2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems, complaints & recalls

2009 GMC Sierra 1500 recalls (4)

• Recall 21V050000Feb 5, 20212,641,272 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.

• Recall 21V053000Feb 5, 2021692,526 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C."

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328790.

• Recall 21V052000Feb 5, 2021557,023 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

  Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

  Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 20, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328780.

• Recall 18V267000Apr 26, 20186,154 vehicles
  EQUIPMENT

  General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf

  Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.

  Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and Isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. GM's number for this recall is 18146.

NHTSA defect investigations

• DP22005Opened Jan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023led to recall 22V063000

  Pedestrian alert sounds

  NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after Marc…

• EA21002Opened Sep 17, 2021Open

  Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.C…

Recent 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Feb 11, 2026ILSteering

   This letter serves as a formal notice of concern and demand for accountability regarding the 2009 GMC Sierra LD, VIN [XXX] , owned by [XXX] . There are numerous documented complaints and safety investigations concerning premature tie rod failure in 2009 GMC Sierra models. While the 2009 model year may not have been subject to a sweeping, industry-wide recall specific to tie rods in the 1500 series, it is undeniably and consistently associated with premature steering…

   NHTSA complaint #11717359 · source
2. Filed Nov 4, 2025SCAirbags

   Early October my passenger side airbag deployed and I was sitting in the drivers seat and had just put the key into the key hole but did not turn the key to start the vehicle. 3 weeks later I was going into the passenger side of the vehicle and the key was in my pocket and the drivers side airbag deployed. Both times the vehicle was not started and the airbags deployed I called GMC and they had the vehicle towed to a dealer to investigate why the airbags deployed. They said…

   NHTSA complaint #11697435 · source
3. Filed Aug 18, 202556,000 miNVEngine

   The contact owns a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The traction control and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact used a code reader and discovered a misfire in cylinder #4, and performed a compression test, which verified that cylinder #4 was failing to maintain compression. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that there was…

   NHTSA complaint #11681424 · source
4. Filed Jun 18, 2025NEEngine

   To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this report regarding repeated engine and valve lifter failures in my 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 with a 5.3L V8 engine, VIN: [XXX] . 1. Component/System Malfunctioned: Both the original engine and a replacement engine—professionally installed by a Chevrolet dealership—experienced valve lifter failure related to the Active Fuel Management (AFM) system. The most recent failure was sudden and unexpected. The engine may be available for…

   NHTSA complaint #11667844 · source
5. Filed Mar 11, 2025TXTransmission & Drivetrain

   Allison transmission - random hard shifts, random multiple DTC's, random limp mode. Clear codes and works fine until it doesn't. Might have to clear codes 3-4 times a day or it might make it a week before it goes into limp mode again.

   NHTSA complaint #11647697 · source
6. Filed Dec 23, 2024MSAirbags

   General Published an article about the Takata Airbag recall stating that the dashboard would be inspected prior to doing the recall work and if already cracked or damaged the dashboard would not be replaced. My dash board is like new with no damage or cracks. The dealer told me (contrary to this article) that if their service men damaged my dashboard while doing the recall replacement I would be responsible for any replacement even if my dashboard is in perfect condition…

   NHTSA complaint #11632137 · source
7. Filed Jan 7, 2024UTElectrical System

   TCM and electrical transmission grounded out TCM IN MY RESEARCH a lot of people are having issues with these. Dealers are of no help “backordered” so having to rebuild them. This is an expensive failure!

   NHTSA complaint #11564073 · source
8. Filed Jul 31, 2023GAElectrical System

   While driving on Saturday, July 29th, I went to make a right turn @ intersection of Nottingham Way onto Ledo Rd. The vehicle started jerking and suddenly shutoff. I had no power steering, No power brakes. I had to manually steer and stop the truck into the median, while avoiding oncoming traffic. I got the vehicle to stop. I tried to restart and the engine turned over, but would not start. I contacted the local Chevrolet dealership, and was told they don't work on anything…

   NHTSA complaint #11535542 · source

Compare the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 with another vehicle →

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology