GMC SIERRA 3500 · model year

2016 GMC SIERRA 3500

27 NHTSA complaints, and 6 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016GMCSIERRA 3500 carries 27 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 SIERRA 3500 is service brakes with 6 filings, followed by steering (6) and engine (5). 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 6 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 2016 SIERRA 3500. 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.

27
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

27 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 - Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES6
STEERING6
ENGINE5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
POWER TRAIN2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
AIR BAGS1
SUSPENSION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR1

Recalls (6)

18V57800030/08/2018

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, 1500 Crew Cab Special Service, Tahoe Police Pursuit/Special Service, GMC Sierra 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.

17V43700010/07/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Subur

16V65100008/09/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Poli

19V08800007/02/2019

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.

16V06900005/02/2016

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 1, 2013, to February 1, 2016, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles (PPV) manufactured March 1, 2014, to February 1, 2016, and 2015-2016 GMC S

21V50400001/07/2021

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN:INFLATOR

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.

Recent Complaints

20250724SERVICE BRAKES

Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction

20250724ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction

20250430ENGINE

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system and fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

20250404ENGINE

Driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into Reduced Engine Power due to a Turbo Vane Position sensor / Turbo Over Boost or Under Boost fault. This has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each occurrence. The vehicle is a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD with the 6.6L LML Duramax Diesel engine with 75000 miles. I believe the Reduced Engine Power protection is far to abrupt in the loss of Engine Power to safely move the vehicle out of the flow of traffic. During each occurrence I was in the left lane of a 2 lane expressway attempting to pass a much slower vehicle going up a 5-8% grade and was unable to complete my pass due to the loss in propulsion which nearly caused an accident.

20240723ENGINE

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, lower bearings, head gasket seals, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Mileage: 105,000

20240723ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, lower bearings, head gasket seals, and the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Mileage: 105,000

20240620SERVICE BRAKES

When braking, the service trailer brake system message and service stabilitrac message appear on the dash and brake pedal gets soft to hard repeatedly and truck pulls from side to side violently as if one side of the trucks brakes are working and the other side is not.

20240620STEERING

When braking, the service trailer brake system message and service stabilitrac message appear on the dash and brake pedal gets soft to hard repeatedly and truck pulls from side to side violently as if one side of the trucks brakes are working and the other side is not.

20240201FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Bosch CP4 fuel pump failure that shut down vehicle while driving, luckily did not cause an accident. Would not restart. Damaged entire fuel system including injectors and now have $17,000 in damage that needs repaired.

20231011FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This is a 2016 GMC 3500 Denali truck with 70,000 miles on it. The Bosch fuel pump threw metal shavings into the fuel system. This is a known issue with GMC trucks with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump for 2011-2016. The engine suddenly quits running leaving the driver without power steering or power brakes. It happened to me when pulling a 14,000-pound 5th-wheel RV. Fortunately, I was on an interstate outside of Grand Junction CO and the road was flat. If I had been in the mountains going downhill and the engine quit I'd likely caused an accident perhaps fatal. GMC quoted me $16,000 to repair. Again, this is a known issue at GMC but they refuse to do anything about it. GMC Dealership in Grand Junction performed the analysis and advised me to drive it home to Phoenix. I got 60 miles when the engine quit. Cost me $1,600 to get the truck returned to my GMC Dealer in Phoenix and another $1,600 to get my trailer back home.

20230717FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I own a 2016 GMC 3500 Diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. The truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. Once towed to a local GMC Dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the Bosch CP4 fuel pump internally came apart while driving. I have to have this vehicle working so I got it repaired at a cost of $16,145. This is a known issue and losing all power while at highway speeds could have caused a serious incident. Please address this issue before someone dies.

20230717ENGINE

I own a 2016 GMC 3500 Diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. The truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. Once towed to a local GMC Dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the Bosch CP4 fuel pump internally came apart while driving. I have to have this vehicle working so I got it repaired at a cost of $16,145. This is a known issue and losing all power while at highway speeds could have caused a serious incident. Please address this issue before someone dies.

20230506POWER TRAIN

Vechicle is giving codes of Emissions warning, P0102, P154B and P154D

20220205ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I had the rear defrost running, and began to hear a sizzling/hissing sound in the back seat. After a minute of hearing this noise, I noticed smoke coming from the rear sliding window. I immediately turned off the rear defrost. A few seconds later, I heard a loud pop and the passenger side of my rear window was shattered. I called and spoke with the dealership and explained what had happened. They said they knew exactly what had happened and it is pretty common in these trucks.

20211113SERVICE BRAKES

Brake pedal has to be pushed almost all the way to the floor to stop, this recently changed from barely having to apply any pressure to the pedal. Took it to Quebadeaux gmc on 11-10-2021 and they inspected the brakes, said everything was good and that’s normal for the brakes to be that soft. That’s not normal or it would’ve always been like that.

20210512STEERING

BACKED IT OUT OF THE GARAGE TO GO SOMEWHERE, GOT ON THE MAIN ROAD AND IT WAS WONDERING WITH A LOT OF PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL, NEXT HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND THE FRONT WHEELS STARTED SHAKING UNCONTROLLABLY UNTIL I SLOWED TO UNDER 40 MPH, HIT ANOTHER ROAD SEAM AND IT DID THE SAME THING.TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC, HE DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED STEERING BOX. TRUCK ONLY HAS 27,500 MILES ON IT. NEVER SEEN A DIRT ROAD, NOT DRIVEN IN THE WINTER.$1700.00 LATER ITS FIXED. MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ON THE INTERNET AND GMC HAS NOT RECALLED THESE TRUCKS FOR THIS PROBLEM THEY KNOW ABOUT. HAS SOURED MY TRUST IN THEIR BRAND.

Mileage: 27,500

20210107STEERING

EXCESSIVE PLAY IN STEERING WHEEL 2 TO 3" VERY UNSAFE, AT ALL TIMES WHEN DRIVING. GM IS AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. SERVICE BULLETIN PIT5501D. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE.

Mileage: 16,000

20200920SERVICE BRAKES

THE BRAKE BOOSTER CILYNDER HAVE A BAD LEAKING IT WAS PARKED WHEN I SAW THIS HAPPEN

20200114POWER TRAIN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH OR MORE, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH A MESSAGE STATING THAT IN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (BURTENESS CHEVROLET BUICK GMC OF WHITEWATER LOCATED AT 1389 W MAIN ST, WHITEWATER, WI 53190 PHONE NUMBER 262-456-6849) TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS NOT INFORMED OF WHAT REPAIR WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

20200114SUSPENSION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH OR MORE, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH A MESSAGE STATING THAT IN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (BURTENESS CHEVROLET BUICK GMC OF WHITEWATER LOCATED AT 1389 W MAIN ST, WHITEWATER, WI 53190 PHONE NUMBER 262-456-6849) TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS NOT INFORMED OF WHAT REPAIR WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

Mileage: 120,000

Compare 2016GMCSIERRA 3500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 have?
The 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 has 27 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500?
The 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500?
Yes, the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 has 6 recall(s). The most common affected component is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500?
The most-complained component for the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 is SERVICE BRAKES with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and ENGINE.
Is the 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2016 GMC SIERRA 3500 has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. 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.