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What 17 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 GMC Sierra Denali

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 (17)Crash / fire / injury (1)Engine (5)Body & structure (4)Brakes (4)Lights (3)Steering (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Suspension (1)Wheels (1)

4 of 17 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Apr 14, 2021Brakes

CERTAIN 2018 GMC SIERRA 1500 DENALIS WERE ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE "ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE". FOR MY VIN, IT DOESN'T SHOW THAT THAT ISSUE NEEDS TO BE FIXED (I JUST PURCHASED THIS TRUCK LAST WEEK), BUT IT INDEED DOES. WHEN COASTING AT A LOW SPEED ON A SMALL HILL, BRAKES ALMOST FEEL NON EXISTENT. GMC RECALLED MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES TO GET THIS ISSUE SORTED OUT WITH A SIMPLE, "SOFTWARE UPDATE". FOR SOME ODD REASON MY GMC'S VIN WASN'T UP FOR A RECALL WHEN IT CLEARLY NEEDS ONE, IM PLEADING FOR SOME HELP; I'M WORRIED FOR MY SAFETY BECAUSE OF THIS MANUFACTURER DEFECT. ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED, THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 11408155

Oct 26, 2020SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

ON THE MORNING OF OCT 26, 2020 @ 845AM... I WAS HEADING SOUTH ON 287 IN MANSFIELD TX. IT WAS RAINING HARD SO I WAS ONLY GOING 60 MPH. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS GOING 55 OR SO. WHEN THE RAIN AND WIND PICKED UP, THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME ABRUPTLY HIT ITS BRAKES. THAT'S WHEN MY TRUCK BRAKES LOCKED AND I BEGAN SLIDING OR BEING PULLED TO THE RIGHT. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE 2 LANE HIGHWAY. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR GOD AND ME, NOT PANICKING... I WOULD HAVE CRASHED! MY TRUCK FISH TAILED TWICE WHILE I WAS TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES BUT... I COULDN'T STOP. I ALMOST PUT THE TRUCK GEAR IN NEUTRAL BUT IT WAS RAINING SO SOMEHOW THE TRUCK MANAGED TO SLOW DOWN GOING UP A SMALL HILL, GIVING ME CONTROL BACK. THERE WERE 2 OTHER CARS THAT SEEN THIS. I WAS A NERVOUS WRECK! I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND WENT TO THE FIRST GAS STATION I SAW AND THANKED GOD NOTHING HAPPENED. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS, WHAT IF MY FAMILY WERE IN THE VEHICLE? HOW IS IT THAT GM IS ALLOWED TO SELL THESE VEHICLES? ALSO, I SEARCHED ALMOST EVERY WEBSITE AND INCLUDED MY VIN... BUT EVERY REPLY SAYS MY TRUCK IS OK (UNTIL TODAY). I HAVEN'T HAD THIS TRUCK FOR A YEAR YET. BUT I'M READY TO TRADE IT IN. I DON'T FEEL SAFE AT ALL. I ALMOST WANT TO GET MY TRUCK TOWED HOME. WHY PUT PEOPLE LIVES IN JEOPARDY?

NHTSA ODI 11366524

Oct 26, 2020SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes1 injury

I NEARLY DIED WHEN MY BRAKES FAILED ON MY 2018 GMC DENALI THIS MORNING. I WAS ONLY GOING 60 MPH WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER CUT IN FRONT OF ME, AND HIT THEIR BRAKES BUT WHEN I TRIED TO STOP, I COULD NOT! I THEN BEGAN SWERVING FROM LANE TO LANE BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING. THANK GOD I DIDN'T DIE AND THAT THE PERSON ON THE RIGHT SLOWED DOWN AND MOVED OUT THE WAY. THE TRUCK SEEMED TO BE PULLING ME TO THE RIGHT. WHY I HAVE NO IDEA. BUT WHY IS GM PUTTING PEOPLE LIVES AT RISK LIKE THIS? WHY ARE WE HAVING TO SUFFER OR PUT OUR FAMILIES IN JEOPARDY. THIS MAKES NO SENSE. MY CHEST STARTED HURTING REALLY BAD AFTERWARDS, BECAUSE I WAS SO SCARED. I WAS ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY GOING STRAIGHT BUT EVEN THAT DOESN'T CAUSE A VEHICLE NOT TO RESPOND LIKE IT DID.

NHTSA ODI 11366569

Mar 10, 2020BrakesEngine

1-IT NEEDS TO APPLY THE BRAKE SO HARD TO MAKE IT STOP AT 100 KM/HR AND ABOVE.. 2-THERE IS A JERK ON DOWN '2ND TO 1ST "AND UP SHIFTING 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. 3-FRONT PARKING SENSORS SENSITIVITIES IS NOT ACCURATE .

NHTSA ODI 11317267

Working with the data? Download all 17 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 20, 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 2018 GMC Sierra Denali verdict →