2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Service brakes is the leading concern among 817 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Sierra 1500 model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 817

Of the 2015 reports, 29 involved a crash and 10 involved a fire. 14 people were injured.

Primary concernService brakes243 reports · 30% of complaints
Owner complaints817Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship9 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Service brakes243
  2. Exterior lighting130
  3. Power train115
  4. Electrical system104
  5. Steering91
  6. Engine88
  7. Other or unspecified72
  8. Air bags43

Recalls and investigations

  1. Air bags, side/window, curtain, inflatorJul 1, 2021

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

    A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

    Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Phase I owner notification letters were mailed on May 5, 2022. Phase II owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 20V-736. GM's number for this recall is N202324251.

    Campaign 21V504000 on NHTSA.gov

  2. Seat belts, frontApr 8, 2021

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have received an incorrect replacement tensioner cable assembly as part of a previous recall remedy or a subsequent repair. The flexible steel cable connecting the driver's seat belt to the outboard side of the seat may be repeatedly bent over the seat side shield as the driver enters and exits the vehicle causing the cable to fatigue and separate.

    A broken pretensioner cable reduces the effectiveness of the driver's seat belt, increasing the risk of injury.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver seat belt lap pretensioner, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212330040.

    Campaign 21V245000 on NHTSA.gov

  3. Air bags, side/window, curtain, inflatorNov 25, 2020

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator.

    If the end cap separates from the inflator, the compressed gas will escape and the end cap can be propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RRAB modules on the left and/or right side, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on December 22, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Note: GM filed a new recall, number 21V-504 that supersedes this recall. All vehicles previously recalled under 20V-736 will now be repaired under the new recall number 21V-504. GM's numbers for this recall are N202309680, N202309681, and N202309682.

    Campaign 20V736000 on NHTSA.gov

  4. Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, wheel speed sensor/tone ringOct 24, 2019

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.

    Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.

    Campaign 19V761000 on NHTSA.gov

  5. Service brakes, hydraulic, power assist, vacuumSep 6, 2019

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

    As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.

    Campaign 19V645000 on NHTSA.gov

  6. Steering, electric power assist systemSep 7, 2018

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles. Electric power steering (EPS) assist may be lost momentarily, followed by a sudden return of EPS assist.

    If EPS assist is lost and then suddenly returns, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the EPS module software, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18289.

    Campaign 18V586000 on NHTSA.gov

  7. Air bags, frontalJul 10, 2017

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

    A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

    Campaign 17V437000 on NHTSA.gov

  8. Air bags, frontalSep 8, 2016

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.

    A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

    Campaign 16V651000 on NHTSA.gov

  9. Seat beltsApr 12, 2016

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks manufactured January 29, 2013, to January 21, 2015. While entering the vehicle, the seat belt tensioner cable may be positioned such that the driver slides over it. This movement may result in the fatigue and separation of the cable.

    If the tensioner cable separates, the driver may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

    GM will notify owners, and dealers will modify the vehicles to prevent the tensioner from being damaged. Any tensioner that has already been damaged will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on August 11, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15822.

    Campaign 16V209000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: service brakes

242 reports, newest first. Show all

  1. Service brakes, May 25, 2023

    The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would not slow down. The contact aggressively depressed on the brake pedal and the vehicle was able to stop as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic determined that the vehicle had experienced an unknown failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

  2. Service brakes, Apr 5, 2023

    SERVICE TRAILER BRAKING SYSTEM NOTICE CONTINUES TO POP UP ON THE DASH WHILE DRIVING.

  3. Service brakes, Mar 19, 2023

    Brake pedal effort is increased, pedal gets hard and vehicle is hard to stop. Happens at slow speed. intermittently.

