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GMC · NHTSA safety record

2016 GMC Sierra Denali

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

30

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 GMC Sierra Denali have filed 30 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2017 and January 2025. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 9 of them (30%). The typical failure was reported at 48,000 miles, the median across the 29 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 30.

POWER TRAIN 9 30%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 27%
STEERING 6 20%
ENGINE 3 10%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 7%
WHEELS 2 7%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 3%
SEAT BELTS 1 3%
SEATS 1 3%
STRUCTURE 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 11.

2017 2019 2025
2017 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

5 injured · 54,000 miles

SINCE I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. ONCE IT WENT FROM 70 TO 20 ON THE HIGHWAY.. IT KICKS OR JERKS AT ANY SPEED... ESPECIALLY GOING SLOW.. THE SHIFTING IS HORRIBLE!!! THE FEELING OF IT LOSING POWER AGAIN LIKE IT DID COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND UNSELFISH AND PASSENGERS.. I DON'T TRUST IT ON THE HIGHWAY!!! I KEEP A MONITOR CONNECTED TO MY TRUCK AT ALL TIMES.. THE DATES COINCIDE WITH THE PAPERWORK!! ONGOING TRANNY ISSUES ALL THE TIME!! I PAID WAY TO MUCH FOR THIS LEMON!! ENGINE VIBRATES AROUND 80.. AND IF YOU DON'T USE YOUR BLINKER.. THEY TRUCK FIGHTS YOU TO CHANGE LANES.. IT PULLS YOU BACK!!

NHTSA complaint 11352692. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · 78,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC SIERRA DENALI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REVERSED AT UNDER 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO OPERATE AS INTENDED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A TREE WHICH CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR, FENDER AND SIDE MIRROR. THERE WAS NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VAN BUREN BUICK GMC LOCATED AT 2257 JERICHO TURNPIKE, GARDEN CITY PARK, NY 11040, (516) 535-9508, TO BE DIAGNOSED WHICH WAS STILL PENDING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

NHTSA complaint 11240305. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS

crash · 45,000 miles

HIT POST AT PARKING SPEED AN WHEEL SPLIT INTO TWO SECTIONS

NHTSA complaint 11337673. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

120,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the rear windshield exploded without impact. The contact stated that the rear fogger had been activated independently. There were no injuries sustained. There was water located in the third taillight. The contact noticed there was mold and mildew in the taillight. The contact was seeking assistance from the insurance company. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA complaint 11639303. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

115,200 miles

WHILE DRIVING 70MPH ON HIGHWAY SUNROOF EXPLODED. SCREEN WAS IN PLACE SO GLASS SHARDS DID NOT ENTER THE CABIN. THERE WAS NOT AN OVERPASS NOR LARGE TRUCKS IN THE AREA TO BE CAUSED BY DEBRIS OR THROWN ROCKS.

NHTSA complaint 11400327. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

80,000 miles

EXCESSIVE SLOP AND UNCONTROLLABLE, UNINTENDED STEERING SHIFTS CAUSING VEHICLE TO UNEXPECTEDLY AND SUDDENLY VEER OUT OF LANE OF TRAVEL RELATED TO DEFECTIVE LASH ADJUSTMENT STEERING BOX

NHTSA complaint 11399983. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

77,000 miles

APPARENTLY, THE 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS ISSUES WITH WIRING HARNESS AND HARD SHIFTING WHICH THE MANUFACTURER HAS 18 SERVICE BULLETINS OUT ON YET STILL WILL NOT RECALL AND FIX PROBLEMS. ALSO THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS FAULTY AND UNSAFE IT LOSES PRESSURE AND EVEN BRAKING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY AND SAY IT IS VARIOUS PARTS AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BUT IT IS NOT AS OF YET. GM KNOWS OF THESE ISSUES AND THE 1000S OF DOLLARS CUSTOMERS HAVE TO PAY FOR THESE REPAIRS. THIS IS WRONG AND NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED.

NHTSA complaint 11363769. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEAT BELTS

56,000 miles

1) REAR DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT WOULD NOT RETRACT WHEN UNBUCKLED. SEATBELT HAD TO BE MANUALLY FED BACK IN SO THAT THE BELT DIDN'T DANGLE OR GET SHUT IN THE DOOR. REPAIRED AT DEALERSHIP ON JUNE 18, 2020 AT ROUGHLY 55-56,000 MILES. 2) TRUCK IS CURRENTLY SHAKING WHEN DRIVING AND HAS TENDENCIES TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AT TIMES. I'M CURRENTLY JUST SHY OF 59,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK AND HAS BEEN NOTICEABLE WITHIN THE LAST 1,000 MILES. RESEARCHING IT APPEARS IT HAS A COMMON NAME OF "CHEVY SHAKE."

NHTSA complaint 11351566. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the GMC Sierra Denali

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2015 22 0 —
2014 14 0 —

Other 2016 GMC models

Sierra 1500 340 Canyon 267 Yukon 265 Acadia 234 Yukon XL 199 Terrain 152 Sierra 2500 59 Yukon Denali XL 29

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