2019 GMC Sierra Denali Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2019 GMC Sierra Denali, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes819.5%
- Steering717.1%
- Driver assistance614.6%
- Electrical512.2%
- Engine512.2%
- Powertrain (other)49.8%
- Exterior lighting24.9%
- Visibility12.4%
- Other / unspecified12.4%
- Tires & wheels12.4%
- Body & structure12.4%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE FIRST ISSUE IS A BLUETOOTH ISSUE. THE PHONE VOLUME GOES SILENT WHEN I GET IN MY VEHICLE. IF I CONNECT TO CAR PLAY, IT WORKS. I HAVE MISSED IMPORTANT CALLS DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THIS STARTED IN JULY OF 2019 AND ITS NOT FIXED YET. GM SAYS IT APPLE. APPLE SAYS ITS GM I DO NOT CARE JUST FIX IT. SECOND SEE BELOW IMAGES. YOU KNOW THE ISSUE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME 3 TIMES. IT STARTED 12-05-2019. THEN AGAIN 12-26-19 . SERVICED . 1-4-2020 AGAIN. 1-18 20 AGAIN AND TO SHOP UNTIL 1-23-2020. THIS TOOK A LOT OF MY TIME TALKING WITH MY DEALER. I UNDERSTAND I AM ONE OF MANY, BUT I DIDN'T SPEND OVER $66,000 TO BUY, LEASE THIS VEHICLE TO HAVE TO WASTE MY TIME. THIS COST ME TIME, MONEY AND HONESTLY EVERY TIME I START THE TRUCK I WONDER IF IT WILL REAPPEAR. I RECEIVED 2 CALLS FRO REPRESENTATIVES, GIANNA AND MICHELLE. I CALLED BACK 3 TIMES, LEFT VOICEMAIL AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING. AT THIS POINT, I AM REQUESTING FOR GM TO END MY LEASE AND I GIVE YOU THIS TRUCK BACK .
AFTER STARTING MY VEHICLE REMOTELY USING ON-STAR, MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY... AFTER REMOTE STARTING THE VEHICLE USING MY ON-STAR APP, WE ENTERED IT, DEPRESSED THE BRAKE AND PRESSED THE START BUTTON. AT THAT TIME I RECEIVED MULTIPLE ERROR MESSAGES, STATING "BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE, 62 MPH TOP SPEED" "SERVICE ESC" " STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE." I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THE ERROR MESSAGES WENT AWAY. I THEN BEGAN TO DRIVE HOME AND AFTER ABOUT 2 MILES THE ERROR MESSAGES ALL CAME BACK AND MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE FULL FORCE OF MY BODY ON THE BRAKES TO GET THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A STOP FROM AROUND 30 MPH IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON THE MAIN STREET I HAD JUST BEEN ON I LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE OR OBJECT.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE FIRST ISSUE IS A BLUETOOTH ISSUE. THE PHONE VOLUME GOES SILENT WHEN I GET IN MY VEHICLE. IF I CONNECT TO CAR PLAY, IT WORKS. I HAVE MISSED IMPORTANT CALLS DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THIS STARTED IN JULY OF 2019 AND ITS NOT FIXED YET. GM SAYS IT APPLE. APPLE SAYS ITS GM I DO NOT CARE JUST FIX IT. SECOND SEE BELOW IMAGES. YOU KNOW THE ISSUE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME 3 TIMES. IT STARTED 12-05-2019. THEN AGAIN 12-26-19 . SERVICED . 1-4-2020 AGAIN. 1-18 20 AGAIN AND TO SHOP UNTIL 1-23-2020. THIS TOOK A LOT OF MY TIME TALKING WITH MY DEALER. I UNDERSTAND I AM ONE OF MANY, BUT I DIDN'T SPEND OVER $66,000 TO BUY, LEASE THIS VEHICLE TO HAVE TO WASTE MY TIME. THIS COST ME TIME, MONEY AND HONESTLY EVERY TIME I START THE TRUCK I WONDER IF IT WILL REAPPEAR. I RECEIVED 2 CALLS FRO REPRESENTATIVES, GIANNA AND MICHELLE. I CALLED BACK 3 TIMES, LEFT VOICEMAIL AND HAVE HEARD NOTHING. AT THIS POINT, I AM REQUESTING FOR GM TO END MY LEASE AND I GIVE YOU THIS TRUCK BACK .
