NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 304 owner complaints for the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500.
7Safety recalls
304Owner complaints
10Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags and brakes. Most-reported area: powertrain (130 complaints, 43%; median mileage when it happened: 29,800). Includes the Sierra 1500 Limited, the previous generation GMC sold alongside the new truck. Excludes the Sierra EV and heavy-duty models.
7 safety recalls for the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The left-side or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace both RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262557310. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 21, 2026. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 26V166.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N262557310.
The left or right-side roof rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right-side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 16, 2026. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N262549710. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500, and Sierra 3500 Crew Cab vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N262549710.
The left or right-sideroof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A detached end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape and project the end cap or fragments of the inflator into the vehicle, increases the risk of injury or crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2025. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N252513060.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain 2018 GMC Sierra 1500, 2019 Sierra 2500, 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N252513060.
The left or right-sideroof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
Risk: A separated inflator end cap or inflator rupture can allow compressed gas to escape, resulting in the end cap or other components being propelled into the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2024. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC Customer Service at 888-988-7267. GM's number for this recall is N242474500.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2018-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, and GMC Sierra 2500, 3500 Crew Cab trucks.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N242474500.
3L or 6.2L V8 engine. The output of the mechanical vacuum pump can decrease over time, decreasing the amount of vacuum/power brake assist.
Risk: A decrease in brake assist can increase the brake pedal effort and distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2020. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-866-522-9559, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N202300860.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon vehicles equipped with either a 5.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N202300860.
Brakes
Oct 24, 2019
antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · wheel speed sensor/tone ring
3-liter engine, a 3.08-ratio rear axle and four-wheel drive. If a wheel-speed sensor fails, while the vehicle is traveling between 41 and 60 mph in four-wheel or automatic mode, the Electronic-Brake Control Module (EBCM) software may activate the driveline-protection system.
Risk: Unintended activation of the driveline-protection system will cause unintended braking on the wheel on the opposite side of the failed sensor, causing the vehicle to pull to one side unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the EBCM, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192261050.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, and GMC Yukon, and 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles equipped with a 5.
The amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time.
Risk: As the vacuum level drops, the brake assist decreases, increasing braking effort, extending the distance required to stop the vehicle, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Electronic Brake Control Module, free of charge. The recall began October 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-630-2438, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N192268490.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, 2015-2018 Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Yukon vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SIERRA 1500. GMC campaign N192268490.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 304 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Sierra 1500. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain130 · 43%
Most named: automatic transmission, torque converter (3) · Median 29,800 miles at failure (58 reports)
Engine67 · 22%
Median 47,000 miles at failure (19 reports)
Brakes44 · 14%
Electrical system43 · 14%
Steering30 · 10%
Suspension11 · 4%
Fuel and propulsion system10 · 3%
Unknown or other25 · 8%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
GMC Sierra 1500 recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 Sierra 1500 drew the most (285) and the 2018 drew 75.
Owner complaints
2018: 304 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, GMC Sierra 1500
Model year
Complaints
2016
347
2017
415
2018
304
2019
645
2020
466
2021
570
2022
585
2023
479
2024
360
2025
116
2026
121
Safety recalls
2018: 7 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, GMC Sierra 1500
Model year
Recalls
2016
9
2017
5
2018
7
2019
10
2020
12
2021
7
2022
6
2023
3
2024
1
2025
1
2026
2
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid PU/CC RWD
Rollover risk 17.9%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC 4WD
Rollover risk 17.4%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD
Rollover risk 17.9%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/EC 4WD
Rollover risk 17.9%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/EC RWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC 4WD
Rollover risk 17.4%
GMC Sierra 1500 PU/RC RWD
Rollover risk 17.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Sierra 1500 problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (130), engine (67), brakes (44). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Sierra 1500 has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at GMC dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SIERRA 1500.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.