Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of GMC Sierra 1500 - part 1

I was on my way home from work and everything was driving fine and then I got 1/4 mile from my house and the motor started making a very loud grinding sound. I could barely accelerate. The issue happened out of nowhere. No issues prior to this happening. I was driving about 40 miles an hour when the issue started and I limped it to my driveway, luckily I was not very far away. I have a 3 month old baby and this was my reliable family vehicle. Who’s to say what could have happened if I was driving at a higher speed with my child in the car. When it happened it started shaking really bad. I checked everything that I could. It sounded like my motor was starving for oil. I decided to go ahead and change my oil to see if that could have been the issue. I had just changed the oil approximately 2000 miles before this. I changed the oil and filter. Went to start it up and still same very loud grinding sound, shut it back off and have not started it since cause I’m afraid to damage it further. I checked the oil that I drained out of it and looks like small metal flakes in the oil. No warning prior to this happening. Just out of no where it sounds and felt like my motor was going to blow.

See all problems of the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 GMC sierra. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the check engine light began to flash. The driver pulled over. The vehicle was knocking. The contact stated that failure was due to premature engine failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a cylinder 3 lifter malfunction. The vehicle had misfired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

2020 GMC Sierra 1500 began experiencing a slight knocking sound - mechanic diagnosed as a crankshaft issue. As of last night, 5/10, the truck's knocking sound got extremely loud, the exhaust pipe emitted smoke, and the truck began "bucking. " no warning messages or lamps appeared.

See all problems of the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

Traveling northbound in the left lane on [xxx] approximately 1 mile prior to the [xxx] exit. I increased my speed to move to the right lane and exit. After moving the the right lane and signaling to exit the highway a notification appeared on the gauge cluster stating to shift to neutral and restart the engine. After coming to a complete stop at the stop light I attempted to restart and nothing happened. I contacted onstar for roadside assistance to get my truck and trailer towed and was informed they do not cover towing of the trailer. I accepted the tow of the truck and contacted the towing company who charged me $300 to tow my trailer 15 miles home. This happened late morning on Saturday and by Monday evening I was informed my engine seized and gm will be covering a replacement under warranty. My truck is less than two years old with 23k miles. The 6. 2l engine was inspected a couple months earlier for the engine recall and was deemed ok. Clearly the inspection process is not very robust. I was told I could be without my truck for 1wk, 2wks, a month, but they are not sure since I’m 4th in line for a new engine and the truck first in line has already been there a month. I was also told gm is showing inventory in michigan but the engines are not shipping. I’m currently waiting on a loaner vehicle but was told I cannot tow with the loaner vehicle which throws a wrench in my plans. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

15000 miles and the engine spun a bearing and the engine blew.

See all problems of the 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

6. 2l v8 engine. 2020 build, GMC Sierra 1500 series. Same engine in the existing recall for 2021-2024 models. Received a call from the service department of the dealership that after changing the oil and restarting the truck to reset the oil change indicator the engine shut down. Assistant service manager, stephen poulson [xxx] ) called and provided information that the engine seized and that the technician cannot manually forward or reverse the engine with a breaker bar. According to the technician, this is indicative of a catastrophic failure consistent with the existing recall. The vehicle is currently at carr vancouver Buick GMC and is available for inspection. Nhtsa has permission of this owner to inspect this vehicle involved if they choose. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Complete engine failure with 62,500 miles. Truck appears to have the same problem as the 21-2024 which is currently recalled and engines are being exchanged.

Coolant control valve not working correctly exhaust fan on high all the time but is never overheating this has been going on for a week it shows there is a 150000 mile warranty on it but not for mine.

