AutoUtility currently tracks 539 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 303 complaints (56.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 5 filings cite a crash, 6 cite a fire, 2 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 539 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (303 reports • 56.2% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (132), Electrical System (71)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 2 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
539
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
5
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
6
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
2
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2021 GMC Sierra 1500

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

#1 Problem Area 56.2% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

303 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.
🔥 4 fire reports
#2 Problem Area 24.5% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

132 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.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#3 Problem Area 13.2% of complaints

Electrical System

71 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 3 fire reports
#4 Problem Area 6.3% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

34 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 1 fire report
#5 Problem Area 5.9% of complaints

Steering System

32 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report
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 2021 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 8.2% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

44 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 2021 GMC Sierra 1500

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

Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11759464
Filed: 08/25/2026

"For close to one year, there feels like a catch, grind, stall, or slight shake, mostly while the vehicle is shifting gears, made worse or noticed more by higher speeds like driving on the highway vs. slow city streets. It's difficult to explain or assess so not sure if it is the engine or..."

Incident Date: 10/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11759357
Filed: 08/25/2026

"While driving down an isolated 2 lane road in West Texas, the engine in my 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 began making knocking sounds and vibrating badly. The truck's acceleration was extremely sluggish and the vibration worsened at slow speeds. I was able to slowly make my way back towards a dealership,..."

Incident Date: 08/07/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758744
Filed: 08/22/2026

"While driving my son to school we were driving 45 mph and the entire engine shut off and lost all power. Engine would not restart. Took it to the dealer and was told the engine was dead."

Incident Date: 03/25/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758686
Filed: 08/22/2026

"1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine oil consumption system/engine is experiencing excessive oil consumption. My 2021 GMC Sierra is equipped with the 6.2L engine, and the engine is consuming oil at a rate that I believe is..."

Incident Date: 05/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11758633
Filed: 08/21/2026

"I purchased this truck from a used car dealer. It had received the fix in January this year. They sold it to me I put 15,000.00 down and financed 15,000.00. I had the truck two weeks and was driving down the road to pick up some tools from a friends. I pulled from a drive way I heard a pop likei..."

Incident Date: 07/19/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: 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 454 12 12 View 2020 Problems →
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Current Page 539 5 7 Current
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 2021 GMC Sierra 1500

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 81 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 177 0 2 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 66 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 42 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 32 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 26 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 1 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 13 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 12 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 10 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 9 1 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 8 0 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 6 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 2 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 1 0 0
Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,WHEELS 1 1 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 0 1 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 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 (539). 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 (5)

2 OPEN 3 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 #EA26005
Opened: 2026-08-20 • Currently Active

Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

Affected Component: ENGINE

On January 16, 2026, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ26001.  This investigation was opened to assess the remedy effectiveness of Recall 25V-274. ODI has received complaints alleging engine failure in vehicles after the recall remedy had been completed, whether that remedy involved an oil viscosity change or a complete engine replacement. General Motors (GM) issued Recall 25V-274 to address concerns of engine failu...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
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 Recall Query (RQ) ODI Action #RQ26001
Opened: 2026-01-16 • Closed: 2026-08-20

Loss of motive power due to engine failure post recall remedy

Affected Component: ENGINE

On January 16, 2026, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ26001.  This investigation was opened to assess the remedy effectiveness of Recall 25V-274. ODI has received complaints alleging engine failure in vehicles after the recall remedy had been completed, whether that remedy involved an oil viscosity change or a complete engine replacement. General Motors (GM) issued Recall 25V-274 to address concerns of engine failu...

Closed without associated recall campaign. 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 →
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.