2016 GMC Sierra 3500
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
Vehicles › GMC › Sierra 3500 › 2016
These records cover every 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
7 recalls name the 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. 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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Remedy
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Remedy
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 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear-tank fuel-pump module, inspect the front tank and, if necessary, replace the front tank, free of charge. The recall began July 30, 2019. GM's number for this recall is N182204190.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, 1500 Crew Cab Special Service, Tahoe Police Pursuit/Special Service, GMC Sierra 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the nut and reinstall the nut with increased tightness, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18278. Note: The vehicles in this recall need this additional remedy despite being covered by recall 16V069 for brake pedal loosening.
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…
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Remedy
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…
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Remedy
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 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 1, 2013, to February 1, 2016, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles (PPV) manufactured March 1, 2014, to February 1, 2016, and 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the brake pedal pivot nut and reinstall with an increased torque, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 20760.
Owner complaints
19 complaints
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Service brakes
Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction
- Engine
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an…
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system and fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
- Engine
Driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into Reduced Engine Power due to a Turbo Vane Position sensor / Turbo Over Boost or Under Boost fault. This has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each…
Driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into Reduced Engine Power due to a Turbo Vane Position sensor / Turbo Over Boost or Under Boost fault. This has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each occurrence. The vehicle is a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD with the 6.6L LML Duramax Diesel engine with 75000 miles. I believe the Reduced Engine Power protection is far to abrupt in the loss of Engine Power to safely move the vehicle out of the flow of traffic. During each occurrence I was in the left lane of a 2 lane expressway attempting to pass a much slower vehicle going up a 5-8% grade and was unable to complete my pass due to the loss in propulsion which nearly caused an accident.
- Engine · Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Crank/camshaft position sensor
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was…
The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, lower bearings, head gasket seals, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
- Service brakes · Steering
When braking, the service trailer brake system message and service stabilitrac message appear on the dash and brake pedal gets soft to hard repeatedly and truck pulls from side to side violently as if one side of the trucks brakes are working and the other side is not.
- Fuel/propulsion system
Bosch CP4 fuel pump failure that shut down vehicle while driving, luckily did not cause an accident. Would not restart. Damaged entire fuel system including injectors and now have $17,000 in damage that needs repaired.
- Fuel/propulsion system
This is a 2016 GMC 3500 Denali truck with 70,000 miles on it. The Bosch fuel pump threw metal shavings into the fuel system. This is a known issue with GMC trucks with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump for 2011-2016. The engine suddenly quits running leaving the driver without power steering or power…
This is a 2016 GMC 3500 Denali truck with 70,000 miles on it. The Bosch fuel pump threw metal shavings into the fuel system. This is a known issue with GMC trucks with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump for 2011-2016. The engine suddenly quits running leaving the driver without power steering or power brakes. It happened to me when pulling a 14,000-pound 5th-wheel RV. Fortunately, I was on an interstate outside of Grand Junction CO and the road was flat. If I had been in the mountains going downhill and the engine quit I'd likely caused an accident perhaps fatal. GMC quoted me $16,000 to repair. Again, this is a known issue at GMC but they refuse to do anything about it. GMC Dealership in Grand Junction performed the analysis and advised me to drive it home to Phoenix. I got 60 miles when the engine quit. Cost me $1,600 to get the truck returned to my GMC Dealer in Phoenix and another $1,600 to get my trailer back home.
- Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
I own a 2016 GMC 3500 Diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. The truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. Once towed to a local GMC Dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the Bosch CP4 fuel pump internally came apart while…
I own a 2016 GMC 3500 Diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. The truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. Once towed to a local GMC Dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the Bosch CP4 fuel pump internally came apart while driving. I have to have this vehicle working so I got it repaired at a cost of $16,145. This is a known issue and losing all power while at highway speeds could have caused a serious incident. Please address this issue before someone dies.
- Power train
Vechicle is giving codes of Emissions warning, P0102, P154B and P154D
- Electrical system
I had the rear defrost running, and began to hear a sizzling/hissing sound in the back seat. After a minute of hearing this noise, I noticed smoke coming from the rear sliding window. I immediately turned off the rear defrost. A few seconds later, I heard a loud pop and the passenger side of my…
I had the rear defrost running, and began to hear a sizzling/hissing sound in the back seat. After a minute of hearing this noise, I noticed smoke coming from the rear sliding window. I immediately turned off the rear defrost. A few seconds later, I heard a loud pop and the passenger side of my rear window was shattered. I called and spoke with the dealership and explained what had happened. They said they knew exactly what had happened and it is pretty common in these trucks.
