Most common 2009 GMC Sierra 2500 problems
Share of the 31 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 →
2009 GMC Sierra 2500 recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida,…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 24, 2021.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas,…
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 23, 2021.
Equipment
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, 2009 GMC Topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series and Isuzu F Series, and 2009-2018 Chevrolet Express, and GMC Savana vehicles, equipped with certain Plastic-Handle Fire Extinguishers or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, instructing them to contact Kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began June 11, 2018.
Electrical system
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 18, 2007, to June 22, 2011, and GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2007, to June 21, 2011, and equipped with an auxiliary battery.
Remedy: GM will notify owners and dealers will replace the jumper harness with one that includes a 40 amp inline fuse, and provide the owner with supplemental Owner Manual information, free of charge.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2009 GMC Sierra 2500:
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2009 GMC Sierra 2500 owners say
Electrical system
The door lock actuator on the driver's door will not work or only partially work at times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not work and some times it half engages so the door can be half way opened, but the latch is still engaged so it cannot be opened all the way. My concern is that the door will not be locked when I think it is if I depend on the electric lock. It doesn't matter if I use the keyless entry or the electric button on the interior if it's not working, neither operate the lock. I am concerned about theft of personal belongings, or worse, my entire vehicle if the actuator does not lock the door as intended. If the electronic portion doesn't work and I have left the vehicle running while locked, I must use the keyless entry to unlock the other doors and enter the vehicle via another door and reach over to manually unlock my driver door. …
Receiving a "service trailer brake system" message while in motion on both highway and city streets when applying brakes both with and without tow\haul mode engaged. There is a recall notice #14515 on this vehicle and the NHTSA site says that all recalls have been performed. What am I to do?
Brakes
Receiving a "service trailer brake system" message while in motion on both highway and city streets when applying brakes both with and without tow\haul mode engaged. There is a recall notice #14515 on this vehicle and the NHTSA site says that all recalls have been performed. What am I to do?
Truck was at full throttle brakes would not stop truck diesel engine over powered brakes. Found gas peddle under floor mat luckly I put in nuteral and turned off ign glad my wife or kids were not driving death trap
Air bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 GMC Sierra 2500. The contact stated that after driving for 45 minutes, the vehicle was parked for two hours and the service air bag warning light illuminated. The contact called ballas Buick GMC (5715 central ave, toledo, oh 43615, [phone]) and provided a fee for the diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Service airbag warning light came on, and is still on. Vehicle had been running then parked for about 2 hrs. When started the light came on with the bulb check suite then stayed on when all the other lights went out
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 GMC Sierra 2500 a good car?
Based on 31 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Sierra 2500 rates average: 39% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Sierra 2500 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 2009 GMC Sierra 2500?
The electrical system — 7 complaints, 23% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the brakes (5) and air bags (5).
How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Sierra 2500 have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 GMC Sierra 2500, the most recent from February 5, 2021 (inflator module). 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 2009 GMC Sierra 2500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 40,000 miles; 61% 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.