2005 GMC Sierra problems & reliability
117 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 GMC Sierra, alongside 9 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.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2005 GMC Sierra vehicles were involved in 157 fatal crashes with 92 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 → | 27 | 23% |
| Electrical System → | 23 | 20% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 9% |
| Steering → | 11 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 10 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 8% |
| Suspension | 9 | 8% |
| Engine | 8 | 7% |
| Structure | 7 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 5% |
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 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 23,800 and 98,317 miles), based on 103 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On 11-30-2015 I lost the brake system while driving on a city street. Upon inspection I found a ruptured brake line from the primary side of the master cylinder. The brake line had failed due to corrosion. Inspecting other brake lines, I found others that had corrosion where plastic clips were used to locate lines. I…”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 6, 2015
“Issues with emissions switch. Check engine light will not go off. Also 3 and 4th gear are completely gone out. I do not tow or have had anything even remotely heavy in this truck. It's a 2005 gmc sierra with only 78,480 miles on it. I am not the only one having issues with this 4 speed transmission. It is not heavy…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Oct 15, 2015
“Vehicle was stopped. Brake peddle went to the floorboard. Not able to pump up any pressure. Investigation showed brake fluid coming from perforated brake line at left front wheel. No braking action available! Appears to be some type of corrosive reaction between the brake line and the clamps used to fasten the line to…”
Service Brakes · filed Sep 23, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
365 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2005 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 warranty administration bulletin provides dealership personnel with policy and procedure requirements for essential tools that include consumable parts (U.S. Only).
15-00-89-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information to technicians regarding intake manifold inspection/replacement after severe internal engine damage.
00-06-01-026G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2015
This technical bulletin provides repair information for repairing the IP to body harness connector to correct a customer concern for intermittent Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated with Reduced Engine Power…
07-06-04-019E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2015
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on when and how to submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. Dealers Only).
02-00-89-002O · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 22, 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 2005 GMC Sierra has 9 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 2005 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 60,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.