GM bulletin PIT5386J
What it saysThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that are found to have a back-up alarm inoperative during the Pre-Delivery Inspection. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
GM filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 20, 2023, received Jan 29, 2024, about the electrical system. It names 54 model years across Chevrolet and GMC (2016–2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Chevrolet · GMC.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that are found to have a back-up alarm inoperative during the Pre-Delivery Inspection. On trucks equipped with the Back Up Alarm (RPO 8S3), the alarm will be intentionally left disconnected from the assembly plant. Technician will reroute the harness and plug it in.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT5386J | Service bulletin | Dec 20, 2023 | 10249298 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themChevrolet 27 model years
GMC 27 model years
and 14 more on this site: 2020 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2018 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2017 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2016 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2023 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2022 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2021 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2020 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2017 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 54 model years this bulletin names have filed 12,497 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 2,068 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, the 72 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 11,750 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
There is a common and very dangerous electrical wire routing problem on my vehicle, along with 3 dozen others and my dads (separate but same truck) i confirmed with (FB group for owners of 17-19 L5P GMC diesel trucks) where the alternator positive wire from the alternator to the battery is run right along and across a rather sharp part…
2019 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 29, 2025 · ODI 11696384
I rely heavily on this vehicle for my business and within 1 year of ownership, the vehicle broke down on the highway allowing it to only run @ 30mph. After finally locating a dealer who could evaluate the vehicle in less than 1 week, I was informed that the part was unavailable and they indicated, "it could take 1 month or 3 months to…
2023 GMC Sierra 2500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 6, 2025 · ODI 11665263
The manufacturer placed two 12v batteries to start the truck with one being located on the passenger side just in front of the cowl of the cab. The factory OEM batteries are known to overheat when charging which is exactly what mine did and as the battery boils over with sulfuric acid, the acid is vaporized and ingested into the cabin.
2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 13, 2025 · ODI 11666873
In depth: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado electrical problems → · 2023 Chevrolet Silverado electrical problems → · 2022 Chevrolet Silverado electrical problems → · 2021 Chevrolet Silverado electrical problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group246 other manufacturer communications filed against these GM models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Chevrolet list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| N262565450 | Service campaign | Oct 26, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Program. Certain vehicles listed above may have a condition in which remanufactured high voltage battery packs were b… |
| N252529080 | Service campaign | Apr 1, 2026 | Service Update. Certain vehicles listed above may be missing a high voltage header plug on the RESS battery pack drive motor connector. Dea… |
| N252515590 | Service campaign | Jan 27, 2026 | Certain vehicles listed above, may have a condition in which the body-to-chassis ground strap may be corroded. Dealers will replace the grou… |
| 18-NA-180 | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information. |
| 22-NA-083 | Service bulletin | May 17, 2025 | This service bulletin provides Requirements for Replacement of the Dual Mode Cord Set Under Warranty. |
| 23-NA-151 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2025 | This service bulletin and criteria within are to determine the internal state of the High Voltage Battery and core return shipping method. |
| PIE0753I | Service bulletin | May 15, 2025 | This engineering information (EI) will assist GM to recover a small number of electric vehicle battery packs from customer-owned vehicles in… |
| 25-NA-044 | Service bulletin | May 14, 2025 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on SPS2 Hybrid/EV Battery Data Retrieval for Service High Voltage DTCs. |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Chevrolet and GMC, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is GM PIT5386J a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the PIT5386J repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every GM warranty extension on file lists the ones GM has filed.
Which vehicles does PIT5386J cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 54 model years across 2 brands (Chevrolet and GMC): 2024 Chevrolet Silverado, 2023 Chevrolet Silverado, 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, 2020 Chevrolet Silverado, 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.