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2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD

Heavy-duty pickup
0 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
45 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical6
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA19
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD is a heavy-duty pickup; vehicles over 8,500 lb GVWR are not certified for fuel economy by the EPA, so this page is built from NHTSA's recall, complaint and investigation records. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 19 complaints, most often about the service brakes.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

No EPA fuel-economy record: the EPA does not certify vehicles over 8,500 lb GVWR. Recall, complaint and investigation data below come from NHTSA.

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The 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (6)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Air Bags

N202324251
410,019 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500, 3500, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks. The roof-rail air bag (RRAB) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.RiskA 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.FixDealers will replace the left and right side RRAB modules, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 18, 2021. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy is available. Phase I owner notification letters were mailed on May 5, 2022. Phase II owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. T
NHTSA campaign 21V504000reported Jul 1, 2021General Motors, LLC
!critical

Fuel System, Gasoline

N182204190
18,574 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 GMC Sierra 3500 and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 trucks equipped with gasoline engines and dual fuel tanks. The fuel-level sensor in the front tank may stick in a low-level position, allowing the rear tank to overfill the front tank.RiskIf the front tank overfills, the excess pressure may cause the front tank to expand and contact the driveshaft, possibly resulting in a hole in the tank. The hole will leak fuel, which in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.FixGM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the rear-tank fuel-pump module, inspect the front tank and, if necessary, replace the front tank, free of charge. The recall began July 30, 2019. GM's number for this recall is N182204190.
NHTSA campaign 19V088000reported Feb 7, 2019General Motors LLC
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

18278
42,280 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, 3500, 1500 Crew Cab Special Service, Tahoe Police Pursuit/Special Service, GMC Sierra 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.RiskIf the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the nut and reinstall the nut with increased tightness, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18278. Note: The vehicles in this recall need this additional remedy despite being covered by recall 16V069 for brake pedal loosening.
NHTSA campaign 18V578000reported Aug 30, 2018General Motors LLC
▲high

Air Bags

17287
40,683 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse and Chevrolet Spark EV, Caprice PPV and SS vehicles, 2014-2017 Buick Encore and Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles, 2015-2016 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Tahoe, Trax, Suburban and Silverado 2500 and 3500 and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles, and 2015-2017 GMC Sierra HD 2500 and 3500 vehicles. While being previously remedied for recall 16V-651, the affected vehicles may not have received the complete software update necessary to remedy the recall condition. Without the update, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) softwRiskA failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 17287.
NHTSA campaign 17V437000reported Jul 10, 2017General Motors LLC
▲high

Air Bags

16007
3,640,162 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.RiskA failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.
NHTSA campaign 16V651000reported Sep 8, 2016General Motors LLC
▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

20760
430,771 vehicles
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500, and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 1, 2013, to February 1, 2016, 2015-2016 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicles (PPV) manufactured March 1, 2014, to February 1, 2016, and 2015-2016 GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 heavy duty trucks manufactured October 29, 2013, to February 1, 2016. On the affected vehicles, the brake pedal pivot nut may loosen, causing the brake pedal to be loose or inoperative.RiskIf the brake pedal becomes loose or inoperative, the driver may be unable to stop the vehicle by using the brake pedal. Additionally, a loose pedal may also interfere with the accelerator pedal. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will add adhesive to the brake pedal pivot nut and reinstall with an increased torque, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 20760.
NHTSA campaign 16V069000reported Feb 5, 2016General Motors LLC

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
19complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 3

Most-cited components

Service Brakes6
Steering6
Engine5
Fuel/Propulsion System3
Power Train2
Electrical System2

What owners describe

“Driving down the road and I got a service trailer brake code pop up and would not go away and kept dinging It is very distracting and sometimes causes the trailer brakes to malfunction”Jul 24, 2025 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2016 GMC Sierra 3500. The contacted stated that while her husband was attempting to start the vehicle, the contact stated that after five minutes the engine independently failed while the vehicle was running. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it …”Apr 30, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“Driving my vehicle in the mountains pulling a 16000 lb 5th wheel trailer, the engine goes into Reduced Engine Power due to a Turbo Vane Position sensor / Turbo Over Boost or Under Boost fault. This has happened 4 times in the last 3 months and has nearly caused an accident following each occurrence. The vehicle is a 20…”Apr 4, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Compare the 2016 Sierra 3500HD with

2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD →2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD →

Other Sierra 3500HD model years

B

2026 GMC Sierra 3500HD

2 recalls · 4 complaints

A

2025 GMC Sierra 3500HD

1 recalls · 16 complaints

C

2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD

3 recalls · 44 complaints

A

2023 GMC Sierra 3500HD

1 recalls · 28 complaints

C

2022 GMC Sierra 3500HD

3 recalls · 31 complaints

F

2021 GMC Sierra 3500HD

5 recalls · 20 complaints

F

2020 GMC Sierra 3500HD

8 recalls · 51 complaints

F

2019 GMC Sierra 3500HD

7 recalls · 13 complaints

F

2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD

6 recalls · 14 complaints

F

2017 GMC Sierra 3500HD

7 recalls · 13 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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