63 of the
769 complaints filed about the GMC Sierra 3500
are about the fuel system —
8% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2001.
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic fuel system failure involving the high-pressure fuel pump and related fuel system components. While driving, the engine began stalling and lost power, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. The failed components were replaced during repairs; however, the repair records, photographs, and additional documentation are available for inspection upon request. The failure created a significant safety risk because the vehicle stalled unexpectedly while being driven, resulting in a sudden loss of power. This placed the occupants and surrounding motorists at risk by reducing the driver's ability to safely control the vehicle or move it out of traffic. The problem was confirmed by an independent repair facility, which documented extensive metallic contamination (metal shavings) throughout the fuel system. Photographs and videos taken during the inspections document metallic contamination within the fuel system. From our understanding, cp4 pump failure has been a common issue.
NHTSA complaint #11749639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Have been driving it on four separate occasions and the engine will start running rough and shut off leaving me with no power brakes or power steering. Once when I was going about 30 miles an hour the other three times when I was coming to a stop with a trailer on just took it in Kendall Chevrolet for the first time they are still working on it but unable to duplicate the problem this is a very serious safety concern for myself and possibly for others that have the same issue
NHTSA complaint #11744605 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission valve body failure contestant with Recall # N242454440. Dealer diagnosed valve body failure and corrective action of Valve body rebuild. I would like 2024 models to be included with this recall for proper repair per Special Coverage # N242454441.
NHTSA complaint #11738513 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Gmc Sierra 3500. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed the vehicle suddenly shutoff, the vehicle was coasted to side of the road. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V739000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed to be the fuel control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 177,000.
NHTSA complaint #11734912 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The service department has identified "gasoline contamination" as the cause of a fuel system failure; however, this diagnosis is directly contradicted by both the shop’s internal test results and independent laboratory analysis.the shop performed an API Gravity test and a Styrofoam cup test.•API Gravity Result (35): According to GM Service Information (GMSi), the standard API range for #2 diesel is 30–39. result of 35 is a textbook "pass" for clean diesel. Gasoline contamination would typically spike this number into the 50s.GMSi protocol indicates that gasoline-contaminated diesel will melt a cup within 30 minutes.results only provided a "softened bottom," which is an inconclusive result per GMSi standards.Sinclair Refinery lab confirms the fuel sample taken from my vehicle is within 100% of factory specifications for diesel, with zero gasoline or DEF detected.Violation of GM Service Protocols even assuming the shop’s diagnosis of contamination was correct, the repair performed deviates dangerously from GMSi requirementsFor a 2024 L5P Duramax that has been cranked with contaminated fuel, GMSi (e.g., Bulletin 16-NA-376) mandates the replacement of the entire high-pressure fuel system, including the pump, both fuel rails, and all eight fuel injectors. shop replaced only the pump and cleaned the lines. This "partial repair" is not a GM-approved recovery procedure for contamination. Reusing potentially contaminated injectors and rails is the primary cause of catastrophic repeat failures.This clearly falls under warranty work and I should not had been charged for this repair. The dealership refusing to acknowledge my concerns and evidence is not only dangerous to the safety of myself and passengers, but raises concern for my vehicles future maintenance status, both inside and out of warranty. This shows a deceptive business practice and complete lack of accountability, compassion and moral understanding for the customer.I am owed a full refund and a warranty claim open
NHTSA complaint #11729038 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there would be a diesel odor coming into the cabin of the vehicle. The failure had become more persistent, causing black smoke to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The failure caused the contact and other vehicle passengers to have headaches, nausea, and dizziness. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact began speaking to their daughter, sitting in the front passenger seat, and noticed her not responding. When looking over, the contact noticed her daughter's head was lowered. The contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road, where she pulled her daughter out of the vehicle and called an ambulance. A fire truck was also dispatched in order to drive the vehicle to the fire department, where they tested the vehicle; however, they were unable to duplicate the failure. The contact's daughter was taken to the hospital, where it was determined that she had suffered from carbon dioxide poisoning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) was clogged, and that the Exhaust Manifold and Turbo Inlet were both fractured, causing a blockage in the Engine Bank. It was determined that all the avenues through which air and carbon should have been exiting the vehicle had failed and were causing everything to come into the cabin of the vehicle instead. The vehicle was scheduled for repair; however, only the exhaust manifold could be repaired, while the other parts, such as the DPF and hose, were on national backorder and awaiting retrieval. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact stated the manufacturer had been avoiding acknowledging that black smoke had been entering the vehicle's cabin and had yet to resolve that issue. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
NHTSA complaint #11722160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving in the high way and the vehicle started having issues and then it completely shut off and wouldn’t drive or anything in the middle of the highway and the dash said it was reducing power.
NHTSA complaint #11714077 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My IntelliBeam function stops working sometimes, I can still use the lights as normal but the IntelliBeam function stops every so often and starts working after about 2 to 10 mins. Lane departure warning stops every so often and will start working after 1 to 10 mins, I have noticed that when it stops working at night time then the IntelliBeam function stops working also. When I press the on/off button for lane departure then it will say that lane departure is unavailable right now. I have been getting a p20ee code showing something is wrong with SCR nox sensor 2. Scan tool reveals that the sensor works normal and then stops. Once I clear the code then it works good for a few days.
NHTSA complaint #11661486 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Def heater connection on the tank will arc and melt down causing engine derate and costly repairs. Gm know and has released a service bulletins in 2022. Bulletins N212342980. But even with bulletins done still fails. And talking todealer ships it a very common problem and there is a shortage in parts.
NHTSA complaint #11648405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was towing my 44'camper entering the highway and during excellration there was a loud bang and the truck shuddered no lights on the dash. Pulled over and did a visual check of the vehicle and did not see anything out of ordinary. Continued on our journey and during the the week noticed clunking noise when shifting into park and into drive with no camper. We shortened our trip and returned home with no futher incidents. Received recall letter from GM in December, called the dealer and was told Gm has not released my VIN number yet. Called twice in January 2025 and the software was done on February 20, 2025. Truck seems to run as it should. I use the truck for business and to tow my camper. The software is only a patch. My fear is I'm out traveling with my 44' camper and the truck goes into limp mode limiting to fifth gear. Then I have to get the truck towed home and the camper. I travel with 3 dogs too. GM has known about this issue and has failed to fix the problem leaving me and my family at risk of a serious accident. I can not work without my truck and GM does not care about me or my family. I have several camping trips scheduled for this year and I'm considering canceling them because I don't feel comfortable with the software update.
NHTSA complaint #11645490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle jerked, lost motive power, and almost stopped unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot, where the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the diagnostic trouble code: P129F was displayed, and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the failure might be related to the fuel pump control module and that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
NHTSA complaint #11627460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
First incident we were driving on the interstate towing a fifth wheel RV, and several warning lights illuminated before everything just shut down. Manage to get to the side of the road. Vehicle finally restarted and the rest of the trip was uneventful. Second incident, vehicle had not run for two days, got in and while the starter cranks, the engine will not start or run. Engine/Transmission service and fuel system service messages showing on app and on email from OnStar. Vehicle requires towing to dealer.
NHTSA complaint #11622920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bought the vehicle new in 2019 currently at a dealership to have the third in tank electric fuel pump installed. When it was in the shop for the second fuel pump installation the technician informed me that the pump can go out at any time causing a potential accident. Fortunately truck wouldn’t start and was diagnosed at dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11620902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated intermittently. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact noticed that the vehicle was experiencing reduced power and performance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the NOx sensor was replaced and a manual DPF regeneration was performed. The vehicle was repaired and remained at the dealer. The contact related the failure to GM Campaign Number: N212351211. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
NHTSA complaint #11598231 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bosch CP4 fuel pump failure that shut down vehicle while driving, luckily did not cause an accident. Would not restart. Damaged entire fuel system including injectors and now have $17,000 in damage that needs repaired.
NHTSA complaint #11569266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is a 2016 GMC 3500 Denali truck with 70,000 miles on it. The Bosch fuel pump threw metal shavings into the fuel system. This is a known issue with GMC trucks with a Bosch CP4 fuel pump for 2011-2016. The engine suddenly quits running leaving the driver without power steering or power brakes. It happened to me when pulling a 14,000-pound 5th-wheel RV. Fortunately, I was on an interstate outside of Grand Junction CO and the road was flat. If I had been in the mountains going downhill and the engine quit I'd likely caused an accident perhaps fatal. GMC quoted me $16,000 to repair. Again, this is a known issue at GMC but they refuse to do anything about it. GMC Dealership in Grand Junction performed the analysis and advised me to drive it home to Phoenix. I got 60 miles when the engine quit. Cost me $1,600 to get the truck returned to my GMC Dealer in Phoenix and another $1,600 to get my trailer back home.
NHTSA complaint #11549427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2016 GMC 3500 Diesel that had a serious mechanical breakdown while traveling on the freeway. The truck lost all motive power and needed to coast across 4 freeway lanes. Once towed to a local GMC Dealer, they diagnosed the problem as the Bosch CP4 fuel pump internally came apart while driving. I have to have this vehicle working so I got it repaired at a cost of $16,145. This is a known issue and losing all power while at highway speeds could have caused a serious incident. Please address this issue before someone dies.
NHTSA complaint #11532754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Part Number: 85138746 - DEF tank assembly, heater, pump, reservoir. I was told there were issues with the heater and pump. The heater turns high or the heater won’t work; and there are issues with the connector.02/24/22: My truck has 16,000 approx. miles. The check engine light came on and displayed message that I had so many miles until truck would be restricted to 65MPH. I took my truck into Kendall dealership in Nampa, Idaho and was told there was myself and another person who had the same issue. A couple weeks go by and I call the dealership back and was told that I was 5th in line and there were 20 behind me. I was told that there were 11,000 parts already spoken for and 6,000 parts on backorder. I was one of the backorder individuals. I was also told that they do not have a ETA on when they would receive parts and that parts show up unexpected. They told me that I would have to contact GM customer service for assistance. The dealer called me back March 31st to see if I got my camper moved and how much it cost to move. They told me the dealership would cover one month truck payment and would like me to send in my loan payment statement. I asked for clarification as I didn’t know how I could have been 2nd person and the other day he said I was fifth in line. He said that there are at least 2-3 persons for service technician at dealership. Only 2 got fixed in the last 2 months. I asked if the new part going in will have the same issue or will be a re-designed part that fixes the issue. Dealer said the same part. GM is working on a re-design part and not ready for manufacturing. I asked why this wasn’t on a recall and he said no because it would bring people in that don’t need it replaced because their part is still working, and that GM doesn’t have a re-designed part to fix the issue. Gortsema Motors in Grangeville, Idaho a friend brought in their 2018 Chevydiesel truck (with 87,000 miles) for the same issue. Dealer said they have many cases.
NHTSA complaint #11459422 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
•The diesel exhaust fluid heater is a faulty component in the system, there is a back order on the part with no ETA • My pickup only does 55MPH right now and soon to do 5MPH you cannot drive on a public road doing 5MPH •There is thousands of other people having the same exact problem! •The DEF light is illuminated on my dash along with the check engine light, when you diagnose the error code it comes up with “P20C1 Reductant Heater C Control Circuit/OPEN”
NHTSA complaint #11454519 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.