AFTER STARTING MY VEHICLE REMOTELY USING ON-STAR, MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY... AFTER REMOTE STARTING THE VEHICLE USING MY ON-STAR APP, WE ENTERED IT, DEPRESSED THE BRAKE AND PRESSED THE START BUTTON. AT THAT TIME I RECEIVED MULTIPLE ERROR MESSAGES, STATING "BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE, 62 MPH TOP SPEED" "SERVICE ESC" " STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE." I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THE ERROR MESSAGES WENT AWAY. I THEN BEGAN TO DRIVE HOME AND AFTER ABOUT 2 MILES THE ERROR MESSAGES ALL CAME BACK AND MY BRAKES STOPPED FUNCTIONING. I WAS ABLE TO USE THE FULL FORCE OF MY BODY ON THE BRAKES TO GET THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A STOP FROM AROUND 30 MPH IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON THE MAIN STREET I HAD JUST BEEN ON I LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE OR OBJECT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact's husband owns a 2019 GMC 1500 Denali. The contact stated that the rear camera failed to operate as intended while engaged and attempting to park the vehicle. The contact added that while shifted to reverse, the camera screen remained completely black. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear window and control panel needed to be replaced due to a leak originating from the rear window. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
AFTER USING APP TO START THE VEHICLE, I SAT IN THE DRIVER SEAT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE AND PUSHED THE START BUTTON. IMMEDIATELY A WARNING POPPED UP SAYING ESC NEEDED SERVICE, SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE, SPEED LIMITED TO 62MPH. ADDITIONAL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED INCLUDING BRAKE, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, AND CEL. SINCE THE DASH INDICATED THAT THE SPEED WAS REDUCED I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE, HOWEVER AT THE FIRST TURN I REALIZED MY BRAKES WERE NEARLY GONE AND I WENT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. THE BRAKES APPEARED TO HAVE LOST THE BOOST AND WERE EXTREMELY HARD TO DEPRESS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. I LIMPED THE TRUCK HOME AND NOTIFIED THE DEALER. THE NEXT DAY I TRIED STARTING THE TRUCK AND THE BRAKES RETURNED WITH NO DASH MESSAGES ALTHOUGH THE CEL WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. THERE IS A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MY VIN IS NOT APART OF IT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON TAKE IT TO THE DEALER I GUESS THEY RESET IT AND NOW THIS IS THE 3RD TIME IT'S NOW BACK ON, BACK UP CAMERA GOES OUT FROM TIME TO TIME,
ELECTRIC/ELECTRONIC/COMPUTER ISSUES. MOST ISSUES ARE INTERMITTENT, SOME HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. THE INTERMITTENT ONES SOMETIME HAPPEN IN CLUSTERS (MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY THEN NOT FOR DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS) A FEW HAVE ONLY HAPPENED ONCE SO FAR. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. DOES NOT COME OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AUTOMATICALLY DURING COLLISION ALERT. DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY BRAKE DURING IMMINENT COLLISION WITH AUTO BRAKE FEATURE TURNED ON. SECONDARY BLUETOOTH PHONE DOES OUTGOING CALLS THROUGH TRUCKS INFO SYSTEM. HEADS-UP DISPLAY GIVES DOUBLE TURN DIRECTIONS DURING ROUTE GUIDANCE NAV. BLUETOOTH TEXTING DOES NOT WORK. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES HAPPEN FREQUENTLY. TRANSMISSION BANGS/SHUDDERS PERIODICALLY, ACCELERATING, NOT ACCELERATING, SLOWING DOWN, JUST DRIVING, MOSTLY ON LEVEL GRADE. SOMETIMES STRONG ENOUGH TO FEEL LIKE I WAS REAR ENDED, PASSENGERS HAVE JUMPED MANY RADIO MEDIA ISSUES WITH SOUND AND NAV BOOT UP. DURING PARKING MANEUVER AFTER COMING OUT OF REVERSE AND GOING INTO DRIVE, FORWARD CAMERA WOULD COME ON AND THEN SWITCH TO NAV SCREEN WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE. TO RESOLVE WOULD GO IN REVERSE THEN BACK TO DRIVE AND THE FRONT CAMERA WOULD STAY ON. AFTER VEHICLE START I GO INTO DRIVE AND FRONT CAMERA COMES ON. SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT IN THE EXACT SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. NO INDICATION FROM FORWARD DETECTION SENSORS. AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, GOING INTO DRIVE FORWARD CAMERA COMES ON THEN THE WHOLE SCREEN GOES BRIGHT BLUE, AFTER A FEW SECONDS FORWARD CAMERA COMES BACK ON UNTIL I SPEED UP. OTHER ISSUES NOT SO FREQUENT. HAVE BEEN TO DEALERSHIP OVER 9 TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF 37 DAYS IT WAS IN THE SHOP. GMC CAC USELESS AND DO NOT KNOW THE PRODUCT. DEALERSHIP TECHNICIANS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH NEW PRODUCT OR HAVE THE COMPUTER SKILL SET TO FIX.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, a "Turn off engine, No oil pressure" message appeared and was accompanied by a warning chime alert. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The contact then observed condensation leaking under the front of the vehicle and condensation in the street leading to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine oil cooler line detached and the engine oil cooler lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to have NHTSA add his vehicle added to an unknown recall. The failure mileage was 77,000.
