2004 GMC Sierra problems & reliability
188 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 GMC Sierra, alongside 7 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.
9 complaints report injuries (14 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 GMC Sierra vehicles were involved in 132 fatal crashes with 73 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 | 44 | 23% |
| Electrical System | 39 | 21% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 28 | 15% |
| Power Train | 18 | 10% |
| Steering | 14 | 7% |
| Structure | 9 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 4% |
| Visibility | 7 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 3% |
| Engine | 5 | 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 50,000 miles (middle 50% between 24,063 and 85,000 miles), based on 146 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have a 2004 gmc sierra and all of a sudden my airbag light and abs light came on took it in to have it looked and the airbags are not communicating with the sensor and they would have to go more in depth on the abs but to go more in depth they charge $80.00 an hour just to be able to figure it out. I have seen…”
Air Bags · filed Feb 5, 2016
“Rusted out/ corroded brake lines burst while stopping for a deer running out on the road. Was warned of this problem upon purchase of the vehicle in 2010 and personally coated all brake lines b4 winter every year...never saw worse lines! I own classic cars that are twice as old with shiney original brake lines. The…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 7, 2016
“Drove from my home to coworkers (20mins) left truck in coworkers driveway ,and went to work. One hour later coworker rec'd call from next door that my truck was on fire.”
Engine · filed Nov 2, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
563 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 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 information on close coupled converters and there affect on newly installed engines or engines during there break in period.
06-06-01-010C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2016
This informational bulletin provides technicians with information regarding automatic transmission oil cooler flow test essential tool J-45096 TransFlow®.
02-07-30-052J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 29, 2015
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
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 2004 GMC Sierra has 7 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 2004 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 50,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.