Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2008 GMC Sierra, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags29
- Electrical system15
- Structure12
- Latches/locks/linkages11
- Unknown or other3
- Electronic stability control (esc)2
- Steering2
- Power train2
- Service brakes1
- Fuel system, diesel1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 147 2008 Sierra vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 77 people died inside them, and 37 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 2008 GMC Sierra failed the safety check 1.87% of the time — 25% less often than the average 2008 passenger car (2.48%). Median odometer at inspection: 146,848 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 12 variants: combined 14.0–19.3 L/100 km (about 12–17 mpg US), CO₂ 296–375 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 15.7 | 11.8 | 14.0 |
| Sierra · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.0 | 11.5 | 14.0 |
| Sierra FFV · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.0 | 11.8 | 14.1 |
| Sierra 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.6 | 12.3 | 14.7 |
| Sierra · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.7 | 12.6 | 14.8 |
| Sierra 4X4 FFV · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.8 | 12.5 | 14.9 |
| Sierra 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.6 | 13.1 | 15.0 |
| Sierra 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 16.9 | 12.9 | 15.1 |
| Sierra · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 18.3 | 13.4 | 16.1 |
| Sierra 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 18.4 | 13.7 | 16.3 |
| Sierra FFV · Pickup truck: Standard · E85 ethanol | 20.7 | 15.7 | 18.5 |
| Sierra 4X4 FFV · Pickup truck: Standard · E85 ethanol | 21.5 | 16.6 | 19.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
10 Transport Canada recalls for the 2008 GMC Sierra.
| 2021026 5 Feb 2021 | Airbag Issue: Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained i… |
| 2020591 2 Dec 2020 | Airbag Issue: Long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained i… |
| 2016307 15 Jun 2016 | Airbag This Safety Improvement Program was replaced by Transport Canada Recall No. 2020-591. General Motors Canada is conducting a voluntary Safety Improvement Pro… |
| 2015235 28 May 2015 | Airbag On certain 2500HD and 3500HD series pickup trucks, the passenger frontal airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Inc… |
| 2014510 7 Nov 2014 | Airbag On certain vehicles, the Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) may corrode due to a significant quantity of snow and/or water containing road salt or other contam… |
| 2014492 30 Oct 2014 | Accessories *** This notice is provided for information purposes only as the subject equipment is not regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act *** A safety defect ma… |
| 2014277 3 Jul 2014 | Electrical On certain vehicles equipped with an optional dual batteries, the owner's manual does not specify a maximum amperage rating for the auxiliary battery to the tra… |
| 2010189 7 Jun 2010 | Accessories On certain vehicles equipped with a Heated Washer Fluid System (HWFS), a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the… |
| 2009291 14 Oct 2009 | Airbag On certain vehicles located in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador, the Sensing and Diagnostic Module… |
| 2008313 29 Aug 2008 | Other On certain vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system, a short circuit on the printed circuit board for the washer fluid heater may overheat the contro… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
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 2008 GMC Sierra: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634786 | SOME CUSTOMERS WHOSE VEHICLES ARE OPERATED IN DUSTY TYPE ENVIRONMENTS, SUCH AS FARMING OR MINING OFF-ROAD TYPE APPLICATIONS, MAY COMMENT ABOUT THE ILLUMINATION OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SES LIGHT, WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0446 SET. *TT UPDATED 7/11/08. *NJ UPDATED 11/5/10. *PE |
| 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 |
| 10114354 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that some vehicles may have a Service Engine Soon lamp, engine misfire on cylinder 1, 4, 6, or 7 and/or tick noise. Technician will follow service information diagnosis first. If service information diagnosis does not isolate the cause of this concern perform a cylinder deactivation active fuel management system compression test in service information. If the running compression of the misfiring cylinder stays below 25 Pounds per Square Inch regardless of the active fuel management solenoid being commanded on or |
| 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. |
| 10114328 | This information for Warranty administration - Changes the Service Policy and Procedures Section 1.6.2.11 and now is refered to Article 3.2.9 of the 1st addition manual for details of Technician Identification and Accounting of Labor Time |
| 10114309 | This informational bulletin explains how to care for wiper blades. |
| 10114299 | This informational bulletin provides a quick guide to updating which model vehicle after replacing the IPC. |
| 10114296 | This warranty administration bulletin provide policy information of the JOB CARD, for a repair on vehicles and what is acceptable - customer authorization; Service manager approvals and transaction authorization; Details of concern, cause and correction; Labor Time; Technician ID and acoutablity of labor time; Proper documentation and retension of warranty parts; Accurate sublet charges and receipts; Add on concerns after the Job Card has been written. |
| 10114280 | This informational bulletin provides information on Inappropriate Warranty Claims Submitted for Damaged Radios and IPCs |
| 10113889 | This Preliminary Information communication provides the technician with a list of modules to check for communication with the scan tool, if the navigation radio does not display the current Hybrid mode. Dealer will use a scan tool to check communication with Accessory Direct current Power Control Module, Air Condition control module, Drive Motor Generator Power Inverter Module, Engine Control Module, Battery Energy Control Module, and Transfer Case Control Module. Repair the loss of communication with the affected module and the power flow should return to the radio display. |
| 10113888 | This Preliminary Information communication provides steps the technician will uses to diagnose and repair vehicles that have low oil pressure after an oil change with the engine Regular Production Option Code L20, L77, L94, L96, L99, L9H, LC8, LC9, LH9, LMF, LMG, LY6, or LZ1. Vehicle may have Service Engine Soon lamp with Diagnostic Trouble Code P0521 or Low Oil Pressure message on the instrument panel. Dealer will need to determine if bulletin 10-06-01-008 was completed. If the bulletin was performed inspect the left rocker cover. Dealer will insure the left rocker can hold water without leak |
| 10113849 | This informational bulletin provides information on the proper oils to use on GM vehicles including information regarding the differences of the Dexos oils. |
| 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. |
| 10113831 | This preliminary information bulletin provides a descritption of operation of the echo control and noise cancellation settings for concernc regarding noice drop outs during calls and muffled sound. |
| 10113810 | This warranty administration bulletin provides dealership personnel with policy and procedure requirements for essential tools that include consumable parts (U.S. Only). |
| 10113796 | This informational bulletin provides information on the proper use of GM floor mats. |
| 10113792 | This informational bulletin provides information to technicians regarding intake manifold inspection/replacement after severe internal engine damage. |
| 10113788 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs. |
| 10113785 | This informational bulletin adds the 2014 and 2015 model years to information of a language change for OnStar System (U.S. and Canada only). |
| 10113775 | This informational bulletin provides information on the Product Quality Center (PQC) assembly replacement process for Service Agents not required to contact PQC prior to assembly replacement. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NON-CRASH ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation