Home · 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd · Complaints

What 98 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (98)Crash / fire / injury (9)Transmission & drivetrain (29)Brakes (28)Electrical system (12)Engine (10)Equipment (4)Speed control (4)Steering (4)Visibility & wipers (4)Airbags (3)Fuel system (3)

Newest first · 98 complaints · page 1 of 4

Apr 10, 2026Transmission & drivetrain

The ABS light came on while driving. Tire and components were removed to expose the axle housing. It was determined by the parts manager at DeBauche Truck and Diesel that the rear wheel hub nut had come loose and destroyed the threading. The damage was catastrophic, in that continued use of the vehicle may result in an accident and the vehicle cannot be driven until remedied. GM customer satisfaction program released a notice dated January 2018 for this specific safety issue. Reference number N172120230. A replacement axle cost was 2078.35 with additional parts and labor to be determined. Vehicle was purchased 8/29/2025 from Morrie's West Salem with no indicated reports of the issue through carfax and no related recalls through nhtsa. The vehicle had 30,967 miles at time of purchase.

NHTSA ODI 11730500

Mar 3, 2026Engine

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure of the #8 glow plug. The contact was informed that all eight glow plugs were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 63,800.

NHTSA ODI 11721718

Dec 11, 2024Fuel system

The pigtails to the injectors are prone to failure. The vehicle without warning throws multiple codes and immediately limits power and speed while shaking. This can cause a dangerous driving situation. This is a known problem and is on many online forums as a common failure. The repair shop gets so many of these that they were able to diagnose the issue over the phone and noted that it usually happens around the 200k mile mark. However many reported this as an issue while under warranty. The issue is with the metal connector material being prone to failure and arcing.

NHTSA ODI 11630205

Nov 28, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

The vehicle had a shudder when I first bought it and towed a boat. Around 60-70 it felt like a tire out of balance. The truck is stock no alterations. New tires and the vehicle has the same shudder. Had the tires balanced three times at different tire shops with no correction. I was getting my oil changed and the shop suggested a transmission and transfer case oil change. Once they looked up my vehicle they told me I would have to go to a dealer for the transmission oil change. I brought my vehicle to a GM dealer for the transmission oil change. They diagnosed my vehicle with a bad transmission causing the shudder with the only fix a new transmission at $7,800. I have yet to replace my transmission. Reading only thousands of GM owners complaining about the transmission issues. Two other types of transmission have had recalls and fixes but this version no fix. GM knowingly has produced thousands of faulty transmissions not offering to correct. I have spoken with multiple transmissions shops and they all know the issues. GM should honor their faulty product either replacing or correcting it. It’s a shame. I didn’t realize what the issue was till it was past the warranty. Upsetting knowing it was messed up from the new sale.

NHTSA ODI 11627873

Aug 26, 2024Fuel System, DieselEngine

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle started to jerk and vibrate abnormally. The contact stated that the "Engine Power Reduced" warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and placed the vehicle in park(P). The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle was vibrating. The contact stated that the steering wheel was also vibrating abnormally. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the injector connection was worn, causing the engine to misfire, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 23-NA-027 Fuel Injectors (Fuel System, Diesel). The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11610801

Aug 3, 2024

Service Trailer Brake System warning will not stop dinging and alerting. this happens constantly with or without a trailer . I dismiss the alert and it continues to sound off. I have trouble thinking or talking. Very Very distracting. Took my vehicle to the dealer and they did not know how to fix it.

