Most common 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 problems
Share of the 25 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Sierra 3500 complaints by model year
Best Sierra 3500 years: 2012, 2014, 2013. Years to avoid: 2024, 2020, 2023, 2025, 2022. Compare all years →
2008 GMC Sierra 3500 recalls (3)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 vehicles equipped with non-desiccated, passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 28, 2006, to August 29, 2008, and 2007-2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500HD trucks manufactured November 27, 2006, to August 29, 2008.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2015.
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 3 possible defects involving the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500:
Non-crash engine compartment fires
In response to an information request letter sent by the office of defects investigation(odi) during preliminary evaluation pe08-010, GM provided odi with 41 allegations of non-crash engine compartment fires including 16 allegations of fires originating with the ignition in the off position.one of the fires was determined to be caused by an arson event.odi has also received 5 reports, 4 of which are of duplicative…
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.
Non-crash engine compartment fires
In a letter dated August 27, 2008, general motors corp. (GM) notified NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 08v-441) to address a safety relateddefect that can result in engine compartment fire in approximately 850,000 vehicles equipped with a heated windshield washer fluid option.the subject vehicles of this investigation comprise over three-quarters of the recall population.
What 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 owners say
Air bags
Started the truck in driveway waiting on woman to get in on passenger side BOOM! AIR BAG EXPLODED didn't know what happened and then the passenger side airbag exploded. Shut the truck off got out 5 minutes later passenger side airbag exploded again and it was smoking they are very loud thank God no one was injured or we were driving down the road and that happened that would have been terrible.
Takata recall. This recall is taking an excessively long time. I have contacted GMC product support at 8004628782 to submit a tier 1 escalation on July 27th. As of August 25th, they still fail to expedite the parts to complete a safety recall. Since my wife is pregnant she cannot sit in the front seat. Once our second child arrives in mid September we will not be able to ride in this vehicle together. I am unclear how to resolve this issue.
Fuel & propulsion system
While driving in a one lane construction zone with no place to pull over, the vehicle lost power and would not go over 10 MPH, requiring it to be towed to the nearest dealership. This durmax diesel engine had only 84,000 miles and had excellent service maintance. Cost to repair is 3860.00.
Tl* the contact owns 2008 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle exhibited low engine power with an illumination of the fuel filter warning indicator on the instrument panel. The failure recurred six times. On a separate occasion the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the fuel filter which had be replaced seven different times before. The remedy failed to repair the problem. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 a good car?
Based on 25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Sierra 3500 rates use caution: 1.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sierra 3500 at the same age. It is one of the Sierra 3500 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 2008 GMC Sierra 3500?
The air bags — 17 complaints, 68% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (3) and wheels & tires (2).
How many recalls does the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2008 GMC Sierra 3500, the most recent from January 10, 2020 (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 3500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2012, 2014 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2020, 2023, 2025 and 2022. See the full GMC Sierra 3500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 GMC Sierra 3500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 68,000 miles; 40% 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.