CSR

GMC · NHTSA safety record

2016 GMC Sierra 3500

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

19

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 GMC Sierra 3500 have filed 19 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2016 and July 2025. The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 6 of them (32%). The typical failure was reported at 27,500 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 6 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (6)

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN:INFLATOR

21V504000 · July 1, 2021

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
The risk
A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Phase I owner notification letters were mailed on May 5, 2022. Phase II owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. This recall supersedes NHTSA recall number 20V-736. GM's number for this recall is N202324251.

General Motors, LLC · up to 410,019 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

19V088000 · February 7, 2019

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
The risk
If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear-tank fuel-pump module, inspect the front tank and, if necessary, replace the front tank, free of charge. The recall began July 30, 2019. GM's number for this recall is N182204190.

General Motors LLC · up to 18,574 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

18V578000 · August 30, 2018

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, 1500 Crew Cab Special Service, Tahoe Police Pursuit/Special Service, GMC Sierra 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.
The risk
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the nut and reinstall the nut with increased tightness, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18278. Note: The vehicles in this recall need this additional remedy despite being covered by recall 16V069 for brake pedal loosening.

General Motors LLC · up to 42,280 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

17V437000 · July 10, 2017

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
The risk
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.

General Motors LLC · up to 40,683 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

16V651000 · September 8, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.
The risk
A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

General Motors LLC · up to 3,640,162 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

16V069000 · February 5, 2016

The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 1, 2013, to February 1, 2016, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles (PPV) manufactured March 1, 2014, to February 1, 2016, and 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 29, 2013, to February 1, 2016. On the affected vehicles, the brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.
The risk
If the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the brake pedal pivot nut and reinstall with an increased torque, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 20760.

General Motors LLC · up to 430,771 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 19.

SERVICE BRAKES 6 32%
STEERING 6 32%
ENGINE 5 26%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 11%
POWER TRAIN 2 11%
AIR BAGS 1 5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 5%
SUSPENSION 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 3.

2016 2021 2025
2016 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ENGINE

towed · 105,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, lower bearings, head gasket seals, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA complaint 11603966. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

towed · 100,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system and fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA complaint 11657920. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction

NHTSA complaint 11676023. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into Reduced Engine Power due to a Turbo Vane Position sensor / Turbo Over Boost or Under Boost fault. This has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each occurrence. The vehicle is a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD with the 6.6L LML Duramax Diesel engine with 75000 miles. I believe the Reduced Engine Power protection is far to abrupt in the loss of Engine Power to safely move the vehicle out of the flow of traffic. During each occurrence I was in the left lane of a 2 lane expressway attempting to pass a much slower vehicle going up a 5-8% grade and was unable to

NHTSA complaint 11652777, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
When braking, the service trailer brake system message and service stabilitrac message appear on the dash and brake pedal gets soft to hard repeatedly and truck pulls from side to side violently as if one side of the trucks brakes are working and the other side is not.

NHTSA complaint 11595591. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Bosch CP4 fuel pump failure that shut down vehicle while driving, luckily did not cause an accident. Would not restart. Damaged entire fuel system including injectors and now have $17,000 in damage that needs repaired.

NHTSA complaint 11569266. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Sierra 3500

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 16 1
2024 43 3
2023 28 1
2022 31 3
2021 20 5
2020 51 8
2019 13 7
2018 14 6
2017 13 7
2015 30 7
2013 14 4
2012 9 4
2011 20 5

Other 2016 GMC models

Every GMC on this site — 144 vehicles, 425 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst