Body problems of the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 - part 1

Driving on the highway and the top section of the grill (approx 4" x 50") broke loose and went over the cab of the truck. The piece didn't hit my truck or any other vehicle, but the driver behind me swerved to avoid it. All of the clips that hold the chrome piece to the vehicle are still attached to the body. I made contact with the local dealer's service dept. And was told my VIN was not in a recall for this issue. I contacted gm customer care and was told the recall hasn't been extended to my vehicle and that I would have to pay for the replacement. If gm extends the recall to the other known issue model years I could be reimbursed. There seems to be numerous other complaints of this issue that aren't covered by gm.

I was driving down the interstate and the hood valance blew off and hit my windshield.

I was driving at 65mph through a construction zone on my local freeway - through a construction zone. With cruise control on, my upper bezel portion of my grill detached. It slammed into my windshield and hit the semi behind me after bouncing off the road. Luckily, neither of us swerved drastically. However, with workers in the area, this could have been a catastrophic event. After contacting my local gm dealership, I was told "yeah, that just kind of happens from time to time". When relaying that information to the gm customer service team, they told me to ask for a courtesy credit from the dealership as I was out of warranty on bumper to bumper. There were no prior issues with this part on my truck that I was aware of leading up to this event. It additionally caused damage to my windshield and roof.

The plastic piece above the front grill detached and flew off the truck. I’m not sure the name of the part.

The grille deflector flew off while driving. The same exact problem the 2022 sierra had as described in n242490120.

I was driving down the road and my top grille molding flew off.

The top part of the front grille fell off while driving.

While driving under normal conditions, a front grille trim component detached from my vehicle without any impact or external cause. The piece became airborne and struck my windshield, creating an immediate safety hazard and risk of loss of control. There was no prior damage or warning. This represents a failure of a vehicle component under normal operation and indicates a defect in materials, design, or installation. Exterior parts should not detach and become projectiles at roadway speeds. The manufacturer has been notified but has declined responsibility. Given the safety risk, this may not be an isolated issue.

While driving on interstate 10 at 70 mph the upper section of the front grille broke off. After the part broke off it contacted my windshield before continuing to fly off behind him. Not only putting me in danger but also anyone traveling behind me. From online research the is a recall for this truck except the 2022 models after the same thing happening.

While driving on the interstate the top part of the grill flew off into following traffic.

I was driving down the road the front piece of the grill flew off the truck and hit my windshield, then flew into oncoming traffic.

Upper part to the front grille detached from bumper while driving, causing loud impact on windshield (cracking it) and scratching hood.

I was driving on the interstate and the upper grill broke off of the truck and hit my windshield.

Upper grill trim panel broke off while on highway and went flying over the truck while at highway speeds. Same issue as existing recall for the 2022 model.

While driving down the highway the top part of the front of the grill flew off bounced over top of my vehicle and landed on the ground in the highway where the car behind me then ran it over and it blew into the median. I notified my local GMC dealer who said there is no active recall. Filed a complaint with GMC as this is a known issue and has already been recalled on the 2022 model. They reviewed and denied my claim at this time. It is a known manufacturer issue and creates a highway hazard if they continue to blow off and possibly hit or injure athers.

The grille deflector suddenly detached from the truck and flew off into traffic. It narrowly missed the vehicle behind me and could have caused a serious accident or injury. There was no prior warning or impact that would explain the failure.

I was just driving and the top chrome part of the grill flew off the truck.

Upper grill molding trim/bezel flew off truck. Part was recovered and clips look to have broken off. Plastic clips look to be insufficient and will break over time. Active recall for 2022 model vehicles only , needs to be expanded to 2023 or possibly further out.

Molding between top of grill and hood came off while traveling on highway and struck windshield and broke it.

The top of front grille broke off at 70 mph, struck the windshield then the fixed antenna on top of the truck then into traffic behind me all doing 70+ mph across a one mile long 2 lane bridge with no place to avoid the debris. The failed part endangered myself, my family and anyone traveling behind us. No one has seen the remnants of the event/ issue but the part was approximately 2ft long and 8 inches wide. The truck has a top piece that sits between the hood and the top of the grille. The part is gone but one can see the broken clips and flimsy plastic. The previous year model of the truck had a recall opened earlier this year for the same problem but not my truck. Multiple forums online report the same event as mine occurring on multiple model years.

The upper part of the grill detached on my 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 while going 65mph on the higway. The part is about 4 inches wide by 6 ft long. People behind me in traffic were swerving and dodging to avoid hitting it. Gm knows about this problem (see safety recall #n242490120), but the scope of the affected vehicles is incorrect, so my truck is not included. There were no signs that the part was going to fail before hand.

Part of the grille of my 2023 GMC sierra at4x flew off driving 75 miles per hour on the highway, I believe it has to do with the fasteners of the upper grille bezel.

The grill deflector flew off the truck doing 80mph on hwy130 in austin, texas.

While driving down the highway at moderate speed (60mph), the deflector, top of the grill broke off the truck, hit the windshield and the top of the truck (causing paint damage) and flew into traffic behind us. The incident put my family's safety and other drivers safety, at risk. I took the truck to a dealership immediately afterwards and they indicated the 2023 version is not under warranty, although a recall exists for previous years for this exact issue. There were no warning lights or messages received prior to the incident.

Tailgate opened several times without being prompted. Once while driving, two times while in park.

The chrome grille deflector detached yesterday while on the interstate and landed in traffic behind me. Gm recall number n242490120 does not cover my vehicle, but the same thing is happening to newer models. Gm says they won't cover my vehicle under the recall. Can this recall be extended to newer models?.

The upper portion of the front grille is loose and about to fall off. I know GMC has a recall on some trucks for this issue, however mine is not listed on this recall although I have the exact issue as the recalled trucks. It’s just a matter of time before this comes off driving 70 mph on the highway and could strike a vehicle behind me causing an accident. I noticed this being loose back in June 2025.

While driving down the interstate the upper grill piece broke off. The mounting tabs holding the piece broke.

Top piece of grill trim tabs broken and trim piece coming loose.

The electronic tailgate randomly opens on it's own/fails and opens when it has not been pushed to open. The vehicle is available for inspection. The tailgate opens randomly and can be unknown that it is open. No warning of it at all. It has happened multiple times, the most recent being today 4/7/2025. I know that a recall has happened with other models for this exact same issue.

Upper grille came off and fractured windshield while going down the highway it is a non serviceable part by gm which I believe is strategic seeing that they’ve had issues with earlier models of the the truck you have to buy an entire replacement grille for one issue that shouldn’t be happening was never able to locate part, I assume plastic grille clips dry rotted noticed the part lifted a bit before the entire part failed thought someone was trying to break into my truck . The wind while going down the highway caused them to fail, I’ve seen multiple GMC sierras with the same grille issue, I uploaded before and after pictures of how the truck looked before and after pictures .

The tailgate on my truck opened while I was driving and I was unaware until I got to my destination. I had a utility trailer attached at the time and my tailgate was damaged from the jack on the trailer. I thought maybe I didn't latch the tailgate but it has been several days since I opened it. The following day the tailgate dropped two more times in less than a mile. I see there is a service bulletin and recall on most gm models but my truck is not included. I made a service appointment at my local dealership for them to inspect. The service writer already stated that my truck has no open recalls. I feel this is a safety issue first and second my truck has body damage. I use my truck as a truck and usually have stuff in the bed. My truck is completely stock with no modifications except a GMC bed cover that I purchased at the dealership. I'm hoping for the best on Monday 2/17/25 when I take my truck in to be inspected.

The chrome front grill deflector is loose and feels like it is going to fly off at any moment. There have not been any accident or collision with the vehicle for this to be my fault. I know all the 2022 GMC sierras got recalled for this issue but dealership said my vehicle isn’t covered even though is the same issue.

Tailgate opened/unlocked while parked during rain and light snow. The tonneau cover disguised that the tailgate was open (held it up just enough so it was not visable). The tailgate fell open while driving but went unnoticed. Several large and expensive items were lost out of the back of the truck which is used as a work truck for electrical services. This has happened twice on the roads. Now the tailgate is physically checked before driving to ensure it will not fall open. The incident was mentioned to the local gm dealer but we were told our model was not part of the recall. Our next call will be to gm directly to try to remedy the problem and hopefully recoup the items lost.

My 2023 sierra has an issue with the tailgate opening at any given time while in park. The dealer denied such issue until I noted a gm recall on the tailgate switch becoming contaminated with water. My issue is the amount of items, such as tools, half full plastic gas cans, shovel, etc, that I have lost out the rear of my vehicle endangering other motorists. My tailgate has become damaged, mostly paint damage, however I am more concerned about the public's safety and other gm trucks with the same growing issue. It was not until my dead battery (in a 2023 vehicle) caused me to discover the tailgate issue was connected to the short in the release switch. I also have a tonneau cover so I cannot see the tailgate and the truck gives no indication of the tailgate being down. This problem began within a few months after purchase.