2017 GMC Sierra 1500
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 429 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 26 Sierra 1500 model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 20 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 8 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, side/window, curtain, inflatorSep 24, 2026
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles, and 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 9, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262569920. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 24, 2026.
Campaign 26V611000 on NHTSA.gov
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
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
Child seat, tether, connector/clipAug 3, 2017
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The owner's manual for the affected vehicles may be missing instructions on how to use the tether anchorage and child restraint anchorage systems. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
If the instructions are missing from the owner's manual, the child seat may be installed incorrectly and not be properly secured, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will provide a corrected insert for the owners manual, free of charge. The recall began on September 25, 2017. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 17307.
Campaign 17V487000 on NHTSA.gov
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
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
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
41 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Mar 17, 2026
The rear window on my 2017 GMC Sierra shattered unexpectedly without any impact. The vehicle had been remote started in very cold weather and the rear window glass suddenly shattered while the truck was parked. There was no rock strike or external damage that would explain the failure. I later learned about GM Customer Satisfaction Program N192265660 regarding rear window defroster thermal events affecting certain 2014–2019 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado trucks. Based on the sudden failure and the conditions at the time, this appears consistent with that issue. The Auto Rear Defog feature in the vehicle settings was turned off, however the truck had been started using the remote start feature when the glass shattered. Photos of the shattered window are available. I am submitting this report because the rear window defroster system may cause the glass to overheat and shatter unexpectedly.
Other or unspecified, Mar 11, 2026
Rear glass window shattered due to the defroster getting too hot. Some smoke was noticed
Other or unspecified, Feb 4, 2026
While sitting at a stop sign heard a loud bang and truck lunged forward as if we were rear ended . Actually thought we were . Drove about 20 miles and transmission went out . Even though i had foot on brake truck still went forward . Had to have transmission replaced at $6421.58 in Florida while on vacation . Have researched on internet and found several cases exact same thing . Even shop that did work said GM had a problem but was doing nothing as of yet .
Other or unspecified, Sep 8, 2025
The OnStar system has failed, which eliminates collision detection
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 8, 2025
To whom this may concern, This gmc truck with the 6.2 has had constant engine issues regarding the lifters failure causing the engine to destroy itself internally I’ve had to get it repaired every 3 Months on average there’s also a class action lawsuit that applies only to the 2025-2020 years however they are the exact same engine in the 2017. The transmission is not in sync with the motor having a late take off or sounds like the gears are grinding between shifting
Steering, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 26, 2025
The vehicle consistently shuts off unexpectedly when trying to park or slow down, making it difficult to steer or control.The electric power steering stops working, especially when turning at low speeds.
Other or unspecified, Mar 7, 2025
On [xxx]\ while travelling from Georgia to Florida, we fueled up at the [xxx] exit. As we left and started up the on ramp, the transmission in the truck failed. We were able to make it to a campground nearby and we called a local transmission repair shop. Not thinking anyone would answer, someone did and told us to bring the truck in the next day. To make a long story short, we did some research on the transmission in the truck and found there were a few class action lawsuits on this particular transmission. In fact, the transmission repair shop told us he has had to work on quite a few of vehicles with this particular transmission. I find this quite disturbing since no recalls have been issued on this transmission. The truck only had 135,000 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Jan 10, 2025
On 12/5/24 took the truck to the dealership where we bought it with a complaint about the transmission. They took for a test drive could not find anything wrong with it, recommended we have the transmission flushed and filter replaced. They could not do the service so we got it into our local Chevrolet Dealership who did the work for us on 12/6/24. On [XXX] as we were departing a gas station in Tifton, GA, the transmission would not shift out of first gear and the temperature rose up to 234 degrees. Limped the vehicle to a campground, called a transmission shop who told us to bring in the truck at 7:30 am o 1/2/25. They were able to replace the transmission on 1/3. We had to drive it 500 miles before we could continue on our journey to Florida. Trying to accelerate on the Interstate and not being able to significantly put us at risk of a crash. Once the temp rose on the transmission the check engine light also came on. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 28, 2024
I remote started my truck and entered the vehicle with my girlfriend approximately 3mins after remote starting. We immediately smelled smoke that smelled like an electrical fire. I heard sizzling/static-like/electrical short sounds coming from back seat and when I looked back, I saw thick white smoke pouring out of the the small black plastic trim piece on the rear power sliding window that covers the electrical connections between the sliding pane of the power sliding window and the solid, non-moving pane of glass on the passenger side of the rear window assembly. I immediately shut the truck off and climbed into the back seat with a flashlight to investigate. While looking at the rear window, the passenger side non-moving pane of glass in the rear window EXPLODED very loudly, which actually hurt my ears. The glass stayed intact but spider webbed the entire pane. I immediately pulled the fuse for the rear defroster and cleared the tremendous about of smoke that had filled my cab. The window continued to make sizzling and static like noises for the 20min ride home. Upon investigating this issue online, I discovered that GM has issued a recall on this defect for all of Canada and only certain US states that are above a certain longitude, which doesn’t include my state of PA. I am terrified to use my remote starter on the vehicle now or even preheat the truck manually for fear of burning mu truck down. I contacted a GM dealership who told me my truck didn’t have any active recalls on it and to file an insurance claim. I have since filed a complaint to GM customer service who is investigating my claim to determine if they will cover the repair. They said up to 30days to make determination! This is a huge safety hazard that is known and acknowledged to be in every Silverado and Sierra with a power sliding rear window within the model years 2014-1017
Other or unspecified, Aug 12, 2024
Noticed a/c getting warm. Attempted refilling Freon without success. Took by auto shop and they discovered the welds to the top driver side of the condenser were in question and ruptured causing a Freon leak. They advised a replacement and stated “this is very common with GM model trucks and SUVs. Save your info and report for recall. They need to recall these models for their a/c issues.” Condenser replaced with receipt attached
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 11, 2024
on [XXX], i remote started my vehicle about 10 minutes prior to leaving work. when i left and walked out to my truck i opened the driver side door and noticed smoke in the vehicle and an odd smell. upon looking around the truck i heard a loud pop and the passenger side of the rear sliding back glass shattered. upon further investigation this has been an ongoing issue with gm trucks and even 159,000 have been recalled in Canada and there has been no recall issued in the United States. the major safety concern is that in the back seat of my vehicle i have two car seats for each of my toddler aged sons. i am just thankful that neither one of them were in the vehicle when this happened. i brought the vehicle to the dealership and they told me that there was indeed a short in the wiring going to the back sliding window and defroster but there was nothing they could do other than replace the glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Jan 26, 2024
The info system starts to change screens and jump around. We had it on navigate it locked the screen. You couldn't touch anything then. It started messing with the controls on the -Changing it from the speedometer to music and again would not allow you to touch anything calibrated or anything along those lines. After googling it, several vehicles are having the same problem. All around 50000 miles, our vehicle has about 80000 miles.
Other or unspecified, Dec 14, 2023
This complaint is about General Motors not allowing their Dealer Marty's Chevrolet of Bourne Ma. to recalibrate the odometer and speedometer and other parameters in the computer to match new 18"wheels and tires. The truck was built and set up for 20" wheels from the Factory. The previous owner installed 22" wheels immediately after leasing the vehicle. They never adjusted the computer for this change and as a result the odometer reading read 28700 when I purchased it in August 2023. As a result the engine hours do not correlate to the low miles and the speedometer reading is incorrect. This truck has about 75 to 80 thousand actual miles. When Marty's installed the new wheels that I bought, GM refused to authorize the computer adjustments for the new wheels. GM previously required this adjustment, but no longer does it. This is a safety risk and actual fraud because of the inaccurate miles recorded. I hope you can require them to authorize this adjustment.Attached is an old instruction from GM to dealers for this wheel size change work order.
Other or unspecified, Jun 19, 2023
A/c just immediately went hot while driving. There is a crack in the condenser weld on the upper right front drivers side. Will be at the dealer next Monday.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Dec 6, 2022
I purchased my vehicle in January 2022. On 11/18/22 I captured a photo across my dash stating that the trailer brake system needed to be serviced (photo attached) . This was the second time this message appeared within days. The vehicle continued to beep and flash for a long period of time clearing out my dash screen making it UNSAFE TO DRIVE. The beeping noise startled me, almost causing an accident on the freeway. I did not know what the warning meant as I wasn't towing a trailer. I wasn't towing anything and could not turn off the beeping sound or the flashing screen, in spite of hitting the dismiss button. I don't know why the message continued to go on and assuming there is an electrical shortage somewhere with the wiring. This needs to be recalled and fixed as it is a manufacturer issue. I do not have any aftermarket parts installed in this vehicle. This same alert message appeared again yesterday 12/5/22 as I was driving back from the airport. It continued for almost 2 hours while on the freeway and again I was not pulling or towing anything. I pulled over, checked my tailgate, turned off the vehicle and turned it back on and the message continued until I got home. It is very alarming and annoying and scared me. This is a big safety hazard and almost caused an accident again as the alert is very loud and flashes across, clearing out your screen, causing you to take your eyes off traffic looking ahead. This time, I was traveling in heavy traffic. Please investigate this further. Thank you
Structure, Other or unspecified, Aug 22, 2022
The paint has substantial flaking/ easy scratching casting spots down to primer and bare metal
Other or unspecified, Aug 19, 2022
My air conditioning condenser has a leak and leaked all my refrigerant out of the system. From my research and talking to the dealership mechanic, it is a problem GM refuses to do anything about unless your vehicle is under warranty, and they are aware this is a big problem, numerous complaints.
Other or unspecified, Aug 18, 2022
I live in Corona CA where the temperatures easily exceed 100f in the summer months. I was picking my kids up from school yesterday and the AC started blowing warm air. We had to open the windows which brought in even warmer air into the cab. After a little research online, I found there are numerous Sierra owners experiencing the same issue. 99% of the failed AC is due to a "weak weld on the condenser."(see attached photo) Unfortunately, I could not find any recalls or TSBs related to this problem. With the exorbitant amount of Sierra owners experiencing the same-exact-issue, GM MUST be aware of this issue. This should be determined a safety recall, since this is a passenger vehicle, manufactured to provide safe in-cab temperatures for human beings.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 9, 2022
Cold start after vehicle sits for a while vehicle shark bites and stutters. When you try and drive vehicle before it’s been warmed up significantly. It’s a safety concern because it feels very danger and could cause an accident. Alamo At caused my truck to stall out the other day with my children in it and a large accident. Dealership is dismissed my concern and says it’s normal gmc defects that I have to deal with. I will sue GMC if I have to.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Jul 14, 2022
The trailer brake system on my vehicle suddenly stopped working. I was alerted by a continuous chime and message saying "Service Trailer Brake System." My brakes stopped working and made it difficult for me to stop my vehicle and loaded trailer. It was very frightening because I had lost all trailer braking function and feared I would not be able to stop my vehicle. In addition, the chime and message are non stop and very distracting and cause some components of my dashboard to be inaccessible making things more dangerous. Unfortunately, the distracting and frustrating chime and message continue even without a trailer attached.
Other or unspecified, Apr 25, 2022
I was driving and my Trailer brake system warning started going off. I ha e never towed anything so not sure why this is happening.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 22, 2022
My complaint is of the intelilink system in this vehicle. While driving the system would change screens, when turned off would turn itself back on. It would hang up on phone calls, would make all these beeping sounds and change stations on radio. It was very distracting and I feel dangerous in that especially at night as I said would not stay turned off so the beeping and changing of the screen that would make the large(8”) screen go from night mode to day mode and shine into your eyes. When navigating to somewhere system would show that you were in one place, when you were possibly 20 miles from where it would show you to be. Bad because it maybe showing and telling you turn by turn directions and all of a sudden it’s gone. This problem has been diagnosed by a dealer and repaired at a cost of $887.85. Was told that it is a very common repair that they do. Have contacted gm customer service and let them know that I thought a 2017 vehicle with 35000 miles should not have this problem and would like some kind of compensation for the problem and repair
Other or unspecified, Feb 27, 2022
My rear window suddenly shattered. Heated sliding back window. No other explanation. My vehicle was parked in my driveway.
Other or unspecified, Feb 21, 2022
Back up camera stopped working, appears to be dependent on the weather with temp and humidity. Back up camera will get all static then go blue and call for need of service.
Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2022
The rear window defrost hasn't been working since I've owned the truck. Doing some research on it.....there's lots of complaints online with issues involving this problem. Some fires also. I did find that there were 160,000 or so recalled in Canada. Same issues. Mostly involving being remote started. Which is what happened to mine. I remote started mine....walked about 50 yards to the truck...heard a loud pop.....the rear window exploded ! Glass went everywhere !! It's definitely a safety issue....especially if someone had been in the rear seat !! I've ran the Vin # and checked with the closest dealer but they weren't any help. It's hard to figure there were so many issues in Canada....but none here. The replacement glasses are made in Canada, about every complaint I read involved remote start during cold weather.....which the rear window defrost come on if the temps below a certain level. Lots of owners were disabling the defrost on the rear window by removing the fuse and or relay.