2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Owner Complaints

I was driving down the highway at 70 mph, when there was a loud bang followed by a gun powder smell. My seatbelts went tight...hazard lights automatically came on...radio went dead...and the Airbag light came on. The pretensioners in both driver and passenger seats had deployed. I pulled over and shut the truck off, to get out and inspect it. There was no warning, and luckily I was composed enough to not wreck into anyone or anything. I see there have been a few similar incidents, so I'm glad this isn't just a solitary incident.

NHTSA ID

11726399

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, diesel fuel started leaking onto the garage floor. The contact recently purchased the vehicle, inspected the source of the leak, and discovered that the fuel lines were completely rusted. Additionally, the contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the fuel level lowered to half a tank the following day, creating a hazard. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ID

11724596

Incident

Feb 23, 2026

Mileage

163,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact about the disclaimer about the dashboard possibly being damaged. The dealer informed the contact that there were no loaner vehicles, but then called back and offered a loaner. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a clai,m and referred the contact to another local dealer. The contact called the other local dealer, Ferman Chevrolet of Tarpon Springs (43520 US Hwy 19 N, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689), who confirmed there was a disclaimer related to the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11691910

Incident

Oct 7, 2025

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11683498

Incident

Aug 27, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 126,498. It was later discovered that the mileage on the title was approximately 250,205.

NHTSA ID

11682921

Incident

Apr 7, 2025

Mileage

250,205 mi

I have contacted Blaise Alexander in muncy pa 17756 in 2020 or 2021 and they told me that the part was on back order they would contact me when the part has come in 5 years later they still have not contacted me I have reached out by phone through email and Facebook messenger to set up a time to fix my 2008 gmc sierra and haven’t heard anything well last week my service air bag soon light came on and I am very nervous about that so I will not drive the truck I would like to file a formal complaint and have this taken care of please

NHTSA ID

11682073

Incident

Oct 10, 2020

Driving down the road on way home from work airbags blew out. The one in the steering wheel and the one on the passenger side. It busted windshield on passenger side. Shards of stuff all over dash on passenger side. That airbag popped 2 times.

NHTSA ID

11666843

Incident

Jun 13, 2025

Air bags did not deploy when another vehicle hit truck on front passenger side at 35-40 mph

NHTSA ID

11664061

Incident

Mar 25, 2025

I was driving in a parking structure at low speed when a loud bang went off inside the cab. The hazard lights went off, there was an acrid electrical smell, and fine dust was coming from the steering wheel area. I stopped the truck and got out to look for a collision, but there was none. When I restarted the truck, the air bag light came on and I noticed that the seatbelts were retracted and no longer functional. I was not injured, but I believe that if this had happened in traffic or on the highway, I and my passenger could have been seriously hurt. The vehicle was towed to the GMC dealership, where they identified an error with the module that sends a signal to the airbags and seatbelts to deploy. Prior to this occurrence, I had no indication that the airbag/seatbelt system was faulty or in need of service.

NHTSA ID

11633611

Incident

Dec 30, 2024

No accident happened as the wheel was never installed due to not meeting the load weight capacity rating of the vehicle. The wheel is marked max load 1150kg (2230 per axle) and the vehicle weight loading label shows the rear axle capacity at 2706kg. The wheel is also marked as SAE J2530 compliant but does not meet J2530 section 3.5 due to the low load capacity. These wheels are widely available in the aftermarket and list most of the 2000-2010 GM 2500HD/3500 pickups as the application but do not meet load capacity on any of them. Please note that the VIN is for a typical 2008 Sierra 2500HD pickup in a scrap yard. I do not own that vehicle. It is a weight label photo from Hollander parts finder on that pickup.

NHTSA ID

11621886

Incident

Sep 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that after the dealer repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and GM's Emission Recall: N140581 (Carbon Monoxide Emissions), the vehicle nearly caught on fire. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact turned on the A/C, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds, jerked, and stalled while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, the dealer discovered that the catalytic convertor was extremely hot and glowing red. The dealer determined that the exhaust system and catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 151,071.

NHTSA ID

11615058

Incident

Aug 24, 2024

Mileage

151,071 mi

Multiple cracks in dash

NHTSA ID

11584445

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the spare tire detached from underneath. After a visual inspection of the underneath of the vehicle, he observed that the spare tire hoist and frame were severely corroded, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 197,000.

NHTSA ID

11578944

Incident

Mar 22, 2024

Mileage

197,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off at the residence, the front windshield cracked. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the front driver's and passenger's side air bags had deployed without impact. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that a short circuit was caused by water damage in the air bag modules underneath the front driver's and passenger's side seats. The vehicle was then towed to a body shop for the air bags to be replaced; however, the replacement parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ID

11541202

Incident

Mar 28, 2023

Mileage

38,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph when another vehicle suddenly got in front of their vehicle causing them to depress the brake pedal. The brake pedal failed to press downward. The contact had to continue to press the brakes a total of 8 times. The trailer brakes would cause the vehicle to decelerate but it would continue to accelerate and increase in speed. By the 8th attempt and with the trailer brakes activated the vehicle eventually decelerated and came to a stop. The tire pressure warning had been illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

NHTSA ID

11520296

Incident

May 2, 2023

Mileage

116,000 mi

Tire sizes: 245/70r17. Three tires went bad between November 2022 and March 9th 2023. First tire, the front right, replaced because its outside tread was going bad really quickly. I could see the metal sticking out of it. Two tires need replacing because they are bulging. The back left tire bulged so bad my car was shaking up and down until I took it off. Thought everything was fine but the back right began to shake the car two days later.

NHTSA ID

11511042

Incident

Mar 7, 2023

Where the passenger airbag is at, there is some cracking around it

NHTSA ID

11509607

Incident

Feb 27, 2023

left side frame is defective, I have welded 4 patches on frame.from the bend by wheel well and fuel tank to front wheel well all by were frame has bracket welded and bottom of inside of frame . if hit on left side can cause frame to crumble and fuel tank to explode. it needs to be looked at for recall. i have spoken to many oweners of 2007 to 2009 gm trucks. and all have same problem. my truck only has around 112 thousand on it this is 3rd year i had to repair.

NHTSA ID

11503763

Incident

Feb 20, 2019

Cranked my truck yesterday and put it in drive. Slowly drove about 300 feet and the pretensioner’s discharged in my seatbelts. I fortunately did not have it on yet, but the seatbelts are now unusable.

NHTSA ID

11503720

Incident

Jan 24, 2023

UNKNOWN. Front side passenger safety belt won't buckle, the latch appears to be blocking the buckle when in the open, unlatched position.

NHTSA ID

11498238

Incident

Dec 6, 2022

Tire size: 265 75 R16. All four tires inside wall has failed about two inches all the way around the rim. The tires were purchased sometime in 2018 and are a little above the 50.000 mile warranty. They were inspected by NTB technicians in Lancaster and also in Canal Winchester Ohio. They will only replace one tire for free but l think and believe l can’t be the only one with 4 of these tires failing in the same vehicle. All four tires have failed. No inspection by police or insurance has been performed. No warning signs at all other l got under the vehicle to inspect a small oil leak and that is when l saw the problem. I want to reiterate, what are the odds am the only one with all four tires failure?

NHTSA ID

11464884

Incident

Apr 14, 2022

I started my 2008 GMC Sierra, crew cab and began to pull my drivers side seat belt across my body to latch it. I was about 1/2 way when I heard a loud bang that sounded like a gun going off to my right, the seat belt that I had in my hand pulled back tight pulling my hand with it. There was smoke and the smell of gun powder coming from the bottom of the passenger seat by the seat belt. With my heart pounding in my chest I got out of my truck as quickly as I could (my driver's side door was still open). Both the driver's side and passenger side seat belts were pulled tight and I was unable to get either to release. The truck is now sitting, unable to be driven safely with the seat belt on. The dealership said it would be just under $1,000 to fix plus towing and has no idea how or why it happened. This truck has never been in an accident and currently has about 140,000 mostly highway miles on it and I am the original owner. Searching online I found that there are other people on blogs who have had similar problems with exploding seat belt modules with a range of 40,000 miles to over 150,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11449143

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

Dashboard is completely broken and it moves everywhere. It’s not even attached to the screws cause it’s broken. I’ve put 10,000 miles on the in the last 5 years and the dash is basically falling apart on its own

NHTSA ID

11439857

Incident

Nov 9, 2021

The contact owns a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel air bag and driver seat belt air bag were inadvertently deployed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated she veered to the side of the road and cut the air bags. The contact also stated she could no longer use the driver's seat belt as it was locked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that they could not determine the cause of the failure. However, the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not share the diagnostic of the vehicle because it was confidential. The manufacturer also offered to buy back the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ID

11433375

Incident

Aug 15, 2021

Mileage

138,000 mi

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The part was not available for repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11426471

Incident

Jul 26, 2021