Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2015 GMC Sierra 1500: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 814 safety complaints about the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

814
Complaints
9
Recalls
2
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 29 crashes, 10 fires, 14 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Brakes & stability leads the complaint list, cited in 253 of 814 complaints, followed by Visibility & lighting.
  2. Complaints peaked 4 years after the model year (148 filed in 2019) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  3. One recall is a do-over. NHTSA records show recall repairs that were previously performed incorrectly — worth a VIN check even if you had recall work done.
  4. 2 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 814 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Brakes & stability
253
Visibility & lighting
154
Power train / transmission
113
Electrical
103
Steering
90
Engine & cooling
89
Other / unspecified
76
Airbags & restraints
56

"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."

Owner complaint filed July 2026 · Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11748839

"upon applying brake pedal at low speeds the brake is hard to depress and "choppy" in reacting. this seems same as N192268490 Increased Brake Pedal Effort yet the gmc denali is not apparently in the recall. This has happened on several occassions."

Owner complaint filed March 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA ODI 11651825

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 peaked later than usual, in 2019.

Complaints filed per year — 2015 GMC Sierra 1500
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
5
38
95
64
109
148
66
65
69
46
34
51
24
14151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2015 compares with other model years

Across the GMC Sierra 1500 model years we track, the 2014 has the most complaints on file (858); the 2015 ranks 2 of 6.

Total complaints by model year — GMC Sierra 1500
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
858
2015
814
427
633
456
551
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 9 recalls, including a do-over

9 recalls apply to some or all 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. Note the flagged campaign: it covers vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Apr 201616V-209
Seat Belts

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks manufactured January 29, 2013, to January 21, 2015. While entering the vehicle, the seat belt tensioner cable may be positioned such that the driver slides over it. This movement may…

Sep 201616V-651
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 Polic…

Jul 201717V-437Repair done incorrectly
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…

Sep 201818V-586
Steering:Electric Power Assist System

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles. Electric power steering (EPS) assist may be lost momentarily, followed by a sudden return of EPS assist.

Sep 201919V-645
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist:Vacuum

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles. The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.

Oct 201919V-761
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Wheel Speed Sensor/Tone Ring

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is trav…

Nov 202020V-736
Air Bags:Side/Window:Curtain:Inflator

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

Apr 202121V-245
Seat Belts:Front

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe, and 2014-2015 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles that may have received an incorrect replacement tensioner cable assembly as part of a previous recall remedy or a subsequent repair. The flexible steel …

Jul 202121V-504
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.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 814 complaints about the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 with NHTSA. The most-reported system is brakes & stability.

How many recalls does the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 have?

The 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 has 9 NHTSA recalls on file. One recall reopens earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.