2020 Gmc Sierra 2500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (21) · Service Brakes (8) · Engine (6)
🧭 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
26 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (9)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module:software 2026-02-12 · campaign 26V083000 · 1,055 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, 3500, and 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have been repaired incorrectly under recall 24V797. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock up.
Risk: Rear wheel lock up increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and update the transmission control software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 6, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252516560. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 12, 2026.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:valves/Valve Body 2024-10-24 · campaign 24V797000 · 463,295 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles equipped with diesel engines. The transmission control valve may fail and cause the rear wheels to lock-up.
Risk: Rear wheel lock-up can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install new transmission control module software, free of charge. GM will provide a special coverage program to cover the repair of transmissions that are identified by the remedy software as containing a defective control valve. Owner notification letters were mailed December 12, 2024. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, GMC customer service at GMC 1-800-462-8782 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:tailgate:latch 2024-02-01 · campaign 24V060000 · 570,434 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with power-unlatching tailgates. The tailgate's electronic gate-release switch may short circuit due to water intrusion, which can result in the tailgate inadvertently unlatching while the vehicle is in park.
Risk: An unlatched tailgate may open while driving and result in a loss of unsecured cargo, creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to check that the tailgate is closed and latched before driving. Dealers will replace the exterior touchpad switch assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2024. 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 N232426400.
Tires:temporary/Emergency Spare Tire 2021-07-29 · campaign 21V578000 · 86 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and GMC Sierra 2500 vehicles equipped with a 17" spare tire (RPO ZHQ or ZXT) and either the 20" accessory road tire (RPO REM) or the 18" accessory road tire (RPO Q2V). Operating the spare tire with other 20" or 18" tires can prevent the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) from engaging.
Risk: An ABS system that cannot control the rear wheels independently increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will provide the appropriate spare tire and apply a new spare tire information label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 18, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212329780.
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2020-12-17 · campaign 20V792000 · 624,216 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and GMC Yukon XL and 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position.
Risk: If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.
Air Bags:side/Window:curtain:inflator 2020-07-30 · campaign 20V446000 · 769 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC. (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 and Traverse and GMC Acadia and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The diffuser component of the Roof-Rail Air Bag (RRAB) inflator may not have been properly crimped to the inflator and could separate from the inflator during air bag deployment.
Risk: If the diffuser separates from the inflator during deployment, RRAB performance may be degraded, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect RRAB modules, free of charge. The recall began September 3, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-333-4223, or Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is N202305380.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2020-06-04 · campaign 20V324000 · 272 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles previously recalled under 20V-142. Some of the vehicles in 20V-324 were not part of Recall 20V-142 but received defect parts during another service (typically during collision repair). The hood-latch striker wires on replacement hoods installed for Safety Recall 20V-142 may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
Risk: If a striker wire fractures, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. For hoods sold over the counter, dealers will contact customers with instructions for hood replacement. The recall began July 7, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N202306490.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2020-03-12 · campaign 20V142000 · 1,909 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The hood-latch striker wires may not have been heat-treated properly, possibly causing them to fracture.
Risk: If a striker wire fractures, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hood assembly, free of charge. The recall began April 13, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192284960.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2019-11-14 · campaign 19V814000 · 556,399 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2020 Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles equipped with carpet floor covering. When the front seat belt pretensioners deploy, hot gas may vent through an opening in the pretensioner bracket, possibly igniting the carpet.
Risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will close off the opening in the pretensioner bracket, free of charge. The recall began December 13, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N192270600.
Service bulletins (1,393)
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 2026-10-26 · GM Update N25-250552 · Over The Air
• improvements to onstar functionality.
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 2026-08-27 · PIP6127A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this document assists gm dealer technicians with diagnosing torque converter concerns to ensure torque converter replacement is necessary. the torque converter part number will be placed on order restriction, and the technician will be asked to follow 25-na-148 before requesting a part through pqc.
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-07 · PIT6031B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates an issue where an aftermarket autostop device or rear taillights is causing a dead battery.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-23 · PIT5680B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides information to repair the door water deflector which is not sealed properly allows water into the door jam/sill area.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,393 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 201,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2020 gmc sierra 2500. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle. the contact depressed the brake pedal, however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, coasted into a ditch, and went into a field before coming to a stop. af…”
2026-10-15 · Unknown Or Other“rear sliding window leak. water stains on head liner unsure of addition damage.…”
2026-10-13 · Power Train · 107,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 gmc sierra 2500. the contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light and making a left turn at approximately 20 mph, the transmission failed. the vehicle was unable to exceed 10 mph. the check engine warning light illuminated, and a dinging sound was heard following the incident. the vehicle shifted erratically, jumped …”
2026-10-07 · Structure:body“my rear spoiler roof area leaks. this is something gm knows about and has sent out memos to dealers. to fix this it’s around $1000. i think gm should fix a problem they have been well aware of for sometime. …”
2026-09-24 · Power Train“a dealer "fixed" the p20ee code on this date, then the code came back a week later. same dealer said they don't have qualified diesel technician, took vehicle to a 2nd dealer 9/22/2025, unable to determine cause of code. on 6/18/2026 same p20ee code came on again, took to dealer, dealer able to perform repairs on 7/30/2026 after ordering the corre…”
2026-09-19 · Vehicle Speed Control“while driving vehicle flashed engine power reduction signal and then the emergency brake automatic feature came on abruptly. fortunately, i had been able to slow down after the reduced power, but if i wouldn't have quickly reacted to that, i think the emergency brake system would have caused a safety issue. now. the vehicle is incapacitated. there…”
2026-09-05 · Electrical System“when i try to start my truck it comes up as service trailer brake control module and it has caused my truck battery to drain so i cant even crank my truck up.…”
2026-06-30 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 gmc sierra 2500. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the message "reduced power" was displayed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the turbo actuator and wastegate position sensor a-circuit were replaced; however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer,…”
2026-03-10 · Power Train“while driving down a highway doing between 45 and 55 mph the transmission suddenly and completely faulted causing the truck to come to a complete stop. just enough power to get to the shoulder luckily. the transmission had basically completely blown out, fluid everywhere. the insurance company did not find any comprehensive damage. the entire trans…”
2026-02-15 · Power Train“a couple times i heard loud clanking coming from rear brakes. one time in particular i was trying to stop and it felt line someone had ran into my truck but must have been the rear wheel locking up …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.