Most common 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Share of the 145 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Sierra 1500 complaints by model year
Best Sierra 1500 years: 2012, 2013. Years to avoid: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019. Compare all years →
What 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 owners say
Brakes all 67 →
My wife while driving our 2006 GMC Sierra was involved in a t-bone accident. She was driving south in her lane and was cut off causing her to hit the car that turned in front of her. She could not stop in time and when she hit the other car her airbag did not deploy. She died from broken ribs that puncher-ed her heart and she bled to death at work two hours later, the coroner determined her death to be from blunt force chest trauma.
I took our truck in for servicing at the o'neill GMC dealership in warminster, pa and was told that all of our brake lines needed to be replaced due to rusting. We purchased our vehicle new from o'neill and have continued to have it serviced there. The truck is treated with great respect and only has 40,000 miles on it. I contacted GMC due to the defective materials of the vehicle they sold us and they claim that this is normal. I now am strapped with a bill for $2700.00 to replace all four defective, rusting brake lines their website says customer satisfaction guaranteed. I believe GMC should contribute $1700 towards the bill. I note that there are over ten pages of complaints on the internet regarding corrosion problems. Please hold GMC accountable. This vehicle was purchased in good faith and they should admit responsibility for their inferior brake line materials. …
Electrical system all 20 →
My fan high speed burst out and I had a strong else trial burning smell. I had my truck looked at to find that my wiring harness and resistor had burnt. I had them replaced this last September. Since then I have had to replace two more resistors and one more wiring harness. I talked to two dealerships and no one told me about the, "special warranty adjustment". I had to research the internet to find this out. When I took my truck back to the original dealer, they blamed me for not knowing the language. I am glad I did not burn my truck up like several other had (found on the internet). Now the dealer tells me that main controller has failed and I have to pay over $400 in repairs. How do I know that the main controller did not burn out the resistor or wiring harness? I am concerned that large corporations are playing with our lives.
The truck was purchased with 113,000 miles on it and no apparent problems when bought. After about 3 months of ownership, the "service airbag" message appeared intermittently for the next few weeks. After that time, the message was constant on. Took the truck to my local dealer who charged to "repair" it. Message came back after about a week of driving. Message now reappears at random intervals. Don't know if the problem is with the airbag sensors, the control unit, or any peripheral switches. Dealer is incompetent and do not trust to fix the problem. Already paid good money to have this problem repaired and am not going to continue to pay for incompetence. Message appears when vehicle is in motion and when vehicle is started at random. Message will sometimes disappear for weeks at a time, then, reappear at random.
Transmission & drivetrain
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500. While driving various speeds, the vehicle made a loud clunking noise when the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle shifted hard when switching gears. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the valve body inside the transmission was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. GMC of plattsburgh, new york [phone] was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall on the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and provided the contact with case number: 8-3309303524. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. Updated 12/13/2017 consumer stated does not shift down going down hills half to ride brakes at all times. Light did not come on when we had trouble with ABS cable to wheel bearing, you lose brake power. Also transmisson does not shift down. Updated 7/18/18
We were in a storage facility parking our camper when I got out of my GMC truck...I left it running in park because it was so hot outside...while I directed my brother to put the camper in place with his vehicle. This took approx. 20-30 minutes when all of a sudden my truck is going in reverse all on its own running into some boats that were stored there. Wth!! My truck got rear end damage,bumper damage,light broken and my topper was messed up as well....along with the boat trailers that it hit! Was there any recall with this problem? I bought this truck about 2 years ago with only 29,000 miles on it and it still only has 38,000.
2006 GMC Sierra 1500 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 17 / 15 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.8L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 6.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 16 / 14 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 a good car?
Based on 145 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Sierra 1500 rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Sierra 1500 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 GMC Sierra 1500?
The brakes — 67 complaints, 46% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the electrical system (20) and transmission & drivetrain (13).
How many recalls does the 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2006 GMC Sierra 1500. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Sierra 1500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2019. See the full GMC Sierra 1500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 52,000 miles; 46% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.