2008 GMC Sierra 1500 Engine Problems

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

I WAS DRIVING FROM LUFKIN TO HEMPHILL AT 70 MPH. SOMETHING BLEW UP, I THOUGHT SOMETHING HIT ME. ENGINE DIED, BRAKES STARTED, EMERGENCY LIGHTS CAME ON, AND SEATBELT LOCKED DOWN, TRUCK STOPPED, I GOT OUT TO SEE WHAT HIT ME. NOTHING! WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE TRUCK A WHITE POWDER (NOT SMOKE) WAS COMING OUT OF THE SEAT BELT ON DRIVERS SIDE. WHEN SEAT BELT LOCKED DOWN I HAD TO BACK SEAT UP TO GET OUT OF THE BELT. I WAS LUCKY THAT I DID NOT HIT SOMEONE.

NHTSA ID

11408218

Incident

Mar 22, 2021

Mileage

169,393 mi

I HAVE THE 5.3L ENGINE AND IT IS CONSUMING 3-5 QUA OF OIL ABOUT 3 TIMES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. I HAVE A SMALL LEAK BUT DOESN'T WARRANT THE OIL BEING LOST A

NHTSA ID

11395173

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

Mileage

195,000 mi

MY SIERRA DEVELOPED A NOISE ON DECELERATION. TOOK IT TO THE GMC DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT HAD A WORN CAM. $5500 TO REPAIR, $7750 TO REPLACE ENGINE. I KNEW THAT A WORN CAM WOULD CAUSE LIFTER NOISE ALL THE TIME SO THAT WAS WRONG INFO. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND OUT THIS TRUCK HAS ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT. WHAT HAPPENED WAS A FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS TRUCK ALWAYS HAD HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION. I DEACTIVATED THE ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE TRUCK RUNS ON ALL 8 CYLINDERS, IS COMPLETELY QUIET AND NO LONGER USES OIL. IT IS BETTER THAN NEW. I ALSO FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MY AND PAID FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. THIS ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SCAM TO FALSELY INCREASE FUEL MILEAGE AND TO RIP OFF CUSTOMERS WHEN IT GOES BAD. IT CAN BE DEACTIVATED WITH A $175 CHIP.

NHTSA ID

11205246

Incident

Mar 21, 2019

Mileage

163,000 mi

LIFTERS FAILED AT 98,000 CAUSING ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

11171014

Incident

Jan 2, 2019

Mileage

98,370 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AND CODE: P069-E ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11155664

Incident

Dec 2, 2018

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. ALSO, THE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE ENGINE, AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (BETTEN BAKER BUICK, 2901 28TH ST, GRANDVILLE, MI, 49418, PHONE NUMBER: 616-530-9191) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000.

NHTSA ID

11056559

Incident

Dec 25, 2017

Mileage

96,000 mi

DRIVING AND WARNING CAME ON AND IT SAID "ENGINE HOT A/C TURNED OFF" HAD THIS VEHICLE ONLY ONE WEEK WHEN THIS HAPPENED, TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER THE SAID WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY, I TOLD THEM TO KEEP THE TRUCK. THEY PUT ON A NEW THERMOSTAT, TWO WEEKS LATER SAME THING. TOOK TRUCK TO MY MECHANIC AND HE REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT. GOOD FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS, WARNING KEEPS COMING ON. LOOKED ON LINE MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN, A MECHANIC AT A CHEVROLET GARAGE TOLD ME IT IS PROBABLY IN THE CLUSTER PANEL/ COMPUTER?? BIG MONEY. WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS OTHER'S HAVE BEEN HAVING, I THINK IT IS DANGEROUS TRUCK CATCH ON FIRE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER TO THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU MARY ANN

NHTSA ID

11005043

Incident

Feb 14, 2014

Mileage

44,073 mi

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. BEGAN USING IN JUNE OF 2015. USES MORE THAN 1 QT PER 3000 MILES OF DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

10967440

Incident

Jun 1, 2015

Mileage

75,000 mi

LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE BURNED 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN UNDER 3000 MILES. 105K MILES ON 5.3 LITER V8. DEALER SAID TYPICAL FOR THIS ENGINE TO HAVE CARBON BUILDUP AND NEEDS NEW PISTON RINGS AND PISTONS. ALSO DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR REPLACED AND WINDOW SWITCHES.

NHTSA ID

10959700

Incident

Feb 21, 2017

Mileage

105,000 mi

LOW OIL PRESSURE WHILE IN MOTION. SPLIT O-RING ON OIL PUMP PICK UP TUBE, METAL DEBRIS IN SCREEN FOR OIL PRESSURE SENSOR/ AFM VALVE LIFTER MANIFOLD. NO VALVE SHIELD ON AFM VALVE IN OIL PAN. HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION.

