2016 GMC Sierra 1500
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › GMC › Sierra 1500 › 2016
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
8 recalls name the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. Newest first.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles, and 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 21, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262569920. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 24, 2026.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Phase I owner notification letters were mailed on May 5, 2022. Phase II owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 20V-736. GM's number for this recall is N202324251.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator.
If the end cap separates from the inflator, the compressed gas will escape and the end cap can be propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RRAB modules on the left and/or right side, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on December 22, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Note: GM filed a new recall, number 21V-504 that supersedes this recall. All vehicles previously recalled under 20V-736 will now be repaired under the new recall number 21V-504. GM's numbers for this recall are N202309680, N202309681, and N202309682.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic…
Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL…
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and…
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. The front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the control arm bushing.
Inadequate welds may allow the control arm to separate from the bushing, compromising steering and increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left and right front upper control arms and realign the vehicle, free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2016. Until the repairs have been made, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 42190.
Transmission was replaced about 13 months or so after purchasing and was already out of warranty.
Steering tried returning to center loss of electrical power service stabilitrack message service brake assist message engine tried to die had to disconnect battery to reset.
air bags on my truck still dont work and i was not told by sales person that the safety features didnt work on truck before purchase. Dealership has worked on it twice and the last tech airbags were working and they are not still same symbol saying airbag not working
Paint is failing and delaminating from both rear doors around windows and also the truck bed.
The vehicle stopped dead in traffic and would not restart. No warning lights. This is a huge safety hazard. Had to be towed to a dealership. The dealership and other diesel shops said the issue is a known catastrophic CP4 fuel pump failure. The fuel pump shreds and metal shavings are found throughout the fuel system. Requires a full fuel system replacement...quotes have been obtained from GM dealership and local diesel mechanics, ranged from $15,000-$17,000. There is a known fix and could have been solved by replacing the fuel pump with an alternative one, without putting us in a dangerous situation. There is also a settled class action lawsuit directly associated to this fuel pump and issue, however the vehicle was purchased in GA and therefore not included. Based on the VIN the truck would be included if sold within a qualifying state. GM corporate and dealers know about this problem and the safety risk, but are not even suggesting the fuel pump conversation as a repair. They are putting customers in dangerous situations and leaving them with high bills.
My vehicle a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 upon lower idle speeds loses vacuum pressure. As the vacuum level drops the brake assist decreases, increasing the braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, which increases the risk of a crash. I have had a warning light come on advising to service the brake assist system. I took my truck to a local mechanic who confirmed the codes and learned that there had been a GM recall associated with this failure at one time, with GM recall # N192268490. There is also NHTSA recall bulletin 19V645000 regarding this matter as well. Upon contacting some local GM dealers in the area, I was informed that my VIN was not listed as one of the vehicles affected by this recall, so a recall notice was never sent regarding my vehicle. I was also told that I just fell outside their 10-year window regarding this matter and that they would not repair this safety issue under warranty. I called the GM customer service who could not explain why the VIN associated to my truck was not listed and they said I should contact NHTSA and start a claim for potential reimbursement in the future after repairs are made. I feel that this is an unnecessary step as I believe GM should honor their product and repair an obvious safety issue with the truck, especially since they knew this was an issue in thousands of their trucks where it was not my fault my vehicles VIN was not included as a potential recall issue, but I am following their suggestion
Catastrophic engine failure while traveling 40 mph. Dealership diagnosed as cylinder walls being scorched and rods blown through. No warning signs existed - just had a loud thud before the check engine light started flashing and grinding sound started coming from engine.
