GMC Sierra 2500 problems by model year
NHTSA holds 10 or more owner complaints for 30 GMC Sierra 2500 model years between 1997 and 2026, 1,841 complaints in all; the 2003 (160) drew the most. The counts are from NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year's age and sales.
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GMC Sierra 2500 complaints, mileage and recalls by model year
Each row is a GMC Sierra 2500 model year with 10 or more owner complaints in NHTSA’s complaints file of November 11, 2026. Its page gives the mileage when owners reported problems, the most-reported components and the recall campaigns NHTSA’s recall files list. A median is given with 10 or more mileages; medians rise with a year’s age, so the table does not rank the years.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage | Recall campaigns listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Sierra 2500 | 14 | 7 | Under 10 mileages | 4 |
| 1998 Sierra 2500 | 15 | 5 | Under 10 mileages | 3 |
| 1999 Sierra 2500 | 36 | 22 | 100,000 | 2 |
| 2000 Sierra 2500 | 48 | 39 | 91,000 | 3 |
| 2001 Sierra 2500 | 134 | 109 | 65,000 | 5 |
| 2002 Sierra 2500 | 134 | 114 | 85,000 | 4 |
| 2003 Sierra 2500 | 160 | 141 | 73,000 | 3 |
| 2004 Sierra 2500 | 143 | 122 | 60,000 | 4 |
| 2005 Sierra 2500 | 115 | 104 | 60,000 | 4 |
| 2006 Sierra 2500 | 66 | 59 | 43,500 | 3 |
| 2007 Sierra 2500 | 83 | 39 | 70,000 | 3 |
| 2008 Sierra 2500 | 63 | 30 | 65,000 | 3 |
| 2009 Sierra 2500 | 31 | 28 | 39,200 | 5 |
| 2010 Sierra 2500 | 10 | 5 | Under 10 mileages | 5 |
| 2011 Sierra 2500 | 63 | 34 | 54,000 | 4 |
| 2012 Sierra 2500 | 31 | 22 | 67,000 | 3 |
| 2013 Sierra 2500 | 46 | 24 | 58,000 | 3 |
| 2014 Sierra 2500 | 30 | 23 | 39,000 | 2 |
| 2015 Sierra 2500 | 91 | 58 | 37,023 | 6 |
| 2016 Sierra 2500 | 59 | 27 | 29,500 | 6 |
| 2017 Sierra 2500 | 37 | 14 | 18,120 | 6 |
| 2018 Sierra 2500 | 35 | 14 | 8,000 | 5 |
| 2019 Sierra 2500 | 32 | 12 | 25,458 | 7 |
| 2020 Sierra 2500 | 80 | 26 | 31,800 | 9 |
| 2021 Sierra 2500 | 53 | 16 | 51,248 | 6 |
| 2022 Sierra 2500 | 45 | 10 | 12,000 | 3 |
| 2023 Sierra 2500 | 34 | 8 | Under 10 mileages | 1 |
| 2024 Sierra 2500 | 109 | 31 | 11,000 | 4 |
| 2025 Sierra 2500 | 28 | 4 | Under 10 mileages | 1 |
| 2026 Sierra 2500 | 16 | 2 | Under 10 mileages | 1 |
Every model year together: Half of the 1,149 NHTSA owner complaints on the GMC Sierra 2500 that list mileage came after 60,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a GMC Sierra 2500 last? →
How to read these numbers
- A higher count is not proof of a worse vehicle. Complaint volume rises with sales volume and with years on the road, and recent model years have had less time to collect complaints.
- NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them. A complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- A complaint mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on each complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- The recall count is the number of campaigns NHTSA’s recall files list under these names for the model year. Recalls can be filed under another name, and a campaign covers a production range: check the VIN with NHTSA’s free recall lookup.
- NHTSA also holds 1 complaint for 1 other model year with fewer than 10 each; that year has no page.
- NHTSA names counted: SIERRA 2500 and SIERRA 2500 HD. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
GMC Sierra 2500 questions
Which GMC Sierra 2500 model year has the most complaints?
NHTSA holds 10 or more owner complaints for 30 GMC Sierra 2500 model years between 1997 and 2026, 1,841 complaints in all; the 2003 (160) drew the most. The counts are from NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year's age and sales.
Do complaint counts mean the Sierra 2500 is a bad vehicle?
No. NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports, and the count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road. They are useful for comparing model years of one model, which is what this page does, not for ranking one model against another.
How do I check a specific GMC Sierra 2500 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and run it through NHTSA's free recall lookup, which reports open recalls within its coverage. For the vehicle's own past, VIN Lookup sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99: title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file for that VIN.