NHTSA ID

10937646

Incident

Nov 26, 2016

Mileage

108,000 mi

BROKEN EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOLTS. AS OF TODAY I HAVE A TOTAL OF (3) BOLT HEADS THAT ARE BROKEN. (2) ON DRIVERS SIDE AND (1) ON PASSENGER SIDE. THE EXHAUST FUMES ARE BEGINNING TO LEAK INSIDE OF THE CAB ESPECIALLY WHEN STOPPED AT INTERSECTIONS.

NHTSA ID

10895577

Incident

Aug 13, 2016

Mileage

130,000 mi

COLLAPSED AFM LIFTER AT 108000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL AND SERVICE STABILITRAK. MY ENGINE WAS IDLING ROUGH AT LOW RPM. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT HAD A COLLAPSED LIFTER ON THE #6 CYLINDER. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED REGULARLY AT THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE 4800 TO REPLACE ALL THE LIFTERS, 5300 IF THE CAM WAS BAD ALSO AND 7300 FOR A NEW ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

10876035

Incident

Jun 7, 2016

Mileage

108,000 mi

TICKING NOISE BEGAN ONCE THE VEHICLE REACHED ~100,000 MILES. INITIALLY, THE TICKING ONLY OCCURRED ONCE THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. AS TIME WENT ON, THE TICKING BECAME MORE FREQUENT, TO INCLUDE UPON ENGINE START AND WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER LOAD/ACCELERATING. AT APPROXIMATELY 108,000 MILES, THE TICK BECAME CONSTANT WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. GMC DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAILED LIFTER, WHICH, APPARENTLY, HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM IN GM 5.3L ENGINES. A VEHICLE SHOULD NOT NEED A NEW ENGINE, OR EVEN NEW LIFTERS FOR THAT MATTER, AT 100,000 MILES. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, WITH MANY CONSUMERS REPORTING IT AND GM ACKNOWLEDGING IT. VEHICLES WITH THESE ENGINES SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED YEARS AGO.

NHTSA ID

10874794

Incident

Jun 1, 2015

OUT OF NOWHERE ENGINE BEGAN TO IDLE ERRATICALLY ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AT AN INTERSECTION, IF I HADN'T CAUGHT IT AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES THE TRUCK WOULD HAVE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. AFTER THAT THE IDLE BEGAN TO DROP AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO STALL, THEN WOULD KICK BACK UP TO ABOUT 900-1000 RPM. WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST, NOW VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEABLE. IT IS WORSE WITH A/C ON AND IT EFFECTS ENGINE TEMP GAUGE AS WELL.

NHTSA ID

10731776

Incident

Jun 24, 2015

Mileage

27,000 mi

DRIVING AND THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A HITTING SOUND AS IF SOMEONE WAS BEATING A METAL OBJECT AGAINST METAL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10702095

Incident

Mar 15, 2015

Mileage

177,000 mi

VEHICLE WAS IN (D) DRIVE AND I WAS ABLE TO TURN THE IGNITION OFF. IS THIS NORMAL? I CHECKED WITH MY GMC DEALER AND THEY SAID IT HAD TO BE PUT ON THE COMPUTER TO BE CHECKED, HOWEVER WAS NOT COVERED BY ANY POSTED RECALL. IS THIS RELATIVE TO THE IGNITION RECALL? THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ID

10650960

Incident

Oct 1, 2013

Mileage

110,000 mi

ON 04.12.2014 AFTER GOING TO THE STORE, PARKED UNDER THE CARPORT. THE TIME WAS 10PM. WHILE INSIDE HEARD A POP SOUND AROUND 10:15 PM. WENT OUTSIDE AND THE TRUCK WAS ON FIRE. PUT TRUCK IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED IT FROM UNDER THE CARPORT, TRYING TO SAVE DAMAGE TO THE HOUSE. FIRE DEPT CAME AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. THE FIRE WARPED ALL THE VINYL UNDER THE CARPORT. LUCKY IT DIDN'T CATCH THE HOUSE ON FIRE. THE FIRE WAS WORSE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. *TT

NHTSA ID

10582900

Incident

Apr 12, 2014

Mileage

170,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF OVERHEATING AND THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COOL DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND WAS NOT TAKEN TO FOR DIAGNOSIS OF REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,664.

NHTSA ID

10558210

Incident

Jan 2, 2014

Mileage

3,664 mi