How many miles will a 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 last?
Half of the 14 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 that list mileage came after 77,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 20 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 14 complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 that list mileage, half came after 77,000 miles; 4 came after 100,000 miles, 1 after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given.
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How many miles will a 2002 Sierra 3500 last?
The 14 mileages owners gave run from 20,000 to 154,163 miles, and half are at or under 78,000. With fewer than 20 mileages this page gives the median only: the other percentiles are too few to say. 4 came after 100,000 miles, 1 after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2002 Sierra 3500 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 20,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | Too few to say |
| Median (50th percentile) | 78,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | Too few to say |
| 90th percentile | Too few to say |
| Highest mileage listed | 154,163 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 4 of 14 |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 1 of 14 |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Common problems with the 2002 Sierra 3500
NHTSA's file holds 20 owner complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500. Owners named the brakes most often: 4 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 4 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Suspension | 3 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 20 complaints, 3 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2002 Sierra 3500 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad Sierra 3500: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 20 complaints, the 2002 ranks 12th of the 24 GMC Sierra 3500 model years from 1997 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 2011. The most: the 2024 (52). The fewest: the 1997 (10).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Sierra 3500 | 10 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1998 Sierra 3500 | 12 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1999 Sierra 3500 | 19 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2000 Sierra 3500 | 26 | 15 | 57,007 |
| 2001 Sierra 3500 | 36 | 30 | 61,580 |
| 2002 (this page) | 20 | 14 | 78,000 |
| 2004 Sierra 3500 | 24 | 22 | 81,000 |
| 2005 Sierra 3500 | 24 | 22 | 46,000 |
| 2006 Sierra 3500 | 11 | 10 | 45,949 |
| 2007 Sierra 3500 | 16 | 9 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2008 Sierra 3500 | 25 | 10 | 50,000 |
| 2011 Sierra 3500 | 20 | 10 | 57,000 |
| 2013 Sierra 3500 | 14 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2015 Sierra 3500 | 31 | 22 | 37,000 |
| 2016 Sierra 3500 | 19 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2017 Sierra 3500 | 13 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2018 Sierra 3500 | 14 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2019 Sierra 3500 | 13 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2020 Sierra 3500 | 51 | 10 | 28,000 |
| 2021 Sierra 3500 | 21 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2022 Sierra 3500 | 33 | 10 | 31,000 |
| 2023 Sierra 3500 | 28 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2024 Sierra 3500 | 52 | 10 | 36,000 |
| 2025 Sierra 3500 | 18 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
2002 GMC Sierra 3500 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2002 Sierra 3500 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2002 Sierra 3500.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 6 of the 20 complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: SIERRA 3500. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: SIERRA 3500.
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.
2002 GMC Sierra 3500 questions
How many miles will a 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 last?
Half of the 14 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 that list mileage came after 77,000 miles. Of the 14 complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 that list mileage, half came after 77,000 miles; 4 came after 100,000 miles, 1 after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2002 Sierra 3500 that never had one.
What are the most common 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 20 owner complaints on the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500. Owners named the brakes most often: 4 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 20 complaints, 3 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad Sierra 3500: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 20 complaints, the 2002 ranks 12th of the 24 GMC Sierra 3500 model years from 1997 to 2025 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 2011. The most: the 2024 (52). The fewest: the 1997 (10).
How many recalls does the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2002 GMC Sierra 3500.