  4. Service brakes, Back over prevention, Mar 18, 2023

    Trailer brake system message keeps showing up on my dash and it’s not safely to drive

  5. Service brakes, Hydraulic, Mar 1, 2023

    The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, causing 10-15 feet stopping distance delay. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving downhill. The brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard but failed to respond, almost causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The contact pumped the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped; however, the failure reoccurred while driving at slow speeds and approaching the residence. The contact stated that her son test drove the vehicle at high speed and informed her that the brakes operated as needed. The contact became aware that the failure was occurring mainly while driving at slow speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to pay a diagnostic test fee, but the contact declined. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 61,299.

  6. Power train, Seats, Service brakes, Feb 19, 2023

    I tried to buy a car at car dealershipin lafayette oregon ( Pouya Auto sales) gmc sierra 2015 black . on the date 02/09/2023 . They soldme this car with ABS ,cruscontrol, presusre tires ligths on dashbord . the financial bank recomend me to bring the veicule back to the dealership to have them to fixed . . they didnt want to continue with the contract anymore and canseled . now they want to sell the truck to some one else . and is not safe to drive it with this isuuses

  7. Service brakes, Jan 5, 2023, crash

    The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated her husband was driving when the vehicle in front of them applied the brakes unexpectedly, the driver depressed the brake pedal but failed to stop the vehicle due to the brake pedal being resistant/ rigid causing the vehicle to rear-end the other vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The driver was able to continue driving to their destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had to be replaced. The dealer replaced the vacuum pump back in October of 2022. The vehicle was repaired but the second vacuum pump was also defective and the dealer replaced it on-site for a third time. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,500. The contact stated that the failure speed was no more than 70 mph.

  8. Service brakes, Nov 30, 2022

    Hard break peddle at low speeds, break booster issue

  9. Service brakes, Oct 4, 2022

    Trailer Brake System Service.

  10. Service brakes, Sep 24, 2022

    When braking at low speeds I have no brakes to stop and i can feel a vibration in the brake pedal.

  11. Service brakes, Sep 17, 2022

    Brake pedal is hard to push at low speeds

  12. Service brakes, Sep 16, 2022

    At low speeds , like parking it lost all brakes. I have noticed a few times since the first. I see they had a recall for the brake vacumm pump but I cant find much on it

  13. Service brakes, Aug 29, 2022

    Brake vacuum fail, causing the brake pedal to become stiff and unable to stop the vehicle. This issue has been on the recall for the same year and make of truck as mine, yet mine is not eligible for this recall repair? Please help Thank you

  14. Service brakes, Aug 24, 2022

    The Truck has something wrong with the Trailer braking system. with no notice it display "Service Trailer Braking system" in the DIC. This will cause loss of brakes to the trailer and make it very difficult to stop with the trailer. Everything functions properly and at a random moment they will just stop working.

  15. Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 8, 2022

    Trailer brake system Warning

  16. Service brakes, Jul 21, 2022

    Purchased GMC Sierra C1500 new in 2015 from a dealership in Orange County, CA. Experienced multiple issues over the past 4 years with the "Trailer Brake System" Service light and loud beeping which has created multiple safety issues making the vehicle undrivable at times. The last incident was while on a cross country road trip through extreme heat in the Southwest from Texas to California in June and most recently while visiting Orange County. The beeping noise almost caused a couple of accidents as the hands free phone system was inoperable due to the loud warning beeping noise as it went on and off about 50 times. We were required to take several risky maneuvers to pull the vehicle off heavy highway traffic at high speeds to stop the engine and restart in an attempt to reset the warning beeping system without success. The truck was checked in for service on 07.20.2022 at Tustin Buick GMC. Mr. John Boozer, Service Advisor. 714.669.3699. The total cost of repairs is $465 plus car rental of $80. Additional costs in April of 2019 for the repairs included fuse replacement, check of wiring harness and attempt to stop the beeping noise was $150. The defective wiring harness originally installed by GMC when the truck was built will be preserved and is available should your agency request it. Total costs out of pocket to replace or fix this factory defective part is $695. GMC has made no effort to address this issue or offer any recall notices related the failure of the "Trailer Brake Warning System". Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  17. Service brakes, Jul 20, 2022

