2017 GMC SIERRA 1500 Electrical System Problems

Started car via remote start. When I went out to the car I noticed smoke in the cab. I then observed the rear power slide window to be smoking and further discovered the rear defroster wires the be smoldering creating considerable smoke. The tempered glass then began to spider and completely cracked. There is a former recall on the rear slide window involving fire hazards and the wiring components. It should also be noted that our 9 month old’s car seat is directly below the window and defroster wiring were the smoldering took place. No warnings lamps were observed prior to the incident.

Driving in town going 20mph and the truck shut down not allowing for braking or gas and the steering locked up. Placed the vehicle in neutral, shut the truck off and turned it back. Was able to continue driving. Attempted to have the dealership we bought it from run a diagnostic and the battery was replaced but it continues to shut down at random times. Took the truck to a local auto shop after this happened again, another diagnostic was run, I am waiting the report to confirm what was done.

Reverse lights stay on. Causing the battery to drain. The fuse box under the hood is prone to go bad. Even with no corrosion. GM knows this and has not fixed the issue. Its a common problem going back many years. The need to upgrade the fuse box under the hood & the wiring harnesses. My taillight harnesses were completely burned up. The truck could of caught fire. This should be a recall. Instead GM wants to take the money they are making off all the fuse boxes they are selling.

The vehicle consistently shuts off unexpectedly when trying to park or slow down, making it difficult to steer or control.The electric power steering stops working, especially when turning at low speeds.

Total loss of power while in motion on highway going 70 when first happened, got video of problem for shop while going lower speeds. Truck will loose all power the dash will turn off and then turn back on sometimes the engine will cut out completely.

Rear defroster failure. The rear defroster was turned on causing smoke to appear from the power sliding rear window, then the rear window shattered causing glass to fly into the backseat and truck bed.

Approximately 3 miles into my trip i smelled something burning, thought it was a tractor trailer in front of me. Then my cab filled with smoke, I pulled over on the side of the road and examined the truck. The rear sliding window on the passenger side was cherry red and smoldering. I shut off the rear defrost, the cherry went out then the window shattered. No warning or beeps. My passenger and my safety were at risk to smoke inhalation, the possibility of a wreck, or burning. Gm claims there is no recall on this. But Canada has 159k recalls on this. Vehicle has 120444 miles on it. Temperature was 45 degrees out today at time of incident

My rear defrosters shorted out causing a small fire and causing the window to explode. The recall for this issue has already been performed on this vehicle...

When driving the truck sometimes all the gauges start to go out and go back and forth all the dash lights go on an the whole truck goes to low power an only goes about 10miles per hour you pull over and let it cool down for about 20to30 minutes and can start the truck and drive off again took it’ to the dealer for a plug in and he said no code is showing up and can not help me its been doing this for 1and a half years

I remote started my truck and entered the vehicle with my girlfriend approximately 3mins after remote starting. We immediately smelled smoke that smelled like an electrical fire. I heard sizzling/static-like/electrical short sounds coming from back seat and when I looked back, I saw thick white smoke pouring out of the the small black plastic trim piece on the rear power sliding window that covers the electrical connections between the sliding pane of the power sliding window and the solid, non-moving pane of glass on the passenger side of the rear window assembly. I immediately shut the truck off and climbed into the back seat with a flashlight to investigate. While looking at the rear window, the passenger side non-moving pane of glass in the rear window EXPLODED very loudly, which actually hurt my ears. The glass stayed intact but spider webbed the entire pane. I immediately pulled the fuse for the rear defroster and cleared the tremendous about of smoke that had filled my cab. The window continued to make sizzling and static like noises for the 20min ride home. Upon investigating this issue online, I discovered that GM has issued a recall on this defect for all of Canada and only certain US states that are above a certain longitude, which doesn’t include my state of PA. I am terrified to use my remote starter on the vehicle now or even preheat the truck manually for fear of burning mu truck down. I contacted a GM dealership who told me my truck didn’t have any active recalls on it and to file an insurance claim. I have since filed a complaint to GM customer service who is investigating my claim to determine if they will cover the repair. They said up to 30days to make determination! This is a huge safety hazard that is known and acknowledged to be in every Silverado and Sierra with a power sliding rear window within the model years 2014-1017

On [XXX], on or about [XXX], while leaving out the garage the steering wheel locked-up and would not turn unless exceptional strength was used. We immediately notified Garlyn Shelton in Temple, TX dealer and had the 2017 GMC Denali towed with AAA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

