54 of the 473 complaints about the 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 are about the electrical system — 11% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 53,000 miles.
54
Complaints
1
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Truck was started using auto start and I drove roughly a mile down the road smelt burning and looked in the back seat, I saw smoke and promptly pulled to the side of the road shut the vehicle off then I heard a loud pop and saw the back drivers side window shattered.
NHTSA complaint #11737629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The rear window on my 2017 GMC Sierra shattered unexpectedly without any impact. The vehicle had been remote started in very cold weather and the rear window glass suddenly shattered while the truck was parked. There was no rock strike or external damage that would explain the failure. I later learned about GM Customer Satisfaction Program N192265660 regarding rear window defroster thermal events affecting certain 2014–2019 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado trucks. Based on the sudden failure and the conditions at the time, this appears consistent with that issue. The Auto Rear Defog feature in the vehicle settings was turned off, however the truck had been started using the remote start feature when the glass shattered. Photos of the shattered window are available. I am submitting this report because the rear window defroster system may cause the glass to overheat and shatter unexpectedly.
NHTSA complaint #11725091 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While the 2017 GMC Sierra was warming up via remote start, I noticed a smell of smoke as I walked by the passenger side of the truck. Then I heard a loud bang as I was walking around the rear of the truck. As I entered the truck from the driver's door I saw the back window, passenger side, shattered. The vehicle was then turned off. According to our dealership the vehicle was looked at under recall N192265660 and deemed safe in May of 2020. A call was placed to GM who said the recall expired in 2022. An offer was made by for payment assistance by the GM representative but could not say how much until we pay the dealership for a diagnostic. This is a know issue by GM. The location of the shattered window is situated inches behind where my child's head would have been had she been in the vehicle.The smell of smoke is extremely concerning because where there's smoke there's fire.
NHTSA complaint #11720780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Started car via remote start. When I went out to the car I noticed smoke in the cab. I then observed the rear power slide window to be smoking and further discovered the rear defroster wires the be smoldering creating considerable smoke. The tempered glass then began to spider and completely cracked. There is a former recall on the rear slide window involving fire hazards and the wiring components. It should also be noted that our 9 month old’s car seat is directly below the window and defroster wiring were the smoldering took place. No warnings lamps were observed prior to the incident.
NHTSA complaint #11707975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving in town going 20mph and the truck shut down not allowing for braking or gas and the steering locked up. Placed the vehicle in neutral, shut the truck off and turned it back. Was able to continue driving. Attempted to have the dealership we bought it from run a diagnostic and the battery was replaced but it continues to shut down at random times. Took the truck to a local auto shop after this happened again, another diagnostic was run, I am waiting the report to confirm what was done.
NHTSA complaint #11694024 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Reverse lights stay on. Causing the battery to drain. The fuse box under the hood is prone to go bad. Even with no corrosion. GM knows this and has not fixed the issue. Its a common problem going back many years. The need to upgrade the fuse box under the hood & the wiring harnesses. My taillight harnesses were completely burned up. The truck could of caught fire. This should be a recall. Instead GM wants to take the money they are making off all the fuse boxes they are selling.
NHTSA complaint #11684712 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle consistently shuts off unexpectedly when trying to park or slow down, making it difficult to steer or control.The electric power steering stops working, especially when turning at low speeds.
NHTSA complaint #11669441 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Total loss of power while in motion on highway going 70 when first happened, got video of problem for shop while going lower speeds. Truck will loose all power the dash will turn off and then turn back on sometimes the engine will cut out completely.
NHTSA complaint #11655419 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear defroster failure. The rear defroster was turned on causing smoke to appear from the power sliding rear window, then the rear window shattered causing glass to fly into the backseat and truck bed.
