2026 GMC SIERRA 1500 Complaints

Engine Failure at 18,000. Knocking noise started immediately followed by vehicle going into low power mode. Dangerous to drive in traffic in low power mode. No other warning lamps or indications that something was wrong. Dealer inspected and found a bearing went out in the engine.

While driving on the highway my 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate the vehicle lost propulsion and the dashboard went dark because it shut off. I was exiting the highway onto a skybridge and rolled to a stop before reaching the top on the skybridge. Vehicle would not start again and needed to be towed. Dealership concluded my 6.2L V8 engine needed to be replaced due to crank shaft seizing. Engine had 1861 miles. This put me in a very dangerous situation due to the limited space on the skybridge with passing traffic.

MY 2026 GMC Sierra AT4 1500 6.2 L87 engine had a catastrophic failure with only 3347 miles. It stalled twice while driving home, when pulling into my driveway it stalled a third time and would not start after that. Before having my vehicle towed to the Dealer from my home I connected my code reader and it posted code P0016. After being diagnosed by the dealer they informed me I needed an entire new engine. There were no warning lights or message prior to this failure My vehicle was purchased 9 week prior.

While driving at approximately 60 mph on an open road with no obstacles present and no braking input, the rear wheels spontaneously locked up without warning. No brake pedal input. No warning light prior to the event. No obstruction in the road. The vehicle has been subject to an active manufacturer recall for rear wheel lockup due to transmission control valve failure. The dealer's own diagnostic system generated a report showing six active fault codes in the following days including lost communication with the Brake System Control Module and Transmission Control Module. These codes were not addressed on the repair order. The dealer attributed the lockup to an Automatic Emergency Braking activation without diagnostic confirmation and performed no repair. The manufacturer's own internal bulletin dated January 22, 2026 acknowledges the exact fault codes present on this vehicle as a known defect. The dealer cited this bulletin to dismiss the concern while stating no problems exist. A persistent brake noise has been confirmed by two separate authorized dealers across three visits with no repair performed at any visit. The vehicle has required five dealer visits in 77 days of ownership with 1,729 miles. The defect remains unresolved and poses serious risk of loss of vehicle control at highway speed.

I had this truck as brand new for approximately 24 hours when it had a major failure. It had 450 miles on it at time of purchase, but was sold as new. While driving at 45MPH it had a check engine light, service power steering message, lost power steering, lane departure system failure, and reduced power amongst several other lights on the dash. I limped the truck into a gas station parking lot. After turning the truck off, it would not restart. I unhooked the battery for a minute and hooked it back up. The truck did restart with no messages or check engine light. I was able to safely get it to the dealership. As a result of this issue, I forced the dealership to cancel the trade.

I am the owner of a 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate equipped with the 6.2L V8 L87 engine (VIN: [XXX] ), purchased new approximately three months ago. I am filing this complaint proactively. I have experienced no engine failure or symptoms to date. However, I am filing based on a documented pattern of L87 engine failures in 2025 and 2026 production vehicles, confirmed by multiple GM dealership technicians, which suggests that the manufacturing defect underlying NHTSA Recall 25V-274 may not have been fully resolved by GM’s stated production improvements dated June 1, 2024. NHTSA Recall 25V-274 (April 2025) covered 597,630 vehicles from model years 2021–2024 for catastrophic L87 engine seizure caused by connecting rod bearing failure and crankshaft defects. GM excluded 2025 and 2026 model year vehicles based on a claimed manufacturing fix. However, multiple 2026 production vehicles have since experienced the same bearing failure at extremely low mileage. Open NHTSA Investigation EA25007 is already examining vehicles outside the original recall window, and Recall Query RQ26001 is investigating the adequacy of GM’s remedy. I am requesting that NHTSA consider expanding the investigation scope to include 2025 and 2026 model year vehicles. As a 2026 owner of a $90,000+ truck with the identical engine configuration, I believe my vehicle warrants inclusion in any expanded investigation or recall action. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was out one day for lunch and my brakes stopped working on my truck. I had the truck towed after I limped home in it. The master cylinder failed at 4,200 miles causing the brakes to fail. It was replaced by the dealership.

My engine seized up on me on the highway. I was stranded and couldn’t start the vehicle and it was freezing outside.

I was out of town and driving on the highway around 75 MPH, when the motor suddenly lost all power. I was driving in the far left lane approaching an overpass. The sudden loss made it next to impossible to make it off the overpass on a very busy freeway safely while trying to navigate many cars trying to pass me . The truck came to a complete halt on the white shoulder line, 50' off of overpass SH 31. The truck would not restart or do anything i could not push it any further off road. I excited the e truck and stood off the freeway for my safety, as the truck was on very edge of freeway. GMC Roadside assistance took my truck to nearest dealer. This occurred on a Friday, dealership gave me a loaner car to get home as i was from out of town. They stated it would probably be the following Tuesday maybe Wednesday before they could tell me anything. I never heard from dealership service department, so i called them on Thursday morning and was told my truck motor had seized up and a new motor was needed. Service advisor stated GMC had been contacted and paper work started and I would be getting a new motor. The service advisor also stated that he had called and left a message. We verified my phone number and he had correct number, however I still never receive a call or voice mail. I still have not received any documentation on the failure or a repairs needed.

I stopped at a red light in the middle of a 50 mph intersection when the light turned green The engine completely shut off, and it didn’t want to turn back on. I was stuck in the middle of the intersection in a very high risk area, putting myself and other drivers at risk. OnStar diagnostics didn’t report any issues with the truck. According to their diagnostics, everything should have been running perfectly fine. The motor shut down completely and we weren’t able to shift the truck into neutral in order to try to move out of harms way. There was no warning lights or anything before this happened. The first tow truck driver that came by was told that he was there “in order to do a jumpstart” He ran a diagnostic on both of the batteries and said that they were perfectly fine. Another tow truck had to be dispatched since the first wasn’t equipped to take the truck. In total we were stuck in the middle of the intersection for almost three hours. The amount of times we almost had someone crash into us during that time was very concerning. Dashboard and lights were all working perfectly fine. Auto start stop technology seems to have shut down the motor and was not able to get it to turn back on . This vehicle is a safety hazard.