2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Brakes Problems

My vehicle a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 upon lower idle speeds loses vacuum pressure. As the vacuum level drops the brake assist decreases, increasing the braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, which increases the risk of a crash. I have had a warning light come on advising to service the brake assist system. I took my truck to a local mechanic who confirmed the codes and learned that there had been a GM recall associated with this failure at one time, with GM recall # N192268490. There is also NHTSA recall bulletin 19V645000 regarding this matter as well. Upon contacting some local GM dealers in the area, I was informed that my VIN was not listed as one of the vehicles affected by this recall, so a recall notice was never sent regarding my vehicle. I was also told that I just fell outside their 10-year window regarding this matter and that they would not repair this safety issue under warranty. I called the GM customer service who could not explain why the VIN associated to my truck was not listed and they said I should contact NHTSA and start a claim for potential reimbursement in the future after repairs are made. I feel that this is an unnecessary step as I believe GM should honor their product and repair an obvious safety issue with the truck, especially since they knew this was an issue in thousands of their trucks where it was not my fault my vehicles VIN was not included as a potential recall issue, but I am following their suggestion

NHTSA ID

11752078

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

1- transmission issue, it’ll occasionally slip from 1-2 gear and engine rpm’s will shoot up making it when you release the gas pedal it’ll kick into second gear it’ll also do minor kicks into other gears (8l90 transmission) 2- breaks issue, unsure of what the problem is but at very low speeds like parking or going in slow traffic the break pedal will get really hard making you have to press extra hard for it to break, releasing and pressing again doesn’t help either

NHTSA ID

11729705

Incident

Mar 27, 2026

While traveling at low speeds in parking lots and in the operation of parking, my 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a hard brake pedal that goes to the floor but I have no brakes. I almost hit a person in a local grocery store parking lot, at the bank driving up to the ATM, and I almost lost my truck over a bank because the brakes failed. This has happened multiple times at low speeds but it is getting more consistent recently. It has endangered myself and others. It is only a matter of time until damage occurs or someone gets hurt.

NHTSA ID

11710305

Incident

Jan 11, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while her and her husband were driving on several occasions at various speeds, the brake was depressed; however, the braking distance was extended, and the vehicle took longer to slow down. The contact also stated that occasionally while driving at undisclosed speeds, her husband observed a loud sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine and braking system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11665987

Incident

Jul 15, 2024

I towed a trailer last month and noticed some hard breaking issues in slow moving traffic. Las night as I was parking my vehicle under the car port, I had to press on the brakes to straighten my vehicle and as I was moving forwards slowly, my brakes failed, the pedal was stiff and I almost hit my other vehicle and the garage door.

NHTSA ID

11619202

Incident

Oct 9, 2024

Driving at low speed such at in drive thru or parking lot if you press brake couple repetitive times pedal gets hard and you have to press really hard to stop it’s like vacumn assist losses vacumn in braking assist been happening last couple years but I’ve learned to adjust my braking at low speed to adapt

NHTSA ID

11616516

Incident

Sep 25, 2024

Stopping at a stop sign with several cars in front of me my vehicle wouldn’t stop, luckily the car in front of me moved. I immediately called the dealership to have my vehicle repaired. They confirmed my brakes had a problem including the vacuum pump having an internal failure. They replaced vacuum pump and required belts then charged me $800.00 for this service.

NHTSA ID

11613141

Incident

Sep 5, 2024

On a recent road trip my family and I experienced an issue with the Brake Assist on my 2016 GMC Sierra. When I returned back from our vacation I took the vehicle to a 3rd party mechanic that I trusted to perform diagnostics. He advised that I would need a new vacuum pump and stretch belt to correct the issue. Upon receiving this information I advised him to move forward with the repair. What I didn't know was that Special Coverage N182202780 covers this exact repair from GM at no cost to the customer. I followed up with GM to see if I could recoup any of the cost and I was told no because I didn't get the work done at a GM dealership. I find this to be extremely frustrating as I did not know there was a special notice that would have covered this defect, and if I had I would of taken the vehicle to a GMC dealership. I feel that GM should reimburse me for the defect that was known even if I had the vehicle serviced at my chosen mechanic. Any help would be greatly appreciated

NHTSA ID

11587853

Incident

May 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal required an excessive amount of effort to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V645000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The VIN was included, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 63,000.

NHTSA ID

11580168

Incident

Mar 15, 2024

Mileage

63,000 mi

Braking system is malfunctioning while driving at slower speeds. It has malfunctioned while backing up and almost hit another vehicle. It also malfunctioned while coming to a stop light. Brake system is not working as it should and is feeling spongy upon braking. It feels like the brake pedal is all the way to the floor before it will eventually stop the truck. In researching this problem, there was a recall on the secondary brake system back in Feb of 2020. I bought the truck in June of 2020. I never got any information that there was a recall from the dealership I bought it from. I am unable to drive my truck due to this problem. I have not taken the truck to a GMC dealer as of yet but planning to.