NHTSA complaint #11653595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Approximately 3 miles into my trip i smelled something burning, thought it was a tractor trailer in front of me. Then my cab filled with smoke, I pulled over on the side of the road and examined the truck. The rear sliding window on the passenger side was cherry red and smoldering. I shut off the rear defrost, the cherry went out then the window shattered. No warning or beeps. My passenger and my safety were at risk to smoke inhalation, the possibility of a wreck, or burning. Gm claims there is no recall on this. But Canada has 159k recalls on this. Vehicle has 120444 miles on it. Temperature was 45 degrees out today at time of incident
NHTSA complaint #11644908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My rear defrosters shorted out causing a small fire and causing the window to explode. The recall for this issue has already been performed on this vehicle...
NHTSA complaint #11632288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When driving the truck sometimes all the gauges start to go out and go back and forth all the dash lights go on an the whole truck goes to low power an only goes about 10miles per hour you pull over and let it cool down for about 20to30 minutes and can start the truck and drive off again took it’ to the dealer for a plug in and he said no code is showing up and can not help me its been doing this for 1and a half years
NHTSA complaint #11627865 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I remote started my truck and entered the vehicle with my girlfriend approximately 3mins after remote starting. We immediately smelled smoke that smelled like an electrical fire. I heard sizzling/static-like/electrical short sounds coming from back seat and when I looked back, I saw thick white smoke pouring out of the the small black plastic trim piece on the rear power sliding window that covers the electrical connections between the sliding pane of the power sliding window and the solid, non-moving pane of glass on the passenger side of the rear window assembly. I immediately shut the truck off and climbed into the back seat with a flashlight to investigate. While looking at the rear window, the passenger side non-moving pane of glass in the rear window EXPLODED very loudly, which actually hurt my ears. The glass stayed intact but spider webbed the entire pane. I immediately pulled the fuse for the rear defroster and cleared the tremendous about of smoke that had filled my cab. The window continued to make sizzling and static like noises for the 20min ride home. Upon investigating this issue online, I discovered that GM has issued a recall on this defect for all of Canada and only certain US states that are above a certain longitude, which doesn’t include my state of PA. I am terrified to use my remote starter on the vehicle now or even preheat the truck manually for fear of burning mu truck down. I contacted a GM dealership who told me my truck didn’t have any active recalls on it and to file an insurance claim. I have since filed a complaint to GM customer service who is investigating my claim to determine if they will cover the repair. They said up to 30days to make determination! This is a huge safety hazard that is known and acknowledged to be in every Silverado and Sierra with a power sliding rear window within the model years 2014-1017
NHTSA complaint #11627874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On [XXX], on or about [XXX], while leaving out the garage the steering wheel locked-up and would not turn unless exceptional strength was used. We immediately notified Garlyn Shelton in Temple, TX dealer and had the 2017 GMC Denali towed with AAA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11612084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
In January 2024, I parked my truck in my garage and shortly after I smelled an electrical burning smell in our house. When I opened the garage, it had smoke throughout the garage and a very strong odor of electrical burning smell. I moved my vehicle outside and tried to find the source, but it was too strong to narrow it down, and the garage smelled like burnt electrical for days. I took the truck to a service shop and they could not find anything wrong at the time. Today, May 2024, I was having trouble getting my trailer lights working. Upon further inspection, I discovered the 7-way interface wiring harness on my vehicle had electrically shorted out and melted a hole in the plastic housing and left melted plastic on the truck frame. The tag on the wiring harness states TAG #138359 7-WAY INTERFACE HARNESS W/O 134971. I believe this electrical short/fire should be part of the NHSTA Recall 18E-014. That recall states those are aftermarket harnesses, but the harness on the vehicle in this complaint is original to the vehicle and was installed by the manufacturer. I plan to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the harness replaced, but I am expecting pushback since the NHSTA recall states this is only aftermarket harnesses.
