2021 Gmc SIERRA 1500 - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5. In crash testing, it scored well with 5 out of 5 for overall side crash rating, side barrier rating, and side pole crash rating, and 4 out of 5 for overall front crash rating and rollover rating. It is equipped with standard electronic stability control and offers optional forward collision warning. However, it does not have lane departure warning.

In terms of complaints and recalls, the vehicle has a total of 96 complaints and 4 recalls reported. It is important for potential buyers to consider these factors along with the safety ratings when making a decision on purchasing the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

96

Recall Count

4

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC 2WD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC 2WD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2021 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC 2WD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC 2WD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2009 Score 2021 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2021 Gmc SIERRA 1500

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"lifters camshaft malfunction. known issue with 2021 gmc sierra 20,000 miles"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-12-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. the independent mechanic was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact stated that the independent mechanic had previously replaced the lifters, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 20,095."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-12-04
Complaint:
"driving down the highway the engine started skipping and started blowing out black smoke, and quit running in the middle of the highway. found out the had a factory lifter defect on my model and a service update was supposed to be done on the truck changing out the lifters however even though i have gone to dealership for all the maintenance the service had never been done or told to me. this could have been very dangerous just engine failure the service by gmc n212353840"
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2025-06-03
Complaint:
"i was operating my vehicle in northern minnesota with a temperature well below freezing. vehicle warning light came on that said "turn off vehicle" which i did. when i went to start it again it would not turn over. it appeared that a large amount of oil had expelled from the vehicle. it was very dangerous as i was in a very remote area with very poor cell service and extremely cold temperatures. i couldn't even run the vehicle to stay warm. the vehicle was towed to the nearest gmc dealership where they examined the vehicle and stated that the seal of the oil filter had blown off. they further stated that the oil filter which was installed by valvoline was the wrong size. valvoline tested the champion oil filter and came back with findings that the filter was the correct size and noted no damage to the filter. either there is an unknown problem with the gm engine or the champion oil filter. each corporation continues to point fingers at each others product."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-04-04
Complaint:
"2021 gmc sierra 1500 at4 6.2l engine, little over 39000 miles, purchesed may 2021. this is the second time the vehicle has had this issue. the first time was aprox 15000 miles. i reported the issue to nhtsa-odi on 6 dec 2021 tracking # 11442943. i was driving down the interstate i heard a rattling coming from the engine (same as i had heard with the first issue). the check engine came on i ask on star to do a digonsotic report (see attached report). the report indicated a fuel management system issue detected advised to reduce vehicle speed and pay load as possible. i was told by gm certified mechanics that this issue could cause the engine to lock up and come to a complete stop on the roadway. i fill that these vehicle are unsafe to operate under these conditions and may cause serious accidents. gm has known about these issues with these vehicles for several years and has failed to correct the problem."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-01-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into limp mode with the check engine, def tank, and emission warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced several unknown sensors; however, the failure recurred. the dealer determined that the computer needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2021-01-05
Complaint:
"engine lifters failure, caused esc light to come on and check engine light and other dash lights. lack of power from engine causing dangerous driving in traffic."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-04-05
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 60 mph. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the def tank had failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 4,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2023-06-02
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2021 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine light remained illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine valve lifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 11,000."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2024-02-01
Complaint:
"vehicle has less than 10,000 miles. started making a loud noise and shuddering in the engine while at speed on the highway. made it to dealer but was concerned we were going to break down before making it safely there. service manager strongly suspects engine lifters (he drove it briefly with me and says this is a known issue with this truck & they currently have 3 other trucks in the shop with this same problem. he said parts are a 3-4 month wait and vehicle is not driveable, will break down, but couldn’t say when - could be 10 minutes, an hour, or a day. this happened to me on 2/1/22, while out of town on vacation. an hour on the phone with gm and was passed around to 3 different individuals. gm would not provide a loaner vehicle - leaving me stranded out of state. i had to get a rental vehicle on my own, gm claims they will reimburse me for a portion of this after 6-8 weeks. gm will not tow the vehicle home to virginia (vehicle is in nc). i had to turn in rental car once i returned home because i can’t afford to keep paying for this on my own and it’s not a truck, which i depend on. dealer is unable to fully diagnosis and document until end of week 2/7 or early week 2/14 as they are very busy. unacceptable on all levels."
Components Involved: ENGINE
Date of incident: 2022-01-02

Recalls for the 2021 Gmc SIERRA 1500

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"general motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2019-2021 chevrolet silverado 1500 and gmc sierra 1500, 2021 chevrolet suburban and tahoe and gmc yukon xl and 2020-2021 chevrolet silverado 2500 and 3500 and gmc sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles. the seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front-row center seating position."
Consequence:
If a seat-belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the front-row center seat position, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2020-12-17
Recall:
"general motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2020 chevrolet bolt ev and 2021 gmc canyon and sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, yukon, yukon xl, cadillac escalade and escalade esv and chevrolet blazer, camaro, colorado, equinox, silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, suburban and tahoe vehicles. incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. if an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle."
Consequence:
If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2020-12-23

GMC Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

GMC ranks 8 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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