In January 2024, I parked my truck in my garage and shortly after I smelled an electrical burning smell in our house. When I opened the garage, it had smoke throughout the garage and a very strong odor of electrical burning smell. I moved my vehicle outside and tried to find the source, but it was too strong to narrow it down, and the garage smelled like burnt electrical for days. I took the truck to a service shop and they could not find anything wrong at the time. Today, May 2024, I was having trouble getting my trailer lights working. Upon further inspection, I discovered the 7-way interface wiring harness on my vehicle had electrically shorted out and melted a hole in the plastic housing and left melted plastic on the truck frame. The tag on the wiring harness states TAG #138359 7-WAY INTERFACE HARNESS W/O 134971. I believe this electrical short/fire should be part of the NHSTA Recall 18E-014. That recall states those are aftermarket harnesses, but the harness on the vehicle in this complaint is original to the vehicle and was installed by the manufacturer. I plan to take the vehicle back to the dealer to have the harness replaced, but I am expecting pushback since the NHSTA recall states this is only aftermarket harnesses.

on [XXX], i remote started my vehicle about 10 minutes prior to leaving work. when i left and walked out to my truck i opened the driver side door and noticed smoke in the vehicle and an odd smell. upon looking around the truck i heard a loud pop and the passenger side of the rear sliding back glass shattered. upon further investigation this has been an ongoing issue with gm trucks and even 159,000 have been recalled in Canada and there has been no recall issued in the United States. the major safety concern is that in the back seat of my vehicle i have two car seats for each of my toddler aged sons. i am just thankful that neither one of them were in the vehicle when this happened. i brought the vehicle to the dealership and they told me that there was indeed a short in the wiring going to the back sliding window and defroster but there was nothing they could do other than replace the glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Started truck for 10-15 minutes with front and rear defrost on to remove ice from glass. Upon entering the truck, there was a smell of wiring/plastic burning. Smoke was coming from the bottom corner of the rear sliding window. I immediately shut off rear defrost and then shut my truck off. Then the driver side rear glass panel popped and shattered completely.

Service Trailer Brake System. This has happened in the past 3 Times, in which the local GMC Dealership has made me pay for New Batteries and other Fuel system issues. Dealership stated that this shows up because of a bad battery.

Today August 22, 2023 at 2:30pm, just about to leave work home when I received a message on my dash board telling/showing me "Service Trailer Brake System". And that sign kept coming on every second all the way home from work, couldn't heard nothing else that us going on inside the car like my phone, radio, turn sign, etc..

Infotainment System will change stations, stop navigation / change navigation destination, stop / start playing on its own. Examples of recent issues: 1) While driving from southeastern Ohio to West Lafayette, IN, the navigation system (Apple play through the infotainment system) stopped navigation to entered destination and changed destination to home. This occurred while in Indianapolis and caused us to reroute until we noticed the issue. 2) While playing music from bluetooth, the Infotainment system changed from media play to radio play. The change in volume and music caused me to swerve suddenly while in downtown traffic. 3) The radio changed stations continuously for 5 minutes, changing screens and stations for 5 minutes until I finally shut it off. These are just a couple of the examples. Something happens every time I am in the vehicle, the extent varies. All of these situations cause the driver to lose focus of driving, and also create a shock when first happening. After investigation, I have found that many owners of 2017-2020 GMC vehicles with the Infotainment system have the same issue. Some have fixed the problem by installing new systems (GM offers an "upgraded" system that doesn't have the issue... Coincidence?). This leads me to believe that GM acknowledges there is an issue but will not fix it as a recall. I have video of the latest occurrence, but the site will not allow the file type to be uploaded.

1st incident - tried to park turned in and steering went wild stability control light came on & others then truck shut down. 2nd Incident 2 days later- tried to turn off street (with grandkids in car) same thing steering about snapped my wrists off- check engine light came on and others then truck off this was all in a matter of seconds. I turned it on the info system on dash told me to roll down and then roll up window. Husband when driving noticed barking issues - really having to pump brakes (week before) We looked up recalls they are there for both issues for my year make but I have a bigger engine that the recall states so I am not covered yet it is doing all that same stuff for the recall which my husband put it what the truck was doing and found recalls just not for our engine size- THIS TRUCK IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS WHEN YOU TURN IT WILL SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY. AND YOU LOSE ALL STEERING ETC I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK, ESPECIALLY AS WE HAUL OUR GRANDKIDS AND TRAVEL TO IDAHO ON VERY HIGH CURVY ROADS AGAIN NOT SAFE YOUR COMPONETS IT WANTS ME TO CHECK OFF WONLT LET ME CLICK ON ENGINE & AND OTHER

Started my truck to go to the store. When me and my son got in we could smell like hot plastic burning. Figured someone was burning trash so we proceeded to the store. About a mile down the road it sounded like someone fired a gun inside the cab of the truck. So being a combat veteran it triggered me! I instantly swung for the back seat thinking someone was back there and noticed the rear sliding window on the drivers side had blown and shattered. I found a recall online that gm had put out about this specific issue happening. So when I called Varney Gmc of Bangor Maine. They told me the recall had Ben done at 97000 miles and there was nothing they could do unless I paid for it…

Trailer Brake System Fault requiring service. Seems like its an issue a lot with Chevy and GMC Trucks.