NHTSA complaint #11586677 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
on [XXX], i remote started my vehicle about 10 minutes prior to leaving work. when i left and walked out to my truck i opened the driver side door and noticed smoke in the vehicle and an odd smell. upon looking around the truck i heard a loud pop and the passenger side of the rear sliding back glass shattered. upon further investigation this has been an ongoing issue with gm trucks and even 159,000 have been recalled in Canada and there has been no recall issued in the United States. the major safety concern is that in the back seat of my vehicle i have two car seats for each of my toddler aged sons. i am just thankful that neither one of them were in the vehicle when this happened. i brought the vehicle to the dealership and they told me that there was indeed a short in the wiring going to the back sliding window and defroster but there was nothing they could do other than replace the glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11576664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Started truck for 10-15 minutes with front and rear defrost on to remove ice from glass. Upon entering the truck, there was a smell of wiring/plastic burning. Smoke was coming from the bottom corner of the rear sliding window. I immediately shut off rear defrost and then shut my truck off. Then the driver side rear glass panel popped and shattered completely.
NHTSA complaint #11572868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Service Trailer Brake System. This has happened in the past 3 Times, in which the local GMC Dealership has made me pay for New Batteries and other Fuel system issues. Dealership stated that this shows up because of a bad battery.
NHTSA complaint #11548856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Today August 22, 2023 at 2:30pm, just about to leave work home when I received a message on my dash board telling/showing me "Service Trailer Brake System". And that sign kept coming on every second all the way home from work, couldn't heard nothing else that us going on inside the car like my phone, radio, turn sign, etc..
NHTSA complaint #11540210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Infotainment System will change stations, stop navigation / change navigation destination, stop / start playing on its own. Examples of recent issues: 1) While driving from southeastern Ohio to West Lafayette, IN, the navigation system (Apple play through the infotainment system) stopped navigation to entered destination and changed destination to home. This occurred while in Indianapolis and caused us to reroute until we noticed the issue. 2) While playing music from bluetooth, the Infotainment system changed from media play to radio play. The change in volume and music caused me to swerve suddenly while in downtown traffic. 3) The radio changed stations continuously for 5 minutes, changing screens and stations for 5 minutes until I finally shut it off. These are just a couple of the examples. Something happens every time I am in the vehicle, the extent varies. All of these situations cause the driver to lose focus of driving, and also create a shock when first happening. After investigation, I have found that many owners of 2017-2020 GMC vehicles with the Infotainment system have the same issue. Some have fixed the problem by installing new systems (GM offers an "upgraded" system that doesn't have the issue... Coincidence?). This leads me to believe that GM acknowledges there is an issue but will not fix it as a recall. I have video of the latest occurrence, but the site will not allow the file type to be uploaded.
NHTSA complaint #11532052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1st incident - tried to park turned in and steering went wild stability control light came on & others then truck shut down. 2nd Incident 2 days later- tried to turn off street (with grandkids in car) same thing steering about snapped my wrists off- check engine light came on and others then truck off this was all in a matter of seconds. I turned it on the info system on dash told me to roll down and then roll up window. Husband when driving noticed barking issues - really having to pump brakes (week before) We looked up recalls they are there for both issues for my year make but I have a bigger engine that the recall states so I am not covered yet it is doing all that same stuff for the recall which my husband put it what the truck was doing and found recalls just not for our engine size- THIS TRUCK IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS WHEN YOU TURN IT WILL SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY. AND YOU LOSE ALL STEERING ETC I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK, ESPECIALLY AS WE HAUL OUR GRANDKIDS AND TRAVEL TO IDAHO ON VERY HIGH CURVY ROADS AGAIN NOT SAFE YOUR COMPONETS IT WANTS ME TO CHECK OFF WONLT LET ME CLICK ON ENGINE & AND OTHER
NHTSA complaint #11527122 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Started my truck to go to the store. When me and my son got in we could smell like hot plastic burning. Figured someone was burning trash so we proceeded to the store. About a mile down the road it sounded like someone fired a gun inside the cab of the truck. So being a combat veteran it triggered me! I instantly swung for the back seat thinking someone was back there and noticed the rear sliding window on the drivers side had blown and shattered. I found a recall online that gm had put out about this specific issue happening. So when I called Varney Gmc of Bangor Maine. They told me the recall had Ben done at 97000 miles and there was nothing they could do unless I paid for it…
NHTSA complaint #11512332 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Trailer Brake System Fault requiring service. Seems like its an issue a lot with Chevy and GMC Trucks.
