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.

Complaints by model year
  1. 429

Of the 2017 reports, 20 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 8 people were injured.

Primary concernPower train144 reports · 34% of complaints
Owner complaints429Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship6 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Power train144
  2. Service brakes127
  3. Engine64
  4. Electrical system60
  5. Other or unspecified41
  6. Steering28
  7. Visibility/wiper13
  8. Exterior lighting12

Recalls and investigations

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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.

  1. Service brakes, Nov 16, 2023

    It takes quite the amount of force to stop the vehicle brake pedal started feeling spongy and seems like it doesn’t have enough pressure constantly I have no brake fluid leaks or air in my lines it all comes down to the brake booster it seems like and I know a few vehicles had this problem but mine says it wasn’t but I believe it has been affected.

  2. Engine, Nov 11, 2023

    I took my 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE in to my local dealer because the engine was misfiring and there was a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. There was a sudden onset of loss of power, sluggish acceleration and shuttering. The dealership technicians did their diagnostics and found "cyl 1 miss fire removed valve cover and rocker arm found cyl 1 intake push rod bent replaced cyl 1 rocker arm push rods and all driver side lifters re[placed v loam resealed all 8 injectors cleared code miss fire is cured." This is a known GM issue as pursuant to service bulletin 15-06-01-002L. Upon further research from other complaints it was reveled to be caused by KNOWN defective or sub-par components being continually installed in GM vehicles. GM has knowledge of this issue and should take ownership of their shawty and deceptive work practices.

  3. Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 6, 2023

    Vehicle has a hard shift in the lower gears. I have been told by GM authorized dealers and garages that the official suggestion from GM is a transmission flush, and that this may not resolve the issue. This service usually runs around $350+, and is not reimbursed at all or in part by the manufacturer. This has caused tire spin in parking lots and low speed situations (like crosswalks), and only seems to be getting worse as time goes on. This seems to be a widespread issue, with a large number of consumers reporting the same issue, and really seems to be a manufacturer defect

  4. Power train, Oct 26, 2023

    After 80K miles on a 2017 GMC Sierra - my 6 Speed AT Transmission HMD 6L-80 failed. There appears to be know flaws in the GMC transmission, but no recall for my model and year.

  5. Power train, Oct 20, 2023

    The contact’s husband owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact’s husband was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, approximately 1 year later the failure recurred. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. An unknown warning light and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was restarted but the vehicle decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the contact stated that she was informed by the dealer that the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear and as a result, the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

  6. Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Oct 7, 2023

    Service Trailer Brake System. This has happened in the past 3 Times, in which the local GMC Dealership has made me pay for New Batteries and other Fuel system issues. Dealership stated that this shows up because of a bad battery.

  7. Service brakes, Sep 27, 2023

    At low speeds the brake pedal gets hard and it feels like the antilock brake system is activating, I believe this is the issue with the Brake booster vacuum pump. GM isn't calling this a safety issue.

  8. Power train, Sep 26, 2023

    Truck all a sudden developed a Lifter noise under the hood and the check engine light came on Friday, September 8th. I checked the oil and oil pressure which was ok. Saturday morning 9/9 I notice some loss of power pulling out on Highway. I took the truck immediately to a friend who is a retired GM Master Mechanic. He coded P0300 and P0306 with 158 miss fires. The following Monday on September 11th I took the truck to Clift GMC in Adrian, MI. They confirmed a Lifter failure and bent Push Rod on Cylinder six. on my 5.3L engine. Since I have learned the AFM System on these engines is driving Lifter Failures. I was lucky my Camshaft was not harmed. My truck had 84,945 miles on it and is six years old. GM offered no, zero assistance. The Dealer could only state this is a well known issue which they see frequently offer a extended Power Train Warranty at a cost of $1600 t $2000 dollars. How is a Extended Warranty a solution to a poor Engine Design? Help!

