2018 GMC Sierra 1500 Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I noticed there was an issue regarding the break assist system in my vehicle a few months ago when I went to go for a drive. It is available to be inspected. The issue regarding safety revolves around the difficulty to break. The low amount of brake availability is dangerous in the case of a situation that if I needed to break quickly it is extremely difficult to. I have not had a certified individual confirm the issue at this time. It has not been inspected. The warning message "Break Assist" comes up every time I try to utilize the brakes. I know there are previous recalls, although when I have tried to see if my truck falls under those recalls it does not.
The truck is throwing a repeat of service trailer break
Getting message on console "Service - Trailer Brake System". This could result in trailer brakes to fail while pulling loads.
I purchased this 2018 GMC pickup in May 2021. Starting in Nov 2022 I started getting a sporadic SERVICE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM warning light and chime. I have never towed a trailer using this trailer brake system on the vehicle, but the warnings come on sporadically. I have done some research and found this is not an isolated case as others have reported the same problem. Some owners have replaced the dashboard controller at their own expense, however this is now a well documented problem that goes beyond an isolated case. This is a defect of the trailer brake controller and should be recalled by GM at GM expense. It is a hazard to driving when the visual and audible chime come on sporadically. It's a distraction to safe driving and requires immediate intervention. I did advise my local dealer of the problem when the vehicle was serviced Dec 2022, however they did not have a technician available to work the problem. So I continue receiving the visual and audible warning every time I drive the vehicle. Please highlight this problem within your organization for a possible safety recall.
While driving parking lot speeds, when I pressed the brake pedal, it was very very difficult to push causing me to nearly rear end the car in front of me. This happened intermittently during a short time frame (5 minutes). While standing on the brake pedal hoping to stop in time, the brake pedal shook like the Antilock brakes were activating. This caused it to be even more difficult to stop in time. My vehicle is currently at my local dealership's service shop. When the issue occurred, a message stating "Service Brake Assist" popped up in my display.
Breaks are not working
The service alert for the trailer brakes keeps going off constantly and continues to go off persistently almost making the vehicle undriveable. I was informed to file a complaint with your company by my local dealership as this is a recurring issue with GMC trucks.
*A message and alarm kept going off on our truck "Service Trailer Brake". We are not towing a trailer, nor had we had a trailer hooked to this vehicle since 2019. It began only going off occasionally, but within a few weeks it was going off constantly. It would show repeatedly on the dash and the alarm would sound over and over. Trying to turn off the system was not successful, no matter how many times we hit dismiss. It was totally distracting and worrisome that something was wrong with our braking system in general. *The constant alarm and dash display made driving a very distracted experience. It is so loud that you cannot hear other outside noises. We were also concerned about the safety of our regular braking system. *I called the dealer where our truck is regularly serviced. They immediately said "Is it the Trailer Assist Alarm?," so it was obvious that this is happening to other owners regularly. It took several days to get in for an appointment. The shop mgr helped us to locate and pull the alarm fuse to stop the noise, so we could drive it to the dealership later in the week. The display was still going off when I pulled the truck into the dealership, as it has done all the way there (17miles from my home). *It was inspected by the GM dealership (Schwarz, INC. Honesdale, PA) and the defective switch was replaced at a cost to us of $127.14 on 08/11/2022. *This issue started several months ago (Feb 2022?), but it was a one time thing. So, we thought it was just a fluke. Then, a month or so ago it started again, but was happening only once or twice and would then disappear for days. Then, 2 weeks ago it began to happen continuously.
I am getting a service alert for the Trailer Brake System. It is constant and loud and distracting and a significant safety hazard, not only because of the distraction, but also because it renders trailer brakes completely useless
Yesterday afternoon I heard a beeping noise that was persistent and it said trailer brake check the same alert showed up today making it impossible to drive safely with the alert popping up every min
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR A BRAKE PROBLEM ON MY TRUCK. THE RECALL GAVE A LOCATION TO TAKE MY TRUCK FOR SERVICE. WHEN I CONTACTED THAT DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS A CANADIAN TRUCK AND THEY COULDN'T PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. SO I CALLED THE GM HOT LINE THEY SAID I HAD TO TAKE IT TO CANADA FOR THE REPAIR AND THAT WAS THE ONLY OPTION.
DEALER COMPLETED BRAKE SYSTEM RECALL ON 10-04-2019 N 192268490, NOW I READ ABOUT THE RECALL REPAIR MAY HAVE NOT FIXED PROBLEM, REQUEST ASSURANCE THAT PROBLEM IS FIXED.
DRIVING SLOWLY IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. I WAS STOPPED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES, AND THE TRUCK STARTED MOVING FORWARD. I THOUGHT ENGINE SURGE, BUT IT WAS NOT. I PUMPED BRAKES HARD AND THE TRUCK STOPPED. THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES.
I WAS IN THE BANK ATM DRIVE THROUGH AND THE GUY AHEAD OF ME STARTED TO GO, I BARELY PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL AND HE DECIDED TO STOP. I HIT MY BRAKES AND THE TRUCK WAS HARD TO STOP, ALMOST LIKE THE GAS PEDAL RESPONSE WAS STILL IN THE GO MODE BEFORE IT HAD THE CHANCE TO REACT TO MY INPUT OF TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE GAS TO APPLY THE BRAKES. I CAN DUPLICATE THIS BEHAVIOR ALL THE TIME.
LEFT REAR BRAKE LINE APPEARS TO BE INSTALLED IN HARMS WAY. THAT IS, AN OBJECT ON THE ROAD COULD BE STRUCK WHICH COULD TEAR AWAY THE BRAKE LINE RESULTING IN LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME TYPE ON THE DEALER'S LOT WERE OBSERVED TO BE OF THE SAME DESIGN. IF THIS BRAKE LINE IS LOST DUE TO ROAD HAZARD, WILL BRAKING POWER BE LOST? PLEASE ADVISE. THANKS.
Trend Over Time
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Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 has 15 Brakes complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.