Fully enclosed LED tail light (turn and brake integrated into 1 LED "strip") with no visible moisture ingress/egress system showing retained moisture and no longer functional. Dash light for "rear signal brake light failure" appears. This rear light unit is NOT serviceable or repairable when a light goes out and is fully sealed aside from the reverse light (incandescent bulb and functions fine). LED's should have a lifespan that outlives the vehicle and a major incentive to have LED integration with lighting is the lifespan and reduced need for service. Now the taillight and brake light stop working and can not be fixed without spending <$500 per side. This is a safety issue that seems to be closely related to the issues with the GMC Yukon's of the same generation.

Driving down the road. Thankfully it was late at night and the roads were empty. But the truck shut down and brakes locked up and steering wheel locked. Once I was at a full stop. I turned the truck off and back on and was able to drive home. But I called Gmc regarding this issue and brought they couldn’t find anything wrong

I purchased my vehicle in January 2022. On 11/18/22 I captured a photo across my dash stating that the trailer brake system needed to be serviced (photo attached) . This was the second time this message appeared within days. The vehicle continued to beep and flash for a long period of time clearing out my dash screen making it UNSAFE TO DRIVE. The beeping noise startled me, almost causing an accident on the freeway. I did not know what the warning meant as I wasn't towing a trailer. I wasn't towing anything and could not turn off the beeping sound or the flashing screen, in spite of hitting the dismiss button. I don't know why the message continued to go on and assuming there is an electrical shortage somewhere with the wiring. This needs to be recalled and fixed as it is a manufacturer issue. I do not have any aftermarket parts installed in this vehicle. This same alert message appeared again yesterday 12/5/22 as I was driving back from the airport. It continued for almost 2 hours while on the freeway and again I was not pulling or towing anything. I pulled over, checked my tailgate, turned off the vehicle and turned it back on and the message continued until I got home. It is very alarming and annoying and scared me. This is a big safety hazard and almost caused an accident again as the alert is very loud and flashes across, clearing out your screen, causing you to take your eyes off traffic looking ahead. This time, I was traveling in heavy traffic. Please investigate this further. Thank you

The trucks power source starts failing when going at about 15 mph and turning a bit, it happens when coming to a stop or when you’re about to park. The steering wheel starts getting super stiff and all the power buttons and lights start going dim and the truck shuts off. The truck can turn on right after but at times it takes about 15 minutes for the system to reboot and then the truck will finally turn. When this happens you can’t turn on hazard light making it a dangerous situation at night! I’ve talked to other gmc owner with the Denali models and they have stated as well that they’ve had the same issue occur at least once to them, this truck currently does it very often and even more in the cold weather! There has been a recall on earlier an earlier year of the same model truck but just not this one making it tedious to try to get it fixed. I’ve took it to the mechanic and they’ve changed the ground wires, it made the problem just happen less frequently, but it still occurs.

As I am driving the truck I notice that as the accelerator is pressed the truck does not respond as it should. I have taken this to a service repair shop and they have stated it is a ongoing issue with these vehicles. So I have taken it upon myself to look online and sure enough OTHERS have also states the same things.

While making a quick left hand turn at low speed, steering wheel suddenly locked, all lights and electrical went out and engine died. This left me stuck in a busy intersection with no lights. I was able to restart engine after a minute or so. Error message appeared "roll driver side window up, etc." Needless to say, no longer have confidence driving my truck not knowing when this situation may re-occur.

The service trailer brake system keeps coming on. The notification constantly alerts and it’s distracting my driving.

TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM ERROR COMES ON. I DONT EVEN OWN A TRAILER OR HAVE EVER TOWED A TRAILER. IT CUTS POWER MOMENTARILY AND IS VERY VERY UNSAFE. PLEASE FIX BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the driver’s and passenger’s side running boards would erroneously activate and repeatedly extend in and out. The contact was concerned that the failure created a trip and fall, and pinching hazard. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to shift hard, started shuddering, and lost electrical power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with assistance. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle was shifting hard and was shuddering while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the main power cord had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer; Fresno Buick GMC (5515 N Blackstone Ave, Fresno, CA 93710) where it was diagnosed that the transmission torque converter and the engine mounts needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the coolant reservoir had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure through email. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Mileage: 56,000

The trailer brake System sensor keeps going off making the vehicle unbearable to drive. The transmission also jerks when it gets to 7 mph. I've taken the truck to the GMC dealer over 3 times to check the transmission problem and it still jerks. This has been a on going problem since the purchase of the vehicle.