  9. Engine, Sep 25, 2023

    The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

  10. Service brakes, Hydraulic, Sep 14, 2023

    The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while parking at 5 MPH, the instrument panel went black intermittently. The brake pedal was firm and had failed to operate as needed. The brake pedal was pushed to the floorboard. The service brake assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed however, the cause of the failure was not found. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

  11. Engine, Sep 5, 2023

    At 48k miles with all service maintenance performed by GM dealer I experienced a ticking noise and loss of engine power. The vehicle was taken to dealership and I was told it was a lifter problem with no explanation of how or why this has happened. I was without a vehicle for 3 weeks. I picked up the vehicle and was told the vehicle was repaired only to still find the vehicle had hesitation while driving and still had a ticking noise in the engine. I returned the vehicle and am now told the engine needs to be replaced. I was also told that I am responsible for the cost of repairs. I found a class action has been filed against GM for this issue. I have been told that GM does not have a recall issued yet I was told at the dealership they have seen this happen and GM has a Service Technician report on how to fix this issue. At this time my vehicle is sitting at the dealership awaiting a response from GM to see if they will take any responsibility. My truck has been at the dealership since August 7, 2023. I have paid almost $2k and was told I would owe an additional $9300. to replace the engine. I do not have paperwork from the dealership to show service work performed. The dealership has not closed out my ticket however I have paid almost $2k for work performed. The dealership said that they matched the cost I have spent but I have no record of their costs.

  12. Service brakes, Aug 28, 2023

    Service Trailer Brake System Defaulting and is taking more time to stop my 2017 GMC Sierra Truck.

  13. Electrical system, Service brakes, Aug 22, 2023

    Today August 22, 2023 at 2:30pm, just about to leave work home when I received a message on my dash board telling/showing me "Service Trailer Brake System". And that sign kept coming on every second all the way home from work, couldn't heard nothing else that us going on inside the car like my phone, radio, turn sign, etc..

  14. Power train, Aug 20, 2023

    Transmission issues! Very hard shifting! Feels like someone ran into me from behind. Shutters while crushing at 45-48 mph. Vehicle shakes from transmission issues!! GMC will not do anything about it!

  15. Power train, Aug 13, 2023

    Transmission slipping in and out of gear. Transmission was serviced 5,000 miles previous to this for the 100,000 mile service at 95,000 miles. No issues were found at the time of service, now truck will slip out of gear on highways without warning. Transmission fluid is not dirty or burnt. Common reported issue according to online discussions and GMC needs to recall this model transmission

  16. Power train, Aug 10, 2023

    Like so many others, I have persistent transmission or drive train problems in my 2017 GMC Sierra. This has been documented on multiple visits and test drives with the dealer where I purchased the vehicle and to another GMC dealer. The first occurrence was after about 4,000 miles. A loud clunk sound occasionally occurs while shifting thru low gears and the transmission shifts very hard. To the point that the transmission hesitates between gears and then jerks me back into the seat. The selling dealer has witnessed this and tried various repairs (supposedly flushed and replaced the fluid, supposedly replaced an unknown computer component, etc). None of this helped. Now the transmission also hesitates and seems to slip during a downshift thru the low gears. The selling dealer finally told me "nothing is wrong with this truck, so don't bring it back again". I assured them that I would never be back, especially when I'm in the market for a new truck. GM should take note of this, also. Online websites show many posts of owners having this issue. And neither the dealers nor GM are even acknowledging a problem, let alone offering a solution. Unfortunately for me and many others, the value of this vehicle is impacted by so many complaints, no action by NHTSA and questionable practices by GM and their dealers. Buyers beware!!! The transmission in this truck is junk and you won't receive any assistance from GM or its dealers. The only hope for owners of this truck is for NHTSA to step up, launch an investigation and require a recall. This a known issue to owners of this truck, GM, its dealers and the NHTSA. It's time for all of them to step up and do what's right for consumers.

