Selling a broken or worn-out GMC Sierra 3500HD
Across 26 model years, the Sierra 3500HD has drawn just 512 complaints to NHTSA, and no single year has more than 51. Recalls are where it piles up: 42 campaigns.
- Model years covered
- 2001-2026
- Complaints to NHTSA
- 512
- Year with the most complaints
- 2020 (51)
- Recall campaigns
- 42
- Most-named component
- Service brakes (75)
If yours has a slipping transmission, a dead engine or air bags that went off, it can still go as a whole truck. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and you sell the whole car as it sits. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
How to read the numbers
Sierra 3500HD owners filed each of these complaints, and we took them from NHTSA on October 10, 2026. A recall's vehicle count spans its full campaign. Many 3500HD campaigns also cover the Sierra 2500HD and the Chevrolet Silverado HD, and some reach the Tahoe or Yukon. So a big number is GM's, not this truck's alone.
We grouped the years below by where the complaints and recalls cluster. These groups are ours, not GM's generations.
Problems by year group
2001-2006: brakes first, 122 complaints
Brakes are the steady theme. The 2001 shows 10 complaints about the hydraulic brakes; the 2002 splits between parking brake and service brakes; the 2004 has 8 on service brakes. The 2001 and 2002 have two recall campaigns each, and 2003 through 2006 have none.
2007-2014: the air bag years, 98 complaints
On the 2008, 17 of 25 complaints name the air bags. The 2007, 2011 and 2013 also have air bags at the top.
Recall 15V324 replaced front passenger air bag inflators on 2007-2008 Silverado and Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks; the campaign lists 330,198. In February 2021, GM filed five more inflator campaigns (21V050 through 21V054) that reach 3500HD model years from 2009 to 2014. Dealers swap in an alternate inflator. Each of those counts runs into the hundreds of thousands or millions, across Silverados, Yukons, Tahoes and Escalades too.
The 2009 and 2010 are quiet, with 7 complaints between them but five campaigns each.
2015-2019: brake pedals and block heaters, 90 complaints
Service brakes lead the 2016, 2017 and 2018. Two campaigns went after the same part. Recall 16V069 added adhesive and more torque to the brake pedal pivot nut on 2015-2016 trucks, and recall 18V578, also for 2015-2016 trucks, named the same nut, which may loosen.
The restraint system drew two campaigns here as well: 16V651, a seat belt pretensioner campaign fixed with a software reflash on 2015-2017 trucks, and 21V504 for roof-rail air bag inflators on 2015-2016s.
Diesel owners should know two: 19V328 and 21V496 cover 2017-2019 trucks with the Duramax 6.6 and its engine block heater, then the heater cord. Dealers replace them.
2020-2026: the power train, 202 complaints
The 2020 is the most-complained-about year, and 16 of its 51 complaints name the power train. The 2023 shows the same lean, 12 of 28. Recall 24V797 covers the transmission valve body on 2020-2022 trucks. Dealers install new control software, and GM added a special coverage program for the repair.
Other recent campaigns:
- 24V060 (2020-2024) and 24V894 (2024): the power tailgate's release switch can short; owners are told to check the gate is latched before driving.
- 21V758 (2021-2022): trucks with a brake control module replaced on the assembly line. Owners were told to park outside until it's fixed.
- 19V814 and 20V792 (2020-2021): seat belt pretensioner and center belt brackets.
A 2005 has had many more years than a 2024 to gather them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recall campaigns | Leading component |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 36 | 2 | Hydraulic brakes (10) |
| 2002 | 20 | 2 | Parking and service brakes (3 each) |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 | Service brakes (2) |
| 2004 | 24 | 0 | Service brakes (8) |
| 2005 | 24 | 0 | Steering and service brakes (5 each) |
| 2006 | 11 | 0 | Power train (3) |
| 2007 | 16 | 3 | Air bags (7) |
| 2008 | 25 | 3 | Air bags (17) |
| 2009-2010 | 7 | 5 a year | No clear leader |
| 2011 | 20 | 5 | Air bags (8) |
| 2012-2014 | 30 | 3 to 4 a year | Air bags (5 on the 2013) |
| 2015 | 31 | 7 | Electrical, exterior lighting (5 each) |
| 2016 | 19 | 7 | Service brakes (6) |
| 2017 | 13 | 7 | Service brakes (5) |
| 2018 | 14 | 6 | Service brakes (6) |
| 2019 | 13 | 7 | Service brakes (3) |
| 2020 | 51 | 8 | Power train (16) |
| 2021 | 20 | 5 | Power train (5) |
| 2022 | 31 | 3 | Power train (6) |
| 2023 | 28 | 1 | Power train (12) |
| 2024 | 50 | 3 | Service brakes (9) |
| 2025 | 17 | 1 | Service brakes (4) |
| 2026 | 5 | 2 | Wheels (2) |
Many Sierra 3500HD campaigns span several model years, so the recall figures do not total 42. Twenty-four of the 42 aren't described here.
Fix or sell?
Get a written repair quote and a real offer before deciding.
- Run the VIN at NHTSA. On a 2020-2022 with shifting trouble, ask a GMC dealer about recall 24V797 and its coverage program before paying for anything.
- Transmission gone and not covered? Read bad transmission, and set the quote beside the selling price of a running 3500HD from the same year.
- Air bags deployed after a wreck? See airbags deployed.
- Diesel throwing emissions codes? See diesel DPF or DEF trouble.
Selling the truck whole
- List the basics: VIN, mileage, single or dual rear wheels, gas or diesel, and what's wrong.
- Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
- Name the place it sits and whether the wheels turn. Duallys and trucks with bed bodies need the right equipment. Free pickup anywhere in the US.
- Leave it as it is, including the wheels and any bed equipment, or tell us what's gone.
- Show the title and ID when the driver arrives. Titled to your business? See titled to a business.
Questions people ask
- Which Sierra 3500HD year has the most complaints?
- The 2020. Owners logged 51 complaints with NHTSA by October 10, 2026, and 16 concern the power train. The 2024 is one behind at 50, even though it has been out for far less time.
- Is there a transmission recall on my 2020-2022 Sierra 3500HD?
- Recall 24V797 covers 2020-2022 Sierra 3500 trucks among many GM models. Dealers install new transmission control software, and GM added a special coverage program for that repair. The 463,295 vehicle count is the whole campaign, including Silverados, Yukons and others.
- Will you buy a dually that doesn't run?
- Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. Mention the dual rear wheels and whether it can roll; that decides the equipment sent.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
- EPA fuel economy data (model years) fueleconomy.gov
- NHTSA recall 15V324: 2007-2008 passenger air bag inflator nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 16V069: 2015-2016 brake pedal pivot nut nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 16V651: 2015-2017 seat belt pretensioner software nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 18V578: 2015-2016 brake pedal pivot nut nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 19V328: 2017-2019 Duramax block heater nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 19V814: 2020 seat belt pretensioner bracket nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 20V792: 2020-2021 center seat belt bracket nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V050: passenger air bag inflator replacement nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V051: 2012 passenger air bag inflator nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V052: 2009 passenger air bag inflator nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V053: passenger air bag inflator replacement nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V054: passenger air bag inflator replacement nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V496: 2017-2019 block heater cord nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V504: 2015-2016 roof-rail air bag nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 21V758: 2021-2022 brake control module bolts nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 24V060: 2020-2024 power tailgate switch nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 24V797: 2020-2022 transmission valve body nhtsa.gov
- NHTSA recall 24V894: 2024 power tailgate switch nhtsa.gov