NHTSA ID

11558129

Incident

Sep 6, 2023

Brakes go out at low speeds, especially in reverse. Makes it really hard to stop vehicle. It happens at least once every couple days and seems to be getting progressively worse.

NHTSA ID

11555164

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

While parking in San Francisco after driving for about 100 miles, the brakes felt they had lost all power, the pedal was pressed down to the floor and caused the braking distance to increase drastically. There was a fence post to the left of my truck. So I was going to go forward a little then back up and straighten out to pull forward and finish parking. Going slow 3-5MPH I pressed the brake and the truck kept going forward, I felt a shake from the brake pedal and then no pressure, straight to the floor, then the brake pedal didn’t return up. i kept pressing/pumping the brake pedal but still felt like there was no power at all. When you released the brake pedal the pedal would not return to the top like normal. So the truck would not stop, it felt like forever, but when the truck did stop it had just come to rest on the fence post left of me, causing a small dent on the, rear passenger, driver side door. This was really scary because I was parking on a ocean pier and I though I was going to go into the fence in front of me and then into the water. I know now that that was most likely not going to happen because of the low speed I was going at but non the less SUPER SCARY. So now I have a dent on my truck and I am also scared to drive the truck because the brakes might not work when I need them too.

NHTSA ID

11538172

Incident

Aug 11, 2023

Power brake booster failed, truck would not stop in a timely manner

NHTSA ID

11535778

Incident

Jul 2, 2023

Brakes will sometime seize up and not allow car to stop in sufficient time.

NHTSA ID

11533406

Incident

Jul 19, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the instrument panel went blank with white smoke coming from the vehicle. While approaching a stop light, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard; the contact used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. Once the vehicle came to a stop, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact poured water over the engine as the heat melted a switch that connected from one battery to the other. The contact managed to restart the vehicle and resumed normal driving. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. The contact stated that the failure mileage was at or around 157,000. The cause of the failure was the second battery's positive cable became shorted out.

NHTSA ID

11516030

Incident

Apr 6, 2023

Mileage

200,000 mi

Out of the blue I am getting constant trailer brake system alarms dinging at me. Even if I select dismiss the alarm keeps coming back. There seems to be no way of getting this to stop.

NHTSA ID

11516023

Incident

Apr 7, 2023

At low/idle speeds the brake pedal becomes hard and will not stop. At speeds between 35-75mph the engine/transmission has a vibration about every 10seconds and the transmission shifts hard and/or rough at times when first taking off.

NHTSA ID

11504013

Incident

Jan 27, 2023

At low speed (5 mph or less), my GMC truck looses brake pedal resistance and I have to mash the pedal hard to stop.... very dangerous when in traffic, parking lot or pedestrians crossing in front. This needs immediate attention. No warning lights on dash. After researching this issue online I discover there are many youtubes and complaints about this apparent brake vacuum pump problem). I also see where there is a recall of over 3.5 million Chevy/GMC vehicles (recall #s N202300860 and N192268490) for this exact low speed brake pump problem. My GMC truck falls within this recall (GMC Sierra LD between 2014 and 2018). But when I check my VIN # on the NHTSA website, it states no recall. How can this be? It clearly is the exact same issue. Please explain.

NHTSA ID

11499771

Incident

Dec 28, 2022

Was in a parking lot, moving just 2mph and had to literally mash down on the brake pedal - both forward and backward. Also, I put my truck in drive and has been making a noise in the transmission it seems and is a loud + lurches forward a bit. Additionally, I was traveling on vacation to Rockport, TX. I've made a appointment with the dealership here at 10:00 A.M. on 9 Dec 22, it's the earliest I can get my truck in. There was previously a brake issue covered under warranty & should be again!

NHTSA ID

11495987

Incident

Nov 30, 2022

Brakes give out in the parking lot or at low speeds out of no where. I was told there are recalls for this but I looked it up and it’s saying no? I don’t wanna have a brake failure and wreck. Looking for some help please

NHTSA ID

11490253

Incident

Oct 20, 2022

I'm having problems with my low speed braking. When I am breaking at low speed such as at a stop sign or parking, it's like the pedal stops working, gets stiff, and I have to brake very hard to get it to work. This is of great concern to me as a safety hazard. Unable to stop in a parking structure or at a stop sign/signal can be fatal and this needs to be addressed and dealt with immediately.

NHTSA ID

11487477

Incident

Jun 15, 2022

Trailer brake system service light

NHTSA ID

11483439

Incident

Sep 8, 2022

The brakes stop working at low speeds and the brakes drag and it doesn’t stop.

NHTSA ID

11481554

Incident

Aug 27, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the service trailer brake system warning light illuminated with an audible sound. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11466833

Incident

Mar 15, 2022

At low speeds my brakes do not work well. Mostly while driving at idle speeds like in a parking lot the brake pedal gets hard and the truck does not stop very easily. If you idle the truck up to a higher RPM, the brakes begin to function properly again.

NHTSA ID

11463982

Incident

May 9, 2022