What 405 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Sierra Limited 1500

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the check engine warning light had flashed on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic informed the contact that there was a miscommunication between the engine and the transmission. Two dealers were notified of the failure, and each informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was also given a diagnostic fee to determine the cause of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11678853

Component/System that failed: The issue appears to originate from the transmission or drivetrain, specifically resulting in the rear wheels locking up and dragging at low speeds. It feels like something is seizing inside the drivetrain, making the truck very difficult to move. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How safety was put at risk: This failure presents a serious and unpredictable safety hazard. The vehicle begins locking up randomly when slowing down, such as in parking lots or residential areas. If this occurred at higher speeds or in traffic, it could easily result in a crash, loss of control, or pedestrian injury. It’s completely unreliable and unsafe to operate in this condition. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center? The issue is part of a well-known transmission defect affecting GM’s 8-speed automatic transmissions. There are multiple class action lawsuits and thousands of consumer complaints documenting identical symptoms. GM is fully aware of the defect but has refused to issue a recall, instead allowing the time-based warranty to expire even when the mileage is still well within the 60,000-mile limit. My local GMC dealer refused to offer a loaner or goodwill repair and quoted over a week just to diagnose it despite knowing that this is a known failure point. The symptoms are consistent with the known defect GM continues to avoid addressing. Has it been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance? No outside inspection has occurred yet. Given the widespread documentation of this defect and the consistency of symptoms, it should not be necessary to involve other parties. Were there any warning lamps or messages? No. There were no warning lights, messages, or alerts of any kind. The failure occurs randomly, and without any prior indication. That unpredictability makes the issue even more dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11678916

Had to have transmission rebuilt found metal shavings and was shifting bad and shuttering. Vehicle Has 63,000 miles and is well maintained. Vehicle was taken to GMC but said their transmission person was on vacation for 2 weeks. Also parts dept Said they had no transmissions in stock and were back ordered. Truck was taken to AAMco and transmission was rebuilt And torque converter replaced . This is a common issue with GMC trucks.

NHTSA ODI 11677478

I was driving with my wife about to merge into traffic on the interstate when I had a huge power loss. It was a busy part of the interstate where I could have been ran over. There was a lot of traffic and was fortunate the Semi driver was alert and slowed down. I was not aware of any failures of this motor or received any notices from GM. After conducting research I found that this was a know issue that GM failed to report. My truck has been serviced regularly and until that point had not given any signs of a upcoming failure, I have read that GM is looking into other years such as 2019 which mine is. I have had no luck with GM customer care with the only response being I need to crunch the numbers from my claim advisor. I have the 6.2 L87 motor and know of the clip failure do to poor assembly and parts and debris getting into the motor causing the failure. I am looking to report this and request any assistance available. My first stop was the dealership, then GM customer care

NHTSA ODI 11669016

I am reporting a serious mechanical and safety issue with my 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 (5.3L engine). The truck began misfiring, running rough, and would frequently “jump” and shut off while driving — creating an unsafe situation on the road. We attempted several repairs to resolve the issue: •Transmission flush •Replaced the intake manifold gasket •Replaced all eight fuel injectors •Inspected all ignition coils •Replaced faulty sensors The vehicle repeatedly showed a Cylinder 8 misfire, even after these repairs. Eventually, it was diagnosed that both the lifters and camshaft are bad, and the engine now needs a full replacement. This is extremely concerning because the truck has only about 47,000 miles on it. We brought it to the dealership in September 2024, while it was still under warranty, and told them it wasn’t running right. The dealership said there was nothing wrong. Now that the warranty has expired, GM is refusing to help with any repairs. This appears to be a manufacturing defect that was not properly diagnosed while under warranty. Engine failure at such low mileage, especially with early warning signs and repeated diagnostic errors, should be investigated as a serious reliability and safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11664474

Since I bought the truck, it has had transmission problems. The truck will violently jerk forward between Park - 1st - 2nd gears (up and down) pretty frequently. The dealership denied being able to recreate the issue and nothing was wrong. After dropping the vehicle off a few times, the dealer service dept said they recreated the problem and replace the torque converter. It did not work and the service dept manager told me that they knew about the problem the whole time but were instructed by General Motors to not attempt to fix the issue. I called GM Company and a supervisor eventually admitted to knowing of the transmission and engine issues all along but the GM engineers have not found a solution yet but they are working very hard to figure it out. Since those calls, my lemon law claim with BBB Auto was approved, but suddenly denied with no explanation. Following that, the #2 lifter failed and damaged the cam shaft. All were replaced and that was at 70,000 miles. The transmission has not been fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11661618

2019 GMC SIERRA 1500 AT4 2019 VIN: [XXX] On 10/31/2023 the transmission was replaced at Mileage: 72,875. The transmission at Jim Ellis Buick, GMC, after the truck would not drive over 40 miles in speeded. 12/23/23, 86788215, Engine Oil Cooler Hose had to be changed. Truck had to be towed from a public parking lot to the mechanic. The engine is burning oil, the warning messages say add oil, I have been adding oil once a month 1 quart. The steering wheel was locked and the truck had to be towed from a public parking lot to the mechanic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11659178

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintentionally downshifted into first gear. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, and it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11658203