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Catastrophic internal engine failure on my 6. 2l engine. Several times vehicle was to gm gunn Buick GMC regarding power loss knocking noises. Received the run around that vehicle past all their initial inspection and test. They only replaced a valve lifter replacements bank 2 without further assessment of the engine or components. I took my vehicle to another shop to conduct a thorough inspection and they found broken metal from the piston/skirt and likely connecting rod damage inside the crankcase. Broken piston skirt/piston material • cylinder wall damage/scoring • metal debris throughout lower end • possible bent/broken connecting rod • potential crankshaft/journal damage from debris circulation • oil pickup area contaminated with metal lifter failure leading to dropped valve/ piston contact • rod bearing failure • oil starvation • spun bearing • piston failure/detonation advised gm gunn Buick and GMC of the secondary engine inspection by another shop. Manager told me it was my issue now and they wouldn’t replace my engine it wasn’t there problem. I had to pay out of pocket for a new engine replacement due to the negligence of gm and their agency lack of maintenance and customer care and service.

See all problems of the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

First occurrence was 02/27/2026 - onstar detecated a critical issue, the check esc, check tsc words came on in the center dash, then the orange lights came on and my truck went into limp mode at a stop light. I had to limp mode a mile to the nearest dealer. Where nothing was repaired just reset. Second occurrence - exhaust flap valve failed creating chirping noise resulting in a muffler replacement on 04/28/2026 - picked the vehicle up on 04/30/2026 third occurrence - 05/01/2026 came out after a wedding to start my truck which it immediately repeated the first occurrence, check esc, check tsc with the orange lights and chugging. Recorded on camera now the trucks been at the dealership awaiting updates.

Driving normally ? brief stumble/sputter/deceleration ? engine died/no power ? check-engine light ? vehicle coasts with no throttle response ? would not restart, then restarted briefly with rough idle and immediately died. Reproduced. Towed. Dealer has not yet seen the vehicle. Inspection. No. Notification. Check engine light illuminated, truck automatically went into neutral. Safety. We were driving in traffic when problems occurred.

Engine ceased while driving and shutdown. Towed to dealership. Dealership ran diagnostic test and code p0016 came up. Its 6. 2 engine has recall on other years with similar issues.

I’m scared to drive my vehicle because of the 6. 2l v8 ongoing engine failures! I believe it to be unsafe for travel never knowing when the engine will fail. Now with over 1 million failures of this engine!.

October 24, 2025 I had taken in my vehicle for recall 25v274 loss of motor power. Mine was deemed unaffected and given the oil change they were doing as part of that. Today it died while I was pulling a trailer with a rzr on it. I had drove about 90 miles with a stop midway when I did have the engine turned off. Then it just quit. My vehicle only has 13k miles on it. Not sure if police report was filed but they were called and there directing traffic because it stopped in a busy intersection. I had to be towed, and pay a separate fee to have the trailer towed. At 1000 miles on the truck it had to be taken in for an infotainment screen replacement.

Gm 6. 2l l87 was recalled. I took the truck in at 32,000 miles. Gm dealer perfromed a pico test, motor failed. Motor replaced with "new" crate motor. I was without a truck or loaner for 3 weeks. Dealer called me when new motor was almost complete. First they said it would be a couple more days because they started the "new" motor and it had no oil pressure. They contacted gm tec and they tested it again, it tested with too-high of oil pressure. Gm then instructed them to replace the oil pump on the "new" motor. I got the truck back a week later after being in the shop 3 weeks. I drove a total of 1,200 miles, 400 miles we're highway in one long trip. The balance was local. I went to start the truck one morning after it sat all weekend and the "new" motor was knocking like an old diesel. I video'ed it and sent to my service advisior, I was advised to bring it back again. Vehicle has been at dealer now 9 days, dealer took oil sample from "new" motor, it was found to have metallic matter in the oil. They contacted gm tec again, it took gm tec 3 days to respond, last Friday gm tec said pull the oil pan and take pictures. As of the typing of this email I have no loaner because there's a wait list for loaners, gm will only reimburse me $25/day for a rental and a truck rental is $105/day which I refuse to pay for gm's defects out of my pocket.

I have the same model and year for GMC as bulletin 25na-185, engine coolant control valve failures on 3. 0l duramax (Dec 4, 2025), and am experiencing the same exact issue. Apparently my VIN is not included and I can't get an answer from GMC or the local dealer why it's not covered or how to have it reviewed to be added.

Engine coolant control valve needed to be replaced. Special coverage (n252508341) was issued out by gm to fix this problem on 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles.

6. 2 engine blew up 3000 miles.

Coolant control valve failing. Warranty not covering this part. Seems to be a manufactured issue. Happening on a lot of 2021 gmnc sierras with the 3. 0l duramax.

After completion of recall repair, changing oil weight from 0w20 to 0w40, I encountered loud squealing and knocking sounds from the engine bay. As catastrophic failure has been reported the vehicle was immediately taken to the closest gm dealership, southern Chevrolet of chesapeake, va.

Our truck has the gm 6. 2l v8 engine in it. We had the “recall” done where they recommended thicker oil. Despite that recall work we still had catastrophic engine failure and gm’s solution is terrible. A new engine that can have the same issue?.

See all problems of the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 🔎.

I bought the truck brand new from gregg young in atlantic, IA. While an hour into the drive home, the truck began shuttering as if the transmission was having problems finding the gear. I immediately made an appt with their parent dealership of gregg young in plattsmouth, ne. They had the truck for a week and couldn’t duplicate the transmission issues after I reported several occurrences and symptoms, they also didn’t provide a service invoice of the work performed while I found was unusual. As I was driving the truck home from repairs it started hesitating and having difficulty finding gears. I didn’t think much of it since the dealer claimed there was nothing wrong. This past weekend while going 65 mph down the freeway the transmission started shuttering as well as the truck and the tires began to lock up to the point of almost losing control, there was also metal on metal noises. I had to pull over and luckily driving real slow I made it home. The gregg young dealership were I bought it will take no responsibility and provided falsification since no service was provided nor upon checking app gps there was no indications it left the dealership while in there possession for a week, will contact GMC in the am since this has now become a safety issue and there was metal on metal contact noises and the serious risk of a crash.

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed 60 miles away from home, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle started smoking. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the failure was due to an internal failure with the camshaft and the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 167,570.

I took the truck in for a recall they notified me and said it failed the test and there was metal in the oil and said it needed a new engine.

Driving and truck started to misfire (due to collapsed lifter after shop diagnosis) that then made my truck do reduced steering assist and my wheel got super hard to turn that almost sent me in the ditch at 60mph and also turned off my electronic stability control and also turned on my service parking brake drove straight to the shop and parked it very lucky I did not crash and the fact that multiple people this has happend too gm need to recall from the 2019 and up for these lifters after reading about it.

The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated to 30 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the timing belt needed to be replaced. The part was on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the vehicle previously experienced brake failure, sensor failure, and glow plug failure. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The bbb referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I am reporting two separate stall/loss of propulsion events on my 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 denali limited (VIN: [xxx] ), which is subject to NHTSA recall #25v274000 and gm special coverage xxx (l87 engine loss of propulsion). Incident 1 — April 16, 2026: while decelerating off a highway exit ramp, the vehicle stalled without warning. The dashboard prompted me to shift to neutral and restart. I performed a rolling restart successfully and continued driving. This stall occurred while decelerating on a highway exit ramp with vehicles traveling at highway speeds behind me. The sudden and unexpected loss of propulsion created a significant rear-end collision risk. Incident 2 — April 17, 2026 (next day): while traveling at approximately 40 mph and climbing a hill under load, the vehicle stalled a second time. The dashboard again prompted a neutral restart. This time the vehicle would not restart. All I heard was a single click from the starter, followed by a complete dash reboot. The vehicle lost all power repeatedly upon restart attempts. I was stranded on a narrow, high-speed rural road in standish, maine during rush hour, with vehicles passing at speed. I was in serious danger. The vehicle was towed to weirs GMC in arundel, maine (the selling dealer), where it currently remains for diagnosis under ro# xxx. Both stall concerns are documented as warranty pay. Additional concern: since the day after purchase (March 28, 2026), I have noticed a pronounced cold-start tick originating from the bottom end of the engine, confirmed by an independent mechanic as coming from inside the engine. This vehicle passed a recall #25v274000 inspection on December 28, 2025 at 98,233 miles. The tick and stall events began after that inspection. I am requesting this be formally documented as a safety complaint tied to recall #25v274000 and special coverage xxx. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My l87 engine has failed due to a manufacturing issue. The recall number for this issue is n252494000. Upon contacting GMC, they state that my VIN number is not included in this recall despite having the same exact issues. I took the vehicle into a mechanic as soon as a problem had arose.

We heard a knocking noise and took the truck to the nearest gm dealership. The engine had to be taken apart. The engine is a l87 6. 2 liter v8. The gm dealership service department diagnosed camshaft damage that caused lifter failure. We have since been informed that gm has known about the failure of this engine for many years. In our case, we were fortunate that the engine did not fail when we were on the expressway. This is a huge safety issue. There were no warning lamps or messages from the vehicle, but we heard the knocking noise. We are facing a minimum of a 10,000 dollar repair and will not feel confident that this engine will not put our safety at risk in the future. We understand that the NHTSA has initiated an engineering analysis regarding this engine for the model years 2019 to 2021. (ea25007). We wanted you to have the information of another dangerous engine failure.

While driving into work, I noticed a knocking sound from the outside of the vehicle. Once parked, upon further inspection I narrowed down the area of the noise to the bottom rear of the engine/front of transmission. Fortunately, I was able to park in front of my office building and wasn’t stranded on the side of the road but under different circumstances it could've been the side of a busy highway or hours from home. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership I originally purchased from, the dealership was able to duplicate the issue with me present. Later that afternoon I was informed that the engine had failed and a replacement would be ordered. There was no prior indication of a problem or warning/cel’s. The engine failed after the dealership had completed the engine recall ( pico test and 0-40w oil change ) related to the vehicle. I am reporting this in hopes that it helps with the investigation. This has been very disappointing for me as I have supported the brand of vehicle for many years. Only to have many issues under 80,000 miles and to lose confidence in the vehicle I purchased and the company.

Driving normal traffic . Started hearing ticking . Check engine light flashing ,service esc and braking system light up. Parking not loud ticking from engine bay.

My 2020 GMC sierra 6. 2l (only 46,000 miles which is under warranty mileage criteria), suffered catastrophic engine failure while at 40 miles per hour out of no where and rolled without power for about ~60ft. Power came back on, and I was able to get closer to the dealership but again, lost all power and rolled for about 60ft again right in front of the dealership. The truck died while attempting to make a left turn (in oncoming traffic), it got going again in time to finish the turn. When I pulled into the dealership it pulled code p0016 which is the same code for the 2021-2024 recall currently for the 6. 2l gm engine. I had all oil changes completed on time and can show evidence of them. Other repairs, recalls etc were completed at the GMC dealership. The 2020 sierra 6. 2l should absolutely be included on the gm recall. Same issues as 2021-2024. Funny how 2020's just reached over on time limit for warranty. The repair estimate for my truck is over $13k!!!.

Start engine light came on while driving. The truck did a dead stop in the middle of the road. Tried to restart but nothing. A tow truck was called and the truck was dropped off at the local GMC dealer. The next day the dealer called me and told me I need a new engine. 39,000 miles.

I have the gm 6. 2 l engine in my 2022 denali and had the recall pico test performed August 20th 2025 and the truck passed, they changed the oil and cap and I was good to go supposedly. 5,000 miles later I had the oil changed again and everything looked fine, I drove the truck another approximately 1500 miles and the engine suddenly seized with no indications and no warning. That occurred on April 12th 2026. It is now may 3rd 2026 and I am still waiting for an engine.

The contact owns a 2025 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made abnormal knocking sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who discovered metal shavings inside the engine oil and determined that the crankshaft bearings had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,634.