The new features of the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty pickup truck are impressive. When it comes to capability, the automaker says the trucks are “Ready to handle what life throws your way.” However, this doesn’t help owners whose Sierra 1500 engines seize and must be replaced, or whose transmission fails. Complaints indicate that these problems are so common that transmissions, engines, and other related parts required to fix these problems are in such demand, many have to sit without wheels waiting for a solution. This certainly doesn’t help them handle what life throws their way.
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Problem Overview
The most common complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 relate to the engine (nearly 40%), powertrain (about 15%), and electrical system (nearly 20%). More than 62% of the engine complaints report engines that have seized or exhibited serious issues that resulted in the need for an engine replacement. Most of the powertrain complaints report transmission failure, some specifying faulty valves as the cause. Electrical system complaints are quite high in volume, but very varied, with no outstanding issues. They do include a few that report audio volume problems — a problem that Lemberg Law is investigating in the 2023 model. There are also several complaints about tailgates not working correctly.
Additional components and systems that feature in complaints include the airbags, backover prevention, equipment adaptive/mobility), exterior lighting, forward collision avoidance, seat belts, seats, service brakes, steering, structure, suspension, traction control system, vehicle speed control, visibility/wiper, and wheels. The numbers involved in most of these are low.
There are currently no recalls that affect the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500, but there is one very serious investigation.
Investigation Into Loss of Motive Power Due to Engine Failure
The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) launched a Preliminary Evaluation into loss of motive power due to engine failure of certain GMC vehicles on January 16, 2025. They had received 39 complaints and several Early Warning Reporting (EWR) Field Reports alleging engine failure in vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM) equipped with the L87 V8 engine. These included 2019-2024 MY GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles.
The primary complaint was a bearing failure that may result in either engine seizure or breaching of the engine block by the connecting rod. Complainants reported that there was no way to detect that this would happen before the failure.
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2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Complaint Summary
Complaint Category
Number of Complaints
Engine
41
41
Power Train
18
18
Electrical System
16
16
Unknown Or Other
13
13
Exterior Lighting
9
9
Structure:body
5
5
Vehicle Speed Control
4
4
Visibility/wiper
4
4
Air Bags
2
2
Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking
2
2
Engine
As mentioned above, a large percentage of engine problems relate to engines failing or seizing. A few failures appear to have been caused by metal shavings in the oil. Loss of power is common, often followed by engine seizure, although some of the earlier complaints simply state that the engine shut down.
All complaints that report engines seizing and/or needing replacement were made between January and early March 2025.
Loss of Power Problems
Some, but not all, of the incidents involving a loss of power, have resulted in engines seizing. For example, in March 2025, an owner from Virginia experienced a loss of automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver coasted to a stop in the shoulder lane and allowed the vehicle to sit for several minutes before attempting, unsuccessfully, to restart the vehicle. The Sierra 1500 was towed to a local dealer where the owner was told that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced.
Earlier, in November 2024, an owner from California stated that the Sierra 1500 lost motive power, with the message “Engine Power Reduced,” and was unable to accelerate above 5 mph. It returned to “normal functionality,” but the failure became a regular occurrence. Eventually, the vehicle had to be towed to a dealer. In this case, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or provide a diagnosis.
Similarly, in April 2024, an owner from Minnesota was driving with her nine-year-old son in the back of the truck, “when it seemed to completely lose power and shut down (while I was driving!). The power steering, brakes, and gas all gave out. I was able to steer myself toward the side of the road where I waited for a tow. The vehicle would not start, nor would it shift into neutral, which led to towing challenges. This is a 2024 vehicle that I’ve had for about eight months, and it completely gave out while I was driving with a child in the back, which is a significant safety concern. Nobody at the dealership or GMC is able to offer anything with respect to information on how or why this happened and what they are doing to resolve the issue.”
Problems with Engines Seizing
An owner from Alabama, whose Sierra 1500 seized at 10,000 miles on February 26, 2025, had it towed to a dealer. He was told it needed a new engine but they didn’t know when one would be available. “It could be months. I had to pay for a Rent-A-Car out of my own pocket. The dealer would not cover the cost.”
A Missouri owner’s truck was put on an engine oil consumption plan at about 14,000 miles. Then a month later in December 2024, the engine seized while he was driving at 60 mph. “The dashboard started flashing with a warning saying that I needed to press the start button.” The vehicle stopped and the engine wouldn’t turn over. At the time of the complaint in January 2024, he was still waiting for a replacement engine.
