1999 GMC Sierra 2500 problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 GMC Sierra 2500. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (5 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 13 | 36% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 25% |
| Suspension | 3 | 8% |
| Tires | 3 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 6% |
| Steering | 2 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 101,000 miles (middle 50% between 87,725 and 170,000 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“2 years ago I had all of the brake lines replaced because of failure due to rust at a cost of $1000.00 I believe the cause was poor metal in the brake lines and the way the lines are attached to the body & frame help to cause the problem.”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 4, 2017
“Truck was in shop for unrelated maintenance. Brake line failure occurred while moving truck out of service bay. Truck is currently undriveable. Mechanic indicated that this is common failure as lower quality material was used in the brake lines. Additional research on web indicated this is a widespread issue. This is…”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 21, 2014
“Got hard on the brakes to avoid a deer that had jumped out of a ditch and the brake pedal went to the floor and brakes gave out. Dealer replaced all the rotted lines to the tune of 1250.00. *tr”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 27, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
29 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 GMC Sierra 2500. The 10 most recent:
This technical bulletin provides information and a solution to a condition of Brake Pedal Moves or Self Applies at Full Turns.
23-NA-144 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 2023
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 2022
This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
04-06-04-051F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 22, 2022
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to apply grease to the leaf springs to correct a condition of a squeak noise from the metals making contact.
060309004N · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 31, 2019
This SKU is a Pitman Arm. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the spline size. If the spline size is incorrect it will not have a tight fit with the mating component, and would…
DOR-K2S2K-10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 26, 2019
This SKU is a Preformed Fuel Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for damage to the braided hose and crimps. Damaged braided hoses and poor crimps can lead to immediate…
DORM9T7N09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 3, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2019
This SKU is an Air Door Actuator. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for incorrect UPC. Incorrect UPC could lead to a discrepency of inventory at the store. Incorrect UPC would…
DORU5R2J09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 14, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have slack in one of the tailgate cables. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. Please…
PIT3227P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 17, 2018
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 GMC Sierra 2500 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 GMC Sierra 2500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 101,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.