2018 GMC Sierra 1500 problems owners report most
2018 GMC Sierra 1500 problems are documented in public: owners have filed 305 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2018 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the powertrain clearly first, at 131 of the 305 complaints, two of every five 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 43 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 131 | 43% |
| ENGINE | 67 | 22% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 44 | 14% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 43 | 14% |
| STEERING | 30 | 10% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 25 | 8% |
Against the 2017 car, this model year has drawn 29 per cent fewer complaints (305 against 431). Both years are led by the powertrain, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2018 car.
Of those complaints, 10 describe a crash and 1 describes a fire. Filers reported 5 injuries.
Recalls on the 2018 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 7 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 2018 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon vehicles equipped with either a 5.3L or 6.2L V8 engine. The output of the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time, decreasing the amount of vacuum/power brake assist.
The risk. A decrease in brake assist can increase the brake pedal effort and distance required to stop the vehicle, 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 November 11, 2020. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-522-9559, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N202300860.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks. The left 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 separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The fix. Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC Customer Service at 888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N242474500.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Sierra 2500, 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left 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, increases the risk of injury or crash.
The fix. Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2025. 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 N252513060.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 Crew Cab vehicles. The left 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 the left and right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 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 N262549710. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 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 June 24, 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 N262557310. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 26V166.
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.
We purchased our 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 z71 brand new at Fairway Buick GMC in Las Vegas, NV. Pretty much off the lot we noticed some hard shifting, but over the last year/around 60,000 miles it has become progressively worse. Come to find out GM is aware of a known defect in the transmission used in this make/model and several others by GM which causes hard shifting and jerking while upshifting and down shifting primarily between 1st and 2nd gear. This malfunction has caused the vehicle to activate "limp mode" which doesn't allow the vehicle to move out of 1st gear, while driving on the road, pu
I own a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 V8 5.3 liter which is at 46, 433 miles. Over the past few weeks I have noticed the transmission having difficulty shifting in first gear and lurching, and making shuddering noises, and as well making a constant ticking noise. After an experienced mechanic had put a diagnostic system onto my truck, his system diagnosed a Transmission Lifter Failure, specifically 2 out of the 8 lifters. A few days later (9-04-26) I took my truck to a certified GMC servicing business (Patriot Chevrolet of Hopkinsville KY 270-886-1207) and had a transmission servicing done. I had told
Vehicle Details: 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 Z72 4x4, 5.3L V8 EcoTec3 engine, VIN: [XXX] Mileage at time of incident: 220,000 miles Location: [e.g., Little Rock, Arkansas area or specific road/highway – please provide if desired] What happened: The 5.3L V8 engine’s hydraulic roller lifters failed. One or more lifters collapsed, stuck, or lost proper oil pressure/operation. This led to improper valvetrain function, causing loud ticking/knocking noises, cylinder misfires, significant loss of engine power and performance, and internal engine damage (such as camshaft lobe wear or related components). Com
NO TRANSMISSION POWER REGARDLESS OF THE GEAR SHIFTER POSITION. I TURNED THE ENGINE ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES TRYING TO GET A SOLUTION, NO LUCK. I RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE 5 MINUTES LATER AND DID GET IT TO MOVE,,,WOULD ONLY GO 25 MPH AT 3000 RPMS. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF WI NOT NEAR ANY MAJOR DEALERSHIP ON-STAR WAS USELESS SAYING I HAD A MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEM AND THE COMPUTER WAS TRYING TO PROTECT THE ENGINE. I WAS DIRECTED ME TO A CHRYSLER DEALER SHIP, WHO TOLD THEY COULD NOT GET ME IN FOR 2 WEEKS, SUGGESTED ANOTHER BRANCH WHICH WAS OVER 45 MILES AWAY. I DROVE 5 MILES TO A FRIENDS HOUSE AND WA
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 | 131 | 43% |
| ENGINE | 67 | 22% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 44 | 14% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 43 | 14% |
| STEERING | 30 | 10% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 25 | 8% |
| SUSPENSION | 11 | 4% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 10 | 3% |
| AIR BAGS | 8 | 3% |
| WHEELS | 7 | 2% |
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 2018 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 2018 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 2018 GMC Sierra 1500Read November 1, 2026
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