On Christmas Day, 2025, the Sierra 1500 belonging to a man from Nebraska stalled in the middle of the highway while traveling at 65 mph. He pulled over to the side of the road but was unable to restart. Jump-starting was also unsuccessful. “My vehicle was towed to a dealership 140 miles from home as GM would not cover the cost of towing to the dealer closest to my home (68 miles away).” He was told, nine days later, that the 6.2L V8 engine needed to be replaced. “I was also informed that there are two vehicles ahead of mine that required replacement of their engines and that the engines were back-ordered.”
The dealership said it “could be months” before it was fixed because it needed an engine replacement.” He requested a manufacturer repurchase but was told that “GMC requires two to three major failures before they will consider a repurchase approval.”
Metal Shavings in Engine Oil
An owner from Michigan experienced complete engine bearing failure, which led to a complete loss of power while turning left into oncoming traffic. The dealer confirmed bearing failure and said there was brass shaving in the oil pan.
An owner from South Carolina also reports having metal shavings in the oil. This happened at 29,000 miles.
Another owner tells how, while driving on the highway, the engine of the truck stopped with no power to the truck. “It was very scary. I pulled over and it was in Neutral. I somehow got it into Park, but the car never would turn over.” The dealership said there were metal shavings in the engine and it needed to be replaced. “GM is very difficult to work with and won’t give us any information. I’m scared of the truck.”
An owner from Tennessee tells how his truck with more than 15,000 miles suddenly stopped on the highway on December 6, 2024. The engine wouldn’t start, but all the electrical components worked. After being towed to the dealership, after three days he was told that it wasn’t the battery but it might be something electrical. He traded in the truck because they didn’t know what was wrong with it. However, after trading it in, he was told it needed a new engine — but not why.
When he took his new 2025 truck in for a computer problem at 500 miles, they told him they had found metal shavings in the oil. Two weeks later he discovered there might be the same problem with a 6.2 L engine as he had with the 2024 truck. “The salesman says he doesn’t know what (the) problem is but he says he may be stuck with the truck for 30 days or more so I should trade.”
Powertrain
Most problems listed in the powertrain category relate to transmission failure. Some of them specify problems with faulty valves. Like the 2024 Sierra 1500 engines, there appears to be a shortage of transmissions and transmission parts. However, there is also a mix of diagnoses from dealerships.
An owner from Mississippi tells how the Sierra 1500 lost motive power while traveling at 74 mpg, after which he was unable to accelerate above 25 mph. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. When the check engine warning light was illuminated, the owner took the vehicle to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the shift solenoid valve, and a fault with the serial data gateway module that needed to be reprogrammed.
An owner from California was told that the transmission valve body had failed when he had problems at 7,500 miles. However, the parts were on backorder with no eta.
An owner from Massachusetts states that the transmission would “just give out. It also wouldn’t reverse. The cause was a faulty body valve that GM can’t produce fast enough.”
When the transmission of a Sierra 1500 owned by someone in Arizona failed while going down the highway, the vehicle started jerking and wouldn’t shift gears. It then slowed down and wouldn’t accelerate. When the owner got home he realized it wouldn’t reverse either. The dealer diagnosed a transmission problem. They ordered the part but it wasn’t available — and they didn’t know when it would be available. “This leads me to think there must be many other transmissions with the same problem as mine.”
An owner from Oklahoma had a failed transmission that needed a valve body replacement. However, the part was on national backorder and there was no eta for the part.
Gearbox Problem
An owner from Iowa was shocked to discover that the part on the transmission valve body required for his truck was on a “do not sell list”. The complaint states that the reverse gear stopped working one evening. This nearly caused him to crash with a passing car. “I put the gear in Drive and got the message ‘reduced acceleration’. I believe that is a known issue with GM’s 10-speed gearbox. The car is at the dealership and they informed me by e-mail that the part transmission valve body is on a ‘do not sell list’. I have concerns about safety because losing power on a 70 miles per hour road can be dangerous, and not being able to reverse is also very dangerous.”
What to do if you’ve got a lemon
If your 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 is experiencing recurring issues that affect its functionality, value, or safety, it could qualify as a lemon. If you aren’t sure if your vehicle meets the criteria, you are welcome to contact Lemberg Law for free assistance.
All you need to do is reach out via our Helpline or fill out a contact form. We’ll help you assess your concerns and provide guidance. If we assess that your Sierra 1500 qualifies as a lemon, we’ll advocate for you in negotiating a settlement. Remember, General Motors is legally obligated to cover your lemon law legal expenses.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