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE MAY 2019 FROM MARYANN L. COMBS, VICE PRESIDENT GLOBAL VEHICLE SAFETY. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP SAID PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME. A FEW MONTHS LATER, STILL NOT AVAILABLE AND TODAY, FEBRUARY 25,2020 THEY ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE AND IT SEEMS THEY MAY NEVER BE AVAILABLE TO VEHICLES IN THE "SOUTHERN" STATES. MY TRUCK TRAVELS TO MN, MT, ND ON A REGULAR BASIS AND THE PROBLEM IN QUESTION NEEDS TO BE FIXED TO KEEP THE ENGINE WARM AT BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER IS 19V328 AND RECALL NUMBER WAS N182206311. PER THE LETTER FROM MS. COMBS USE OF THE CURRENT ENGINE BLOCK HEATER CABLE COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE FIRE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the vehicle inadvertently stalled without warning. The contact attempted several times to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle would not restart. The contact attempted to jump start the vehicle and the failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the starter was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to metal shavings in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered to partially pay for the repair. The contact stated that he believed that the vehicle was not repaired correctly under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V650000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was 91,000.
ELECTRIC/ELECTRONIC/COMPUTER ISSUES. MOST ISSUES ARE INTERMITTENT, SOME HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. THE INTERMITTENT ONES SOMETIME HAPPEN IN CLUSTERS (MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY THEN NOT FOR DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS) A FEW HAVE ONLY HAPPENED ONCE SO FAR. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. DOES NOT COME OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AUTOMATICALLY DURING COLLISION ALERT. DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY BRAKE DURING IMMINENT COLLISION WITH AUTO BRAKE FEATURE TURNED ON. SECONDARY BLUETOOTH PHONE DOES OUTGOING CALLS THROUGH TRUCKS INFO SYSTEM. HEADS-UP DISPLAY GIVES DOUBLE TURN DIRECTIONS DURING ROUTE GUIDANCE NAV. BLUETOOTH TEXTING DOES NOT WORK. THE FOLLOWING ISSUES HAPPEN FREQUENTLY. TRANSMISSION BANGS/SHUDDERS PERIODICALLY, ACCELERATING, NOT ACCELERATING, SLOWING DOWN, JUST DRIVING, MOSTLY ON LEVEL GRADE. SOMETIMES STRONG ENOUGH TO FEEL LIKE I WAS REAR ENDED, PASSENGERS HAVE JUMPED MANY RADIO MEDIA ISSUES WITH SOUND AND NAV BOOT UP. DURING PARKING MANEUVER AFTER COMING OUT OF REVERSE AND GOING INTO DRIVE, FORWARD CAMERA WOULD COME ON AND THEN SWITCH TO NAV SCREEN WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE. TO RESOLVE WOULD GO IN REVERSE THEN BACK TO DRIVE AND THE FRONT CAMERA WOULD STAY ON. AFTER VEHICLE START I GO INTO DRIVE AND FRONT CAMERA COMES ON. SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT IN THE EXACT SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. NO INDICATION FROM FORWARD DETECTION SENSORS. AFTER BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, GOING INTO DRIVE FORWARD CAMERA COMES ON THEN THE WHOLE SCREEN GOES BRIGHT BLUE, AFTER A FEW SECONDS FORWARD CAMERA COMES BACK ON UNTIL I SPEED UP. OTHER ISSUES NOT SO FREQUENT. HAVE BEEN TO DEALERSHIP OVER 9 TIMES FOR A TOTAL OF 37 DAYS IT WAS IN THE SHOP. GMC CAC USELESS AND DO NOT KNOW THE PRODUCT. DEALERSHIP TECHNICIANS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH NEW PRODUCT OR HAVE THE COMPUTER SKILL SET TO FIX.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
HID HEADLIGHTS FLICKER/SHAKE WHEN DRIVING OVER ANY SIZE BUMP, OR WHEN YOU CLOSE THE VEHICLE DOOR.
THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER VIOLENTLY WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THE ISSUE IS NORMAL. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING TO DRIVE AT NIGHT AND LIKELY DISTRACTING ON COMING TRAFFIC. THE TRUCK NOW HAS 13K MILES AND HAS GOTTEN WORSE TO THE POINT WE DON'T DRIVE IT AT NIGHT.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC SIERRA DENALI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WATER BEGAN TO LEAK INTO THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO FAHRNEY BUICK GMC (3105 HIGHLAND AVE, SELMA, CA 93662) WHERE THEY HAD TO ORDER A CERTAIN PART TO REPAIR VEHICLE WHICH WAS STILL PENDING. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT STATED THAT MOLD HAD DEVELOPED ON THE CEILING NEAR THE SUN ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD YET TO BE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC SIERRA DENALI. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE TONNEAU COVER DETACHED FORM THE BED OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19E031000 (EQUIPMENT) ON MAY 11, 2019, THE SAME DAY AS THE COVER DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS ALSO CLOSER TO 11,500. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra LD equipped with 22” GMC tires but the spare tires are 17”. The contact stated that General Motors (GM) was recalling certain 2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 vehicles equipped with certain accessory road tires and a 17" spare tire. The 17" spare tire provided with the vehicle was not compatible for use with the accessory wheels, which can cause the anti-lock brake system (ABS) to not function properly under certain conditions. As a result, the contact was concerned that the ABS could potentially fail on his vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the concern and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 GMC SIERRA DENALI. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE TONNEAU COVER DETACHED FORM THE BED OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19E031000 (EQUIPMENT) ON MAY 11, 2019, THE SAME DAY AS THE COVER DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS ALSO CLOSER TO 11,500. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .