2016 Gmc Sierra 2500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (14) · Fuel/Propulsion System (10) · Service Brakes (8)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Gmc Sierra 2500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
27 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain:inflator 2026-09-24 · campaign 26V611000 · 1,559 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500, GMC Sierra 2500/3500 vehicles, and 2016-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 21, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262569920. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 24, 2026.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain:inflator 2021-07-01 · campaign 21V504000 · 410,019 vehicles
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.
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.
Fix: 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. T
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V578000 · 42,280 vehicles
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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2017-07-10 · campaign 17V437000 · 40,683 vehicles
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
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.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2016-09-08 · campaign 16V651000 · 3,640,162 vehicles
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
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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2016-02-05 · campaign 16V069000 · 430,771 vehicles
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 inoper
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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (1,583)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5509N · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
Unknown Or Other 2026-06-24 · PIT5544J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information on a hydraulic rush type noise from the power steering gear. this noise is a characteristic of the new active hydraulic assist system rpo nv8 and no repairs should be made. the noise is most noticeable in the cab at idle, in park, with all acces
Unknown Or Other 2026-05-14 · PIT5509M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,583 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-07-02 · Unknown Or Other“my hmi was "bricked" when onstar pushed an incompatible update when i changed the service plan. while driving the screen has intermittently turned off and on causing temporary unexpected loss of navigation functions, bluetooth connectivity, and use of the back up camera. this causes a safety issue as the unexpected loss of display and connectivit…”
2026-02-23 · Electrical System:horn · 150,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 gmc sierra 2500. the contact stated that the horn was inoperable. the contact became aware of the failure when the horn failed to sound while locking the vehicle with the key fob. upon investigation, the contact discovered that there were no recalls on the vin related to the failure. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer w…”
2025-08-02 · Fuel/Propulsion System“cp4 injection pump failure while driving nearly causing vehicle collision.…”
2025-06-19 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the cp4 pump failed while driving causing vehicle to stall. upon failure, lost power to steering. luckily we were on an access road for a rest area and not yet on the interstate. this resulted in a 14.5 thousand repair. no prior warning to pump failure. gm has recently settled a class action related to this pumps failure and has never recalled…”
2025-06-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my vehicles high pressure fuel pump failed causing the vehicle to shutoff while driving. in addition, due to the engine shutting down while driving, the power steering quit working causing me to not be able to steer the vehicle. thank you …”
2025-05-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my 2016 gmc sierra 2500 with a 6.6-liter duramax diesel v8 engine suffered a complete engine shutdown—an issue that is both hazardous and expensive to repair. fortunately, mine failed in a parking lot. no warning lights or symptoms were present. failure is instantaneous and can occur any time rendering the vehicle inoperable on high-speed highways…”
2025-05-03 · Fuel/Propulsion System“motor stopped dead while driving on a local interstate hwy. was able to negotiate the truck out of traffic without crashing. not an easy thing to do in speeding rush hour traffic. had the truck towed to a reputable repair shop and discovered the cp4 fuel pump had failed and shattered throughout the fuel system. repairs in the amount of $13,520.30 i…”
2024-08-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my high pressure fuel pump, cp4, went out with no warning while driving causing me to lose power. was able to bring truck to stop safely but was stuck in middle of roadway.…”
2024-05-24 · Fuel System, Diesel:delivery:fuel Pump“the contact owns a 2016 gmc sierra 2500. the contact stated that while stopped at a stop sign, an alert of "50% fuel range remaining" message appeared on the instrument panel. the contact stated afterwards while attempting to make a right turn the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic wh…”
2024-02-23 · Electrical System“2016 gmc sierra shark fin antenna gets water under and destroys onstar, navigation, and compass operation. this is recalled in 2015 but does not include 2016 that have the exact same problem. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.