While driving down the highway I experienced a sudden lose of power with check engine and other associated warning lights immediately illuminated. It has been confirmed by my independent service center and a GMC dealer that the engine lifters and camshaft failed. I have documentation to prove the vehicle has been traded to a GMC dealer. My safety and the safety of other divers around me was put at risk as I abruptly lost power at highway speeds and this caused traffic around me to slow very quickly and swerve to avoid collision. Serious personal and public injury or death was narrowly avoided due to the quick response of other drivers. I had to limp the vehicle to a safe place to exit the highway and avoid further danger. After speaking with the dealer and my independent maintenance professional I can say that the problem was showing eminent failure, for about a year there was a tik I was hearing that in the past had been described as the "GM TIK" some mechanics said it was normal others said it might be a problem but none of them ever recommended a repair. I believe this is related to the problem reported by my local news agency on 4/30/2025

NHTSA ODI 11658272

Bought used 2019 Denali Oct 2024 with 41 k miles on it. 1200 miles later started feeling vibration under load on highway. Took to dealership and they said I needed to replace torque converter. After that the transmission went out during test drive. Then waited 45 days for new transmission to find out the unit was defective. Now we’re going on 5 months and the truck still waiting on a replacement transmission. GM hasn’t acknowledged any of my complaints about this and said that they’re doing the best they can for me and is going to award me 10000 reward points for future use! What a joke! 5. months to replace a transmission? GM has completely failed its consumers, at least this one!

NHTSA ODI 11657415

I had engine failure two weeks after a schedule maintenance that included a tune up. When the engine failed all the components made the vehicle impossible to operate much less bring to a stop safely. I had to get the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the engine (6.2 V8) has a known documented issue. The vehicle is at my dealer with the engine being disassembled. There weren't any warnings as I stayed on the maintenance schedule that the dealer mapped out since my purchase. The problem began [XXX]. After researching the issue I found this online. That is how I found your web site. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11655350

I bought this vehicle at 80k miles and I have had an on going issue with the transmission. I have done research online and found that GM had put the wrong fluid in the transmission from the factory that has caused internal issues with the transmission leading to hard shifting and transmission shuttering. On my dime I have changed the fluid twice already and also the torque converter as well. This issue has gotten better but still a problem. This has caused me to not be able to trade my truck with out being upside down because of the dealers telling me they would have to put a new transmission to sell it. So now my trucks value has dropped as well. Now I am stuck in a truck that is not safe to drive. Thanks GM for not helping me.

NHTSA ODI 11654886

Transmission keeps skipping missing gears and hard shifting, as well as jolting forward. When attempting to switch lanes vehicle transmission skips. When being placed from Park to drive or any other gear vehicle transmission hard shifts. Vehicle radio and screen shut off intermittently every 30 to 45 minutes. Vehicle screen goes blank and black and resets itself after 30 to 45 minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11654048

Transmission has been failing for the life of this vehicle. Shuttered shifting and hard shifting are the norm. It is available for inspection. Vehicle does not shift properly when vehicle is in motion. Shifting is often delayed resulting in temporary loss of power. I have had the vehicle in to a transmission shop they have been able to reproduce the events. There are no warning lights visible to indicate an issue.

NHTSA ODI 11653824

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle occasionally downshifted or unintendedly came to a stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that on another occasion, the vehicle started to turn off unintendedly at traffic lights. The vehicle was taken to a different dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed and it was determined that the valve body software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that on another occasion, the vehicle started to vibrate violently while driving on the highway. The vehicle was taken to the original dealer and the dealer replaced the transmission; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a different dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with torque converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653668

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated and the transmission experienced a hard shift to first gear. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while driving at slower speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653116

Transmission hesitates. Transmission jerks when shifting. Possible torque conversion issues. Mileage is 35,623.

NHTSA ODI 11651613

Transmission started fluttering around 60k miles. Per GMC Dealer - this is due to water getting into transmission from fluid put in at the factory. Even though dealer admitted that it's a defect from the factory, the warranty wouldn't cover the repair. This is a well known issue in the 5.3L 8 speed trans.

NHTSA ODI 11650710

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle shook violently. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and turned off, and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, but after shifting into drive(D), and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal "roaring" sound. The contact stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle to be towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the valve body on the transmission needed to be replaced; however, the part to complete the repair was on a national back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was the second transmission failure. The contact had the transmission replaced in 2024 by the same dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA ODI 11649695

valve train/camshaft fairlure which damaged entire engine - happened at 99,650 miles

NHTSA ODI 11648450

While attempting to accelerate to get onto the expressway with no warning, the vehicle went into limp mode. Traction control, front end warning collision, auto/stop start functionality was all disabled and the engine light warning light on came on. The vehicle locked out and reduced acceleration. An attempt to pull over and turn the vehicle off for a few seconds was made. Once restarted, the vehicle continued running on limp mode at reduced speeds with the same indicators mentioned still disabled and locked out.

NHTSA ODI 11647668

Lifters in engine failed at beginning of March 2025 and destroyed inside of engine. Transmission failed in summer of 2024 and had to be replaced

NHTSA ODI 11647758

Bad torque converter with 56000 miles and a month out of warranty and GM says to bad.

NHTSA ODI 11645790

accelerating from a stop, 1st and 2nd gear hard shifts. gm previously changed program and type of fluid. said this was normal

NHTSA ODI 11643480

The transmission failed and GM will not provide parts to repair the truck. Only has 57000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11642922