2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 84 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 24% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 45,117 miles. The words owners use most often: “torque converter” (15% of reports).
- 84power train complaints
- 45,117median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,100typical repair cost reported by owners
- 44%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Torque converter: mentioned in 13 of 84 complaints (15%)
- Transmission fluid: mentioned in 9 of 84 complaints (11%)
- Shifts hard: mentioned in 6 of 84 complaints (7%)
- Second gear: mentioned in 6 of 84 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 at $5,100, and half of them between $4,600 and $5,450.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2018–2024), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 34 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 84 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
GMC Sierra 1500 power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sierra 1500 | 34 | 24% | 2,000 |
| 2025 Sierra 1500 | 26 | 22% | 17,000 |
| 2024 Sierra 1500 | 72 | 20% | 24,000 |
| 2023 Sierra 1500 | 91 | 19% | 44,115 |
| 2022 Sierra 1500 | 111 | 19% | 36,000 |
| 2021 Sierra 1500 | 142 | 24% | 64,438 |
| 2020 Sierra 1500 | 98 | 20% | 75,200 |
| 2019 Sierra 1500 | 139 | 21% | 30,525 |
| 2018 Sierra 1500 | 131 | 43% | 29,781 |
| 2017 Sierra 1500 | 118 | 33% | 29,500 |
| 2016 Sierra 1500 | 84 | 24% | 45,117 |
| 2015 Sierra 1500 | 98 | 14% | 33,000 |
| 2014 Sierra 1500 | 69 | 9% | 70,000 |
| 2013 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 3% | 111,155 |
| 2012 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 6% | 44,000 |
| 2011 Sierra 1500 | 24 | 8% | 32,000 |
| 2010 Sierra 1500 | 4 | 2% | 114,250 |
| 2009 Sierra 1500 | 9 | 4% | 69,630 |
| 2008 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 2% | 96,000 |
| 2007 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 2% | 25,499 |
| 2006 Sierra 1500 | 13 | 9% | 37,184 |
| 2005 Sierra 1500 | 11 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2004 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 4% | 38,800 |
| 2003 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 3% | 32,150 |
| 2002 Sierra 1500 | 5 | 3% | 76,287 |
| 2001 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 2% | 160,500 |
| 2000 Sierra 1500 | 9 | 5% | 137,900 |
| 1999 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 1% | 90,000 |
| 1998 Sierra 1500 | 7 | 12% | 81,000 |
| 1997 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 10% | 55,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Transmission was replaced about 13 months or so after purchasing and was already out of warranty.
1- transmission issue, itâll occasionally slip from 1-2 gear and engine rpmâs will shoot up making it when you release the gas pedal itâll kick into second gear itâll also do minor kicks into other gears (8l90 transmission) 2- breaks issue, unsure of what the problem is but at very low…
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 GMC Sierra 1500s have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 84 owner complaints about power train for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 (24% of the 343 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 45,117 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,100 (half paid between $4,600 and $5,450), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “torque converter”, in 13 of 84 complaints, followed by “transmission fluid” (9).
Other 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
See all 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 problems or power train problems across all Sierra 1500 years.