The 3 best GMC Sierra 1500 years sure were professional grade
GMC’s Sierra 1500 half-ton pickup truck has a reputation for being as “professional grade” as the automaker’s old motto. But when you pick apart the data, you’ll find the GMC Sierra 1500’s best model years for reliability often come at the end of a generation–as the company had finally worked out any problems with a given design. See how all the 2010-2019 model years stack up in the table below, or scroll further for my take on the most reliable three.
| Model Year | Number of Recalls | Number of Combined Complaints | Top NHTSA Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4 | 243 | Seat Belts / Air Bag Problems |
| 2011 | 5 | 405 | Seat Belts / Air Bag Problems |
| 2012 | 3 | 166 | Seat Belts / Air Bag Problems |
| 2013 | 3 | 178 | Miscellaneous Problems |
| 2014 | 9 | 1,000+ | Brake Problems |
| 2015 | 9 | 1,000+ | Brake Problems |
| 2016 | 7 | 411 | Brake Problems |
| 2017 | 5 | 420 | Brake Problems |
| 2018 | 3 | 298 | Drivetrain Problems |
| 2019 | 10 | 433 | Brake Problems |
2012 was a standout year or the GMC Sierra 1500
The tail end of the GMC Sierra’s third generation (2007-2013), a generation also known as GMT900, was one of this truck’s high points. The 2012 had just 166 combined complaints, logged by both NHTSA and CarComplaints.com. NHTSA received mostly seatbelt / airbag complaints, and so GMC recalled the pickup for faulty front airbags, as well as a clogging fire extinguisher. If you’re considering a used truck, you can use its VIN to check that this work was complete. For comparison’s sake, the Car Complaints website received the most complaints (7) about engine problems.
Upsides of this truck: enjoyed the best of third-gen reliability. It also avoided the 2014 and 2015 truck’s brake issues. GMC made 168,491 Sierra 1500 half-ton trucks. The ones still on the road have an average resale value of $6,777, according to KBB
The 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 came in a close second place
The 2013 was a hair away from getting fewer complaints than the 2012, and many consider it just as reliable. It had 178 combined complaints. The most common complaint the NHTSA received was also for seatbelt / airbag components. Subject to same airbag and fire extinguisher recall as the 2012, in which GMC addressed these problems. Most common problem cited on Car Complaints website was body / paint problems (22 owner complaints on NHTSA echoed this). Specifically, paint peeling.
Upsides: for used truck buying purposes, you can basically consider it the same truck as the legendary 2012. The third generation of the Sierra went out on a high note, GMC had obviously worked out any issues the generation may have had earlier. GMC made 184,389. Today, the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500s have an average resale value of $5,544 (KBB).
The 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 is one of the best used years
It seems history repeated itself with the GMC Sierra 1500’s fourth generation. The automaker introduced this truck in 2014 and received a ton of customer complaints. But again, by the end of the truck’s run (2018) it was relatively problem-free. The 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 is easily one of the best model years of the fourth generation. It only received 298 combined complaints. Its most common NHTSA complaint was drivetrain problems. Its recalls ironically included both a vacuum pump malfunction that could decrease brake assist and a software error that could cause unintentional braking. Technically this was three recalls because GMC issued two separate recalls trying to fix the vacuum problem. Finally, the most common Car Complaints issue (13 reports) was Transmission Problems. But this was down from 36 transmission problem reports for the 2017.
The 2018 is a relatively recent year. Some trims got advanced tech such as Apple Carplay/Android Auto as early as 2016. Yet unlike the 2019, the 2018 was a relatively problem-free year because it was among the most reliable of its generation. GMC made 219,554 Sierra 1500 trucks for 2018, and today they have an average resale value of $11,029 per KBB.
