6.6

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,167 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 GMC Sierra 2500 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 GMC Sierra 2500 Owner Comments

problem #6

Jan 222023

Sierra 2500 8-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I remote started my truck yesterday morning to get it warmed up before loading my family. They all then got into the truck, my 5 year old and 8 year old in the back seat in booster seats. I threw in some more bags into the back of the truck and started to climb into the truck. As I did that my kids were starting to get nervous and my wife was pointing and stating that the rear window slider was smoking. I put the key into the ignition and turned the key on. Upon doing that the smoke stopped but a few seconds later there was a loud bang, similar to a gun shot, and the rear passenger side window shattered. My 8 year old had glass hit her and my 5 year old was hysterical. Needless to say, the 5 hour drive home was not much fun for anyone after that occured.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #5

Jan 062023

Sierra 2500

  • miles
I am receiving an on-and-off -€œService Trailer Brake System-€ when towing and sometimes when not towing. Checked every component and alert does not stop. When this happens while I-€™m towing, trailer brakes stop working momentarily.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #4

Oct 122021

Sierra 2500

  • miles
I keep getting a warning message "service trailer brake system". The warning may come on for a second or it may stay on for 10 to 15 minutes. It may do it once a month or 10 times in a 2 minute period. Whenever this happens I lose the electrical braking system on what I am towing. There is no set pattern or circumstance for when or how long it will happen. I was told if the alert is not on there is not a way to diagnose the problem and since I never know when it will happen I cannot schedule any type of diagnostic service. It does seem to happen more often when it is raining but has happened in perfect weather too. The warning has occurred both when I am towing and when I am not. I've done searches for possible causes and it seems to be a common problem. I regularly tow a 12,000 lb. fifth wheel RV with my family. I cannot afford to lose my ability to stop in a reasonable amount of time. I simply cannot do it when I lose my trailer braking system. The date below is the last incident.

- Eastman, GA, USA

problem #3

Feb 212019

Sierra 2500

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle shut down and I had the ABS light stability control light and the airbag light as well as more that came on. The truck was picked up from the dealer after they said it was a wiring issue and was. It covered under warranty. This has happend 4 times already and been at the dealer 3 times I had it happen on the highway. Most of the time it restarts but now it don't

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #2

Feb 122019

Sierra 2500

  • 25,000 miles
On 5 different occasions the power to the truck cuts off and the steering wheel locks up while driving. On the dash the stabililock light flashes. This has happened to me while turning to get on a major highway, while driving down main roads trying to change lanes, and the last time I was turning into my banks drive through and had to slam on breaks in order to avoid crashing into the median. I took the vehicle back to the dealership patriot in killeen Texas and they said they updated the system and found no issues and could not recreate the issue I said I was having. This morning on my way to work, it happened again. This could be deadly if it happens again.

- Copperas Cove, TX, USA

problem #1

Jun 022017

Sierra 2500

  • 1,000 miles
The 7 way trailer plug on this vehicle will not hold the trailer plug firmly, resulting in the plug coming loose during normal driving conditions. One obvious issue is that the flap holding the plug in is upside down from any other configuration I've seen, allowing the plug to sag. This is a serious safety risk as I have had several instances where lights and even the trailer brakes have stopped operating while in transit, after I gave verified that they worked when I started out. I then am a hazard to my fellow motorists and my family. This trailer plug worked flawlessly with my previous truck. Gms solutions blame the trailer or plug, but given the orientation of the plug and the number of owners that seem to have this issue, I believe a better solution should come from them.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

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