2003 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 has 210 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (51%) concerns brakes. Next are electrical system (20%) and steering (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 210 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 51% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 15 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 184 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 | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 21 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 32 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 48 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 19 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 11 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 184 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 77,000 miles (100 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 15 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 20th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (77 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.
Dear NHTSA, I was involved in a three car mva on 2 feb on I-95 southbound near mile marker 131.2. I was traveling in the slow lane during the evening traffic commute when my vehicle was struck from behind from an infinity SUV which collided and impacted with the rear of my vehicle and pushed my vehicle GMC 2003 sierra ext cab into a late model ford fusion. The impact and force from the SUV behind me caused rear and frontal damage to my vehicle and is est to cost over $8900.00 for repairs.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 GMC sierra 1500. While driving 40 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into the passenger side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the face, knee, and back that required medical attention. In addition, the passenger sustained hip and shoulder injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 177,000.
Dt*: the contact stated while accelerating from a stop sign at 3 MPH, the vehicle collided with the front left door of another vehicle. The other vehicle ran the stop sign. Both the front air bags failed to deploy. The contact was wearing the seat belt, but fractured a bone in the neck and incurred bruising to the body. The contact was taken to the hospital and a police report was filed. The service dealer and manufacturer was not notified. Updated 10/31/2006 -
2003 GMC sierra 1500 pu truck - corroded and failing hydraulic brake lines. This truck was purchased new by me in october 2003, and now has only 23,700 miles on it. A line near the fuel tank, which feeds the rear wheel calipers, rusted through in january 2009. Other lines in numerous locations also show signs of corrosion which will lead to future failures. Mechanics in this area tell me this is very common, even on some newer GMC (and similar chevrolet) vehicles.
Starting at <5k miles the vehicle power train clunked when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Now at 70k miles it clunks when shifting between all gears except final drive. The dealership replaced the output shaft on the tranny, then the u-joints, and modified the electrical shift patern. It still clunks. Power steering intermittently locks up at slow speed turns, especially when braking. Light bulbs burn out almost every three months.