2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Power Train
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
accelerating from a stop, 1st and 2nd gear hard shifts. gm previously changed program and type of fluid. said this was normal
The transmission failed and GM will not provide parts to repair the truck. Only has 57000 miles
My transmission keeps on jerking all the time when we are driving
Bad torque converter with 56000 miles and a month out of warranty and GM says to bad.
Transmission has had shifting, shudder and failure to go into gear from day 1 of owning the truck. Has been to the dealer on several occassions for the same issue just to be told that they either could not reproduce the issue or it was normal. On another occasion the dealer was able to notice some shudder and shifting issue and replaced the valve body under warranty. Now that the vehicle is out of warranty I’m being told the vehicle needs a complete transmission rebuild and torque converter at an out of pocket cost to me of $8500. I know of many others with the same issues from the onset of owning these vehicles.
The transmission is experiences periodic rough shifting, a shudder and droning noise between 1,000 and 1,500 RPM. An independent transmission specialty shop states the transmission is starting to fail. The transmission, differentials and transfer case fluids were changed at 53,000 miles and again at 104,000 miles.
Subject: Potential Issue Related to Recall N202314870 for GMC Sierra 1500 Problem Description: I own a 2019 GMC Sierra AT4 (VIN# [XXX] ) and have identified a potential issue related to the drive shaft. Although my VIN does not appear in the official system as affected by recall N202314870, the vehicle exhibits the following symptoms: 1. Unusual and consistent vibrations in the drivetrain while the vehicle is in motion. 2. Noises coming from both the front and rear differentials. 3. Concern regarding the integrity of the drive shaft, as these issues align with the details described in the recall. Given that this issue potentially affects the safety of the vehicle, I kindly request a review to determine if my unit should be included in recall N202314870 or any other related campaign. I appreciate your consideration of these symptoms for a proper evaluation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When the transmission downshifts the rear wheels lock up and the truck skids out of control. I have to be very careful with gas pedal pressure to not allow the transmission to downshift by 2 or more gears. This is virtually impossible in mountain terrain, where I visit routinely.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating and shaking abnormally. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the shaking ceased. The contact stated that the failure became a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while shifting gear, there was an abnormally loud banging sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle failed to shift into gear properly. The wheels were slipping and pulling while driving at various speeds. While driving on the road, there was an abnormal rumbling sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Joe Ball GMC (1750 William Flinn Hwy., Glenshaw, PA 15116); to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be drained and flushed. The dealer informed the contact to drive for 200 miles. The dealer also recommended replacing the transmission. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.
While driving down a road in the moring hours, lost complete power and Truck shutdown. Thank God, I was able to pull off the road,since it was a Sunday Moring. Truck was not able to restart. If this had happened on a busy interstate. My wife and I could have been hurt or killed. Had the truck towed to dealer. Replaced the Transfer Case Module. Still don't know if what they put in truck was correct since mine was different than what was shown on computer specifications.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the shift to park message was displayed. After turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal beeping sound heard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,018.
I have had frint driver and passenger ball joints go out 3 times all together.
The torque converter of transmission went out on my 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali with only 62072 miles. My safety has been put at risk daily, from intermittent shuddering and loss of power. My vehicle underwent a multi point inspection at Earnhardt Buick GMC confirming I will need a complete transmission assembly estimated to be around $7100. There were no indications or dash lights, the only reason I brought it in is from hard shifts, and intermittent shuddering.
Transmission has created shuttering at speed and jarring total stop decelerating from 2nd into 1st gear. Beyond the transmission this vehicle completely stopped and lost power at 55 mph due to faulty valve lifters and pitted cam lobe. These were two separate incidents. Transmission cause lose of power on incline. Valve lifters cause lose of power at high speeds. The dash board read outs no longer worked and I was on a Highway without the ability to maintain speed.
The transmission causes the vehicle to shudder, lurch from a stop, at times it won't move forward (from a stoplight etc), it won't reverse other times. When driving down a freeway, the transmission allows the engine RPM to surge wildly as if I had put it in neutral and pressed the accelerator. This started at 85k miles approximately. It's into 90k now. The transmission had to be replaced at a cost of $6000
Transmission is slipping into neutral from a slow start and re-engaging with a hard bang to the point it feels like I’ve been rear ended from a vehicle behind me. It’s done it twice in two weeks and it seems to happen when I’m leaving from a stop or slowing down and then come back into the accelerator.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer a fifth time and requested that the transmission fluid be flushed and refilled. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.
When I first start the truck up and reverse out of my driveway once I shift it to drive it hesitates and feels as the transmission slips from 1st to 2nd gear. Makes it a safety issue due to the truck launching forward once the acceleration kicks in and the revolutions are high once the truck starts its speed from the hesitation.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 15000. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH as the vehicle was placed into "drive" the transmission, would hesitate and would not shift into gear. The contact stated that when the "drive" engaged, the shift was very hard and shook the vehicle, which then lunged forward. The contact stated that the "check engine" warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was no transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission failure is recurring. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.
Stopping at a light and transmission jerks forward, almost causing me to rear end and other vehicle. Transmission jerks and clunks forward.
Transmission hesitate going into 2 gear
when I bought the vehicle in October2018, I have taken the vehicle back to the dealership multiple occasions and they refuse to fix this issue. The transmission shifts from first to second gear or second to first gear is clunky, jerks forward and shifts without warning. While sitting at a stoplight, the vehicle will sometimes lurch forward several inches without warning even with your foot on the brake. Furthermore when accelerating between first and second year it's sluggish and takes several seconds to shift from first to second the engine Revs high.
The vehicle jerks when I put it in reverse or drive. And when I'm going down the road while it shifts gears. It's be doing it since I purchased it (new). It was light at first but lately its been worse. I took it to the dealership a couple of months ago & they replaced something small & said it was fixed. But it still bad. My truck still only has 30K miles.
Hard shift on take off from 1st to 2nd gear and while driving around random hard erratic shifting. Feels like pickup is getting rear ended. Have take in to Gregg Lair in Amarillo TX and they have reset shift points to no avail. I talked to head service writer and he stated that GM had a problem with their transmission but did not have a remedy for them. He advised to drive for about 3,000 miles and we have and still have the issue. We have been back multiple times and Gregg Lair states that it is still in learn mode after over 10,00 miles. I am a mechanic by trade and in my opinion there is a design flaw with the transmission and/or they have the wrong transmission fluid for the design.
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The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 has 70 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.