Most common 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 problems
Share of the 66 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Sierra 2500 complaints by model year
Best Sierra 2500 years: 2012, 2014, 2013. Years to avoid: 2024, 2025, 2020, 2021, 2022. Compare all years →
2006 GMC Sierra 2500 recalls (1)
Equipment adaptive/mobility
Mobilityworks is recalling 133 my 2005-2006 Ford e250, my 2000, 2004-2006 e350, my 2000, 2005 e450, my 2005-2006 GMC 2500, GMC 3500, and my 2006 Dodge 2500 vans equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Mobilityworks is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners May contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or mobilityworks at 1-800-769-8267.
What 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 owners say
Brakes all 30 →
Brake lines busted. This is a very serious problem because I was hauling a load and got extremely extremely lucky that it busted as I was pulling in driveway. I was pulling a loaded trailer with no brakes. This is a very common issue with the 2005 and 2006 2500 trucks. I can name 6 vehicles I know of in the past 6 months that this has happened too. Mechanic says it's a very serious and common issue that GM should be recalling. If I would have been at a stoplight it would have been bad. Cheap materials is the problem with these brake lines. 2006 year model is mine.
Brakes failed "completely", with no warning. No "warning light" on the instrument panel while driving on a public road in the county. All of a sudden absolutely no brakes. Had recently hauled a car on a trailer from emporia, kansas. Was preparing to haul calves to the sale barn. Now that would have been a total disaster. Upon inspection, the brake lines are so rusted, that pinching off the line resulted in a rupture in another location. I was trying to get some braking action, so I could drive it to a repair shop. I'll have to haul it.
Transmission & drivetrain
The transmission began to slip. At times, I had to stop the truck and put in park before it would engage in drive. Finally it lost all but 1st gear. Took to dealer and torque converter had to be replaced. GMC made me pay half the $3200 repair. I do not live in a cold climate. A heavy duty truck should not be losing the transmission at less than 50,000 miles!
I am the shop foreman for a construction company in alaska. I dropped off a 2006 GMC 2500 pickup last week to the dealer to have a leak looked at. I got a call back from them saying my torque converter was blown. They said GMC is having problems with the allison transmission at cold temps (campaign # 07293) I had this truck in at 25000 miles to be re-programmed and again at 49000 miles. Now, at 58,000 miles the torque converter is blown and after arguing with GMC, they will not warranty the work, they want me to pay half of the 3200. I drove up in out company's brand new '08 GMC 3500, had the dealers mechanic look at it. He sniffed the tranny dipstick, grimmanced, and said that it too was blown. At 4120 miles, another blown torque converter. The service manager said 17 trucks so far in fairbanks alaska have suffered similar fates, due to this manufacturer error. …
Steering
Truck was parked in garage on a Friday night, with no problems. Started truck Saturday am to back out of the garage to hook up a trailer. I put the truck in reverse, then discovered it wouldn't steer and it wouldn't stop. Nearly took out the side of the garage door with the mirror, not to mention, nearly running over one of my kids! I had to engage the emergency brake in order to get the vehicle to stop - half in and half out of the garage. I shut the truck off and restarted it, but nothing changed. Called a flatbed truck to take the truck to the dealership. Power steering pump had failed and they replaced it. I'm very lucky that I wasn't pulling the trailer when this happened, as I could have been killed, or killed someone else. Very scary situation. There had been no trouble with the brakes or steering leading up to this incident - it was just boom - it happened. …
Tl contact owns a 2006 GMC Sierra 2500. The fly wheel, which runs with the transmission and helps change gears has had to be replaced three times within two years. While driving approximately 10 MPH during the first failure, there was a loud clicking noise and it became louder over time. The dealer stated the vehicle was operating normally. A few weeks later, the noise was much louder; however, a different dealer 2 hours away diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the fly wheel failed. After being repaired 24,000 miles and a year later, the failure recurred. The fly wheel was replaced again and lasted 5 months before it failed. The power steering shaft also needed to be replaced due to it being worn out and failed again nine months later. The failure mileage was 22,800 and the current mileage was 55,000. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 a good car?
Based on 66 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Sierra 2500 rates use caution: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sierra 2500 at the same age. It is one of the Sierra 2500 years we suggest avoiding. 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 2500?
The brakes — 30 complaints, 45% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (12) and steering (10).
How many recalls does the 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 have?
There is 1 recall for the 2006 GMC Sierra 2500, the most recent from October 6, 2008 (equipment adaptive/mobility). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Sierra 2500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2014 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2025, 2020, 2021 and 2022. See the full GMC Sierra 2500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 44,000 miles; 54% 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.