- Service brakes
Brake pedal has to be pushed almost all the way to the floor to stop, this recently changed from barely having to apply any pressure to the pedal. Took it to Quebadeaux gmc on 11-10-2021 and they inspected the brakes, said everything was good and that’s normal for the brakes to be that soft. That’s not normal or it would’ve always been like that.
- Steering
Backed it out of the garage to go somewhere, got on the main road and it was wondering with a lot of play in the steering wheel, next hit a bump in the road and the front wheels started shaking uncontrollably until I slowed to under 40 mph, hit another road seam and it did the same thing.took it to…
Backed it out of the garage to go somewhere, got on the main road and it was wondering with a lot of play in the steering wheel, next hit a bump in the road and the front wheels started shaking uncontrollably until I slowed to under 40 mph, hit another road seam and it did the same thing.took it to the mechanic, he diagnosed it as a failed steering box. Truck only has 27,500 miles on it. Never seen a dirt road, not driven in the winter.$1700.00 later its fixed. Many complaints about this on the internet and GMC has not recalled these trucks for this problem they know about. Has soured my trust in their brand.
- Steering
Excessive play in steering wheel 2 to 3" very unsafe, at all times when driving. Gm IS aware of problem but not doing anything about a serious safety issue. Service bulletin pit5501d. Something needs to be done.
- Service brakes
The brake booster cilynder have a bad leaking it was parked when I saw this happen
- Power train · Suspension
TL* the contact owns a 2016 GMC sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph or more, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact stated the transmission failure warning light illuminated with a message stating that in approximately 60 miles the vehicle would…
TL* the contact owns a 2016 GMC sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph or more, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact stated the transmission failure warning light illuminated with a message stating that in approximately 60 miles the vehicle would shut off. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (burteness chevrolet buick GMC of whitewater located at 1389 w main st, whitewater, wi 53190 phone number 262-456-6849) to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired however, the contact was not informed of what repair was provided. The failure persisted. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
- Steering
Steering wheel has slop/play in it. Wheel has 3-4 inches of play before it catches. Can drive down road and 1 min wheel IS to the left next its to right to keep truck going straight.
- Engine · Service brakes · Steering
TL* the contact owns a 2016 GMC sierra 3500. While passing a boat ramp hauling a boat trailer, the brakes and steering failed to function. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle and noticed that the serpentine belt became detached. The contact was able to reconnect the serpentine belt. The…
TL* the contact owns a 2016 GMC sierra 3500. While passing a boat ramp hauling a boat trailer, the brakes and steering failed to function. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle and noticed that the serpentine belt became detached. The contact was able to reconnect the serpentine belt. The vehicle was taken to legacy buick GMC (293 e howze beach rd, slidell, la 70461, (985) 231-5256) where it was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage and vin were not available. *Tt
- Service brakes · Steering
-All started with loud pop, metal failure sound. -at a stop, with brakes applied, the power steering turns the wheel to the right. I have to pull to the left to keep the wheel centered. (Not moving) this pressure issue will finally stop and the wheel will center on it's own. -steering has slop…
-All started with loud pop, metal failure sound. -at a stop, with brakes applied, the power steering turns the wheel to the right. I have to pull to the left to keep the wheel centered. (Not moving) this pressure issue will finally stop and the wheel will center on it's own. -steering has slop, feels loose, dead center -while at speed applying the brakes the steering wheel was torn from my hand 3 times. the power steering causes truck to change directions when braking. 99% of the time the truck turns right. the hyroboost system IS turning the steering system to the right which changes the direction of the truck. -while driving the power steering assist appears to turn off and on. as if there IS a power loss or too much power was applied than it returned to normal. the truck has been at the dealer 3 different times. first dealer visit the tech deemed the truck unsafe to drive. this was determined by just driving the truck from the service lane to the garage. tech identified a gm tsb (pit5501d) to investigate the issue and contact gm. gm outlined a repair however the repairs did not resolve the issue. I was told by the dealer to take it to another dealer for a second opinion. this was after returning to the dealer for the second time and stating the steering system IS now leaking and the issue still remains with some improvement. 3RD visit at the 2ND dealer: second dealer drove the truck with me and it was difficult to control. The dealer tech was driving and I was sitting in the passenger seat. They deemed it unsafe to drive and put me in a loaner. 2ND dealer identified metal in the steering fluid and parts that contain fluid must be replace. personal thoughts are the steering boxes are factory defective and causing them to fail over time. this then introduces metal into the hydroboost system which results in brake and steering failure. *tr
- Air bags
Side thorax and head curtain airbags are listed as standard equipment for the 2016 GMC sierra truck line. I discovered after my purchase that my vehicle does not have side airbags. After research I learned that when you select the duramax engine option, GMC deletes all side airbags and does not…
Side thorax and head curtain airbags are listed as standard equipment for the 2016 GMC sierra truck line. I discovered after my purchase that my vehicle does not have side airbags. After research I learned that when you select the duramax engine option, GMC deletes all side airbags and does not notify the customer. It IS difficult to determine if your vehicle has side airbags or not. so the bottom line IS that possibly thousands of customers believe they have side airbags (like myself) but if they selected the very popular (and quite expensive) duramax engine option, they do not have the side airbags as advertised. this IS a critical safety feature that GMC IS deleting from advertised standard equipment without properly advising customers. it would be a tragedy if someone IS injured in a vehicle they believe has side airbags because of the deceptive practice. this possible affects other years and possibly the chevrolet silverado also.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 11012027This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that are found to have a back-up alarm inoperative during the Pre-Delivery Inspection. On trucks equipped with the Back Up Alarm (RPO 8S3), the alarm will be intentionally left disconnected from the assembly plant. Technician will reroute the harness and plug it in.
