GMC Sierra Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 241 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the GMC Sierra across 23 model years. The 2004 model year has the most (39).
- 241electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 6mention an injury
- 7related recalls
- 48%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 156 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 241 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 26 a fire, 6 an injury.
GMC Sierra electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Sierra | 6 | 10% | 3,200 |
| 2016 Sierra | 2 | 33% | 38,500 |
| 2015 Sierra | 1 | 2% | 152,000 |
| 2014 Sierra | 9 | 9% | 7,600 |
| 2013 Sierra | 5 | 13% | 5,000 |
| 2012 Sierra | 7 | 24% | 25,072 |
| 2011 Sierra | 3 | 7% | 25,000 |
| 2010 Sierra | 4 | 12% | 50,000 |
| 2009 Sierra | 9 | 24% | 40,000 |
| 2008 Sierra | 15 | 22% | 67,435 |
| 2007 Sierra | 7 | 12% | 82,451 |
| 2006 Sierra | 7 | 13% | 61,500 |
| 2005 Sierra | 23 | 20% | 60,000 |
| 2004 Sierra | 39 | 21% | 62,000 |
| 2003 Sierra | 31 | 15% | 62,250 |
| 2002 Sierra | 6 | 2% | 64,000 |
| 2001 Sierra | 13 | 5% | 70,000 |
| 2000 Sierra | 12 | 3% | 162,000 |
| 1999 Sierra | 12 | 2% | 58,850 |
| 1998 Sierra | 9 | 5% | — |
| 1997 Sierra | 12 | 5% | 145,000 |
| 1996 Sierra | 5 | 2% | 160,000 |
| 1995 Sierra | 4 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (7)
Electrical system:software
Model years: 2016
Problem: Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection", and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, 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 15808.
Electrical system:ignition
Model years: 2014, 2015
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured January 24, 2014, to February 26, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles manufactured February 12, 2014 and Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles manufactured February 6, 2014, to February 13, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on November 20, 2015. 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 15573.
Electrical system:ignition
Model years: 2011, 2012
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the ignition lock actuator may bind, making turning the key difficult or causing the ignition to get stuck in the "Start" position.
Risk: If stuck in the "Start" position, the ignition may suddenly snap back into the "Accessory" position, causing a loss of engine, steering, and braking power, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. If the vehicle is in a crash, the air bags may not deploy, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ignition lock housing, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 12, 2015. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14696 for the original equipment, and 14912 for the service replacement parts.
Electrical system
Model years: 2014
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Cadillac CTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL, and 2014 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Express, Impala, Silverado HD, Traverse, GMC Acadia, Savana, and Sierra HD vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the chassis electronic module may be internally contaminated, resulting in an electrical short.
Risk: If the module experiences an electrical short, the vehicle could stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the chassis electronic module, free of charge. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), and 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GMÂs number for this recall is 14515.
Electrical system:software; seat belts:front:warning light/devices
Model years: 2014
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban vehicles equipped with a base radio and an internal amplifier. The radios in the affected vehicles may become inoperative, and as a result, there would be no audible chime to notify the driver if the door is opened with the key in the ignition or no audible seat belt warning indicating the seat belts were not buckled. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention," and 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Without an audible indicator, the driver may not be aware that the driver's door is open while the key is in the ignition, increasing the risk of a vehicle rollaway. Additionally, there would be no reminder that the driver's or front seat passenger's seat belt is not buckled, which could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on July 2, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact GM's customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GMC owners may contact GM's customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 14315.
Electrical system
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009
Problem: Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.
Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.
Fix: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Electrical system
Model years: 2007, 2008
Problem: Gm is recalling 857,735 my 2006-2008 buick lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; my 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl, saturn outlook; and my 2008 buick enclave vehicles equipped with a heated wiper washer fluid system. A short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the control-circuit ground wire.
Risk: This may cause other electrical features to malfunction, create an odor, or cause smoke increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a wire harness with an in-line fuse free of charge. The recall began on september 12, 2008. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; cadillac at 1-800-982-2339 or http://www.cadillac.com; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or http://www.saturn.com, gmc at 1-866-996-9436; or hummer at 1-800-732-5493; or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owned a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would lose automotive power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the negative battery was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at…
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that when doing the initial start, the rear of the vehicle began smoking and caught on fire. The contact turned off the vehicle and the fire settled however shortly after the rear window fractured. There were no injuries and no medical…
When i'm driving at a slow speed turning the truck looses all power and the steering wheel jerks out of my hand, stabilitrak is on the display and it says roll down driver window and roll back up! It also looses all power just driving down the road no matter the speed! I have also been stopped at a…
After using the remote starter while vehicle was parked in my driveway, i started to drive my grandson to school. A short distance from home smoke and sparks started to emit from the rear seat next to the sliding window and electric rear window defroster. As i pulled over the rear window panel on…
Gmc has refused to find a fix for the heater cord defect which is one of the main reason why i purchased the vehicle. I live in idaho. Gmc should compensate owners until fixed.

Frequently asked questions
Do all GMC Sierras have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 241 owner complaints about electrical system for the GMC Sierra. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the GMC Sierra electrical system?
Yes: 7 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
Other GMC Sierra problems
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (954)
- Visibility problems (343)
- Service Brakes problems (304)
- Power Train problems (293)
- Steering problems (248)
- Air Bags problems (193)
- Structure problems (193)
- Suspension problems (160)
See all GMC Sierra problems.