GMC SIERRA 1500 · model year

2008 GMC SIERRA 1500

437 NHTSA complaints, 13 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008GMCSIERRA 1500 carries 437 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 13 crashes, 7 fires, 14 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 SIERRA 1500 is air bags with 241 filings, followed by unknown or other (41) and electrical system (29). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2008 SIERRA 1500. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

437
Complaints
13
Crashes
7
Fires
14
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

437 filings

Crashes Reported

13 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume, review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS241
UNKNOWN OR OTHER41
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM29
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES23
STRUCTURE:BODY19
ENGINE18
SEAT BELTS10
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC7
STRUCTURE6
TIRES4
SERVICE BRAKES3
POWER TRAIN3
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2

Recalls (2)

21V05200005/02/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the

21V05000005/02/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally s

Recent Complaints

20251007AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact about the disclaimer about the dashboard possibly being damaged. The dealer informed the contact that there were no loaner vehicles, but then called back and offered a loaner. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a clai,m and referred the contact to another local dealer. The contact called the other local dealer, Ferman Chevrolet of Tarpon Springs (43520 US Hwy 19 N, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689), who confirmed there was a disclaimer related to the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

20250827AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

20250825ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 126,498. It was later discovered that the mileage on the title was approximately 250,205.

Mileage: 250,205

20250821AIR BAGS

I have contacted Blaise Alexander in muncy pa 17756 in 2020 or 2021 and they told me that the part was on back order they would contact me when the part has come in 5 years later they still have not contacted me I have reached out by phone through email and Facebook messenger to set up a time to fix my 2008 gmc sierra and haven’t heard anything well last week my service air bag soon light came on and I am very nervous about that so I will not drive the truck I would like to file a formal complaint and have this taken care of please

20250613AIR BAGS

Driving down the road on way home from work airbags blew out. The one in the steering wheel and the one on the passenger side. It busted windshield on passenger side. Shards of stuff all over dash on passenger side. That airbag popped 2 times.

20250613VISIBILITY/WIPER

Driving down the road on way home from work airbags blew out. The one in the steering wheel and the one on the passenger side. It busted windshield on passenger side. Shards of stuff all over dash on passenger side. That airbag popped 2 times.

20250531CrashAIR BAGS

Air bags did not deploy when another vehicle hit truck on front passenger side at 35-40 mph

20250102SEAT BELTS

I was driving in a parking structure at low speed when a loud bang went off inside the cab. The hazard lights went off, there was an acrid electrical smell, and fine dust was coming from the steering wheel area. I stopped the truck and got out to look for a collision, but there was none. When I restarted the truck, the air bag light came on and I noticed that the seatbelts were retracted and no longer functional. I was not injured, but I believe that if this had happened in traffic or on the highway, I and my passenger could have been seriously hurt. The vehicle was towed to the GMC dealership, where they identified an error with the module that sends a signal to the airbags and seatbelts to deploy. Prior to this occurrence, I had no indication that the airbag/seatbelt system was faulty or in need of service.

20241025WHEELS

No accident happened as the wheel was never installed due to not meeting the load weight capacity rating of the vehicle. The wheel is marked max load 1150kg (2230 per axle) and the vehicle weight loading label shows the rear axle capacity at 2706kg. The wheel is also marked as SAE J2530 compliant but does not meet J2530 section 3.5 due to the low load capacity. These wheels are widely available in the aftermarket and list most of the 2000-2010 GM 2500HD/3500 pickups as the application but do not meet load capacity on any of them. Please note that the VIN is for a typical 2008 Sierra 2500HD pickup in a scrap yard. I do not own that vehicle. It is a weight label photo from Hollander parts finder on that pickup.

20240917ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that after the dealer repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and GM's Emission Recall: N140581 (Carbon Monoxide Emissions), the vehicle nearly caught on fire. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact turned on the A/C, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds, jerked, and stalled while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, the dealer discovered that the catalytic convertor was extremely hot and glowing red. The dealer determined that the exhaust system and catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 151,071.

Mileage: 151,071

20240422UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Multiple cracks in dash

20240322STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the spare tire detached from underneath. After a visual inspection of the underneath of the vehicle, he observed that the spare tire hoist and frame were severely corroded, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 197,000.

Mileage: 197,000

20230828AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off at the residence, the front windshield cracked. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the front driver's and passenger's side air bags had deployed without impact. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that a short circuit was caused by water damage in the air bag modules underneath the front driver's and passenger's side seats. The vehicle was then towed to a body shop for the air bags to be replaced; however, the replacement parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

Mileage: 38,000

20230503SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph when another vehicle suddenly got in front of their vehicle causing them to depress the brake pedal. The brake pedal failed to press downward. The contact had to continue to press the brakes a total of 8 times. The trailer brakes would cause the vehicle to decelerate but it would continue to accelerate and increase in speed. By the 8th attempt and with the trailer brakes activated the vehicle eventually decelerated and came to a stop. The tire pressure warning had been illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

Mileage: 116,000

20230309TIRES:TREAD/BELT

Tire sizes: 245/70r17. Three tires went bad between November 2022 and March 9th 2023. First tire, the front right, replaced because its outside tread was going bad really quickly. I could see the metal sticking out of it. Two tires need replacing because they are bulging. The back left tire bulged so bad my car was shaking up and down until I took it off. Thought everything was fine but the back right began to shake the car two days later.

20230309TIRES:SIDEWALL

Tire sizes: 245/70r17. Three tires went bad between November 2022 and March 9th 2023. First tire, the front right, replaced because its outside tread was going bad really quickly. I could see the metal sticking out of it. Two tires need replacing because they are bulging. The back left tire bulged so bad my car was shaking up and down until I took it off. Thought everything was fine but the back right began to shake the car two days later.

20230228AIR BAGS

Where the passenger airbag is at, there is some cracking around it

20230228UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Where the passenger airbag is at, there is some cracking around it

20230126STRUCTURE

left side frame is defective, I have welded 4 patches on frame.from the bend by wheel well and fuel tank to front wheel well all by were frame has bracket welded and bottom of inside of frame . if hit on left side can cause frame to crumble and fuel tank to explode. it needs to be looked at for recall. i have spoken to many oweners of 2007 to 2009 gm trucks. and all have same problem. my truck only has around 112 thousand on it this is 3rd year i had to repair.

20230125SEAT BELTS

Cranked my truck yesterday and put it in drive. Slowly drove about 300 feet and the pretensioner’s discharged in my seatbelts. I fortunately did not have it on yet, but the seatbelts are now unusable.

Compare 2008GMCSIERRA 1500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500 have?
The 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500 has 437 NHTSA complaints, 13 crashes, 7 fires, 14 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500?
Yes, the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500 has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500?
The most-complained component for the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500 is AIR BAGS with 241 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.