- 11011989This service bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- 11011900This diagnostic tip bulletin provides additional information on how to diagnose a possible valve, lifter or camshaft issue.
- 11011805This Preliminary information communicates a GM part number forreflective high temperature heat or insulating tape when repairing wiring harnesses.
- 11011709This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
- 11011704This informational bulletin provides technicians and dealership personnel with spray-in bed liner general information and repair procedures.
- 11011205This informational bulletin explains Unscheduled Supplemental Services and the importance of GM Simplified Maintenance Schedules.
- 11011119This Preliminary information communicates to dealers GM is working on a solution for outdated Apps
- 11010576This service bulletin provides information on All hazmat parts being returned to the Warranty Parts Center (WPC) must be shipped using Central Transport. Hazardous materials should never be sent by air transportation to the WPC.
- 11010545This service bulletin provides information on key code security rules and information on GM keycode look-up applications (U.S).
- 11010544This service bulletin explains how to measure for oil consumption and possible reasons for loss of oil.
- 11010495This bulletin provides information on Warranty Administration Required Operating Procedures - 8 Points (U.S. Only).
- 11010491This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information for GM courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs.
- 11010490This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption.
- 11010488This Warranty Administration bulletin provides information on the Global Warranty Management (GWM) Warranty Parts Center (WPC) Parts Return Program.
- 11010421This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements.
- 11009764This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories.
- 11009756This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission Assembly Replacement Under Warranty, Policy or Customer Enthusiasm and information on Submission of Warranty Transaction in Global Warranty Management.
- 11009532This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
- 11009531This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
- 11009118This Preliminary information communicates information on adding RPO UF3 Fast Idle to a vehicle.
- 11009088This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a slight movement that is more often seen visually, rather than felt, when viewed from the outside and using the auto-start feature, if equipped.
- 11009039This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information, proper labor operation selection and causal part identification for warranty transactions (U.S. Only).
- 11009037This service bulletin provides information on Enhancing Field Product Reports with Digital Pictures.
- 11009031This informational bulletin provides information on Steering Bump or Clunk Noise on Rough Roads or Potholes.
- 11008956This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only).
- 11008906This service bulletin provides graphics, information and guidelines for engine component wear to assist service personnel as a guideline to perform necessary engine repairs and prevent unnecessary engine replacement.
- 11008898The bulletin provides direction on how to locate the Temporary Service Part (TSP) form in GlobalConnect.
- 11007936This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak.
- 11007935This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak.
- 11007721This service bulletin provides information on AGM batteries that require less frequent charging in storage.
- 11007208This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection.
- 11007155This informational bulletin advises the technician that the engine and related parts will be debited if found that the tech did not properly prepare the engine block from dirt and debris in bolt holes or if found that the block was damaged by the tech.
- 11007121This bulletin provides information on Engine Concerns that could result from lack of scheduled maintenance, improper service or aftermarket calibrations.
- 11007116This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using the Tech 2 or GDS 2.
- 11007115This service bulletin provides information on Internal Engine Noise or Damage After Oil Filter Replacement.
- 11007095This bulletin provides information on the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline Licensed Brands and the TOP TIER Diesel Fuel Licensed Brands that are recommended for use in all GM vehicles and the TOP TIER FUELS website URL.
- 11007091This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption.
- 11006849This service bulletin provides information on regular inspection of the Seat Belt Lap Anchor.
- 11006682This service bulletin provides information on a guide to help reduce repeat visits for the same customer concern.
Every GMC Sierra 3500 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.