2017 GMC Sierra 1500 problems owners report most
2017 GMC Sierra 1500 problems are documented in public: owners have filed 431 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2017 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the powertrain clearly first, at 144 of the 431 complaints, close to a third of everything filed.
A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 33 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 144 | 33% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 128 | 30% |
| ENGINE | 64 | 15% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 61 | 14% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 41 | 10% |
| STEERING | 28 | 6% |
Against the 2016 car, this model year has drawn 762 per cent more complaints (431 against 50). Both years are led by the powertrain, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2017 car. A rise is worth more attention than a fall here, because a newer car has had fewer years on the road to accumulate reports.
Of those complaints, 20 describe a crash and 5 describe a fire. Filers reported 8 injuries.
Recalls on the 2017 GMC Sierra 1500
A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 6 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
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."
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. 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.
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.
The risk. 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.
The fix. Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 21, 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.
In owners own words
These are complaints filed about the powertrain, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.
GM has known issues, which I'm sure the NHTSA is aware of. This involves transmission in 2015-2019 model trucks, both GMC and Chevrolet, among other GM vehicles. In my research there have been no less than 13 TSB's issues by GM trying to rectify these issues. The latest TSB states that a new blend of transmission fluid is the fix. In my instance the transmission started shifting hard with less than 30K miles. Took to dealership and they reprogrammed the transmission control module. Fixed the issue for a while but then started back after about 10K miles. In Feb. 2020 with 60K miles a tra
#1 While merging onto the highway, the vehicle began to shake violently and have a sudden lose of power due to a misfire on cylinder 6 and 4. I was unable to merge onto the highway as the vehicle would not accelerate almost causing me to be hit from behind. I was able to get the vehicle off to the shoulder to avoid an accident as it was barely able to stay running and the CEL was flashing. The failed parts (AFM lifters/push rods and VLOM) have been removed from the engine and saved for review. #2 My family's safety was put at risk as the vehicle had a sudden lose of acceleration while trying
I have been experiencing trasmission problems. The vehicle jerks, shutters and makes numerous thumping sounds during acceleration as well as at certain constant speeds. It frequently make a lound clunking sound when first put in drive and beginning to move. On January 16, 2025, I took the truck to Rubideaux GMC, 351 W Dalton Ave, Hayden ID 83835, for inspection. I was told that the torque converter "was shot" and that the transmission fluid was scorched and there metal shavings in the transmission filter. The service manager informed me that I needed a new transmission at a cost of $7,000. the
I have persistent transmission problems documented on multiple dealer visits where I purchased the vehicle. The first one was after 6000 miles. A large clunk sound and vibration occurred after shifting gears in the 30 mph range. The dealer told me this was a know issue related to the transmission manufacturer lubricant conflicting with the GMC transmission fluid. They did a flush and replace and for a time period it settled down. I have 56,000 miles now and the latest complaint I made was when nearing a stop at 5-10 mph the transmission did a massive clink. I had two others in the vehicle that
Every component, by complaint count
The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.
| Component | Complaints | Share of all complaints |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 144 | 33% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 128 | 30% |
| ENGINE | 64 | 15% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 61 | 14% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 41 | 10% |
| STEERING | 28 | 6% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 13 | 3% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 12 | 3% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 12 | 3% |
| SUSPENSION | 11 | 3% |
How other model years compare
The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 has drawn the most complaints and the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 the fewest.
What to check on the transmission and driveline
Powertrain reports usually describe a shift that arrives late, lands hard, or hunts between gears, often worse when the car is cold or towing. Some describe a shudder at a steady cruise rather than a bang between gears.
Buying a used 2017 Sierra 1500
Drive it from cold. A transmission fault that hides once warm is the most common thing a short test drive misses. Take it to highway speed, let it settle into top gear, then slow and accelerate again to make it downshift under load.
If you already own one
Get the fluid condition checked before anything else, and ask for the transmission control software level at the same time. Several of these complaints were answered by the manufacturer with a reflash rather than a rebuild, which costs a fraction as much.
- Test drive from cold, not after the seller has warmed it up.
- Ask whether a transmission software update exists for the VIN.
- Check the fluid condition and when it was last changed.
- Get any rebuild quote itemised into parts, fluid and labour.
Where the 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 problem data comes from
Every figure on this page is counted from complaints and recalls published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, read November 1, 2026. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by the agency before publication. We count each complaint once per component it names, so a complaint naming two components appears in both rows.
- NHTSA recalls and complaintsRead November 1, 2026
- NHTSA record for the 2017 GMC Sierra 1500Read November 1, 2026
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