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)

29 of 98 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 1 of 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dec 2, 2021Transmission & drivetrainBrakes

Ok my issues is the same recall on many other 2017 gmc 2500HD but not my VIN. Recall number N172120230 (rear wheel hub but loose). In my situation I was driving at low speed went to stop and abs light came on from oil on my rotator, I also heard a knock from the rear wheel. I pulled over and looked under the truck to find my axel seal leaking fluid all over my tire and breaks. I looked into the Facebook form on this problem and found many people with the same issue. Had the truck towed to the dealer where the are refusing to repair and not coving under warranty for 1” bigger tires. My truck only has 39,000 miles and a axel seal should not be going out, and if so should be covered

NHTSA ODI 11442389

Feb 26, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

HAVE HAD THIS INTO THE DEALER AT THE FIRST OIL CHANGE AND COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ISSUES AND IT BEING UNSAFE TO DRIVE. COMPLAINTS ARE: HARD SHIFT, IT CLUNKS BOTH UPSHIFTING AND DOWNSHIFTING. GOING AROUND CORNERS FROM A STOP THE TRUCK WILL EITHER FALL ON ITS FACE OR JERKS YOU VIOLENTLY FORWARD. IN STOP OR GO TRAFFIC IT IS UNSAFE AND HAPPENS VERY FREQUENTLY- IT RANDOMLY ACCELERATES (JUMPS) QUICKLY ON ITS OWN WITH SLIGHT PEDAL PRESSURE TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CONSTANTLY HAVE TO BE AWARE AND HAVE YOUR FOOT NEAR THE BRAKE OR YOU CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BY REAR ENDING THE CAR IN FRONT, ITS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRONICS GET CONFUSED ON HOW TO ACT. FEEL SHUDDERING FROM TRUCK'S MOTOR WHERE COLUMN SHIFT LEVER WOULD SHUDDER VIOLENTLY WHERE I WAS AFRAID IT WOULD VIBRATE OUT OF POSITION. ROUGH IDLE IS INCONSISTENT AT LOWER SPEED WHERE YOU SEE TACH GOING UP AND DOWN. STARTING COLD YOU GIVE IT AN EASY PEDAL TO MOVE AND WOULDN'T GO. TRANS DOESN'T KICK IN UNTIL YOU PRESS HARDER AND SOMETIMES WILL LUNGE. HAVE TAKEN INTO THE VARIOUS DEALERS 5-6 TIMES, VALVE BODY CHANGE, ENGINE MOTOR MOUNTS CHANGE AND DEALERS CAN FIND NO FIX. GM POWERTRAIN WAS EVEN INVOLVED WITH NO HELP. COMPLAINED TO THE GMC HOTLINE AND THEY SAID NEED 12,000 MILES ON TRUCK BEFORE THE TRUCK KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF THE 'SMART' TRANSMISSION WHERE IT LEARNS YOU'RE DRIVING HABITS. COMPLAINED THERE ARE 2 OF US THAT DRIVE IT HOW CAN IT LEARN EACH INDIVIDUALS DRIVING WHEN IT DOESN'T REALLY KNOW WHO IS DRIVING. THEY FINALLY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE FOR IT, THAT IS THE WAY IT IS. THIS ALL HAPPENS SPORADICALLY IN BOTH CITY LOW SPEED DRIVING AND HIGHWAY DRIVING, TURNING, BACKING UP OR GOING FORWARD FROM PARKING. BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES, DIDN'T REALLY DRIVE THE TRUCK MUCH BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ODI 11311579

Feb 4, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

VEHICLE SHIFTS VERY HARD IN AND OUT OF 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. WHEN STARTING TO GO AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE ALMOST STOPS WHEN SHIFTING AND THEN JERKS WHEN IT SHIFTS. SAME OCCURS WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE POWER TRAIN WAS REPROGRAMMED. THE ISSUE WAS A LITTLE BETTER FOR A WHILE. A FEW WEEKS LATER THE SAME ISSUE APPEARED AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER IN JANUARY 2020 AND THERE IS NOW A CHECK ENGINE CODE. DEALER PLANS TO CHANGE 2 HARNESSES AND CHANGE THE FLUID. UNFORTUNATELY THE PARTS ARE ON BACK ORDER WHICH KIND OF TELLS A STORY.

