2016 GMC Sierra Denali problems
The 2016 GMC Sierra Denali has 42 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (21%) concerns drivetrain & axles. Next are brakes (19%) and steering (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 42 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 39 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 | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 39 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2016 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the GMC Sierra Denali with enough data (39 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.
Since I've owned this vehicle I have had transmission problems. Once it went from 70 to 20 on the highway.. It kicks or jerks at any speed... Especially going slow.. The shifting is horrible!!! The feeling of it losing power again like it did could cause serious damage to the transmission and unselfish and passengers.. I don't trust it on the highway!!! I keep a monitor connected to my truck at all times.. The dates coincide with the paperwork!! Ongoing tranny issues all the time!!
The rear seat headrests are undersized and too small to properly protect and accommodate teenage and adult passengers. Also, when they are set at their highest setting, they become unlocked with very little back or shoulder pressure and fall to the lowest setting. In my opinion, this is a serious safety hazard.
1) rear driver side seatbelt would not retract when unbuckled. Seatbelt had to be manually fed back in so that the belt didn't dangle or get shut in the door. Repaired at dealership on june 18, 2020 at roughly 55-56,000 miles. 2) truck is currently shaking when driving and has tendencies to shake violently at times. I'm currently just shy of 59,000 miles on the truck and has been noticeable within the last 1,000 miles. Researching it appears it has a common name of "chevy shake."