100 of the
11,357 complaints filed about the GMC Sierra 1500
are about the seat belts —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH with her husband and grandson inside the vehicle and entering the driveway at the residence, there was an abnormally loud explosion coming from inside the vehicle and the driver’s side seat belt tightened unexpectedly. The contact was able to park the vehicle. The contact sustained bruising to the chest. The contact looked at her husband and became aware that the passenger’s side seat belt had tightened and there was blood dripping on the left side of the face, and her grandson had a bruise on the inner thigh. The contact took her husband to the Emergency Room for several fractured ribs. The contact’s grandson smelled an abnormal burning odor and became aware that the front passenger’s side seat belt was smoking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a seat belt pre-tensioner failure. The contact was informed that the seat belt pre-tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 208,809.
NHTSA complaint #11757393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was in a rollover accident on June 26th 2025 in my boyfriends 2007 GMC Sierra 1500 where we flipped 5 and a half times. The wheel separated from the rim. I will upload photos since I am unsure how to explain how the wheel damage is. During the crash the drivers air bags deployed but the passengers did not. When we finally landed we ended up on the roof. My boyfriend tried to unbuckle my seatbelt but it would not release. He ended up cutting my seatbelt and then at that time (approx 3 min after we landed) the passenger airbag deployed striking my boyfriend in the back, neck and head. Which knocked him out for approx 1 hour. My boyfriend had several open lacerations to his back, neck, head and his arms and metal pieces were imbedded in his skin. He also suffered other injuries like a fractured back, and several other medical problems.I got a severe concussion in which it has caused me severe headaches, memory problems and cognitive issues. Both of us have reduced quality of life.
NHTSA complaint #11756858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR IS FAILING TO RETRACT. I HAD A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE AND AS WE CAME TO A STOP IN MY DRIVEWAY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE SHE UNHOOKED (RELEASED) THE SEATBELT AND IT WILL NOT RETRACT. THE SEATBELT IS NOW CURRENTLY EXTENDED OUT AND WILL NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE RETRACTOR. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE TODAY 08-05-2026, I CALLED THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM AND THEY STATE THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE WITH THIS ISSUE. I DID LOOK THE ISSUE UP ON GOOGLE AND INFACT IS STATES A PROBLEM WITH THE SEATBELT RETRACTOR FOR MY VEHICLE. I SENT THEM A SCREENSHOT OF THE CONFIRMATION FOUND AND THEY DECLINE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A REPAIR STATING THERE IS NO RECALL. I WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY FEED THE BELT BACK INTO THE RETRACTOR, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT BUT I SAT IN THE SEAT TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND IT WILL DUPLICATE. THE SEATBELT IS CURRENTLY EXTENDED AND WILL NOT RETRACT AUTOMATICALLY. THE SHOULDER STAP WILL NOT FIT SECURELY AROUND A PASSENGER AT THIS TIME. I HAVE HAD NO PRIOR USE OF THE VEHICLE UNTIL TODAY AS I PURCHASED IT FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER WHO STATES THEY DID A FULL INSPECTION OF IT PRIOR TO SELLING BUT APPARENTLY THIS ISSUE WAS NOT REPAIRED PRIOR TO SELLING IT.
NHTSA complaint #11755159 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the front driver's seat belt completely failed. The lap belt portion came apart, causing the chest strap to loosen. Upon inspection, the contact observed that the steel anchor cable bolted to the floor had separated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.
NHTSA complaint #11742780 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down the highway at 70 mph, when there was a loud bang followed by a gun powder smell. My seatbelts went tight...hazard lights automatically came on...radio went dead...and the Airbag light came on. The pretensioners in both driver and passenger seats had deployed. I pulled over and shut the truck off, to get out and inspect it. There was no warning, and luckily I was composed enough to not wreck into anyone or anything. I see there have been a few similar incidents, so I'm glad this isn't just a solitary incident.