NHTSA ODI 11307097

Jan 30, 2020Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 GMC SIERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH THEIR WAS SUDDEN LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER AND THE GEARS DISENGAGED. THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED VEHICLE AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT DISAPPEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO (DUBLIN CHEVROLET GMC BUICK, 2042 VETERANS BLVD, DUBLIN, GA 31021 (478-246-4916) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOWED EVIDENCE OF LARGE AMOUNTS OF METAL SHAVINGS FROM THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE OIL PAN ALSO SHOWED EVIDENCE BURNT METAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,719.

NHTSA ODI 11306166

Dec 30, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

THERE IS A SHUTTERING IN THE TRANSMISSION AS THE VEHICLE ATTEMPTS TO CLIMB SLIGHT/STEEP GRADES AT SLOW TO MEDIUM SPEEDS. AROUND 1500 RPM THE VIBRATION IS SENT THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE VEHICLE. HAVING TO INCREASE ACCELERATION TO ALLOW THE TRUCK TO SHIFT PROPERLY TO OVERCOME THE LACK OF POWER HAS CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE NAVIGATING UP SNOWY/ICE HILLS. THE VEHICLE ALSO PERFORMS A LURCHING OR SUDDEN SPEEDING UP WHEN DOWNSHIFTING WHEN SLOWING TO COME TO A STOP. DEPENDING ON ROAD CONDITIONS THIS CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN APPROACHING ICY/SLIPPERY INTERSECTIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11291966

Dec 30, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY, I EXPERIENCE A SHAKE/SHUDDER WHEN AT SPEEDS OF 50 MPH AND HIGHER. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER DID SHUDDER. DEALER CHANGED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND I WAS ADVISED TO DRIVE FOR 200 MILES TO SEE IF PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. SHUDDER STILL REMAINS AND NOW THE VIBRATION IS CONSTANT AT 70 MPH. I CALLED DEALER AGAIN WHO SAID THAT IT WAS PROBABLY A TIRE BALANCE ISSUE. I ARGUED WITH THEM AND STATED I HAD NO SUCH ISSUE BEFORE FIRST BRINGING VEHICLE IN. DEALER IS SETTING UP APPOINTMENT FOR ME TO TAKE IN AGAIN. VIBRATIONS HAVE LITERALLY CAUSED MY 6 YR OLD DAUGHTER TO VOMIT ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHEN IN THE VEHICLE. SHE HAS ONLY BEEN IN VEHICLE 5 OR 6 TIMES. VEHICLE FEELS UNSAFE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE READ MANY FORUMS ONLINE STATING THIS ISSUE IS ON MANY VEHICLES GM HAS MADE. I AM CURIOUS AS TO WHEN GM WILL BE MANDATED TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION OR BUY THE VEHICLES BACK FROM THE OWNERS.

NHTSA ODI 11291983

Dec 4, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

VEHICLE IS SHUDDERING AND SHACKING AT SPEEDS ANY WHERE FROM 35 TO 55 MPH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT'S A KNOWN TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11287017

Oct 28, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

MY 2017 GMC SIERRA SHUTTERS AND JERKS WHEN GOING INTO AND OUT OF 1ST GEAR AND GOING AROUND CORNERS WHEN IT CHANGES GEARS. ESPECIALLY WHEN COLD. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. AT TIMES IT HAS JERKED INTO AN INTERSECTIONAND WAS SCRY. MY WIFE WILL NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT NUMEROUS TIMES AND THEY HAVE CHANGED THE FLUID. THEY TELL ME I HAVE A QUIRKY TRANS OR IT IS INHERENT TO THIS TRANSMISSION. IT IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING AND SCARY AT TIMES. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO GET GM TO FIX IT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK ON 10/31/2017.

NHTSA ODI 11271464

Oct 5, 2019SuspensionTransmission & drivetrain

THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS VIBRATIONS THAT CAN BE RATHER EXTREME AT TIMES. IT SEEMS TO BE MOST NOTICEABLE IN THE 70-75 MPH RANGE BUT CAN SOMETIMES BE FELT AT OTHER SPEEDS. IT FEELS LIKE THE VIBRATION ORIGINATES FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. TWO DEALERSHIPS HAVE REPLACED MULTIPLE PARTS AND HAVE PERFORMED NUMEROUS ALIGNMENTS AND ROAD FORCE BALANCES BUT CAN NOT IDENTIFY/REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON MULTIPLE ONLINE FORUMS OF THIS SAME ISSUE FOR 2014-2015 GM 1500 SERIES PICKUP TRUCK. SO FAR THERE HAS BEEN NO FIX FOR THEM EITHER. GM TREATS IT AS AN ANNOYANCE IN THE COMFORT OF THE RIDE, HOWEVER IF THEY CAN NOT IDENTIFY THE ISSUE HOW DO THEY KNOW IT IS NOT A SAFETY RISK.

