2006 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 has 183 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (38%) concerns brakes. Next are electrical system (11%) and drivetrain & axles (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 183 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 38% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 163 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 | 33 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 28 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 29 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 20 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 13 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 11 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Of the 163 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 52,000 miles (65 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (90 complaints in that window).
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.
My wife while driving our 2006 GMC sierra was involved in a t-bone accident. She was driving south in her lane and was cut off causing her to hit the car that turned in front of her. She could not stop in time and when she hit the other car her airbag did not deploy. She died from broken ribs that puncher-ed her heart and she bled to death at work two hours later, the coroner determined her death to be from blunt force chest trauma.
The blower motor resistor overheated and melted the wiring harness,almost caused a fire,burnt my fingers trying to stop it from starting to burn,my 7 year old was with me.
After filling the tank I drove for several hundred miles and I looked at the tank and it showed I had gas so I kept driving, soon the engine stopped and I was left stranded by my truck and I am disabled. I then had the vehicle towed and the service station found nothing wrong with it other than they added gas and it started and ran fine. I continued to drive the truck and noticed that the gas was not going down on the gauge like it should.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 GMC sierra 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle decelerated to less than 10 MPH. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light continuously illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 150,000.