Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the A/C stopped working. Additionally, the contact smelled an electrical wiring burning odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then noticed smoke coming from under the glove compartment. The contact stated that he pulled to a carwash and exited the vehicle. An explosion occurred under the hood and the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that the vehicle burned significantly. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. A police report was filed. A fire department report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,653.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, blue and white smoke was coming from under the hood. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and the smoke ceased. The contact opened the hood and inspected the engine. The contact restarted the vehicle, and the smoke started coming from under the hood again. The messages "Parking Brake Service Required", "Reduced Steering Assist", "Proceed with Caution" were displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, the engine jerked abnormally. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 MPH, the engine seized and made an abnormal sound, nearly causing a semi-truck to jackknife and crash into the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was left stranded in the west desert of Utah, where a wildfire had started, and the contact did not have phone service. Additionally, the vehicle stopped on a two-lane road with heavy semi-truck traffic, leaving the contact frightened and terrified for her safety. The contact jumped out of the vehicle. Migrants who were tending the sheep nearby assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated when the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact became aware that the 400 AMP fuse was blown. The contact replaced the fuse and replaced the starter, however during a test drive, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and a 400-AMP fuse was replaced a second time. The contact also replaced the starter, the alternator and replaced the ground cables, and during another test drive, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken back to the residence and the contact determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the engine seized, nearly causing a crash. The driver was able to veer to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the upper part of the engine was previously rebuilt, and that the current failure was related to the lower part of the engine. The dealer informed the contact that there was a cost for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a discount towards the repair. The dealer later informed the contact that the manufacturer would partially cover the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owned a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle before the vehicle jerked forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The contact also stated that the radio would turn on, but there was no image on the screen. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under an undisclosed Customer Satisfaction Program. The contact stated that the abnormal sounds and failure persisted, and the manufacturer was contacted again. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH on the interstate, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of engine power and decelerated rapidly, nearly causing an accident. The contact managed to pull off the road, but the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact reported a prior history of excessive oil consumption. During a previous visit to the dealer, the contact was advised to shorten the vehicle oil change intervals from 10,000 miles to 5,000 miles to mitigate the oil loss. The contact stated that the dealer failed to determine that the excessive oil consumption was an early symptom of the current engine failure. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the belt filter and the piston needed to be replaced within the camshaft assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the braking system had erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the failure was caused by an engine malfunction of the number six cylinder. The vehicle was repaired. No further information was available. After retrieving the vehicle, the contact was driving approximately 10 MPH when the failure reoccurred and the braking system erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. During the incident, the driver's head slammed into the steering wheel, causing a head laceration. No medical treatment was required. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. …
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power; however, the vehicle maintained electrical power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local service center, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer and remained for additional investigation. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle several times and shift into different gears; however, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the rear wheels locked up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Walker Bros Chevrolet (700 Erie St, Edinboro, PA 16412); for a second opinion, and the transmission and TCM were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: N192272400; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
On January 16, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 after receiving complaints and field reports concerning engine failures in MY2019-2024 GM's full-size truck and SUV T1XX platform equipped with the L87 6.2L V8 engine.
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure failures in the L87 6.2L engine produced by General Motors (GM). Of the 1,157 reports received, 173 are outside of the scope of recall 25V-274.
Engine complaints in other Sierra 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500?
NHTSA has 331 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, 50% of the model year's 658 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.