general problems of the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500

Engine developed a low knock type noise just above idle while beginning to move in the parking lot. It was also noted pulling away from an intersection at low rpm under light acceleration. Oil pressure was normal, 30 psi and approximately 50-60 at cruising speed. Low level knock began earlier in the day but no other symptoms. Oil level was checked and found to be at proper level. At mile 2 into my trip a chirping/ squeak type noise was heard under light throttle and light load at approximately 1500 rpm. The noise stopped when accelerator was released. Rough running sensation followed the noise under the load. Noise returned when the accelerator was pressed and then the engine stopped running while traveling 45-50 mph. Placed the shifter to neutral and attempted to restart, engine rolled slowly for a brief moment and then locked up entirely. Starter only clicks when attempted after that. Vehicle left me stranded with no heat on the shoulder of the highway in the dark in northern michigan on March 5, ambient temp was 28 degrees. Vehicle towed to closest dealership which is also where it was purchased for inspection on 3/6/2026. General motors customer care contacted and case opened. No assistance with repair at time of callback.

The def tank in my truck is defective and its the second time in the last 14 months it has broke. The part is now back ordered and according to the dealership this is a nationwide issue regarding these specific trucks. I have contacted around 10 dealers in my area and all tell me the same thing that they have multiple trucks waiting on the same issue. I have not had my truck for over 2 months and have no idea when I will be getting it back due to dealership having no idea when the part will be released due to the back order. This seems to a huge issue with these trucks and gm is doing nothing to help resolve it. I've reached out to gm directly and get no assistance and now have made 2 payments on my truck and the dealership refuses to give me a loaner vehicle. I am looking for some help or relief on what to do to go about my issue.

On the afternoon of 01/20/26, I was merging onto the highway in my 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 when a loud bang was heard from the engine compartment at approximately 60 mph. Immediately after the ban was heard, several indicator lights on the dashboard were illuminated, including the esc, check engine light, and parking brake light. A power loss was felt when attempting to accelerate and the banging noise worsened anytime the accelerator was depressed. I was able to drive the vehicle to the nearest gm dealership that coincidentally was at the closest exit off of the highway I was traveling on. The dealership performed diagnostic and determined that the damage was caused due to the ongoing gm recall associated with safety recall n252494000. My vehicle had previously been inspected as part of the recall and was found to have passed. Vehicle had been driven approximately 4,000 miles after recall was performed.

Transmission valvebody failure, causing rapid, repeated rear wheel lock ups. Videos can be provided. These happen almost daily at highway speeds. This will cause a very bad accident.

I am an active u. S. Air force member. My 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 failed gm recall n252494003 on sept 29, 2025 (l87 engine loss of propulsion). Gm states this defect can cause sudden engine failure and loss of propulsion, increasing crash risk. Despite the confirmed failure, ocean Cadillac (miami, FL) told me to keep driving the unsafe vehicle and refused all courtesy transportation. The service manager admitted in writing that the engine failed, the defect can cause loss of propulsion, and the replacement engine is delayed under gm national control for up to 3 months — yet they still denied me a loaner or rental. His statements contradict the gm documents he attached: • gm bulletin dcs7222 says courtesy transportation can be provided during l87 recall downtime and dealers must consider loaners/rentals. • gm faq n252494002 says courtesy transportation is available for this recall. • gm faq lists recall symptoms (check engine light, hesitation, high rpm, reduced power) — not battery drain. • gm states: “if the engine fails, the vehicle will lose propulsion. ” ocean Cadillac ignored these rules and put me back on the road in a known unsafe vehicle. As an american manufacturer, gm has a responsibility to protect american drivers. Their failure to follow recall procedures placed me, my family, and other motorists at risk. I request NHTSA investigate whether gm/ocean Cadillac are complying with recall safety requirements and whether customers are being told to drive unsafe vehicles after confirmed failures.

I own a 2021 GMC denali with a 6. 2l v8 l87 engine and 45,500 miles. I have confirmed the presence of metal shavings in the oil and oil filter, indicating that the engine is beginning to fail. When I took the vehicle to my local dealership, I was informed that there is currently no fix for this issue and was advised to continue driving the vehicle. This poses a serious safety risk—not just to me and my family but also to others on the road. A sudden loss of power could lead to a dangerous accident, and I do not want to be responsible for something preventable that could harm innocent people. My concern is that gm is aware of this engine issue but has instructed me to keep driving the vehicle, despite the known defect. How can gm be allowed to avoid accountability for such a critical safety matter? if a fatal accident were to occur, would the responsibility fall on gm or the NHTSA for failing to act? it’s also troubling that gm continues to profit by selling new vehicles, including the 2025 models, with similar issues, all while neglecting to provide solutions for affected customers like me. I purchased this $80,000 truck in good faith, but now no dealer wants to trade or buy these trucks without me taking a significant financial loss—something gm should be responsible for. As a taxpayer, I find it unacceptable that we bailed out gm in the mid-2000s, yet they continue to disregard accountability for their actions. I urge the NHTSA to take this issue seriously. A specific deadline should be set for gm to resolve this issue, and they should face daily penalties for every day they fail to provide a fix. If no resolution is possible, full refunds should be mandated. Please address this issue promptly, as it affects real people’s safety and financial well-being every day.

Fuel tank leaking.

I was driving on the freeway and my GMC sierra at4 received a notification that I could could no longer accelerate. I pulled off to the side as safely as I could in a slanted hill in a major freeway with no shoulder. I sat on the side of the road for 45 min and then ran out of diesel gas waiting for the tow truck. We took into GMC and they said nothing was wrong, we were out of gas. But I ran out of gas waiting for the tow truck. The truck never shut off and ac still going, I just couldn’t accelerate. We’ve had the truck in the shop every single month for the past year for sensor issues and replacements and have all the documentation of the last few years of similar issues. No extensions of warranty’s nothing. Well we started to smell something burning this week and now we were told today we have a faulty fuel pump that will cost us $1,000 to fix and is not covered under our warranty. The truck is still under warranty, so why is something in relation to the power train not covered? there is a current t recall on other GMC models of this year for this fuel pump issue and the safety recall is exactly what happened to us on the freeway and the issue we have now. Why has this not been extended to other Gmcs????? my entire family could have died on the side of the freeway!!.

Was informed from by gm that my vehicle is involved with a recall an still hasn't been repaired.

The engine coolant flow control valve position sensor is faulty. I brought mt truck in to my dealership and I have been waiting for over a month to get the issue fixed because “the part is on backorder”. This issue makes my truck sound like a jet engine because it makes the truck think overheating and causes the fan to come on at full blast. After drivinf for awhile it goes into “ reduced engine power mode” which is totally unsafe because it reduces the horse power to that of a lawn mower. It takes about 30 seconds to get from 0-60, so merging onto freeways or in conditions where you need extra speed its completely useless and increases the scenario of being rear ended, immensely.

Motor seized up while going around 65mph. Truck lost all power and would not start brought to dealer and they said that it was the crankshaft bearings and something with the connecting rods, the deal told me that they don’t know what to do and is waiting on gm. There is a recall for these issues but no fix. I’m just waiting for the dealer to tell me what’s next but they don’t even know.

Engine power reduced, could not accelerate, fuel pump issue and was bucking the engine went to dealer and complained as GMC not working to help me, dealer fixed issue but said no other complaints out there and car was fixed, GMC called me several times and keeps saying no issues with the VIN associated. The car was fixed but I am stuck with a truck that is probably not saleable once these issues continue. This issue happened initially with 30 k on it and dealer could not find the issue and this times at 61500 happened again.

- #5 injector failure, no. - once the injector failed, the vehicle would violently shake when trying to accelerate. - yes, was not covered under factory warranty but replaced by third-party extended warranty. -yes, replaced by the dealership. -no warnings prior, once the injector failed warning for brake system check and vehicle mileage limits set in warning.

We have had several times where we are on highway and our truck like slams on the brakes causing us to lose control. It was a recall on it and GMC fixed it and within the same week of them fixing it it happened 3 times back to back. Making my truck to force another car to steer out of my way and actually went off the highway. Thank god it was just dirt snd he didn’t get hurt or anything. But I am scared to even drive my vehicle! it starting happening for about a year now. And it would only do it like every couple months but now it’s has done it 6 times in the last 2 months!.

