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2019 GMC Sierra 1500: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
67%
414 of 635 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

67% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 88% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
414
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
635
this model year
Fires reported
3
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
10
12 crashes · 11 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE298 · 47%
POWER TRAIN136 · 21%
SERVICE BRAKES115 · 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM94 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER43 · 7%
STEERING42 · 7%

The years either side

2010
22%
27 of 217
2011
26%
58 of 366
2012
28%
12 of 49
2013
19%
22 of 167
2014
25%
156 of 858
2015
31%
200 of 815
2016
37%
16 of 48
2017
47%
193 of 427
2018
64%
181 of 300
2019
67%
414 of 635
2020
69%
309 of 460
2021
77%
427 of 560
2022
58%
330 of 575
2023
65%
292 of 463

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other full-size pickups with no elevated signal in 2019

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE01/23/20261 INJURED
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the braking system had erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the failure was caused by an engine malfunction of…
POWER TRAIN12/12/20251 INJURED
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly hard downshifted. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was hesitating while driving the rest of the drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however…
ENGINE09/10/2026
I am writing to formally log a safety concern regarding my vehicle’s 6.2L L87 engine, specifically in relation to the known defects under NHTSA’s ongoing Engineering Analysis EA25007. The engine seized up while driving in traffic which has a safety impact on the occupants and other drivers. The vehicle was towed to G…

Three of 414 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (10)

TIRES
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018…
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cadillac CT6, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. Due to an Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) …
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactu…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.