2021 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 has 829 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (45%) concerns engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (17%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 829 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 45% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 153 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 | 36 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 28 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 24 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 23 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 12 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 9 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 153 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 50,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 59,000 miles (73 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 10 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 90% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the GMC Sierra 1500 with enough data (829 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 7 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Airbag system did not deploy but smoke in cabin during a crash. Video of front, rear and inside cabin shows the rear end passenger side impact at an estimated 45-50 MPH. I saw smoke in cabin, disturbed with anxiety after crash waiting for bags to deploy accidentally. The airbag deployed red light illuminated notifying an airbag deployment.
Reached for a fallen object between the driver and middle front seat and there is a razor sharp piece that took a large chunk out of the hand which caused heavy bleeding and medical supplies to stop. The vehicle was stopped and just tried to retrieve fallen object between the seats. The incredibly sharp parts need to be cut or removed from this and other similar vehicles or covered with something. It was bare metal exposed out with sharp edges that cut the right hand so badly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2021 GMC sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, an abnormal noise appeared under the hood. Without warning an explosion occurred. The contact managed to veer to shoulder of the road get out the vehicle to check and see what the noise was. The contact noticed flames appeared by the rear wheel on the driver side. The contact grabbed the fire extinguisher and extinguished the flames. The fire department was contacted however no report was filed.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the Extended Warranty for the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.
The contact owns a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while her son was driving 55 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to slow down as intended. The driver attempted to use the parking brake to slow the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The message “Braking System Failure” was displayed. The driver pulled over to the side of the road, and the passenger’s side front wheel detached and started leaning to the right before the vehicle came to a stop.