NHTSA ODI 11266458

Oct 4, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

WE WERE DRIVING UP A SLIGHT INCLINE IN A PARKING GARAGE WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED SPUTTERING AND SHUT OFF. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS IT STARTED AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO A PARKING SPACE WITH THE ENGINE STILL SPUTTERING. I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FROM THE TRUCK, DECREASED ENGINE POWER. THE NEXT DAY I BROUGHT IT TO BE CHECKED BY THE LOCAL GMC DEALER. THEIR DIAGNOSIS IS VAPOR LOCK WHEN THE FUEL PUMP GETS NEAR OR OVER 100 DEGREE. ITS MY OPINION THAT GMC PLACED A FAULTY PART WHEN MANUFACTURING THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE THIS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11266097

Oct 3, 2019Transmission & drivetrainVisibility & wipers

MY WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID ONLY SPRAYS OUT 30% OF THE TIME. USUALLY IN THE MORNING THEN ANY OTHER TIME OF THE DAY IT WILL NOT SPRAY OUT. THEY REPLACED THE PUMP AND THAT DID NOT FIX IT AND THEY WON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE AND NOW IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. WHEN RUNNING LOWER RPMS DRIVING THE TRUCK IT BEGINS TO FEEL LIKE ITS SHAKING FORWARD AND BACKWARDS, LIKE A SHUDDERING FEELING. I HAVE READ ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND IT DESCRIBES MINE PERFECTLY. I HAVE THE 8SPEED

NHTSA ODI 11265931

Sep 25, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

EXTREMELY HARD SHIFTS UP-AND-DOWN IN THE 1ST 2 GEARS FOLLOWED BY HESITATION AFTER STOPPING AND STARTING

NHTSA ODI 11258157

Sep 23, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, IT BEGAN TO RATTLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FRESNO BUICK GMC (LOCATED AT 5515 N BLACKSTONE AVE, FRESNO, CA 93710, (559) 742-4113) WHERE AN UNKNOWN DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR WERE PERFORMED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

NHTSA ODI 11257530

Sep 11, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

SINCE DECEMBER OF 2017 THE TRANSMISSION, WHEN COLD, AT APPROX. 25 MPH AND AT 40-44 MPH WHEN NEUTRAL THROTTLE IS APPLIED, BANGS BETWEEN GEARS FORCING THE OPERATOR TO EITHER ACCELERATE OR DECELERATE SO THE CONDITION WILL CEASE. IF THERE IS NO CHANGE BY THE OPERATOR, IT FEELS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WILL BREAK THE U-JOINTS IN THE DRIVELINE OR BLOWOUT THE REAR-END GEARS. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS WITH GMC TO REMEDY THE ISSUE TO NO AVAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP IN EXCESS OF 40 DAYS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO RESOLUTION

NHTSA ODI 11254751

Jun 17, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS AND COMING TO A STOP

NHTSA ODI 11220783

Jun 10, 2019Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemSpeed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 GMC SIERRA. WHILE REVERSING, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND SURGED FORWARD. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS RELEASED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SILVER STAR BUICK GMC (3601 AUTO MALL DR, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91362, (805) 222-4789) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER ,THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 415.

NHTSA ODI 11219070

Feb 4, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TRUCK LAGS POWER WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AT TIMES AFTER PUTTING TRANSMISSION INTO DRIVE FROM REVERSE. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD INTO AND OUT OF FIRST GEAR AND AT TIMES FEELS LIKE IT IS SKIPPING 2ND GEAR DURING A DOWNSHIFT.

NHTSA ODI 11174364

Jan 10, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

TRANSMISSION HAS SURGING AND HESITATION. DEALER CANNOT FIX.

NHTSA ODI 11166335

Aug 28, 2018Transmission & drivetrain

THE "CHEVY SAKE". AT SPEEDS OVER 70MPH EXCESSIVE VIBRATION INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON-LINE, PARTICULARLY VARIOUS GM FORUMS AND YOU TUBE VIDEOS. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT GM DENIES IT IS A PROBLEM, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING SOME BUY BACKS AND IF YOU READ SOME OF THE DEALER BLOGS IT IS EVIDENT THAT GM KNOWS IT IS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11122903

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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 →