Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 GMC Sierra, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes45
- Service brakes, hydraulic38
- Electrical system31
- Power train29
- Steering27
- Vehicle speed control12
- Engine and engine cooling9
- Structure6
- Suspension6
- Tires5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 2 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 120 2003 Sierra vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 63 people died inside them, and 31 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 GMC Sierra failed the safety check 1.40% of the time — 34% less often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 159,898 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
1 2003 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls in Canada
8 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 GMC Sierra.
| 2011074 21 Feb 2011 | Heater And Defroster On certain vehicles, the interface between the electrical terminals of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) blower relay resistor module and th… |
| 2005119 25 Apr 2005 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, the 2nd row centre occupant seat belt routing may make it difficult to position the lap portion of the safety belt low around the hips of o… |
| 2005116 22 Apr 2005 | Brakes On certain 1999-2002 1500 series and 2001-2005 2500 & 3500 series trucks equipped with a manual transmission, the parking brake friction lining may wear to an e… |
| 2004102 18 Mar 2004 | Other On certain vehicles, the galvanized-braided-steel tailgate support cables used to support the tailgate in the full open (horizontal) position can corrode over t… |
| 2004037 29 Jan 2004 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the relief valve o-ring seal within the brake hydro-boost module could fail. If this happens during braking applications, the driver may b… |
| 2003294 26 Nov 2003 | Visual System Certain vehicles do not comply with either CMVSS 105, or CMVSS 135. The red brake warning indicator will not be illuminated while the ABS is modulating the fro… |
| 2003063 17 Mar 2003 | Label On certain vehicles, the following statements were omitted from the SIR caution label: "Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front" for the vehicles withou… |
| 2003016 24 Jan 2003 | Other Certain vehicles fail to conform to CMVSS 212 - Windshield Mounting. These vehicles lack a continuous urethane bonding bead between the body surface and the wi… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN CREW CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE 2ND ROW CENTER OCCUPANT SEAT BELT ROUTING MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO POSITION THE LAP PORTION OF THE SAFETY BELT LOW AROUND THE HIPS OF OCCUPANTS, ESPECIALLY SMALLER OCCUPANTS, SEATED IN THIS POSITION. APPROPRIATE USE OF A CHILD SEAT OR BOOSTER SEAT, AS RECOMMENDED FOR SMALL CHILDREN, DOES IMPROVE THE FIT CONDITION FOR THIS USER GROUP. IN ADDITION TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PROPER INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD RESTRAINT (WITH CHILD SEATS OR BOOSTERS), SPECIAL VERBIAGE FOR RESTRAINING OLDER CHILD IS INCLUDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. ALSO, THE SUGGESTED SEAT BELT FIT/ROUTING FOR ADULTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF SEATING POSITION, IS DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL TEXT.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS AND BUILT WITH EITHER PBR PARKING BRAKE SYSTEMS OR TRW PARKING BRAKE SYSTEMS, THE PARKING BRAKE FRICTION LININGS MAY WEAR TO AN EXTENT WHERE THE PARKING BRAKE CAN BECOME INEFFECTIVE IN IMMOBILIZING A PARKED VEHICLE.
CERTAIN EXTENDED AND REGULAR CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND CARGO VANS CONVERTED TO COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, 'CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS.' THESE VEHICLES HAVE ONE SEATING POSITION, THE CENTER REAR SEAT, EQUIPPED WITH CHILD RESTRAINT LOWER ANCHORAGES.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE GALVANIZED STEEL TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES THAT RETAIN THE TAILGATE IN THE FULL OPEN (HORIZONTAL) POSITION MAY CORRODE, WEAKEN, AND EVENTUALLY FRACTURE. IF BOTH CABLES FRACTURED, THE TAILGATE WOULD SUDDENLY DROP AND STRIKE THE TOP SURFACE OF THE REAR BUMPER.
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND PASSENGER VANS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 135, ?PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.? SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH AN OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION BRAKE HYDRO-BOOST HOUSING RELIEF VALVE BORE.
