AutoUtility currently tracks 813 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 251 complaints (30.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 29 filings cite a crash, 10 cite a fire, 10 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 813 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Brakes & Traction Control (251 reports • 30.9% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Exterior Lighting (124), Powertrain & Transmission (108)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 29 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 10 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 10 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
813
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
29
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
10
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
10
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 30.9% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

251 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 16 crash reports 🔥 2 fire reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 15.3% of complaints

Exterior Lighting

124 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
#3 Problem Area 13.3% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

108 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#4 Problem Area 12.1% of complaints

Electrical System

98 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🔥 7 fire reports
#5 Problem Area 10.7% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

87 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 2 fire reports
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 4.1% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

33 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Brakes & Traction Control 3% of complaints

Reduced Braking / Brake Pedal to Floor

24 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Body & Structure NHTSA ODI ID: #11758571
Filed: 08/21/2026

"See attached document for complaint."

Incident Date: 06/06/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STRUCTURE
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11758124
Filed: 08/20/2026

"From time to time since I got the vehicle, the lights flicker inside and out. I've had the alternator changed but it continues. Then when pressing the lock button on the key fob the horn sounds as if it has a shortage. Sometimes its loud and sometimes it's barely heard."

Incident Date: 12/05/2023 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11755314
Filed: 08/06/2026

"My 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE has the 6L80 transmission. While traveling on the interstate with my fiancé, the transmission failed. It was towed to a garage and they informed me that it needed to be replaced."

Incident Date: 11/11/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Visibility, Wipers & Glass NHTSA ODI ID: #11749832
Filed: 07/12/2026

"my rear window defrost turned on when i auto started my pickup. i realized it was on after about a half hour and looked back and my drivers side of the rear sliding window was shattered completely"

Incident Date: 11/15/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: VISIBILITY/WIPER
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11748839
Filed: 07/07/2026

"When backing up, either on a hill or flat surface, the brakes fail to stop the vehicle. There is a pulsing sensation with the brakes due to failure of the vacuum. The brake pedal also becomes impossible to depress. No warning lights appear when this occurs."

Incident Date: 05/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SERVICE BRAKES
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for GMC Sierra 1500

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Current Page 813 29 15 Current
2016 GMC Sierra 1500 47 3 9 View 2016 Problems →
2017 GMC Sierra 1500 426 20 5 View 2017 Problems →
2018 GMC Sierra 1500 297 10 7 View 2018 Problems →
2019 GMC Sierra 1500 626 12 10 View 2019 Problems →
2020 GMC Sierra 1500 454 12 12 View 2020 Problems →
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 539 5 7 View 2021 Problems →
2022 GMC Sierra 1500 557 10 6 View 2022 Problems →
2023 GMC Sierra 1500 443 5 3 View 2023 Problems →
2024 GMC Sierra 1500 335 5 1 View 2024 Problems →
2025 GMC Sierra 1500 103 3 1 View 2025 Problems →
2026 GMC Sierra 1500 0 0 2 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 115 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 192 13 0 3 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 113 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 67 1 0 1 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 45 0 1 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 0 1 2 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 39 1 0 1 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 36 5 0 6 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28 1 2 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 16 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 10 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 9 1 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 8 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 8 1 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 8 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 7 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 0 2 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 4 1 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 3 0 1 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 3 1 1 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 3 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,EQUIPMENT 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY 2 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 1 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEATS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 0 0 1 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE,SEATS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,TIRES 1 0 0 0 0
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (813). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)

1 OPEN 1 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA21002
Opened: 2021-09-17 • Currently Active

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Affected Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE18012
Opened: 2018-11-20 • Closed: 2022-04-10

Brake Vacuum Pump Failure

Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES

On November 20, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE18-012 to investigate instances of sudden onset of a hard brake pedal that could result in extended stopping distance due to an issue with the brake assist vacuum pump in model year (MY) 2014 through 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 series pickup trucks and MY 2015 through 2016 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, and GMC Yukon SUVs.If th...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 19V645000 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2015 GMC Sierra 1500

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.