What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
← All GMC Sierra 1500 generations
Leaving out 2016 (see below), NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.88 for 2018 (305 complaints across 345 listings) to 2.74 for 2014 (863 across 315). The generation median is 1.42. 2014 is 1.9 times that median, just under the 2.0 cutoff, so it is not flagged. 2016 shows only 50 complaints against 818 for 2015 and 431 for 2017. We tried the other NHTSA name variants and found nothing more, so we treat 2016 as a gap in NHTSA's indexing and give it no flag either way; its figure of 0.18 per listing should not be read as a clean year. The 2014 complaints include exterior lighting and brakes, and recall 17V414000 below covers a power steering assist loss on some 2014 trucks. Several 'years to avoid' lists point at 2014-2017; none of those years is flagged by our rule.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not verified | 8L90 eight-speed automatic: shudder and torque converter (2015-2018 trucks with the 8-speed) | Fluid flush with the updated Mobil 1 LV ATF HP plus a reflash $400-$700 dealer / $300-$500 independent; torque converter $1,200-$2,200 independent / $1,800-$2,800 dealer (Transmission Repair Cost); a 2018 Silverado estimate of $960-$2,170 for the converter (Fixxr); rebuild $2,800-$4,200 (Transmission Repair Cost). All sources price the Silverado; shared GM platform. | Transmission Repair Cost describes a shudder under light throttle at low speed, handled by GM bulletins and a class action settlement; ask for the VIN's bulletin and fluid-service history. Pensacola Truck Transmission puts an inspection at about $125 and a fluid flush around $350. If the shudder returns after the fluid update, the converter is the next step. |
| often cited before 100K (Marin Mazda; some owners report 180K-220K with no issue) | 5.3L/6.2L AFM/DFM lifter failure | $2,600-$4,800 (avturo, independent shop; Silverado figure, shared GM platform); $3,000-$4,500 both banks (Capital Motorcars); $3,200 lifter repair against $7,000+ for an engine overhaul if ignored (Autos of Chicago). | The same cold-start tick and misfire pattern as Gen 2. Go-Parts has a Sierra-specific guide that runs through 2015. Ask whether the lifters were ever replaced and scan for misfire codes. |
| 100K-150K (Transmission Repair Cost only) | 6L80 six-speed automatic (2014-2018 trucks with the 6-speed): wave plate | Wave plate job $1,400-$2,200 independent / $2,000-$3,000 dealer; rebuild $2,500-$4,000 (Transmission Repair Cost) or $3,800-$4,900 (Creech Import, citing RepairPal, Raleigh). Silverado figures; shared GM platform. | Same unit and same pattern as Gen 2. Ask for fluid-service records and watch for a harsh shift or lost gear. |
| any | Electric power steering assist loss (recalls 17V414000, 18V586000) | Free at a GMC dealer when open | 17V414000 covers certain 2014 Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 trucks that may have a temporary loss of power steering assist; 18V586000 covers certain 2015 trucks where assist may be lost momentarily and then return suddenly. |
| any | Brake vacuum pump (19V645000) and ABS software (19V761000) | Free at a GMC dealer when open | 19V645000: on 2014-2018 trucks the vacuum pump's output may fall over time, which can reduce brake assist. 19V761000: on 2014-2018 1500s with the 5.3L, a 3.08 rear axle and four-wheel drive, a failed wheel-speed sensor can cause the ABS software to activate the brakes at 41-60 mph. |
| any | Front upper control arm welds (16V256000, 2016-2017 trucks) | Free at a GMC dealer when open | NHTSA says the front upper control arms may have inadequate welds near the bushing. The recall summary names the GMC Sierra along with the Silverado, Escalade, Tahoe and Yukon; it runs 2016-2017 for the Silverado, and our database files it under the Sierra for 2016. Confirm by VIN. |
No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 863 | Exterior Lighting, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2015 | 818 | Service Brakes, Exterior Lighting, Power Train | |
| 2016 | 50 | Service Brakes, Steering, Power Train | |
| 2017 | 431 | Power Train, Service Brakes, Engine | |
| 2018 | 305 | Power Train, Engine, Service Brakes |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule (see 'Years flagged' in each generation), and no Sierra 1500 year trips it. The closest calls: 1999 has 30.32 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (758 complaints across 25 listings) against a Gen 1 median of 5.46, but 25 listings is below the 30 our rule needs. 2000 is 2.6 times the median but 8 of 35 enriched ads (22.9%) mention a problem against a 25.3% median, so it fails the second test. 2014 sits at 2.74 per listing against a Gen 3 median of 1.42, 1.9 times, just under the 2.0 cutoff. Ad mentions are not confirmed failures.
It depends on the engine and generation. Gen 1 (1999-2006): rusted brake lines and 4L60E wear. Gen 2 (2007-2013): AFM lifter failure and oil consumption on the 5.3L, and the 6L80 automatic. Gen 3 (2014-2018): the 8-speed shudder, lifters, and recalls for power steering assist and brake vacuum. Gen 4 (2019 on): lifter reports, 10-speed shift complaints, and recalls. Each is priced, with sources, in the generation sections.
Avturo puts a 5.3L/6.2L lifter job at $2,600-$4,800 at an independent shop. Capital Motorcars gives $3,000-$4,500 for lifters on both banks, and Autos of Chicago gives $3,200 for a lifter repair against $7,000+ for an engine overhaul if a ticking lifter is ignored. Those prices come from Silverado-focused pages; the engine is shared, but they are shop figures, not a quote for your truck.
Owners and shops report a shudder under light throttle on 8L90 trucks (2015-2019). Transmission Repair Cost, writing about the Silverado, says GM handled it with bulletins and a class action settlement; the usual fix is the updated fluid and a reflash ($400-$700 dealer, $300-$500 independent), then a torque converter ($1,200-$2,200 independent, $1,800-$2,800 dealer) if it persists. We don't have a failure rate, only these reports. Ask for the VIN's service history.
We don't have a mileage figure we could verify from two sources, so we won't give one. What we can show: lifter failure is reported before 100K miles on some trucks and not on others (Marin Mazda reports owners at 180K-220K with no major issues), and the 6L80 wave plate is reported at 100K-150K miles (one source). Service records tell you more than the odometer.
Mechanically close. CarBuzz and Wikipedia describe the Sierra as the Silverado's twin from 1999, sharing platforms (GMT800, GMT900, K2XX, T1XX) and engines. GMC numbers its generations differently, because the Sierra name began in 1988, so the 1999 truck is its second generation. That is why many of the repair prices here come from Silverado sources.