2002 GMC Sierra problems & reliability
249 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 GMC Sierra, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. 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.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 GMC Sierra vehicles were involved in 117 fatal crashes with 67 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 93 | 37% |
| Service Brakes | 31 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 22 | 9% |
| Power Train | 18 | 7% |
| Parking Brake | 17 | 7% |
| Structure | 17 | 7% |
| Steering | 12 | 5% |
| Suspension | 12 | 5% |
| Tires | 10 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 2% |
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 41,850 miles (middle 50% between 30,000 and 80,195 miles), based on 182 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra. While driving 45 mph, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact veered into a ditch to avoid a collision. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake lines were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 22, 2016
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierria. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v201000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the part needed to perform the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”
Engine · filed Feb 11, 2016
“On two separate occasions over the past few years, this truck has had frame damage caused by rust / corrosion to the extent that it either would not pass inspection or it compromised the operation of the vehicle. More specifically, the frame cross-members have had holes rotted through them and the shock mounts have…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Oct 20, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Brake line corrosion failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE10010 · opened Mar 30, 2010 · closed Jan 5, 2011
- CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILURE - STALL
Preliminary Evaluation PE06016 · opened May 4, 2006 · closed Sep 14, 2006
- PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
Defect Petition DP05009 · opened Dec 20, 2005 · closed May 31, 2006
- UNWANTED LOW-SPEED ABS ACTIVATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE05020 · opened Apr 28, 2005 · closed Sep 13, 2005 · led to recall 05V379000
- PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA04011 · opened Apr 9, 2004 · closed May 10, 2005 · led to recall 05V161000
- TAILGATE CABLE BREAKAGE
Engineering Analysis EA04005 · opened Feb 19, 2004 · closed Sep 28, 2004 · led to recall 04V129000
- PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE03057 · opened Dec 8, 2003 · closed Apr 9, 2004
- THROTTLE STICKING CLOSED
Engineering Analysis EA02015 · opened Aug 1, 2002 · closed Jan 12, 2004
Technical service bulletins
462 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 GMC Sierra. The 10 most recent:
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to lube the rear leaf springs on vehicles with the condition of a squeak noise originating from the rear of the vehicle.
06-03-09-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 17, 2017
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…
PIT3227M · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 8, 2017
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.
PIT3665E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2017
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have an issue when using Bluetooth voice recognition with an iPhone. Technician should work with the customer to…
PIC5953A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2016
This informational bulletin provides information on Part Restriction and Ordering Process Information for OnStar Vehicle Communication Interface Modules (VCIM) (GMNA Only)
03-08-46-004R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 27, 2016
This informational bulletin provides dealership personnel with information on flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) and the usage of E85 fuel in GM vehicles.
05-06-04-035E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 27, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information on a GM of Canada OnStar® cellular communication upgrade.
15-08-44-001A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 15, 2015
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicle that may have an OnStar system that has progression tones when pressing the blue or red button. Technician will need to…
PIC4310L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information on communication with OnStar® module after Canadian cellular upgrade.
15-08-73-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information on a GM of Canada OnStar® cellular communication upgrade.
15-08-44-001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2015
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
The 2002 GMC Sierra has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 2002 GMC Sierra?
- · 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 41,850 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.