NHTSA ODI 11606297

Jul 16, 2024Transmission & drivetrain

On July 5, 2024 while traveling and towing our 5th wheel (7,200lbs) with our 2017 GMC 2500 6.0L GAS engine (with the 6L90 transmission) and without any previous warnings or signals the check engine light illuminated and approximately 10 mins later the vehicle went into limp mode with "Transmission Hot.....Idle Engine" warning, causing us to lose power of the vehicle. We coasted over to the side of a 2 lane road with no shoulder and stopped the vehicle to let it cool down. This happened several times leaving us stranded in places that were NOT safe to allow the transmission to cool because we had no other choice since we were on country roads with no pullouts. At this point, we were just trying to get to the closest safest place to disconnect the trailer, so we could have the vehicle looked at by the GMC dealer. The closest place was an RV park approxiamately 20 miles away, so we limped there and disconnected from the trailer. Our safety and the safety of other drivers was a huge issue since there was nowhere we could pull over where we would be out of danger. We had no warning that our transmission was bad up until this point. The dealer inspected the vehicle and confirmed on July 8, 2024, that the vehicles transmission failed and needs to be replaced. We serviced our vehicle religiously and had the transmission flushed/changed at 49,944 miles. The failure of the this transmission occurred at approximately 54,000 miles. We were stuck and without our vehicle for 7 days while we waited for The GMC dealer to replace our transmission. There are plenty of problems with the GMC/Chevrolet 6L90 transmissions and unfortunately, we fell victim to this problem. GMC should be held accountable for issuing a recall as we could have easily caused an accident and serious damage to ourselves as well as others. This transmission is failing causing it to be is unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11602719

Apr 29, 2024Visibility & wipersFire

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed with the defroster activated, a smoke odor was detected inside the vehicle. The contact's wife checked the rearview mirror and saw flames coming from the rear windshield. The contact's wife pulled over and heard a loud explosion from the rear windshield shattering before turning off the vehicle. The flames from the rear windshield were extinguished on their own after the vehicle was turned off. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was restarted, and the contact's wife deactivated the defroster before driving to work. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rear windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11585843

Apr 1, 2024Engine

The truck had 8 glow plugs replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11580525

Nov 7, 2023Electrical system

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist, and the brakes failed to stop the vehicle immediately. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road. When the contact arrived on the scene, he noticed that the generator pulley had detached. The contact then purchased a new generator, which he replaced himself. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,756.

NHTSA ODI 11553927

Oct 17, 2023Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11550352

Jul 9, 2023EngineFire

On December 29, 2022 I stopped at the bank for 2 minute and when I got back to my truck I noticed smoke coming out from under the hood. I immediately called 911 and luckily some nice people were able to get my hood up safely and the bank provided a fire extinguisher before the fire trucks arrived. It was engulfed in flames. The fireman said it appeared the fire started in the wiring at the engine. I had a recall fixed a while back for the engine block heater so I was worried maybe they didn’t repair the recall. A week after the fire I received a 2nd recall in the mail for the same recall. Today is July 9th and my truck is still in the shop waiting on parts that have been on back order this whole time. GMC told my insurance company they were sending someone down to look at it. Never heard anything back. This could have been so bad had I been driving it when the fire started. So here I am going on 7 months without my truck all while paying $942/month. I just want something to be done to speed up the repairs that my insurance has paid. Estimate is $22,000

NHTSA ODI 11531177

Feb 2, 2023

The radio in my truck acts on its own (buttons push by themselves). The problem is known and I’m fine with turning my radio off instead of paying a lot of money for a new one. I’ve been fine with it until recently. First problem I’ve let go for a while now which is that it turns on by itself while driving which is a distraction. But biggest problem now is not only did the radio turn on by itself but it also went into the backseat reminder and turned it off. I do have an infant and I hope to never forget. But when paying for a vehicle this is a feature you pay for. No one should lose a child bc of this. I’ve talk to a dealership about the initial problem and have done research on it. There is no warning signs. Vehicle has not been inspected by any others. I do have a video of the backseat reminder turning off without my control.

NHTSA ODI 11505126

Nov 18, 2022SteeringAirbagsBrakesCrash

I was in an accident on October 20th 2022 while driving home. U had just reached the top of a sharp crest on a two way road. As I started to straighten out the wheels coming out of the turn I noticed my direction was still as if I was turning the wheel. I tried to brake and pressed the brake but it went to the floor and the truck kept going. I collided with the other vehicle and it was a miracle neither of us were seriously injured or killed. We had problem with the steering box about 2 years ago and had to have it towed to the dealership. The other vehicle was a Chevy 2500 with a custom steel flat bed & it slowed me down and I finally came to a stop with the front tires off the road. Neither vehicle alerted onstar & airbags did not deploy. His vehicle miraculously had minimal damage to the cab the majority of the damage was the metal gear box located under the bed in between the cab & tires. It was super scary & left both vehicles disabled.

