minutes. I returned to the truck turned it on and everything was normal, from there I drove back home nothing happened on my drive back the display was working. At 8 30pm I was traveling on [XXX] Driving towards a casino called Avi. I had the driver's side window halfway down when I smelled a faint plastic burn thinking it was coming from the outside because I had the window halfway down. That is when the cab of the GMC filled up with smoke that came in thru the air vents and flames started to show coming from the defrost vents and under the hood while I was driving. I had to stick my head out of the window to see where I could pull over without starting a huge brush fire. As I pulled over and the truck within seconds fully ignited into flames. Enough time to grab my belongings that I was able to save. My life was at risk by this vehicle igniting while I was driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Fort Mohave, AZ, USA

problem #45

May 242024

Sierra 1500

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed and made an abnormal sound. The contact assumed that the sound was coming from the transmission and the vehicle was taken to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and suggested that the failure might be a pulley or a rod bearing failure. The contact took the vehicle to another dealer who confirmed a rod bearing failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

- Schertz, TX, USA

problem #44

Oct 302023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
The coolant control valve is faulty and needs to be replaced. GMC and the dealership know about the issue (Bulletin No. PIP5791), but are not fixing it in a timely manner. This is a safety concern as the system will automatically reduce engine power, which is a major concern when towing and/or in mountainous terrain.

- Arvada, CO, USA

problem #43

May 042024

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

The component that has failed is the engine coolant flow control valve AC Delco part number 55516369. Unfortunately the part is still installed on the vehicle. It has been taken to a dealer and this is a known issue but no recall has been issued. The check engine comes on sometimes but not always, sometimes the pickup has plenty of power to drive and sometime it will barely pull itself, all in the same trip without shutting the ignition off. The symptoms first started in December of 2023, but were sporadic, now it is nearly everytime the pickup is started. It is extremely dangerous to drive this vehicle when it has a problem. You cannot tell if it will accelerate normally or is you will push the pedal and it does nothing. The part to repair the problem is on backorder and no release date is yet available. We have been waiting for 3 months and still no word on when this will be repaired.

- Cimarron, KS, USA

problem #42

Jan 152023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I purchased this vehicle used with approx 16k miles on it. Not long after getting it - as I was driving it started dinging and then would shut off. Sometimes I-??m in the fast lane going 75Mph and it-??ll just shut off. The dealership can-??t get it to repeat itself. They said they-??ve heard of it happening before but it throws different codes. There-??s no rhyme or reason to causing it to shut off, but here lately I don-??t even get the warning bell. It just dies on me. As soon as i shift it to neutral and press start it-??ll restart instantly. But it-??s scary nonetheless, and causes me to drop speed instantly and poses a safety risk especially when I have semi-??s or other vehicles close behind.

- Meridian, OK, USA

problem #41

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 #40

Sep 122023

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

Lifters camshaft malfunction. Known issue with 2021 GMC Sierra 20,000 miles

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #39

Jul 112023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
After having simple oil and filter, and engine and cabin filter replaced at Alpine Buick GMC in Colorado Springs, CO, I received my vehicle back and noticed a complete difference in performance. It hesitates when accelerating, stays low in every gear, and bounces, and I mean bounces hard, when shifting gears, especially slowing down. When slowing down, as it shifts to the next lower gear, it almost pushes the truck forward against me pushing the breaks. Then, when feathering to accelerate slowly, it almost bounces back up to speed, hesitating until I let off the accelerator pedal a little, and it immediately shifts to about 1000 rpm in gear. I have to push really hard for it to go up a gear, and when it does, it has lost all power. My vehicle doesn-??t run right anymore after my service appt. I have brought it to my hometown dealership and they say it runs fine and nothings wrong. But there is something wrong with it.

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

problem #38

Apr 242023

Sierra 1500

  • 20,095 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The independent mechanic was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the independent mechanic had previously replaced the lifters, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,095.