Engine experiences missing when accelerating in lower speeds . . . Also now, and since driving for a few thousand miles, f umes are entering cabin frequently and causing nausea, 'headaches and burning of mouth, lips and eyes . . . . . All the time. My youngest granddaughter got sick and so did my oldest son just this past weekend! as far as I know , police or dealership never inspected , nor did they acknowledge it! no warning lamps appeared.

After having simple oil and filter, and engine and cabin filter replaced at alpine Buick GMC in colorado springs, CO, I received my vehicle back and noticed a complete difference in performance. It hesitates when accelerating, stays low in every gear, and bounces, and I mean bounces hard, when shifting gears, especially slowing down. When slowing down, as it shifts to the next lower gear, it almost pushes the truck forward against me pushing the breaks. Then, when feathering to accelerate slowly, it almost bounces back up to speed, hesitating until I let off the accelerator pedal a little, and it immediately shifts to about 1000 rpm in gear. I have to push really hard for it to go up a gear, and when it does, it has lost all power. My vehicle doesn’t run right anymore after my service appt. I have brought it to my hometown dealership and they say it runs fine and nothings wrong. But there is something wrong with it.

Less than 5 minutes after my husband and 2 children parked the car and came inside, a neighbor walking rang our doorbell to let us know there was something on fire in our driveway. We ran to the back to find his truck engulfed in flames coming from the engine. We quickly called 911 and exited the house/property. The truck continued to burn with 20-25 foot flames and very black smoke for about 40 minutes until the fire department was able to control the fire. The fire was hot enough that the entire engine was significantly burnt, the seats and steering wheel were gone, the glass shattered and melted, and the tires exploded and melted. Thankfully, everyone was out of harms way and safe through this incident. However, it has been extremely traumatic on my family and neighbors and has taken a lot of time and energy to try to deal with this. The car sat in our driveway for over 2 weeks with a very potent smell causing headaches until gm and our insurance finally investigated. There is damage to our siding, driveway, landscaping, basketball hoop, trampoline, and neighbors fence. The car was only 2 years old and scares me how quickly it went up in flames and how much worse this could have been either 3 minutes earlier or if it was parked in our garage.

Within 100 miles after purchasing this truck from GMC (used with 74k miles)I got messages both on my phone and later through inspection at GMC service center that the def system had a problem. The check engine light came on then off as well. I was getting messages saying I only had so many miles before the def system needed more fluid even though the tank was full or near full. The dealer here in tucson indicated there was a bulletin on this problem and ordered parts for the repair. I was informed it was not a recall and I would have to pay over $800. 00 for this repair. To date the dealer has had my truck for 2 weeks. Additionally, another message said insufficient coolant flow so they are installing a new coolant pump to be paid for by an after market warranty which I purchased at the time I bought the truck. This repair is over $1000. 00.

15000 miles lifter failure in traffic highway at speed 70 mph lost power engine failed multilane highway rush hour traffic no warning failure.

Less than 300 miles on the vehicle and it has thrown an error code p2b60. Relating to the engine coolant flow control valve position sensor. I have taken it to my local gm service center and they cannot see me for weeks. As of this morning the check engine light has disappeared but my fuel economy has severely decreased. It seems suspicious and possibly dangerous that it showed a check engine light with a warning of reduction in engine power the night before and disappeared in the am.

I have had my GMC Sierra 1500 for 2 weeks and it has less then 200 miles on it the first week I lost power the check engine light, air bag and traction control light started flashing and since then my engine light has be solid with code p0300 and it will intermittently loss power and start flashing. The dealer has it now but cannot figure out the issue. Total unacceptable for a brand new vehicle.

The truck has 7500 miles on it and the check engine light keeps coming on then goes back off. It is impossible to schedule service as the light goes off before it gets to dealer. The when driving the truck many times the check engine light will flash for a minute or so and then remain on steady. This is very frustrating and the dealer has found nothing. It has happened probably 10 times since the truck was new and continues now. The truck was just serviced and the dealer found nothing causing this.