I noticed a "ticking" noise a few years ago, it wasn't that bad and while taking my truck to the dealer for an oil change I ask about it and the representative told me that in this models that was normal. Since it wasn't that bad and the truck didn't show any problems at that time, I just decide to let it be. This weekend I took my family out of state for a fun trip, and while going in the highway around 55-65 miles per hour, the truck suddenly lose power, it felt like it the truck "sits" the cars behind me had to dodge me and I lost control of the truck and had to steer to the right getting out of the highway and almost go into a ditch, thankfully nothing scaleted to a big and disastrous accident. The engine light started to flash. And suddenly stopped, I turn off the truck checked back for my family and after a few minutes, I started the truck again, the truck started right away and but I noticed the "ticking" got a little louder, talking to my neighbor about this he told me he had the same issue and hes motor went bad and they said it was a bad AFM system causing this, I started searching on line for it and see there been the same issues with the AFM with other drivers, and seen that the have the same issues Im confident that it is an AFM problem. Truck is been running and is my daily work car and I notice is loosing power, I contacted the dealer but haven't had any answer yet. I cant take it to a mechanic shop because they would charge me in between 2,500 to 5k to fixed, money that I dont have, while in the call with one shop he told me about this place to put a claim and notify about how dangerous this can be if in a highway.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that she had noticed the frame had rusted in two places. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, who confirmed there were no open recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
1- transmission issue, it’ll occasionally slip from 1-2 gear and engine rpm’s will shoot up making it when you release the gas pedal it’ll kick into second gear it’ll also do minor kicks into other gears (8l90 transmission) 2- breaks issue, unsure of what the problem is but at very low speeds like parking or going in slow traffic the break pedal will get really hard making you have to press extra hard for it to break, releasing and pressing again doesn’t help either
since we have had this truck the transmission has not worked right to where no longer works plus we have paperwork from other dealship have said this truck should have never been sold to us by the other deal they told us this truck has a lot of issues and is not road safe we where told by that dealer they cant help us so we need help with this the truck don't even have 100,000 on it the truck also pulls to the light sometimes and sometimes to the right .....
The contact owned a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer, causing significant damage to the front end. During the crash, no airbags deployed. The cause of the air bag's failure to deploy was not determined. The vehicle was repaired at the local collision center. Recently, while driving approximately 50 MPH, the driver pressed the brakes to decelerate before crashing into a deer. During the crash, the vehicle sustained minor damage to the front end, but all the air bags in the vehicle deployed, including the driver steering wheel air bag, the front passenger side air bag, the driver and passenger side curtain airbags and seat belt pretensioners, and the passenger side seat air bag. The driver's side seat airbag did not deploy. The contact suffered adverse effects of COPD due to the air bag powder during the deployment. No medical treatment was needed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The contact indicated that due to the minor damage to the vehicle during the crash, the air bag should not have deployed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and was determined to be destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine has developed a serious lifter / cam issue. dealer identified it as a result of Displacement on Demand design. Total engine replacement recommended by dealer but since the mileage on that vehicle is over 100,000 warranty, the repair is not covered. Known issue, should have been pointed out by dealer / manufacturer before warranty expiration. FYI _ I do all repair work at dealer. Vehicle looses power intermittently is is not drivable at any distance. Manufacturing / design issue known over different versions of this engine since 2010, I believe.
While traveling at low speeds in parking lots and in the operation of parking, my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a hard brake pedal that goes to the floor but I have no brakes. I almost hit a person in a local grocery store parking lot, at the bank driving up to the ATM, and I almost lost my truck over a bank because the brakes failed. This has happened multiple times at low speeds but it is getting more consistent recently. It has endangered myself and others. It is only a matter of time until damage occurs or someone gets hurt.
The other night, I was backing into a parking spot at the market. As I slowed I noticed the brake pedal was getting harder to depress and it felt as though I was going to back into the car behind me. It took more effort to stop the truck.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while idling in the drive-through at a pharmacy, the contact noticed smoke coming from the rear window, and the rear window shattered. The contact stated that the defroster was activated at the time of the failure. There was no injury sustained. The contact deactivated the defroster and drove to the residence, where the contact disconnected the defroster fuse. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Number: N192265660 (Rear Window Defroster Thermal Events). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,250.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that her husband remote started the vehicle. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the defrosters automatically activated. The vehicle warmed up for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. The contact stated that while leaving the driveway, her husband stopped the vehicle to assist with moving a lawn mower. Upon returning to the vehicle and looking through the glass her husband observed that there was smoke coming from the rear glass. The contact stated that her husband unlocked the rear doors and released the folding rear seat and saw that the defroster unit was on fire and smoking. The contact stated that her husband turned the vehicle off and the flames were self-extinguished; however, approximately 45-seconds later the driver’s side rear panel window shattered. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program Number: N192265660 - Rear Window Defroster Thermal Events (Electrical System, Visibility). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Noticed the bed of my truck was touching the cab when looking under truck the frame is total structural failure rusted all the way threw on the driver side and beyond
I purchased a set of Firestone Destination A/T2 tires from Firestone in Southaven, MS. I had the tires for less than 16 months. I took the tires in for inspection & was told the treat belts had separated from the tires. The tires are a hazard. the tires are 275/55R20. Driving on the interstate, I had to pull over as it felt as though the truck would overturn/rollover. They must be recalled. I contacted Firestone, they were of little to no assistance. Unable to obtain a refund or credit. I googled info on firestone tires & a plethora of information exhibited the same thing, problems with tread separation.
Loose steering and sometimes steering wheel wants to return to center When this happens I loose all electrical - dash goes blank engine dies etc. the hot battery cable is very hot to the touch. I disconnected the ground cable and wait a few minutes and power returns This is going to cause a wreck if it is not corrected Local dealer says could be bad battery I had already changed it there is a place to say when this occurred it has happened several times over the last year the last 2 times were within a week
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the radiator was leaking fluid. There was no warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding, shuddered, and made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with torque converter clutch shudder and failure. The dealer determined that the torque converter clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to partially cover the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 66,456.
While turning steering wheel got hard and cut my turning radius causing almost to go out of the road
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn into the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel was 15 meters from center. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle drove abnormally rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with upper control arms failure. The contact was informed that the upper control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that previously the lower control arms, four alignments, and all four tires were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
My rear driver side door electric harness failed only two years after owning vehicle. This disables everything, including the side airbag putting passengers at risk. Most recently (2024), my radio harness failed causing ALL functions regarding infotainment system to be obsolete. Multiple electric issues and no recalls to be seen.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
On November 20, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (MY) 2014 through 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and MY 2015 through 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon SUVs.If the brake assist vacuum pump fails to operate as intended, the amount of brake power assist supplied to the driver can be significantly reduced, extending the subject vehicle stopping distance. GM stated that the root cause of pump failures was due to foreign debris such as oil sludge in the engine oil. GM stated that this debris can become trapped by the oil inlet filter screen. Under normal operation, this screen allows a small amount of oil into the brake vacuum pump. The foreign debris can, over time, clog the pump which can cause a loss of lubrication and a reduction in the amount of vacuum produced leading to a hard pedal and extended stopping distance.On December 13, 2018, GM issued a Special Coverage (N182202780) for the brake vacuum pump issue in MY 2014-2017 trucks and 2015-2017 SUVs on the K2XX platform for 6 years or 72,000 miles. Special Coverage repair includes the replacement of the vacuum pump and vacuum pump belt. Consumers received notification of the coverage via mail. On September 6, 2019, GM notified NHTSA that it was conducting safety recall 19V-645 which reprograms the electronic brake control module (EBCM) and included approximately 3.5 million trucks and SUVs. In October 2019, GM extended the terms of special coverage N182202780 to 10 years or 150,000 miles as well as now including the entire scope of recall 19V-645. In October 2020, GM expanded the scope of coverage N182202780 to include the MY 2018 Escalade and 2019 Tahoe.The remedy implemented in GM recall 19V-645 appears to be sufficient in addressing the safety-related concerns of this issue. Loss of vacuum assist now occurs at a progressive rate as well as there being a more timely warning of a brake problem to the driver through the driver information center (DIC). In view of the recall action and revision to the special coverage, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. The ODI reports cited above are available for review online at NHTSA.gov under the identification numbers in the attached document.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.