AutoUtility currently tracks 454 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 224 complaints (49.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 12 filings cite a crash, 5 cite a fire, 6 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 454 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (224 reports • 49.3% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (93), Electrical System (78)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 12 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 6 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
454
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
12
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
5
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
6
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2020 GMC Sierra 1500

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

#1 Problem Area 49.3% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

224 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report
#2 Problem Area 20.5% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

93 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 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.
⚠️ 1 crash report
#3 Problem Area 17.2% of complaints

Electrical System

78 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 fire reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#4 Problem Area 12.6% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

57 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.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 3 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 8.1% of complaints

Steering System

37 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🩹 1 injury report entry
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 2020 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 8.8% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

40 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 2020 GMC Sierra 1500

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

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11759816
Filed: 08/26/2026

"This truck was bought brand new by my father. Around 38,000 miles it begin having issues with shifting which eventually got worse. When I searched google for issues many others on different pages have had the same issues. The shifting would be so rough it feels like you're being hit by another..."

Incident Date: 08/30/2021 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11759795
Filed: 08/26/2026

"Misfire on 2 cylinder, noise on start up diagnostic code P0300 P0302 P050 I was driving home and the engine started making a strange sound, vehicle would could no increase speed normally. The dealership did basic analysis from the onboard computer and did a compression test. Heavy knocking sound on..."

Incident Date: 08/05/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11759731
Filed: 08/26/2026

"On XXX my GMC 6.2L Sierra 1500 Denali engine cutoff in Traffic and had to be towed. There was no indications prior to failure. Found out after replacing battery that the 400amp fuse blew and the engine seized. Vehicle was then towed to Hendrick Buick GMC dealer in [XXX] for repair. My engine has..."

Incident Date: 08/06/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Body & Structure NHTSA ODI ID: #11759726
Filed: 08/26/2026

"I have a rear sliding window on the cab of my truck that leaks from both ends of the plastic guide. I noticed it when placing my young children in their car seats. I contacted my dealership and was informed the repair would cost $1500+ and not be covered by GM or warranty."

Incident Date: 08/19/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: STRUCTURE
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11759608
Filed: 08/26/2026

"High pressure fuel pump went at 80k and now on my 2nd transmission under 100k miles this is absolutely absurd"

Incident Date: 07/15/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
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 813 29 15 View 2015 Problems →
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 Current Page 454 12 12 Current
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 2020 GMC Sierra 1500

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 99 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 137 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 39 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 20 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 16 2 1 2 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 14 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 10 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9 1 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 9 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 8 0 1 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 7 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 6 5 1 2 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 6 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 4 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 1 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 1 1 7 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 1 0 0 0
ENGINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
EQUIPMENT,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 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,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 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 (454). 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 (3)

1 OPEN 2 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 #EA25007
Opened: 2025-10-23 • Currently Active

Loss of motive power due to engine failure

Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274. These engines are installed in Model Years (MY) 2019–2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2021-2024MY Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV vehi...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE25001
Opened: 2025-01-16 • Closed: 2025-10-23

Loss of motive power due to engine failure

Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

On January 16, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 after receiving complaints and field reports concerning engine failures in MY2019-2024 GM’s full-size truck and SUV T1XX platform equipped with the L87 6.2L V8 engine. These complainants alleged engine bearing failures resulting in knocking and growling noises from the engine’s bottom end and in some cases more severe consequences such as brok...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 25V274 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE21010
Opened: 2021-04-09 • Closed: 2023-08-24

Air Bag Malfunction

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

On April 9, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE21-010 to investigate instances of air bag malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination and potential for frontal air bag non-deployment in several vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The vehicles included model year (MY) 2020 through 2021 CT4 and CT5 passenger cars, Sierra and Silverado trucks (1500/2500/3500 models), XT4 and MY 2021 Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe, Yuko...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2020 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.