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, "WINDSHIELD MOUNTING." SOME OF THESE VEHICLES LACK A CONTINUOUS URETHANE BONDING BEAD BETWEEN THE BODY SURFACE AND THE WINDSHIELD.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What GMC told its dealers about the 2003 GMC Sierra: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 637306 | SUBJECT REGARDING NEW ENHANCEMENT FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CALLS RELATED TO ANY ELECTRICAL ISSUES. *TT |
| 637290 | SUBJECT REGARDING POWER FOLDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR OPERATION PRIOR TO CUSTOMER DELIVERY AND / OR TEST DRIVE. *TT |
| 637267 | SOME CUSTOMES HAVE COMMENTED THAT WHEN THE MIRROR IS MANUALLY FOLDED INWARD OR OUTWARD, THE MIRROR DOES NOT RETURN TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. *TT |
| 634999 | DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKED OR BROKEN TRANSMISSION CASE. *TT 2006 AND PRIOR CARS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *TT |
| 634947 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, A SHUDDER, CHUGGLE, OR VIBRATION IS FELT WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. *TT |
| 634895 | CONCERNS WITH LAUNCH SHUDDER / VIBRATION ON ACCELERATION. *TT |
| 634893 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE 4WD/AWD INDICATOR LIGHTS ON THE SELECTOR SWITCH DO NOT WORK OR THE 4WD/AWD SYSTEM MAY BE INOPERATIVE. *TT |
| 634821 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT THAT THE MANUAL LOCK LEVER COMES LOOSE FROM THE DOOR TRIM PANEL. *TT |
| 634819 | PICKUP BOX SHEET METAL FRACTURE / DAMAGE WITH AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES INSTALLED. *TT |
| 634817 | SUBJECT REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF PICKUP BOX REINFORCEMENT KITS FOR TOOLBOX / REAR WINDOW BARRIER / LADDER RACK APPLICATIONS. *TT |
| 634283 | INFORMATION ON HIGHER THAN EXPECTED OIL CONSUMPTION. NLM |
| 634227 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM REGARDING ENGINE OIL CONTAMINATION. *TT |
| 634208 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM REGARDING ENGINE OIL CONTAMINATION FOR CERTAIN MODELS INCLUDING THE 2003 GMC MEDIUM DUTY. *TT |
| 631800 | NEW PRODUCT INFORMATION, GRADE BRAKE FEATURE OF ALLISON 1000 SERIES TRANSMISSION. *SLC THIS BULLETIN REPLACES 02-07-30-004. *TT |
| 628870 | INSPECTION OF TIRE AND WHEEL SIZE PRIOR TO DIAGNOSIS OF TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, POOR PERFORMANCE, SPEEDOMETER, CRUISE CONTROL CONCERNS. BULLETIN 01-03-10-010B NOT RECEIVED. *TT |
| 611289 | FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING NOISE. *TT |
| 10114470 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue or red button. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center with the scan tool data from the OnStar system. |
| 10114431 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an issue when using Bluetooth voice recognition with an iPhone. Technician should work with the customer to insure the phone contacts to not have any Emojis loaded to any contact. |
| 10114408 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that are travelling from Canada to the United States. While in the United States they are unable to receive Turn-by-Turn directions. Due to the existing cellular provider not having roaming agreements in areas outside of Canada to support transmitting of the packet data required for Turn-By-Turn feature to operate. The customer has 3 options while traveling through the United Sates. First if the vehicle is equipped with a navigation radio they can request a "Destination Download" to the vehicle. Se |
| 10114352 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
| 10114343 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician the steps needed to diagnose and repair the vehicles that may have unwanted or phantom phone calls. Technician will need to determine what type of call the customer is having that is unwanted. The vehicle may receive an incoming call just like any other phone. Typically the customer will hear the phone ringing in the vehicle. This scenario also includes incoming Bluetooth calls. One type of unwanted call can be made if the key pad is faulty the OnStar system will try to make a blue button call for shorted voltage |
| 10114342 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue or red button. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center with the scan tool data from the OnStar system. |
| 10114299 | This informational bulletin provides a quick guide to updating which model vehicle after replacing the IPC. |
| 10113843 | This warranty administration bulletin provides information on the Clarification of Use for Dealer Empowerment Labor Operations and Customer Enthusiasm |
| 10113837 | This informational bulletin provides a list off all the issues revolving around new vehicles for a one stop place to find growing concerns around them. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Brake line corrosion failure
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
TAILGATE CABLE BREAKAGE
PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation