149 of the
769 complaints filed about the GMC Sierra 3500
are about the braking system —
19% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2001.
"The integrated trailer brake system abruptly fails while towing heavy loads, completely disabling trailer break stopping power and creating an imminent threat of highway crash and serious bodily injury." The sound system inherently stops working and will not produce sound from any device in the truck weather that be Hazards, Blinkers, Radio including AM,FM, Sirus Radio, Bluetooth or Car play as well as OnStar. The truck has been taken to a certified GMC dealer 4 times for these exact issues with also being provided the service bulletin information #N232414840 dated July 16, 2025 stating that the 2024 gmc 2500/3500 HD trucks requiring a new Trailer Break Control Module. This issue has been on going from September 2025 and still an issue as July 16, 2026 and still in the Shop today with a call back stating ready for pick up with the same module but dealer stated re flashed module. ( this is the 3rd reflash )
NHTSA complaint #11750810 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front and rear brake caliper hoses collapsed. The failure caused a complete loss of braking ability. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that a brake hose failure caused the brake caliper hoses to collapse, impacting the brake caliper pistons. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
NHTSA complaint #11749321 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2026 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at 35-40 MPH on the interstate and towing a loaded trailer, the vehicle experienced reduced braking performance. No warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed that the brakes performed differently. Additionally, the dealer stated that the transmission was not downshifting. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 500.
NHTSA complaint #11749030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact filed the complaint on behalf of the owner of a 2021 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while the vehicle owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver noticed that the rear wheels were attempting to lockup. The contact stated that the failure was noticeable while driving forward and while reversing. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with detached rear brake pads and detached rear emergency brake shoes. In addition, the rear brake caliber had seized. The vehicle owner was informed that the rear brake pads and the rear emergency brake shoes needed to be replaced, and the rear brake caliber needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,606.
NHTSA complaint #11743698 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The electronic part of the truck gave a warning and shut off my trailer brake system while towing a 21K 5th wheel trailer (X2). The truck is available for inspection. Any part of the electronics package that has the ability to disable a trailer braking system while towing needs to be removed/disabled immediately. The truck has not been seen by a dealer yet. yes there was a warning I briefly saw both times, but I can't say what it said.
NHTSA complaint #11732209 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
The contact owns a 2025 GMC Sierra 3500 used for hauling a 2026 Aluminum Trailer equipped with a DeeMaxx: DBI-7K-MAXX-SS-KIT brake kit. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake caliper bracket detached due to insufficient generic quality bolts included in the brake kit. The contact pulled over and had the trailer towed to an RV park. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the failure was caused by improper installation. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11731433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The truck automatically engages the parking brake ONLY when on an incline, never at any other time. I am so used to engaging the parking brake at all other times I also engage it when on an incline. The problem is the truck DISENGAGES the brake automatically after I've engaged it. This has happened multiple times when I've been towing a large boat on a launch ramp or towing my heavy 5th wheel. I can be fully exited from the truck and 10 ft away when it disengages and I watch it lurch forward. Simple answer would be for me to not engage the brake on an incline, but its a total habit all the time so I never remember to not engage it on an incline. This is a dangerous feature that needs to be removed ASAP. Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11714433 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving on the freeway going approx 70 MPH and the ABS warning light, and Stabilitrak warning light suddenly turned on. I’m sure you can imagine how panicked I was going that fast on the freeway and having my brake warnings suddenly turn on. Especially with my entire family in the vehicle with me at the time. Could feel a difference when I was attempting to brake and exit the freeway. Had to apply tons of pressure to get the brake pedal to engage. The cruise control would no longer work, and the trailer brake monitoring system also began flashing. Truck has been to 2 GMC dealerships the ABS module was replaced made it approximately 2 miles and it came back on. Truck is currently waiting for another part to attempt to fix the problem. Truck has 86,000 miles on it.
NHTSA complaint #11705328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2013 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the ABS independently engaged. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.
NHTSA complaint #11690612 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My truck is experiencing the Brake Controller failures as documented in GM Bulletin N232414840 - Customer Satisfaction Program Intermittent Loss of Trailer Brakes. This problem has occurred several times over the past year. I thought it was the wiring on my trailer - so I checked and found no problems (plus it works properly on other tow vehicles). Additionally, the problem resets and works properly after turning the truck off and back on (resets the system). It then works properly until it unexpectedly disconnects again. I thought the problem was unique to my vehicle until I got online and discovered that this is a known issue for others as well (2024 GM HD trucks). I contacted my GM dealer (and GM's customer satisfaction center as noted in the bulletin) and they informed me that my truck is not covered under this recall (not one of the covered VINs). I told them that I'm having this issue and they told me to report the problem to the NHTSA. Needless to say, GM has not included all the applicable vehicles in their recall (like mine) and I need the issue corrected before it causes a serious accident.
NHTSA complaint #11690268 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the messages "Service Charging System" and "Service Diesel Emissions System" were displayed, and suddenly the power steering and power brakes malfunctioned, causing the contact to almost lose control of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 79,000.
NHTSA complaint #11688172 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the message “Trailer Brake Disconnected" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact was hauling a 5th-wheel trailer during the failure. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. Most recently, while driving 55 MPH, the message "Trailer Brake Disconnected" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and waited before restarting the vehicle and continuing driving. The contact stated that before the most recent failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the trailer plug was replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V758000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
NHTSA complaint #11683399 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hose from power steering pump came off causing truck to loose power steering and brakes. Fortunately we had just exited the interstate and were in a parking lot when this occurred. Truck was towed 90 miles to dealer who confirmed that hose was incorrectly installed by factory
NHTSA complaint #11683541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is my 4th GM 3500 dully and the first time with this kind of problem. I took my truck in for inspection and it came back with a clean bill of health about 25,000 miles on the 2024. When I got it back I noticed a vibration when breaking. I took the truck back in to find it had bluing on the rotors and the break pads have holes in them. I was told this came from over heating. I looked up info to see if this was a common problem and found the in 2022 GM changed the material to help with noise problems and this material had been know of premature break problems. I called GM customer service and they told me to work with the dealership, the dealership called the district manager and all parties have decided to ignore the issue. I also have 2 of these truck driven by 2 different people with the same problem at the same millage. I will make a 2nd report for the 2nd truck.
NHTSA complaint #11680078 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I just bought my truck a 2024 GMC 3500 and in a few weeks after purchase. I took my truck in for a break vibration. I took the truck back in to find it had bluing on the rotors and the break pads have holes in them. I was told this came from over heating. They said it was missed on the pre sale inspection they did. I looked up info to see if this was a common problem and found the in 2022 GM changed the material to help with noise problems and this material had been know of premature break problems. The dealership denied doing the work under warranty. I called GM customer service and they told me to work with the dealership, the dealership called the district manager and all parties have decided to ignore the issue. I also have 2 of these truck driven by 2 different people with the same problem at the same millage. I will make a 2nd report for the 2nd truck.
NHTSA complaint #11680087 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction
NHTSA complaint #11676023 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH and towing a Forest River Riverstone Legacy 5th Wheel trailer, the brake pedal was depressed to slow for oncoming stopped traffic; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed with the “Service Trailer Brake” warning light illuminated. The contact was able to stop however, the brake pedal had to be depressed to the floorboard to slow the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer and was made aware of Customer Satisfaction Program: N232414840 - and replaced the Trailer Brake Power Module (TBPM). The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact returned the vehicle to the same dealer and the Trailer Brake Power Module was replaced a second time. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to another dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was with the 5th Wheel RV. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
NHTSA complaint #11672342 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While towing my fifth wheel trailer, the truck intermittently disconnects the trailer brakes while in motion. This results in a sudden loss of roughly 75% of my braking capability, creating an extremely dangerous situation. I have a professional driving background, which has helped me avoid an accident so far, but this issue could easily result in a collision, especially under emergency braking or downhill conditions Service Attempt: On June 17, 2025, I brought the vehicle to Madras Chevrolet in Oregon. The dealership acknowledged the issue but stated the truck is “within GM parameters,” so no repairs were made. They claimed the problem might be with the trailer, but I’ve confirmed the trailer works properly with other tow vehicles. This appears to be a systemic electrical or control issue with the truck. Safety Concern: No vehicle should be allowed to disable trailer brakes while moving. This is a clear design or control system fault. I am concerned that other GMC or GM truck owners may be at similar risk and urge the NHTSA to investigate this problem before it results in serious injury or death. PS. On social media most owners say this is happening to them
NHTSA complaint #11668227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased my vehicle in 2019. Since then, I have had several issues. I've had to replace the coolant reservoir, DEF heater/pump and twice changed the number 8 injector plug. The warning light came on just after the warranty went out. The code reader read the ambient sensor and no sensor.
NHTSA complaint #11661793 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.