NHTSA ODI 11494173

Oct 25, 2022Fuel system

The def heater gm part#84162464 has broken on my truck. There are many owners with the same problem on their duramax diesels. This has been an issue since def tanks were mandated by the federal government. The replacement cost is estimated to be $2000. from my local dealership. The truck had 50,000 miles on it when the heater first started working intermittently. I'm reporting this so it can be logged in as another incident for failing, poorly engineered parts.

NHTSA ODI 11490866

Oct 20, 2022BrakesCrash

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra LD. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the front passenger side wheel locked inadvertently. As a result, another vehicle crashed into the attached trailer which caused the trailer to jackknife. The driver alert warning light illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. No medical attention was required. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then stated that on a separate occasion while driving at normal speed, the front passenger side wheel inadvertently locked without warning. As a result, the strut detached from the control arm which caused the attached trailer to detach and crashed into the vehicle that caused the vehicle to crash into a ditch. the rear passenger side air bags deployed however, the front driver and passenger side air bags failed to deploy. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact’s residence and then towed to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced an unknown NHTSA recall related to the Service Brakes, Hydraulic as a possible cause. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,117.

NHTSA ODI 11490165

Oct 13, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission inadvertently shifted from high to low gears and the RPMs revved up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. However, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the valve body, the clutch, the piston, and the transmission plates needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while driving and an undisclosed speed, the transmission was shifting hard into a lower gear, then into third gear without warning. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489094

Jul 19, 2022Brakes

Service Trailer Brake warning comes on repeatedly. Trailer brakes fail to work.

NHTSA ODI 11474777

Jul 7, 2022TiresCrash

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra equipped with Goodyear, Tire Line: Wrangler SRA, Tire Size: 275/55/R30, DOT Number not available: The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the passenger’s side front tires experienced blowout. The contact was able to pull over safely and replace the tire. The failure reoccurred and the front driver side tire blowout causing the contact to sideswipe another vehicle and crashing into a building. The airbags deployed but no injury and a police report were filed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472741

May 25, 2022Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

We were at a restaurant with friends we got back into the vehicle. I started up the vehicle and several electrical things happened. The service trailer brakes message came up, then the service power steering message came on. The engine was running but the tachometer didn’t work, or the oil pressure gauge. A couple other warning lights on the dash were on and stayed on. When I put it in reverse it wouldn’t move. When I put it in drive it would move forward. So we were stuck in our parking spot. We decided to put it in neutral and two of us pushed the truck out of the space into a busy street in hopes of getting home. Luckily none of us or the truck was hit by the people driving on the roadway. I put the transmission in drive and it would go into gear but not not shift out of first gear. The speedometer was not working either. We drove a few 100 feet in hopes that it would shift into a higher gear and it would not. We were able to find a safe place to pull off the highway and parked it. Turned the truck off, waited several minutes and tried it again. Still the same so we were stranded there. Left it there and called an Uber driver to come out and pick us all up. I called for a towing service to pick the truck up the next morning. When I arrived the following morning to meet the tow truck I got in and started it up. Other than the check engine light being on the truck seemed fine. I still had it towed to the dealership to be on the safe side. It was there 6 days and today I picked it up. They couldn’t find anything wrong. In the description of service and parts it states “scanned found long list of codes, most of codes are lost communication with engine control module, followed some tsb for possible issues, no results”. Also, “cleared codes and test drove vehicle, have not been able to duplicate concern at this time”. So I now have a vehicle that I can’t trust and hope our safety will not be in jeopardy in the future.

NHTSA ODI 11466124

May 11, 2022Brakes

Service trailer brake system warning blinking while driving, it happened couple of time on highway, I couldn't take a pic, this is a headache

NHTSA ODI 11464145

Apr 11, 2022Equipment

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V496000 (Equipment) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11460439

Jan 11, 2022Equipment

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V496000 (Equipment) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was also notified of the recall but offered no assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11447015

Dec 14, 2021Equipment

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V496000 (Equipment) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact indicated that the engine block heater cord was disconnected upon purchasing of the vehicle. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11443734

Dec 13, 2021Electrical systemBrakesDriver assistance

When connect my trailer i get a service trailer brake system, then the stability waring start to show up and the brakes on the vehicle seem to act funny. Very unsafe while towing a trailer and kids in the truck. VERY UNSAFE

NHTSA ODI 11443575

Older →

Working with the data? Download all 98 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 Hd verdict →