2021 Gmc Sierra 3500 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (6) · Service Brakes (5) · Visibility:defroster/Defogger/Hvac System (1)
🧭 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 (5)
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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:electric:control Module 2021-09-29 · campaign 21V758000 · 3,241 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles with electronic brake control modules (EBCM) replaced during vehicle assembly. The bolts that attach the brake pressure modulator valve (BPMV) assembly may not be properly tightened, which could fail to seal the two sub-assemblies and allow water intrusion.
Risk: Water in the BPMV may cause an electrical short circuit and increase the risk of fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from other structures until the recall repair is completed. Dealers will replace the BPMV assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 20, 2021. 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 N212349181.
Seat Belts:critical Fasteners 2020-12-23 · campaign 20V811000 · 470 vehicles
Defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
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.
Service bulletins (841)
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 2026-08-27 · 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 2026-08-20 · PIC6551C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a mec reset for wireless projection issues
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 841 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-06-12 · Service Brakes · 140,606 mi“the contact filed the complaint on behalf of the owner of a 2021 gmc sierra 3500. the contact stated that while the vehicle owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed that the rear wheels were attempting to lockup. the contact stated that the failure was noticeable while driving forward and while reversing. no warning light illu…”
2025-11-24 · Power Train“during takeoff the transmission acted as if it was in neutral while i was crossing traffic luckily, the semi truck that was coming towards me was able to stop. i had the vehicle towed to a shop. after the vehicle was towed to the shop the transmission acted normal when the mechanic searched the vin number. there was a service bulletin issued by ge…”
2025-09-08 · Visibility:defroster/Defogger/Hvac System · 26,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 3500. the contact stated that while his wife had the vehicle idling with the rear defroster activated, shortly afterwards, she observed smoke coming from the plastic on the rear sliding window. after a visual inspection, the contact's wife observed that the plastic was melting, prompting her to deactivate the rear…”
2025-08-14 · Back Over Prevention · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 3500. the contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera screen displayed an image of the ground. the contact stated that the image was approximately ten feet behind the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. the dealer replaced the back over pr…”
2025-05-12 · Unknown Or Other“there is a known issue with these trucks with the infotainment screen blacking out, which renders the backup cameras inoperative. this is a huge safety risk and its astounding to me that this hasn't been recalled yet.…”
2025-03-08 · Electrical System“when carrying the electronic key in my pocket the vehicle will lock/unlock presumably due to the remote contacting other items in the pocket. i have owned well over a dozen gm vehicles and never had this issue. i believe the remote design has the lock/unlock buttons too proud of the surrounding surface …”
2025-03-08 · Unknown Or Other“vehicle is put into park after driving. shift to park warning comes on while vehicle is in park. vehicle will not shut off due to this warning and must be left running unoccupied. …”
2025-01-27 · Power Train · 133,000 mi“the contact's son owns a 2021 gmc sierra 3500 commercial vehicle. the contact stated while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed uphill, the vehicle failed to shift to a gear higher than 5th gear. additionally, the rear wheels locked up, causing the vehicle to come to a stop. the driver attempted to resume driving, but the vehicle failed to e…”
2025-01-18 · Power Train“transmission had to be replaced from the dealership. hard shifting dealership said truck was 23 days out of warranty. i couldn’t get into the dealership that truck was purchased from for 3 weeks. had to go to the jeff gordon dealership, which is chevrolet. and i had to replace the transmission.…”
2024-11-01 · Unknown Or Other“multiple instances of diesel engine emissions system parts and software failure. while driving, towing or not, the dic would randomly display a message that the def level is low and reduced speed will occur in x-amount of miles and that mileage would then begin a visible countdown on the dic, sometimes much more quickly than the actual speed i was …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.