Complaint volume
290 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 GMC Sierra Complaints
290 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 GMC Sierra, grouped by component category.
290 Total complaints
10 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
5 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, engine, service brakes. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 10 crash reports, 1 fire report, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 121 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 45,272 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, engine, service brakes?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 GMC Sierra?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 GMC Sierra
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 GMC Sierra complaints?
10 Crash
1 Fire
5 Injury
0 Fatality
12 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 GMC Sierra complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 85
ENGINE 30
SERVICE BRAKES 15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 10
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 10
STEERING 10
AIR BAGS 6
SEAT BELTS 4
290 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Electrical system turns off power steering while driving Dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree service track service brake stability Had this service back in 2022 August the problems have resurfaced there are no recalls have spent lots of money and still failing Spent almost a year at the dealership fast forward to years later the same problem is occurring I am running out of money | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | Engine failed before 100,000 miles. Lifter failed leading to a damaged camshaft and replacement of lifters being require. Required 10,000$ in repairs. Failure light appeared suddenly. No issues were known of ahead of incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | When accelerating (at times) truck will shudder. Sometimes barely noticeable, sometimes violently. Was told by dealership that torque converter is going out and will be $4000 to replace but may not even fix issue. Looking online, appears that MANY (1,000’s) people are having same issue and that there is even a class action lawsuit about this issue. But no investigation by NHSTA yet, even though I can see many many complaints of similar issues | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Shaking when accelerating. Sometimes so extreme it feels like you have been hit by another car. Random, inconsistent, and comes out of nowhere | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine temperature rose to 210 degrees and the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while idling for a while, or while stopped at a traffic light while refueling, and before accelerating. The failure occurred once the engine temperature rose to 210 degrees. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic at a transmission shop who confirmed there was a failure with the transmission; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 117,000 |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | This vehicle has 88400 miles, it out of warranty, which I know this, I use AMSOIL ASM SIG SERIES SYN SAE 0W-20 , 5.3L GAS. TWO YEARS AGO, I CHANGED OIL AT RICHARD BUICK GMC IN DAYTON, OH AND SENT A SAMPLE OF THE OIL TO OIL ANALYZERS FOR AN ANALYSIS, THEY SET IT BACK, IT SHOWED THERE WAS A LEVEL 4 SEVERE GASOLINE IN THE OIL. THEY CHANGED THE HIGH SPEEP FULE PUMP, BOTH IN JECTORS, AND IT THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED, ON 12 - 11 -24 HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT LOCAL BOYS SERVICE CENTER, SENT A SAMPLE OF THE OIL-TO-OIL ANALYZERS AND RECIEVED BACK, A SEVERE FUEL LEAK OF GASOLINE IN THE OIL, i DON'T THINK THAT MANY DRIVERS WHO HAVE THIS VEHICLE KNOW ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM, IT COULD CAUSE AN ENGINE FAILURE OR EVEN WORSE, GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO FIX THIS PERBLEM. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | Vehicle is a 2018 GMC Sierra Crewcab 4x4 with a 5.3 engine. The vehicle was purchased new in Washington and serviced at the Chevrolet dealership in Oregon within vehicle recommended service intervals. At 64K miles, the engine developed a sudden AFM lifter issue. Lifter for cylinder #6 came apart causing the engine to miss, smoke, have excessive oil on the spark plug, and low cylinder PSI (75 compared to others at 200+). Vehicle is just outside of it's 5 yr/60K powertrain warranty. Vehicle is undrivable and will need probable engine replacement due to damage from AFM lifter failure. My mechanic verified the miss, oil on the spark plug, and low PSI. The local Chevy dealership removed the valve cover, inspected, and advised that the lifter came apart. Dealership wants $1200 to pull the head to determine extent of damage and $4-5K to repair valves or $12-14K for engine replacement. GM offers no assistance at this point. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Noted the rear sliding window did not work. Upon further research and investigation found fuse 2 in the drivers side fuse box popped. Replaced the fuse and did not solve the problem. Further investigation found the harness that controls the rear sliding window and other items was sheared (all 3 wires cut in half). The harness is routed from the inside of the center console, through the drivers side hinge (pinch point where it cut the harness, and to the backside of the center console. Spliced the wires and reconnected confirming the fix to the problem. This issue poses a fire hazard. Recommend a recall to reroute the harness or a form of corrugation to better protect the harness and prevent further issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Rear sliding window defogger started smoking, filling the cab with smoke | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Part # 23337305 OEM Towing Control Module failure. replaced with factory part and unit failed within 60 days. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle began to shudder, and he decreased the speed. The contact drove to his residence. The next day the vehicle was driving as expected until it became hot and began to shudder again. The transmission was not shifting as designed. The contact checked underneath the vehicle but failed to locate an issue with the transmission. The rear differential was hot and burned his fingers, but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | 22,000 |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the exhaust manifold bolts had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 64,000 |
