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
429 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at low speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the pedal remained on the floorboard. Additionally, the vehicle failed to slow down as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Electrical system, May 2, 2024, fire
In January 2024, I parked my truck in my garage and shortly after I smelled an electrical burning smell in our house. When I opened the garage, it had smoke throughout the garage and a very strong odor of electrical burning smell. I moved my vehicle outside and tried to find the source, but it was too strong to narrow it down, and the garage smelled like burnt electrical for days. I took the truck to a service shop and they could not find anything wrong at the time. Today, May 2024, I was having trouble getting my trailer lights working. Upon further inspection, I discovered the 7-way interface wiring harness on my vehicle had electrically shorted out and melted a hole in the plastic housing and left melted plastic on the truck frame. The tag on the wiring harness states TAG #138359 7-WAY INTERFACE HARNESS W/O 134971. I believe this electrical short/fire should be part of the NHSTA Recall 18E-014. That recall states those are aftermarket harnesses, but the harness on the vehicle in this complaint is original to the vehicle and was installed by the manufacturer. I plan to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the harness replaced, but I am expecting pushback since the NHSTA recall states this is only aftermarket harnesses.
Visibility, Apr 29, 2024, fire
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed with the defroster activated, a smoke odor was detected inside the vehicle. The contact's wife checked the rearview mirror and saw flames coming from the rear windshield. The contact's wife pulled over and heard a loud explosion from the rear windshield shattering before turning off the vehicle. The flames from the rear windshield were extinguished on their own after the vehicle was turned off. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact's wife deactivated the defroster before driving to work. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rear windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Power train, Apr 22, 2024
Experienced hard shifting in my transmission a couple before it all of the sudden it made a thing noise and didn’t want to move forward to easy. Babied it home and by then it was whining and whistling all the time. I Quit driving it immediately and had it towed. Being only a 2017 I can’t believe this happened. Plus I had a 2014 prior to this and I had the same issue but traded it off before it went all the way out. After going to social media I am finding out that so many people with mid to late model 2000s have had this same issue, even family. Plus I was told by 2 different transmission places this is very common in these with Chevy and GMC model trucks. How could this be going on? I am assuming because people don’t know to report. Being on disability and a fixed income this took a hit to my bank account, actually a home equity loan.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Apr 22, 2024
The vehicle would shudder when trying to accelerate. I almost was hit by a semi truck trying to merge onto the freeway. Made an appointment with the mechanic then a couple days later I was at a stop sign and the vehicle would not accelerate at all. I placed in park the tried shifting back into drive and still nothing. I had to turn the vehicle on and off twice before I was able to shift it in drive an it actully would accelerate. Even then it would shudder and not accelerate fully. Very dangerous. Just hit 100k miles. GMC Certified Mechanic said the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced. Cost to replace over $6,000.00 Bought the truck in 2020 for $35,500 and just paid it off.
Power train, Apr 16, 2024
Transmission shifting hard. Shuddering around 60-65 mph
Power train, Apr 7, 2024
I purchased the vehicle in November or December 2022. Since then I’ve had problems with my transmission. The torque converter was replaced 2 times, it’s been in the shop 5-6 times and nothing fixed under the warranty when I purchased it. Finally the dealer I purchased from said they won’t take the vehicle back and won’t spend any more money on fixing the truck. Now it has become on my dime to figure it out since I gave up trying to have a shop diagnose and fix it. The last shop said I would have to pay to have the transmission removed and possibly have the valve body replaced since the dealer I purchased it from gave the second shop one chance to get it right. The transmission downshifts hard and clunks since the first day of purchase. Makes a weird wining noise still til this day. I have spoken with the owners of the dealership and they did not seem to care about my problem.
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)
Power train, Mar 6, 2024
Truck has always shifted rough, now with only has 102,000 miles has been serviced regularly exclusively at the dealership. It started slipping gears and I was just informed by the dealer that the torque converter detonated and the entire transmission must be replaced.
Air bags, Seat belts, Feb 29, 2024, crash
The contact owned a 2017 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, he briefly fell asleep. As a result, the vehicle left the roadway and collided with the exit median, coming to a complete stop after careening into a side ditch. The air bags did not deploy, and the seat belt failed to properly retrain, resulting in head and neck injuries. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for various lacerations to his head and arms and an unstable fracture of the C7 in his lower neck, later requiring surgery. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider due to a bent chassis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they inspected the vehicle, concluding that the impact was not sufficient to trigger air bag deployment, estimating that the vehicle was traveling between 1 and 4 MPH and that the air bags were functioning properly. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 32,000.
Power train, Feb 23, 2024
The transmission is shuddering, hard shifting, shuddering and lunging into gear. It is the 6L80 transmission Also has little to no power, took it to the dealership for diagnosis and they say the transmission is bad, torque converter is also bad sending metal throughout the rest of the transmission.
Electrical system, Feb 20, 2024
Started truck for 10-15 minutes with front and rear defrost on to remove ice from glass. Upon entering the truck, there was a smell of wiring/plastic burning. Smoke was coming from the bottom corner of the rear sliding window. I immediately shut off rear defrost and then shut my truck off. Then the driver side rear glass panel popped and shattered completely.
Service brakes, Feb 7, 2024
At low speeds I have no brakes.
Power train, Feb 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced severe transmission shudder and was vibrating while driving up inclines. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission torque converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.
Service brakes, Jan 27, 2024
The incident occurred on [XXX]. My vehicle has 54,571 miles on it. The power brake assist function failed. I was backing into a parking space at a local fast food chain and experienced near brake failure. I had to stand, nearly full body weight pressure, on the brake pedal to get my truck to stop at very slow speed. I, again, backed a short distance of a couple of feet at the most and experienced the same issue when I tried to stop. I placed the vehicle in PARK and turned the engine and ignition key off, thinking the system possibly needed to reset. I started the truck and drove forward, very slowly, to another parking space and applied the brakes. I experienced near total brake failure again. I had my truck into Brogden GMC in Olathe, Kansas on [XXX], for general maintenance and a “brake pressure recall.” I had experienced a slight brake pressure issue on a couple of occasions prior to the recall. After the recall service was performed I did not experience a braking concern for some time. I did experience “soft braking” a couple of times after the recall was performed and attributed it worn brakes. On [XXX], at 50,596 miles, I upgraded my brakes by installing a Power Stop Z36 brake kit with slotted rotors and ceramic pads. I have not had a repeated experience of soft braking or brake failure until the [XXX] incident that I am currently reporting. It appears to me that the earlier recall did not completely address the brake failure issue with my 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 pick-up. 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.
Power train, Jan 25, 2024
Transmission temperature sensor has failed. It is available for internal inspection within the transmission pan. Safety has not been in issue, but, apparently it can cause hard shifting when the sensor starts to go bad. You can also easily tell when the sensor is going bad by watching your trans fluid temp needle. It will erratically bounce up and down, sometimes slightly and other times it's big jumps, so you will not be able to tell if the transmission is overheating or running at normal operating temperature. The problem has been confirmed by a local service center. The vehicle/component has not been inspected. There has not been any problems prior to this issue. The check engine light came on 1/24/24 in the evening time. Check engine codes are P0711 & P0700. This is a known issue between 2015-2018 GM vehicle equipped with the 6.2L & 8-speed transmission. There is/was a special warranty number, #N192291660, that qualifies with the 2016 models.
Power train, Jan 24, 2024
I was driving my truck home from work, when all the sudden the car at a stop sign lurch forward, with the brake applied and was not moving, or I would have hit the car in front of me. Upon, the green light, truck started to shift and go faster, while making a whining noise, at only 26 miles per hour, then, the vehicle, tried to speed up with nothing engaging, and came to a complete stop very aggressively and abruptly, while in traffic, I almost was hit from the sudden stop. Getting to the side of the road, the truck wouldn’t move anymore, and except in rear gear. Called OnStar service and vehicle was towed to the closest GM dealership, about a mile from my house. This was on a Saturday evening, On Monday, the dealer service agent called me, had already diagnosed the problem as a failed 6L80 GM transmission, this was at 930am, asked if I wanted it repaired I said yes. The dealer called back at 3pm that same day and said the transmission had already been repaired. Which to me is a bit surprising as it needed a new transmission, which should take longer. Glad it was fixed so fast. The cost was to be around 6700 dollars. From my knowledge this is a known issue with these transmissions. My concern, is that I could have been in an accident from a known defect in manufacturing that GM knew about and did nothing to address.
Power train, Jan 21, 2024
Transmission has stalled many times from shifting through 1st and 2nd gear going across divided highways and nearly causing accidents, also it has a very bad shudder and hard shifting.
Service brakes, Jan 14, 2024
When I hit the brakes it has no stopping power, hard to push brake pedal and when sitting at a complete stop it has been known to start going even though I have foot on brake.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Jan 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while coming to a stop at slow speeds, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal felt spongey, causing the braking distance to become extended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact learned of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Power train, Jan 1, 2024
My transmission started to shutter then went in and out of gear till it doesn't stay in gear
Power train, Dec 27, 2023
THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED CAR WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE OR FOREWARD AT ALL . IT ONLY HAS 120,000 MILES ON IT .
Power train, Engine, Dec 22, 2023
My 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali started shaking violently and the rpm gage began bouncing 1/4 to 1/2 inch in a very short amount of time. I ran a maintenance facility in Europe with 317 local national and 25 U.S. employees. Two of my brother-in-laws, and one of my nephews are mechanics. Two run their own auto repair facilities. All three reported having to replace torque converters on multiple gmc/chevrolet 1500 trucks. Many at somewhere between 40 and 60 thousand miles. If this is such a systematic problem, and from the number of vehicles they have had to repair it is, why hasn't a recall been issued. Second, in most cases dealerships first charge excessively for replacing the transmission fluid (approximately $900) and then end up replacing the torque converter. The owner has to pay for the transfluid replacement out of pocket because it is considered maintenance instead of replacing the torque converter at company expense...especially if you purchased and extended warranty through a third party. If this is recalled, owners should be reimbursed if they had to pay for it themselves and they should be required to replace the transmission fluid filter as a part of the repair,
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.