GMC Sierra 1500 Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2014 and 2023 At least twice the 98.5 complaints of a typical Sierra 1500 year. Most described: power steering problems (2014), engine failure (2023).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2016 drew under three quarters of the 98.5 complaints of a typical Sierra 1500 year since 2016, but it has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 8, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 26 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the 2010 to 2013 Sierra Hybrid. Includes the Sierra 1500 Limited, the previous generation GMC sold alongside the new truck. Excludes the Sierra EV and heavy-duty models.

Sierra 1500 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Sierra 1500 year drew 98.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (96.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (98.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2023 Sierra 1500 Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	285	516	3
2014 Sierra 1500 Avoid Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	254	845	18
2015 Sierra 1500 Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal	189	774	14
2022 Sierra 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	149	607	6
2019 Sierra 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	148	662	10
2017 Sierra 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	99	418	6
2020 Sierra 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	98	484	12
2021 Sierra 1500 Most described: engine failure or replacement	95	603	7
2018 Sierra 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	75	305	7
2016 Sierra 1500 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	67	350	10
2013 Sierra 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	32	155	4
2011 Sierra 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	27	327	7
2010 Sierra 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	14	202	4
2012 Sierra 1500 Most described: rust or corrosion	13	136	4

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Sierra 1500 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	2	150
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	1	130
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	1	384
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	3	516
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	6	607	4 to 5 stars
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	7	603	4 to 5 stars
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	12	484	4 to 5 stars
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	10	662	4 to 5 stars
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	7	305
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	6	418
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	10	350
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	14	774
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	18	845
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	4	155
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	4	136
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Hybrid	7	327
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	4	202	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2023: 516 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, GMC Sierra 1500
Model year	Complaints
2010	202
2011	327
2012	136
2013	155
2014	845
2015	774
2016	350
2017	418
2018	305
2019	662
2020	484
2021	603
2022	607
2023	516
2024	384
2025	130
2026	150

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 18 to 21 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 21 to 22 mpg (2010 to 2013); highest in 2010.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 20 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

GMC Sierra 1500 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	18	22
2011	18	21
2012	18	21
2013	18	21
2014	20	–
2015	20	–
2016	20	–
2017	20	–
2018	20	–
2019	21	–
2020	21	–
2021	21	–
2022	20	–
2023	20	–
2024	20	–
2025	19	–
2026	20	–

Every Sierra 1500 year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which GMC Sierra 1500 years should you avoid?

The 2014 and 2023 Sierra 1500 are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 98.5 owner complaints of a typical Sierra 1500 year in its first three years. Owners of the 2023 most often describe engine failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best GMC Sierra 1500 years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2016 drew under three quarters of the 98.5 complaints of a typical Sierra 1500 year since 2016, but it has a recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside until it is repaired. If you are shopping for one, check by VIN that the repair was done. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which GMC Sierra 1500 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2023 (285) drew the most, then the 2014 (254). Owners of the 2023 most often describe engine failure or replacement.

Which GMC Sierra 1500 years have the most recalls?

The 2014 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (18), then the 2015 (14). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Three recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 14V-246 (2014 models), NHTSA 16V-256 (2016 models), and NHTSA 26V-289 (2026 models).

What are the most common GMC Sierra 1500 problems?

In the 7,048 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (876 complaints); loss of power or limp mode (732 complaints); and shaking, shuddering or vibration (523 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which GMC Sierra 1500 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 26 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 diesel version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.