| Nov 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into gear as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that an unknown part was loose. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle near the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no failure was found. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate unintentionally. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the brake pedal. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool down however, the brakes locked up unexpectedly. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that the braking system had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 72,000 |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shaking violently, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but upon the contact continuing to drive to his destination, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the RPM rapidly increased and the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the auxiliary transmission oil cooler line, resulting in damages to the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Special Coverage Adjustment: N182188930. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 131,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 131,000 |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 28 - 35 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact continued driving cautiously. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the torque converter had been replaced twice with the first replacement performed at approximately 27,000. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 66,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 66,000 |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | The brakes sometimes lock up after use, or don’t disengage ( on one side) and the truck swerves ( steering wheel turns to the right ) into the next lane. I have to over correct and you can hear the brakes squeal. I will have to get off the freeway or the road. I am on trying to track off a couple of times for 5 to 10 minutes Until it stops doing it. It does it on average once to Twice a day. Was told could be brake calipers hoses, speed sensors sending the wrong information to the ABS system. It is very dangerous to drive the truck on the freeway doing 75 miles an hour! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving on various occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the drive(D) on the instrument panel started blinking. The contact stated that the engine revved, and the vehicle went into Safe Mode and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was currently being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Oct 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was inside the parked vehicle, the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact researched the failure and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 00V055000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ABS control module had experienced a failure; and the ABS control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 112,000 |
| Oct 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Engine AFM has failed. No engine light was present at the time. A loud ticking noise was noted from the engine bay. Was taken to get diagnosed, and the AFM was replaced. The problem was then resolved. Transmission has been jerking and hard shifting through the period of owning the vehicle. No diagnosis has been made | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was violently shaking. While at a stop, the vehicle slammed the brake pedal, and the steering wheel was shaking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to the transmission. The mechanic test drove the vehicle, and the vehicle was shuddering and violently shaking, and the transmission was hard shifting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 42,000 |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while shifted into reverse, there was a loud clunking sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact attempted to shift to drive(D) and neutral(N) and then back to reverse(R) however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,288. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 92,288 |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Drive train:The truck suddenly lurches forward as I'm accelerating and after I've stopped. It's very scary to stop behind a vehicle and suddenly lurch forward. Thankfully, I don't stop too close to another vehicle. The truck also shudders and experiences significant delays in acceleration after coming to a stop and going again. Automatic Emergency Braking: the automatic emergency braking system spontaneously brakes as I'm driving when there is nothing in front of me. Thankfully, nobody has been following behind me when this happens yet. I had to turn the automatic braking system off in order to avoid being hit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | TIRES | Purchased the tires on 10-25-2021 and with only 16,000 miles on the 4 new tires; we have non-normal cracking on the side of the Thread. These tires are only 3 years old. P275/55r20 We are contacting the tire manufacturer and also the tire service center for help under the 60,000 mile warranty. Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3. The tires should not be cracking for any reason and should not be cracking due to dry rot or stress on the tire. Used on a 2018 GMC 1500 Serria. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | AIR BAGS | all side airbags deployed for no reason on my driveway at a speed of less than 15 miles per hour. the front airbags did not deploy. no accident. no damage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while stationary at a stop light and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact stated that several unknown parts were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |