2016 Gmc Sierra 3500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (6) · Service Brakes (3) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Gmc Sierra 3500 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (7)
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
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly 2019-02-07 · campaign 19V088000 · 18,574 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.
Risk: If the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear-tank fuel-pump module, inspect the front tank and, if necessary, replace the front tank, free of charge. The recall began July 30, 2019. GM's number for this recall is N182204190.
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 (668)
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 668 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-07-24 · Service Brakes“driving down the road and i got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging it is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction …”
2025-04-30 · Engine · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 gmc sierra 3500. the contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined t…”
2025-04-04 · Engine“driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into reduced engine power due to a turbo vane position sensor / turbo over boost or under boost fault. this has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each occurrence. the vehicle is a 2016 gmc sierra 3500hd with th…”
2024-07-23 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:crank/Camshaft Position Sensor · 105,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 gmc sierra 3500. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, lower bearings, hea…”
2024-06-20 · Steering“when braking, the service trailer brake system message and service stabilitrac message appear on the dash and brake pedal gets soft to hard repeatedly and truck pulls from side to side violently as if one side of the trucks brakes are working and the other side is not. …”
2024-02-01 · Fuel/Propulsion System“bosch cp4 fuel pump failure that shut down vehicle while driving, luckily did not cause an accident. would not restart. damaged entire fuel system including injectors and now have $17,000 in damage that needs repaired.…”
2023-10-11 · Fuel/Propulsion System“this is a 2016 gmc 3500 denali truck with 70,000 miles on it. the bosch fuel pump threw metal shavings into the fuel system. this is a known issue with gmc trucks with a bosch cp4 fuel pump for 2011-2016. the engine suddenly quits running leaving the driver without power steering or power brakes. it happened to me when pulling a 14,000-pound 5t…”
2023-07-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i own a 2016 gmc 3500 diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. the truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. once towed to a local gmc dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the bosch cp4 fuel pump internally came apart while driving. i have to have this vehicle working so i got it …”
2023-05-06 · Power Train“vechicle is giving codes of emissions warning, p0102, p154b and p154d …”
2022-02-05 · Electrical System“i had the rear defrost running, and began to hear a sizzling/hissing sound in the back seat. after a minute of hearing this noise, i noticed smoke coming from the rear sliding window. i immediately turned off the rear defrost. a few seconds later, i heard a loud pop and the passenger side of my rear window was shattered. i called and spoke wit…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.