  17. Electrical system, Jul 13, 2023

    Infotainment System will change stations, stop navigation / change navigation destination, stop / start playing on its own. Examples of recent issues: 1) While driving from southeastern Ohio to West Lafayette, IN, the navigation system (Apple play through the infotainment system) stopped navigation to entered destination and changed destination to home. This occurred while in Indianapolis and caused us to reroute until we noticed the issue. 2) While playing music from bluetooth, the Infotainment system changed from media play to radio play. The change in volume and music caused me to swerve suddenly while in downtown traffic. 3) The radio changed stations continuously for 5 minutes, changing screens and stations for 5 minutes until I finally shut it off. These are just a couple of the examples. Something happens every time I am in the vehicle, the extent varies. All of these situations cause the driver to lose focus of driving, and also create a shock when first happening. After investigation, I have found that many owners of 2017-2020 GMC vehicles with the Infotainment system have the same issue. Some have fixed the problem by installing new systems (GM offers an "upgraded" system that doesn't have the issue... Coincidence?). This leads me to believe that GM acknowledges there is an issue but will not fix it as a recall. I have video of the latest occurrence, but the site will not allow the file type to be uploaded.

  18. 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.

  19. Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Jun 15, 2023

    1st incident - tried to park turned in and steering went wild stability control light came on & others then truck shut down. 2nd Incident 2 days later- tried to turn off street (with grandkids in car) same thing steering about snapped my wrists off- check engine light came on and others then truck off this was all in a matter of seconds. I turned it on the info system on dash told me to roll down and then roll up window. Husband when driving noticed barking issues - really having to pump brakes (week before) We looked up recalls they are there for both issues for my year make but I have a bigger engine that the recall states so I am not covered yet it is doing all that same stuff for the recall which my husband put it what the truck was doing and found recalls just not for our engine size- THIS TRUCK IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS WHEN YOU TURN IT WILL SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY. AND YOU LOSE ALL STEERING ETC I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK, ESPECIALLY AS WE HAUL OUR GRANDKIDS AND TRAVEL TO IDAHO ON VERY HIGH CURVY ROADS AGAIN NOT SAFE YOUR COMPONETS IT WANTS ME TO CHECK OFF WONLT LET ME CLICK ON ENGINE & AND OTHER

  20. Engine, May 21, 2023

    Truck started to jerk if driven over 20 mph. Before this the dashboard (electric) notification showed truck heating up but the temperature gage was not reading any overheating. Prior to this the whole electrical system in the truck started to mess up. The radio changed channels without actually changing the radio channels. Unable to connect the Bluetooth because it calls my phone contacts at random. Had to get a new transmission that cost 5,000 and this was recent. The truck is still jerking but is drivable over 20 mph.

  21. Engine, Apr 10, 2023

    hard shift when taking off and excessive burning of oil

  22. Service brakes, Apr 7, 2023

    Brakes intermittently quit working at slow speeds. Sometimes while pushing on the brake pedal, the brakes don't respond, I have to increase the force placed on brake pedal. There is also a pulsating sensation at the pedal like the ABS is being applied, even though I am traveling at slow speeds, and it takes much longer to stop the vehicle. There are no warning lights that come on and there is nothing on the message center stating there is an issue. Has happened multiple time, usually in a parking lot, or in stop and go traffic. Also has happened when vehicle is in Reverse. Have never had the issue at highway speeds.

  23. Service brakes, Mar 29, 2023

    Backing up no brake assist and very hard to stop, not all the time but once happened going down boat ramp...

  24. Service brakes, Mar 29, 2023

    The brake line in the middle of the car broke because it's rusty, and all brake fluid is out, vehicle not braking

  25. Service brakes, Mar 28, 2023

    2017 GMC Sierra K1500 with 59,xxx miles. Recently noted braking issues with vehicle in parking lots or at slower speeds. The brakes are difficult to engage. I do not notice this issue when driving at higher speeds. On 3/27/23, I backed the vehicle out of my driveway and had a near miss collision as it was very difficult to engage the brakes and stop the vehicle. After the near miss, the brakes, calipers, and rotors were inspected and all were in good working condition. I contacted the dealership where the vehicle was purchased. The representative from the dealership informed me that this braking issue was addressed as a previous recall for N192268490 ZPSR (Product Safety Recall) on 5/24/21. On 5/24/21, I took the truck into the dealership for another issue and this recall was addressed at the same time. I was not having any issues with the brakes at that time. The representative informed me that the recall was closed on the truck, and they now charge $200/hr if I want to bring the vehicle in for service. The current braking issues appear directly related to the reported braking recall issue that was reportedly repaired on 5/24/21. The vehicle is not safe to drive and would appreciate assistance from the NHTSA to safely resolve the issue.