GMC Sierra Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
4,890 NHTSA complaints (1982–2017).Complaint rate: 20.1 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a GMC Sierra?
Quick answer from 4,890 NHTSA complaints · 1982–2017
Most GMC Sierra years show comparable, moderate complaint volumes. No specific year stands out as dramatically worse than its siblings. The most commonly reported issue is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Any year within the data range should perform similarly — focus inspection on the individual VIN history rather than avoiding a specific year.
- 2016 GMC Sierra· 0.4/10K sold
- 2013 GMC Sierra· 2.5/10K sold
- 2012 GMC Sierra· 2.7/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
GMC Sierra Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Code | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 1988–1998 | GMT400 | 1,602 | 86 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 2 | 1999–2006 | GMT800 | 2,591 | 217 | 440,224 | Hide years | |||
| 1999 | 721 | 58 | — | View 1999View→ | |||||
| 2000 | 557 | 58 | — | View 2000View→ | |||||
| 2001 | 333 | 41 | — | View 2001View→ | |||||
| 2002 | 291 | 26 | — | View 2002View→ | |||||
| 2003 | 248 | 16 | — | View 2003View→ | |||||
| 2004 | 224 | 12 | — | View 2004View→ | |||||
| 2005 | 152 | 3 | 229,488 | View 2005View→ | |||||
| 2006 | 65 | 3 | 210,736 | View 2006View→ | |||||
| Gen 3 | 2007–2013 | GMT900 | 405 | 31 | 1,120,473 | Show years | |||
| Gen 4 | 2014–2018 | K2XX | 284 | 20 | 875,595 | Show years | |||
| Gen 5 | 2019–present | T1XX | 0 | 0 | — | Show years | |||
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1994–2005 GMC Sierra (286 crash-related complaints). The 2016 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common GMC Sierra Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 618 | 13.3% |
| Brakes | 304 | 10.2% |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor | 253 | 0.8% |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer | 164 | 0.0% |
| Hydraulic Brakes | 159 | 6.9% |
| Automatic Transmission | 141 | 4.3% |
| Electrical Faults | 127 | 3.1% |
| Steering Defects | 124 | 4.0% |
| Airbags | 118 | 35.6% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 104 | 0.0% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983NO DATA | — | 5 | — | — | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 2 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 6 | — | — | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 22 | — | — | 2 | — | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 30 | — | — | 1 | 12 | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 12 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 33 | — | — | 2 | 2 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 109 | — | — | 9 | 1 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 221 | — | — | 3 | 2 | View → |
| 1995NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 327 | — | — | 24 | — | View → |
| 1996NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 310 | — | — | 20 | 8 | View → |
| 1997NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 302 | — | — | 6 | 5 | View → |
| 1998NO DATA | Gen 1(GMT400) | 230 | — | — | 19 | 8 | View → |
| 1999NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 721 | — | — | 58 | 2 | View → |
| 2000NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 557 | — | — | 58 | 3 | View → |
| 2001NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 333 | — | — | 41 | 2 | View → |
| 2002NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 291 | — | — | 26 | 3 | View → |
| 2003NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 248 | — | — | 16 | 3 | View → |
| 2004NO DATA | Gen 2(GMT800) | 224 | — | — | 12 | 7 | View → |
| 2005AVOID | Gen 2(GMT800) | 152 | 6.6 | 229,488 | 3 | 2 | View → |
| 2006 | Gen 2(GMT800) | 65 | 3.1 | 210,736 | 3 | 3 | View → |
| 2007 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 71 | 3.4 | 208,243 | 7 | 2 | View → |
| 2008 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 84 | 5.0 | 168,544 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2009 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 48 | 4.3 | 111,842 | 3 | — | View → |
| 2010 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 43 | 3.3 | 129,794 | 3 | 2 | View → |
| 2011 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 67 | 4.5 | 149,170 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2012 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 46 | 2.7 | 168,491 | 7 | 7 | View → |
| 2013 | Gen 3(GMT900) | 46 | 2.5 | 184,389 | 6 | 2 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | Gen 4(K2XX) | 132 | 6.2 | 211,833 | 8 | 2 | View → |
| 2015 | Gen 4(K2XX) | 67 | 3.0 | 224,139 | 4 | 2 | View → |
| 2016GOOD | Gen 4(K2XX) | 8 | 0.4 | 221,680 | 3 | 1 | View → |
| 2017 | Gen 4(K2XX) | 77 | 3.5 | 217,943 | 5 | 1 | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (4,890 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 41% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 2,436,292.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: GMC Sierraaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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