    On July 18, 2022 my trailer brakes suddenly stopped functioning ( a few hours from home) Not only did did the trailer brakes stop functioning, but this warning message didn't popped up just one time, it kept coming again and again and again and again, relentlessy chiming and distracting me from driving. it covered my speedometer readout. it prevented me from receiving or making voice commands. the service warning chime also prevented the turn signal from functioning. So for a full 4 hours I was constantly reminded and was unable to receive calls or make voice commands. i absolutely wont hesitate to say the vehicle was not safe to drive in that condition. your vehicle's defect endangered my life. I will not hesitate to say your vehicle was not safe to drive in that condition. Your vehicles defect endangered my life! Lastly, my vehicle did not want to start the next morning!!

  18. Service brakes, Jul 9, 2022

    My truck has just over 54,000 miles on it. I bought it new and have treated it well. It's my "Sunday" truck. Without warning, yesterday while carrying my wife to a doctor's appointment, as I pulled into a parking space to park ... I had almost no brakes. I actually jumped on the emergency brake to aid me in getting stopped. After my wife had gone in for her appointment, I slowly moved the truck around the open areas of the parking lot trying to figure out what the problem was. I checked the brake fluid, looked to make sure I hadn't lost a brake pad or something else weird and found that everything was good. What I did find though was that the only time the truck had any issue was when I was moving under maybe 4 or 5 mph. And in fairness ... I discovered the truck did have some tiny (but I do mean tiny) amount of braking ability at that low speed, but to say that the experience was unnerving would be a terrible understatement. Had someone been standing between me and the vehicle I was parking in front of when I experienced this, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I would have pinned them between our vehicles, or God forbid, something worse. I don't know what's going on here, but there's definitely something going on with the brake system at low speed on this GMC.

  19. Service brakes, May 11, 2022

    Trailer brake service alarm. Replaced module under stair tire and dash board. Still in alarm, internet says it’s a common problem with wiring harness failure. Many others have some problem.

  20. Service brakes, May 6, 2022

    I keep getting a dashboard warning saying "service trailer brake system". from what i have found, this is due to an inexpensive wiring harness being used. It's very distracting and even if i dismiss the error, it keeps coming back up.

  21. Service brakes, Mar 29, 2022

    Was driving in a parking lot. When driving slow My brakes got stiff and I couldn’t stop it was so stiff it didn’t want to stop I had my kids and wife. Scary and unsafe. Told GMC there was a recall they said it was already fixed with my situation. But just cuz you see on the computer it doesn’t mean it’s fixed. So they said I got to pay but it’s in a recall already but properly not reboot right.

  22. Steering, Power train, Service brakes, Feb 5, 2022

    Na

  23. Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Feb 2, 2022

    Unknown

  24. Service brakes, Jan 20, 2022

    The brake pedal gets hard to push down when slowing down and especially when backing up slowly. After looking into some things I'm pretty sure the problem is with the vacuum pump.

  25. Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Jan 13, 2022

    at first my brakes began locking up on the vehicle, almost as if they were pumped full and not able to press down any longer, shortly after that the stabilitrack light came on and white smoke began to come out of the exhaust as well as a slight shake in the engine, i immediately turned the vehicle off and parked it, mind you i bought the vehicle 1 day ago and it is already broke down, the issue is with gmc and these sensors they are using they are faulty engine reduces speed and it is not safe to say the least.not only that but had the exact same problems with my Gmc Acadia which i finally got the light to stop going off after replacing transmission, brake pedal position censor, as well as gas pedal position censor, also had the throttle body replaced, Do you all make products that are worth anything, nothing was ever done about the Acadia, the Gmc sierra is a 2015 with 70,000 miles on it this car should not be acting like this please contact me at [XXX] thank you so much for your time, also there are 14 recalls on this year truck yet mine shows that there are 0 recalls to be fixed I am wondering about this as well. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).