2015 GMC Sierra 2500 Electrical System
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
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 189,458 and the contact stated he discovered on Carfax that mileage was 188,052; however, the contact discovered that the mileage was 112,708.
Water intrusion from antenna ran down into my wires causing corrosion in my electrical harness. Truck will throw code p2138 and go into reduced power mode. Very dangerous when you are in traffic. Truck will not go over 15mph when this happens. This has been a problem intermittently since I have owned the truck at 119000 miles . Gotten progressively worse.
I was driving down the road after turning on the rear window defrost. The cab of the truck filled with smoke billowing from the back seat. I pulled over and turned the truck off. I got into the back seat to try to identify what was on fire, and noticed the lines of the rear window defrost system were actually smoldering. Then one of the rear windshield panels exploded in my face. Upon reading online, it looks like a recall was issued for this same problem in Canada but not the USA.
I turned on my rear defroster. I smelled electrical burning and rear window shattered with my 6 month old in the back seat in her car seat. GM states there is a recall which can be referenced as N192220470. Speaking with customer service and dealership the recall is VIN specific and my vehicle is not included in the recall even though the year and make is listed in the recall. Very dangerous, especially when there are passengers in the back seat of the vehicle
At various intervals, all four door lock actuators have failed. first rear door failures occurred in July 2020. Front door lock actuators began failing Spring of 2021. Rear lock actuators were repaired at a contested (I was charged for 3 hours labor when truck was on site for two) cost of $801.86.
The display of the intellink system acts erratic and eventually freezes up. It happens in all modes ( map, radio, phone, ….). The only way to reset is shut the truck off. GMC knows of the problem but their only solution is replace the radio and or replace the touch panel. This can be a safety issue but I take my eyes off the road to try and get the display to work.
I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE RUNNING THE REAR DEFROSTER OR REMOTE STARTING THE VEHICLE. IN JAN OF 2020, THE VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER THERMAL EVENT (N192265660). I HAD THE RECALL COMPLETED ON 6/18/20 (SEE ATTACHED WORK ORDER). ON 02/11/21 I WAS RUNNING THE REAR DEFROSTER AND HEARD A CRACKLING SOUND. I TURNED OFF THE DEFROSTER AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. ON 02/13/21 I REMOTE STARTED THE VEHICLE TO LET IT WARM UP (VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY). UPON ENTRY OF THE INTO THE VEHICLE I SMELLED WHAT APPEARED TO BE BURNING WIRES. A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE GLASS ON THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED (SEE PICTURES). I LOOKED DOWN AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR DEFROSTER WAS RUNNING AS EXPECTED FOLLOWING A REMOTE START. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE REAR DEFROSTER OFF. MY CONCERN IS THAT FOR YEARS I RAN THIS DEFROSTER WITH NO ISSUE. I DID MY DUE DILIGENCE TO COMPLETE THE RECALL IN A TIMELY MANNER TO PREVENT ANY THERMAL EVENT FROM OCCURRING. IT APPEARS THAT EITHER THE RECALL WAS NOT COMPLETED CORRECTLY, OR THE RECALL FIX CREATED A NEW THERMAL EVENT. THE BURNING WIRES AND SHATTERING GLASS WERE A FEW OF THE INDICATORS IN THE ORIGINAL RECALL. I PLAN TO CONTACT GM FOR A WAY AHEAD.
I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE RUNNING THE REAR DEFROSTER OR REMOTE STARTING THE VEHICLE. IN JAN OF 2020, THE VEHICLE WAS RECALLED FOR REAR WINDOW DEFROSTER THERMAL EVENT (N192265660). I HAD THE RECALL COMPLETED ON 6/18/20 (SEE ATTACHED WORK ORDER). ON 02/11/21 I WAS RUNNING THE REAR DEFROSTER AND HEARD A CRACKLING SOUND. I TURNED OFF THE DEFROSTER AND EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. ON 02/13/21 I REMOTE STARTED THE VEHICLE TO LET IT WARM UP (VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY). UPON ENTRY OF THE INTO THE VEHICLE I SMELLED WHAT APPEARED TO BE BURNING WIRES. A FEW MOMENTS LATER THE GLASS ON THE REAR WINDOW SHATTERED (SEE PICTURES). I LOOKED DOWN AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR DEFROSTER WAS RUNNING AS EXPECTED FOLLOWING A REMOTE START. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE REAR DEFROSTER OFF. MY CONCERN IS THAT FOR YEARS I RAN THIS DEFROSTER WITH NO ISSUE. I DID MY DUE DILIGENCE TO COMPLETE THE RECALL IN A TIMELY MANNER TO PREVENT ANY THERMAL EVENT FROM OCCURRING. IT APPEARS THAT EITHER THE RECALL WAS NOT COMPLETED CORRECTLY, OR THE RECALL FIX CREATED A NEW THERMAL EVENT. THE BURNING WIRES AND SHATTERING GLASS WERE A FEW OF THE INDICATORS IN THE ORIGINAL RECALL. I PLAN TO CONTACT GM FOR A WAY AHEAD.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 has 8 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.