all vehicles · every Sierra year · method

GMC Sierra 2020

Safety complaints filed by owners in the first three years, per 1,000 sold.

0.58 per 1,000

1.2 times this nameplate’s own median · from 141 complaints filed in the first three years, of 616 ever. 95% lower bound 0.48.

Against its own model years

The model year carries far more information than the badge, so this is the comparison that matters.

Model year	Per 1,000	Complaints
2008	0.23	38
2009	0.19	27
2010	0.13	16
2011	0.24	33
2012	0.16	25
2013	0.19	33
2014	1.33	264
2015	1.13	247
2016	0.41	92
2017	0.52	114
2018	0.48	106
2019	0.80	181
2020	0.58	141
2021	0.45	113
2022	0.73	178
2023	1.22	328

What owners describe

Phrases over-represented in these complaints compared with the same component on every other vehicle. Counts are complaints containing the phrase.

Engine 262 complaints

truck	96	37%
lifter	40	15%
lifters	37	14%
knocking	27	10%
camshaft	26	10%
inspected	25	10%

Power Train 141 complaints

truck	46	33%
valve	19	14%
lifters	14	10%
trucks	10	7%
valve body	10	7%

Electrical System 104 complaints

truck	47	45%
trailer	16	16%

When it breaks

49% of reported failures happened before 30,000 miles (median 31,800 miles, from 172 complaints that recorded one).

No clear early or late pattern.

What NHTSA did

3 investigations covering this model year, 1 of which list a recall campaign.

Loss of motive power due to engine failure

What owners and forums say

Not built yet. This panel is meant to carry community sentiment beside the filed-complaint data, so the two can be compared. Showing something weaker here would defeat its purpose.

Check this yourself

Example records behind this page:

11282649 · 11288740 · 11289110 · 11300894 · 11301704 · 11307331

Limits of this figure. It counts safety complaints filed with the federal government, which is a floor on failures and not a census: problems that only cost money are under-reported. Complaint rates also reflect how likely a brand’s owners are to file, which cannot be separated from how often the car fails. Sales are calendar-year and the denominator for this nameplate is automated checks only, not verified against an external source.