230 of the 928 complaints about the 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 are about the braking system — 25% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 56,550 miles.
230
Complaints
15
Crashes
2
Fires
1
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
SERVICE BRAKES
When backing up, either on a hill or flat surface, the brakes fail to stop the vehicle. There is a pulsing sensation with the brakes due to failure of the vacuum. The brake pedal also becomes impossible to depress. No warning lights appear when this occurs.
NHTSA complaint #11748839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle doesn't stop in low speeds
NHTSA complaint #11738356 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and also while the vehicle was parked, the ABS and stability control warning lights would unexpectedly illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the warning lights were cleared. The contact was informed that if the failure recurred, the EBCM and BPMV would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the EBCM and BPMV had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,100.
NHTSA complaint #11737603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I had and still have the Brake Assist failure warning light on and having issues with brake pedal effort not working as it should to stop vehicle and also the stability control warning lights., the brakes hardly work at all at low speeds and most of the time don't stop the vehicle almost causing several crashes. I took vehicle to gm service center and they said they updated software but when I picked up the vehicle and drove it not long after the brake assist warning came back on and I still had no brakes at slower speeds and the problem had actually gotten worse than it was before i took it to them. I called the dealership and told them that the problem had not been fixed and it was worse they said that I would have to pay the service fee / price for parts if I wanted to bring the vehicle back in and to have problem fixed...I explained it was a re call and it was taken to them to have issue fixed in the first place ...and I was told I would have to pay since they updated software ..I then explained it was worse than when I took it to them and still got denied any kind of resolution to the problem. Nothing was fixed or solved. I still had the warning lights on dash and the problem was worse then when I took the vehicle to them for repair. Not long after the transmission went out and the vehicle hadn't been drove. So it sat for 2 yrs or so. I just got a new one put in and the vehicle still has the same problems with the brake system . I reached out to dealership once again and was told I would still have to pay to have the issues fixed when it was never taken care of by them to begin with.
NHTSA complaint #11721467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm and unresponsive, and the vehicle was difficult to stop. The vehicle eventually came to a stop with the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,235.
NHTSA complaint #11718801 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Starting vehicle in parking lot and backing out of parking space. Brakes failed and truck continued to roll backwards almost hitting a pedestrian. I was able to stop hard on the pedal and stop the vehicle. This has happened several times. I have a steep driveway and backing down to the street the brake pedal will unexpectedly have little resistance and the truck will continue to roll into the street almost hitting oncoming traffic.
NHTSA complaint #11674911 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pedal pivot nut came loose and fell off while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11674248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving pulling an empty small U-Haul trailer and attempted to pull in to a fuel station when my brake became impossible to depress. I barely was able to miss hitting gas pumps and ran down into a ditch before the truck stopped. I informed the dealership where I had just purchased this truck used. I took it to their service department and I was told there was no issues with the brakes. They had to have this recall bulletin in their computer system yet failed to make me aware or to perform this recall or report it to GM. The problem continues to worsen to the point I am scared to drive it. I almost rear ended another car at a stoplight yesterday because I was unable to depress the brake pedal. I stood on the brake and heard an electronic sound but finally came to a stop.
NHTSA complaint #11670475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact noticed an abnormal sound, and the vehicle rolled forward before the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed of an unknown recall; however, the recall repair had expired. The contact had not received a recall notification. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the recall had expired in June 2024. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
NHTSA complaint #11665980 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure became a persistent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair as a possible cause of the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11659756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I've had problems with the brakes for several years, the pedal is very hard at low speed. I've seen a recall but not on my car???
NHTSA complaint #11656978 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
"NHTSA campaign: 19V645000 AS the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash." Our vehicle was serviced and repaired for this problem under the recall on 9/6/2019, however, it is now happening again. Is there a second recall for this problem, and/or what can be done to remedy the defective equipment?
NHTSA complaint #11655854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
upon applying brake pedal at low speeds the brake is hard to depress and "choppy" in reacting. this seems same as N192268490 Increased Brake Pedal Effort yet the gmc denali is not apparently in the recall. This has happened on several occassions.
