2002 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 has 192 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (68%) concerns brakes. Next are suspension (5%) and steering (4%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 192 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 68% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 77,000 miles 172 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 18 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 25 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 39 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 25 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 15 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 15 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 6 |
What the data shows
Of the 172 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 77,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (123 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 9 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 25th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (41 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
We were traveling west bound on george bush turnpike in plano, texas at the n central expressway exit a vehicle traveling in the lane to our right came into my lane cutting me off and I swerved to miss said vehicle and corrected to the left and corrected back to the right to miss a vehicle coming up on my left. It had been raining and the roads were slick, we went into a skid and into a concert barrier traveling around 60 to 65 miles an hour. No other vehicle was involved.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 GMC sierra 1500. While driving approximately 65 MPH,the contact crashed into a concrete wall head first. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the ribs, shoulder and right knee. The passenger sustained injuries to the right knee and lacerations to the neck from the seat belt. The contact and the passenger were transported to the hospital via ambulance. The police reported to the scene and a report was filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
While driving down the highway in the far right lane. Going about 60 miles a hour we hit a patch of black ice. The vehicle started to fishtail. The driver kept the vehicle from spinning out and doing a 360. We crossed over 3 lanes of traffic, without hitting another vehicle. When the truck finally griped on to the road we had no way of avoiding the center median, a concret wall divider. Upon impact neither the driverside or the passengerside airbags deployed.
Rear brake fulid and emergency line is exposed and easily damaged by road debris and/or rubble. 2wd c1500 trucks have brake lines and cables drooping down beyond below rear shock absorbers and are easily snagged by road trash. Causing loss of fulid and braking ability.
I sat on my tail gate and the tail gate fell down. When I looked I had one broke cable and the other side the bolt was missing. I bought two cables from advance auto replaced one side but I could not get the bolt back in the other side. I was planning to take the truck to the dealer the following weekend for the recall but the gate fell off the truck and I did not know it had fell off and I dragged it down a dirt road for about half mile or more.