NHTSA complaint #11726399 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated the front passenger’s seat belt was difficult to buckle, and it recently started unbuckling while a passenger was seated in the passenger’s seat with the seat belt buckled. The contact stated that when the seat belt was unbuckled, the seat belt warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
NHTSA complaint #11693351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 [XXX] miles 36,500. My childs seatbelt does not work and the lane keep assist does not work INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11678503 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our middle seat belt has stopped working in the back seat- we have not had it replaced yet. No damage was done on it by us, but will not click into the buckle. Driving on the hi-way engine started making awful noises. We pulled over and had the truck towed to Royal Moore GMC in Hillsboro Oregon as we didn't want to cause any more harm to the engine. Royal Moore GMC informed us the engine rod bearing failed on [XXX], leading to breaching of the engine block by the rod. This caused us to replace the entire engine at the cost of over 13,000$ and no vehicle for over 3 months. (Along with engine replaced they told us we had to replace the O2 sensor as the light came on after the engine was replaced). We had to take a hardship loan to get the engine replaced, and had the truck back for 1 day before we had a o2 error l light came back on. At this time (May 5th) we are still waiting for our truck back. Royal Moore doesn't know why the engine light is on- and contacted TAC for GMC. We also contacted GMC multiple times when we were waiting for the engine. They have offered no help to us besides empty promises to call us back later. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11659060 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving a new 2024 GMC Sierra SLT (13,000), I received a prompt to SERVICE SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM. My airbag lamp also illuminated and is now on. Upon researching this issue, it refers to potential failure of seatbelts and/or airbags. I have an appointment tomorrow at the dealership to have them diagnose the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11641642 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 1999 N/A GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 00V097000 (SEAT BELTS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11641210 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving in a parking structure at low speed when a loud bang went off inside the cab. The hazard lights went off, there was an acrid electrical smell, and fine dust was coming from the steering wheel area. I stopped the truck and got out to look for a collision, but there was none. When I restarted the truck, the air bag light came on and I noticed that the seatbelts were retracted and no longer functional. I was not injured, but I believe that if this had happened in traffic or on the highway, I and my passenger could have been seriously hurt. The vehicle was towed to the GMC dealership, where they identified an error with the module that sends a signal to the airbags and seatbelts to deploy. Prior to this occurrence, I had no indication that the airbag/seatbelt system was faulty or in need of service.
NHTSA complaint #11633611 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My son's 2015 GMC Sierra side impact air bags went off while he was driving. He had no impact. He thought he hit a small pot hole but after driving back on the road, it was recently paved so it was not a pot hole. He guessed it was the edge of the road from the recent paving that he hit. He heard a loud noise like a gun shot. His cabin filled up with smoke and the side impact air bags when off. When he took the truck to the GM Dealership, it gave a code for front air bag deployment due to impact. But the side air bags went off and there was no impact. The only damage to the truck is the deployed side airbags and the locked seatbelts. He has a warranty but they kicked it to GM. Warranty stated that if they fixed it, they were worried that it would happen again. We filed a claim with GM. After GM sent three different inspectors out and over 5 weeks later, they denied the claim. They have also not sent the inspection reports as requested. My son did not have this truck for the first three months he owned it because GM could not find the faulty code causing transmission issues. I am worried the air bags deployment will happen again while he is driving at a high speed and cause a serious wreck.
NHTSA complaint #11584270 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while buckling the front driver’s side seat belt, the bottom half of the seat belt attached to the floorboard snapped and came apart. The contact stated that the failure rendered the seat belt inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there was no recall or warranty on the vehicle related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
NHTSA complaint #11581688 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was no audible chime or alert heard. After driving and then restarting the vehicle there was still no audible sound from the electrical system. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V301000 (Electrical System, Seat Belts) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
NHTSA complaint #11569219 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On my 2014 GMC, the front driver side seatbelt was not latching. We had to finagle to latch it. To which this point we were unsure that we were safe. So I brought the GMC to the GMC Rosedale dealership and after further investigation they charge me $522 to repair replace the belt. I told them it’s a safety issue, but they seem not to care, I also contacted GMC corporate and they are investigating this. So if it state law that you have to wear a seatbelt for your safety, why do dealerships charge you to repair or replace them.?
NHTSA complaint #11565153 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed with her in the front passenger seat, he noticed that the vehicle in front of his had stopped. The contact stated that her husband immediately depressed the brake pedal, causing the vehicle to forcefully stop. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt pretensioner failed to retract, causing her to hit the back of her head against the headrest. The contact stated that she sustained neck injuries but did not seek medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, but the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 73,833.
NHTSA complaint #11540495 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My truck lost all audio including radio, turn signals and seat belt warning chimes. I feel this is a major safety concern not having a seat belt warning as well as an open door alert. The dealership notified me there is not a recall on the 2015 model and I would be charged for any and all labor.
NHTSA complaint #11513349 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE MIDDLE REAR SEATBELT FAILS TO LOCK WHEN RETRACTED, THEREFORE I CANNOT USE MY GRANDCHILD'S BOOSTER SEAT. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ORDERED A REPLACEMENT, BUT COST NEARLY $300. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW IN DECEMBER 2018, BUT HAVE NEVER HAD TO USE THE REAL SEATBELT UNTIL NOW. THEREFORE I DID NOT KNOW IT DID NOT WORK PROPERLY UNTIL NOW.
NHTSA complaint #11511148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.