NHTSA complaint #11507916 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Fully enclosed LED tail light (turn and brake integrated into 1 LED "strip") with no visible moisture ingress/egress system showing retained moisture and no longer functional. Dash light for "rear signal brake light failure" appears. This rear light unit is NOT serviceable or repairable when a light goes out and is fully sealed aside from the reverse light (incandescent bulb and functions fine). LED's should have a lifespan that outlives the vehicle and a major incentive to have LED integration with lighting is the lifespan and reduced need for service. Now the taillight and brake light stop working and can not be fixed without spending <$500 per side. This is a safety issue that seems to be closely related to the issues with the GMC Yukon's of the same generation.
NHTSA complaint #11507572 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving down the road. Thankfully it was late at night and the roads were empty. But the truck shut down and brakes locked up and steering wheel locked. Once I was at a full stop. I turned the truck off and back on and was able to drive home. But I called Gmc regarding this issue and brought they couldn’t find anything wrong
NHTSA complaint #11500553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased my vehicle in January 2022. On 11/18/22 I captured a photo across my dash stating that the trailer brake system needed to be serviced (photo attached) . This was the second time this message appeared within days. The vehicle continued to beep and flash for a long period of time clearing out my dash screen making it UNSAFE TO DRIVE. The beeping noise startled me, almost causing an accident on the freeway. I did not know what the warning meant as I wasn't towing a trailer. I wasn't towing anything and could not turn off the beeping sound or the flashing screen, in spite of hitting the dismiss button. I don't know why the message continued to go on and assuming there is an electrical shortage somewhere with the wiring. This needs to be recalled and fixed as it is a manufacturer issue. I do not have any aftermarket parts installed in this vehicle. This same alert message appeared again yesterday 12/5/22 as I was driving back from the airport. It continued for almost 2 hours while on the freeway and again I was not pulling or towing anything. I pulled over, checked my tailgate, turned off the vehicle and turned it back on and the message continued until I got home. It is very alarming and annoying and scared me. This is a big safety hazard and almost caused an accident again as the alert is very loud and flashes across, clearing out your screen, causing you to take your eyes off traffic looking ahead. This time, I was traveling in heavy traffic. Please investigate this further. Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11496216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The trucks power source starts failing when going at about 15 mph and turning a bit, it happens when coming to a stop or when you’re about to park. The steering wheel starts getting super stiff and all the power buttons and lights start going dim and the truck shuts off. The truck can turn on right after but at times it takes about 15 minutes for the system to reboot and then the truck will finally turn. When this happens you can’t turn on hazard light making it a dangerous situation at night! I’ve talked to other gmc owner with the Denali models and they have stated as well that they’ve had the same issue occur at least once to them, this truck currently does it very often and even more in the cold weather! There has been a recall on earlier an earlier year of the same model truck but just not this one making it tedious to try to get it fixed. I’ve took it to the mechanic and they’ve changed the ground wires, it made the problem just happen less frequently, but it still occurs.
NHTSA complaint #11494475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
As I am driving the truck I notice that as the accelerator is pressed the truck does not respond as it should. I have taken this to a service repair shop and they have stated it is a ongoing issue with these vehicles. So I have taken it upon myself to look online and sure enough OTHERS have also states the same things.
NHTSA complaint #11493186 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While making a quick left hand turn at low speed, steering wheel suddenly locked, all lights and electrical went out and engine died. This left me stuck in a busy intersection with no lights. I was able to restart engine after a minute or so. Error message appeared "roll driver side window up, etc." Needless to say, no longer have confidence driving my truck not knowing when this situation may re-occur.
NHTSA complaint #11492937 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The service trailer brake system keeps coming on. The notification constantly alerts and it’s distracting my driving.
NHTSA complaint #11478487 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.