- Dodge City, KS, USA

problem #37

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 #36

Mar 302023

Sierra 1500

  • miles

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

Driving down the highway the engine started skipping and started blowing out black smoke, and quit running in the middle of the highway. Found out the had a factory lifter defect on my model and a service update was supposed to be done on the truck changing out the lifters however even though I have gone to dealership for all the maintenance the service had never been done or told to me. This could have been very dangerous just engine failure the service by GMC N212353840

- Panama City Beach, FL, USA

problem #35

Apr 042023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
I was operating my vehicle in northern Minnesota with a temperature well below freezing. Vehicle warning light came on that said "turn off vehicle" which I did. When I went to start it again it would not turn over. It appeared that a large amount of oil had expelled from the vehicle. It was very dangerous as I was in a very remote area with very poor cell service and extremely cold temperatures. I couldn't even run the vehicle to stay warm. The vehicle was towed to the nearest GMC dealership where they examined the vehicle and stated that the seal of the oil filter had blown off. They further stated that the oil filter which was installed by Valvoline was the wrong size. Valvoline tested the Champion oil filter and came back with findings that the filter was the correct size and noted no damage to the filter. Either there is an unknown problem with the GM engine or the Champion oil filter. Each corporation continues to point fingers at each others product.

- Ely, MN, USA

problem #34

Feb 062023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Less than 5 minutes after my husband and 2 children parked the car and came inside, a neighbor walking rang our doorbell to let us know there was something on fire in our driveway. We ran to the back to find his truck engulfed in flames coming from the engine. We quickly called 911 and exited the house/property. The truck continued to burn with 20-25 foot flames and very black smoke for about 40 minutes until the fire department was able to control the fire. The fire was hot enough that the entire engine was significantly burnt, the seats and steering wheel were gone, the glass shattered and melted, and the tires exploded and melted. Thankfully, everyone was out of harms way and safe through this incident. However, it has been extremely traumatic on my family and neighbors and has taken a lot of time and energy to try to deal with this. The car sat in our driveway for over 2 weeks with a very potent smell causing headaches until GM and our insurance finally investigated. There is damage to our siding, driveway, landscaping, basketball hoop, trampoline, and neighbors fence. The car was only 2 years old and scares me how quickly it went up in flames and how much worse this could have been either 3 minutes earlier or if it was parked in our garage.

- Kirkwood, MO, USA

problem #33

Jan 132023

Sierra 1500

  • miles
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 6.2L engine, Little over 39000 miles, Purchesed May 2021. This is the second time the vehicle has had this issue. The first time was aprox 15000 miles. I reported the issue to NHTSA-ODI on 6 Dec 2021 tracking # 11442943. I was driving down the interstate I heard a rattling coming from the engine (same as I had heard with the first issue). The check engine came on I ask On Star to do a digonsotic report (see attached report). The report indicated a Fuel Management System issue detected advised to reduce vehicle speed and pay load as possible. I was told by GM certified mechanics that this issue could cause the engine to lock up and come to a complete stop on the roadway. I fill that these vehicle are unsafe to operate under these conditions and may cause serious accidents. GM has known about these issues with these vehicles for several years and has failed to correct the problem.

- Pipestem, WV, USA

problem #32

Nov 092022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
15000 miles lifter failure in traffic highway at speed 70 mph lost power engine failed multilane highway rush hour traffic no warning failure

- Plymouth , MI, USA

problem #31

Oct 012021

Sierra 1500

  • 100 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the dashboard gauges, instrument cluster, and infotainment center malfunctioned and became inoperable. Additionally, while starting the vehicle, there was a loud cranking sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle would not immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 100.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #30

May 012021

Sierra 1500

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into Limp Mode with the check engine, DEF tank, and emission warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced several unknown sensors; however, the failure recurred. The dealer determined that the computer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

- Cartersville, GA, USA

problem #29

May 282022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
Engine lifters failure, caused ESC light to come on and check engine light and other dash lights. Lack of power from engine causing dangerous driving in traffic.

- Fergus Falls, MN, USA

problem #28

Jun 012022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
1 June 2022, while driving, started hearing a clicking noise from front end, under hood. Took to local GM dealer, Mechanic drove with me, and he heard the noise, said he would order a part and safe to drive. So, I went home. 2 June 2022 started same vehicle, a very loud banging, clicking, shuttering noise from under hood, I took back to same dealer, Dealer said collapsed valve lifter. GM service notice says for dealer to fix under warranty. Apparently, a known problem with MANY 2021 GMC 5.3 L engines. PLEASE MAKE GM RECALL THIS ISSUE FOR REPAIRDS

- Jacksonville, AR, USA

problem #27

Feb 282022

Sierra 1500

  • miles
My truck shakes/shutters at random times. while steadily driving at constant speed and/ or shakes/shutters even more when I try to accelerate.

- Angelton , TX, USA

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