The 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 comes with a lot of scary-sounding problems, and recalls still being issued more than five years since the pickup’s launch. The rate of incidence is low, but you may drive more confidently with a CPO warranty backing you up.
Key Points
- The 2016 GMC Sierra 1500‘s most reported problems are severe, but uncommon, with over 230 complaints on file with the NHTSA, nine recalls, and one investigation.
- Leading issues include power brake assist going out, frequent airbag recalls, and rough shifting.
- A technical service bulletin has been issued for the truck’s shifting problems, but there is no recall as yet, and there are reports of dealers neglecting to make the necessary repairs.
- The 2016 Sierra 1500 is easy to recommend for its raw towing power, starting at over four tons. But keep the pickup’s incomplete recalls and open investigation in mind when making your choice.
Power Brake Assist May Go Out at Low Speeds
Out of 231 NHTSA complaints total, 82 point to the service brakes.
The most common issue, as a driver in North Carolina puts it: “At slow speed, the brake becomes rock hard and cannot be pushed in.”
There are dozens of similar reports. A Kentucky driver complains that “while moving slowly in traffic… there was no braking.” And over in Louisiana, “At low speeds, the brakes get very hard to press.”
The frustrating thing about this issue: there was a recall to address it in September of 2019. In nearly three and a half million GM vehicles it was found that the vacuum level in the power brake’s vacuum pump had a tendency to drop, disabling power steering and forcing drivers to really put the pedal to the floor to bring the truck to a complete stop. But then, complaints kept rolling in from drivers like the one in North Carolina, who reports that “I have searched my vehicle by VIN, and it states ‘no recall,’ which I don’t understand.”
An investigation on the matter remains open since November of 2018, so there may be a solution coming in the near future. In the meantime, just make sure to rigorously test-drive any 2016 Sierra before you buy it.
Airbags Recalls Still Being Issued Six Years After Launch
The truck has been recalled a total of five times for airbag issues, with the most recent having been issued in July of 2021. For this to still be happening more than five years after launch is worrying, to say the least.
GM’s first recall for the truck’s airbags was a small one in December of 2015, with just 90 units being called in for a fracture in the casing that houses the airbag computer. A cracked computer casing on your laptop isn’t that big a deal, but in a car, the casing needs to keep water from leaking in and shorting the circuitry.
Next was a massive recall in September, 2016 for over three and a half million GM vehicles. In affected vehicles, including 2015-2016 Sierras 1500s, the software was failing to deploy front airbags in an accident. A followup on that recall was issued a year later for just over 40,000 units.
Most recently, the truck has been having issues with roof-rail airbags. This started with a small recall in November, 2020 for just over 9,000 units. The end cap in the airbag inflator had a tendency to pop out like a champagne cork and fly around the car in certain 2015-2016 GM trucks. Then in July of 2021, nearly half a million 2015-2016 Sierras and Silverados were recalled for potential airbag inflator rupture.
Airbag recalls aren’t inherently worrying, but the frequency of the 2016 Sierra 1500’s airbag recalls, and the fact that recalls are still being issued this late in the game, is legitimate cause for concern.
Rough Shifting was Addressed with a Service Bulletin, but no Recall Was ever Made
After service brakes, the second most common subject of complaint on the NHTSA website is in the power train, with 53 reports. The most common complaint in this category: shuddering when shifting.
In Pennsylvania, a driver reports that “apparently, the 8-speed automatic transmission has issues with wiring harness and hard shifting.” And it’s the same deal for a driver in California, who complains that “It jerks and kicks at any speed, especially going slow. The shifting is horrible!” One more example: over in Alabama, a driver reports “problems with transmission jerking, hard shifting, jumping. Only have 60,000 miles on it, took it back to dealer 3 times, and they told me each time it was normal.”
GM have issued a technical service bulletin on the matter, but that was back in 2019, and it was in 2020 that our driver in Alabama was told by a GMC dealership to not worry about it.
Low Incident Rate Makes the 2016 Sierra 1500 Easy to Recommend, Despite Iffy Manufacturer Support
Starting at 305 lb.-ft. of torque and capable of towing over eight thousand pounds, the 2016 Sierra 1500 is a beast, plain and simple. Repair Pal rates the truck in third place out of 17 full-size trucks for reliability, with an average annual repair bill of around $727.
We can recommend the truck confidently, but not unconditionally. It’s worrying to read about dealers turning owners away when they ought to know exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it, and greater transparency on GM’s part would make these problems less concerning.
Photos: GMC