NHTSA complaint #11651825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake system failed in a parking lot three times within a month. It’s related to the special policy and recall regarding the vacuum and the loss of brakes at slower speeds and in reverse. The first two accidents were very minor creating no damage. The third one was at 10mph when I lost my brakes and crashed into a concrete barrier in a parking structure causing significant damage to my truck. I did not get injured but I have a wife and two kids that I am so grateful were not in the truck for the third one with major damage. With that being said my son was in the truck the second time it happened when I crashed into a parked vehicle in a parking lot because I was unable to stop which made me very frustrated and worried for my families safety in my truck. The first accident was in a parking lot where I was backing up and lost the brakes and crashed into a building which is my veterinary office causing damage to the building. Therefore after the first crash due to this issue I have decided that driving with my family in the truck is not an option anymore. It is very disappointing that a truck I purchased for the functionality and safety of having my wife and kids in it is no longer safe for passengers or myself in it. This problem is very reproducible and is a major concern for my family and my safety. It was towed to a GMC dealership in Waukesha and is being inspected and they have stated it is reproducible. No warning lamps or messages were indicated for this issue. The truck will next need to get towed to Crash Champions auto body repair to ultimately get repaired which will take another month. All of this is a major inconvenience as I am a full time firefighter and in paramedic school as well. Not having a reliable safe vehicle for an extended period of time has caused great stress and inconvenience to my family. I’m hoping and praying that something can be done about this quickly and promptly to make this right. Thank you.
NHTSA complaint #11649900 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes fail at low speeds
NHTSA complaint #11643824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Intermittently with slow driving such as parking maneuvers or creeping slow traffic at stop lights the brake pedal becomes very soft and depresses much more than normal and the brake action is decreased. Sometimes with this soft pedal it sounds like ABS is engaging. Pumping pedal sometimes restores brake performance.
NHTSA complaint #11626023 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
It keep having this issue constantly every minute saying trailer brake system
NHTSA complaint #11590276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
low speed truck brake pedal becomes stiff and truck is hard to stop
NHTSA complaint #11573275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Rainy road, 60mph on the hw with my family. Truck decides to engage stabilitrak or something to that feel and locked up the brakes. Talk about a scary moment with an 18 wheeler coming in hot behind you. Obviously, in the moment, I had no clue what was happening other than something with the truck was malfunctioning. This scenario could have gone wrong in so many ways. I'm honestly in shock someone has not been killed because of this?
NHTSA complaint #11559861 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake vacuum pump is failing. When in a parking lot the brakes get very hard al.ist causing an accident. There is no vacuum when trying to park in parking lot. The 2015 GMC Sierra had a recall for this but my VIN did not. Not sure why as it's failing too. I need my truck so will have it fixed today, but want a recall.
NHTSA complaint #11546810 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Constant “service trailer brakes” warning on dash. I Haven’t done anything to cause it.
NHTSA complaint #11540415 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while being depressed. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently while parking or while at a stop. The brake pedal failed to operate as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The engine power reduced message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake booster pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 66,476.
NHTSA complaint #11535577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Body paint delaminating. Also, difficulty sometimes stopping vehicle extra length required to stop
NHTSA complaint #11533879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Problem # 1At low speeds /parking I loose power that affects steering the radio and windows. I get a message on board stability warning message. Steering become hard and can’t control/turn the vehicle Problem #2 at low speeds /parking my brakes loose power I have to press brake really hard to stop truck.
NHTSA complaint #11528569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
In several occasions my brake when approaching stop sign or light and I hit my brakes more than once it goes to the floor and it become difficult to stop without having to push very hard on the brake pedal. It does it almost every time.
NHTSA complaint #11527737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would not slow down. The contact aggressively depressed on the brake pedal and the vehicle was able to stop as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic determined that the vehicle had experienced an unknown failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
NHTSA complaint #11523797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
SERVICE TRAILER BRAKING SYSTEM NOTICE CONTINUES TO POP UP ON THE DASH WHILE DRIVING.
NHTSA complaint #11515512 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake pedal effort is increased, pedal gets hard and vehicle is hard to stop. Happens at slow speed. intermittently.
NHTSA complaint #11512595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Trailer brake system message keeps showing up on my dash and it’s not safely to drive
NHTSA complaint #11512551 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed but hesitated to respond, causing 10-15 feet stopping distance delay. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving downhill. The brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard but failed to respond, almost causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The contact pumped the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped; however, the failure reoccurred while driving at slow speeds and approaching the residence. The contact stated that her son test drove the vehicle at high speed and informed her that the brakes operated as needed. The contact became aware that the failure was occurring mainly while driving at slow speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to pay a diagnostic test fee, but the contact declined. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 61,299.
NHTSA complaint #11509701 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.