My complaint is of the intelilink system in this vehicle. While driving the system would change screens, when turned off would turn itself back on. It would hang up on phone calls, would make all these beeping sounds and change stations on radio. It was very distracting and I feel dangerous in that especially at night as I said would not stay turned off so the beeping and changing of the screen that would make the large(8”) screen go from night mode to day mode and shine into your eyes. When navigating to somewhere system would show that you were in one place, when you were possibly 20 miles from where it would show you to be. Bad because it maybe showing and telling you turn by turn directions and all of a sudden it’s gone. This problem has been diagnosed by a dealer and repaired at a cost of $887.85. Was told that it is a very common repair that they do. Have contacted gm customer service and let them know that I thought a 2017 vehicle with 35000 miles should not have this problem and would like some kind of compensation for the problem and repair

while driving I get a repeating alarm chime and "Service Trailer Brake System" caution statement on dash panel. This alarm will go off as often as once every three seconds. It is both startling and a hazard to the driver and while towing condition of the trailer brakes is unknown.

Service trailer brakes light pops up and chimes over and over again. I've never pulled a trailer. It's distracting and will randomly go off. Seems to go off when gas is below 1/4 tank. Sometimes it goes months without happening. Sometimes it happens a few days in a row. The dealership says they can't do anything unless they see it go off.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle began to independently brake without depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the "trailer brake service" and the "service brake" warning light were illuminated. The contact pulled off the road safely and drove the vehicle to his residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact had received an unknown recall letter from the manufacturer. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,230. The VIN was unavailable.

Mileage: 14,230

Rear window defroster started smoking and broke my back window. Known issue. Recalled only in Canada not in US but US vehicle having same issue.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic sign, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with Vehicle Control Module (VCM) failure. The contact was informed that the VCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

Mileage: 84,000

The front driver side window won’t roll down or engage; the a/c blows warm/hot on the drivers side vents; the stereo system continues to, “Glitch” changing stations, displaying other information without the screen being touched. These often cause discomfort by not operating properly. The dealer did not suggest any concerns upon my purchasing the vehicle. Vehicle was never taken to a certified GMC dealer for these issues.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that various warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the battery cables replaced however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

Mileage: 48,000

My truck trailer Brake system continues to come on and my doors are locking and unlocking. It has my 4x4 trans rubbing as well. Its a non stop issue everytime I get into my truck it does this and it happened out of no where. I had this truck a little over a year now.

LOST OF ACCELERATION AT A SET SPEED THE THROTAL STOPPED TO INCREASE THE SPEED AND JUST FLOOPED TO FLOOR. WHEN THE SPEED SLOWED TO A SET POINT, ACCELERATION CONTROL RETURNED. WHEN IT HIT THE HIGH SETTING IT AGAIN LOST CONTROL TO INCREASE SPEED. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I REACHED THE DROP OFF SPEED. WHY DOSE THIS HAPPEN??? ONE TIME I WAS ON A HIGHWAY PASSING TWO TRUCKS ON A UPGRADE WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE #2 TRUCK WENT TO PASS #1, THE #2 TRUCK WAS ON MY REAR THANK GOD ACCELERATION RETURNED. I REPORTED THIS OCCURANCE TO MANUFACTURE & TO "NHTSA" OVER A YEAR AGO. I GOT "NO" ANSWERS OR RESPONCE FROM ANYONE!!!

Randomly all electronics shut down engine stalls and lane assists wont let me turn wheel while driving in road. Normally at slow speeds. Get random warning lights that go away after seconds. When I activate a window switch all the electronics turn off and on. This happens randomly. No codes have been left to pull up when trying to solve issue. Twice with children in the car in traffic that we have almost got in a wreck due to these random issues.

Driving at approx 55 to 60 MPH with rear defrost on. Began to smell a burning/electrical smell, and within 90 seconds heard a loud bang. Rear window (stationary piece on drivers side) had shattered. Smell presumably coming from the rear window defrost component. No warning lights or messages on the truck. My son was sitting in the rear seat at the time so this is a huge safety risk. This has not yet been repaired. Window replacement is scheduled with Safelite on 6/8, consult with dealer on rear defrost set for 6/10. Photos are available.

The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that ‘hood open” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact inspected the hood and confirmed that the hood was securely locked. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

Mileage: 71,000

I WAS DRIVING 50MPH AND WAS BEHIND A SEMI AS I STARTED TO PASS HIM I NOTICED AN ONCOMING CAR AND DECIDED THERE WASNT ENOUGH TIME TO PASS SO I STARTED TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN AND GET BACK BEHIND THE SEMI AND THE BRAKES LOCKED UP WHICH PRODUCED AN UNCONTROLLABLE SPIN IN WHICH I DID A 180 DEGREE SPIN AND ENDED UP GOING INTO THE DITCH BACKWARDS AND TIPPED OVER ON MY SIDE NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED EITHER.

Mileage: 72,000

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET, WHEN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY POWERED OFF. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THIS OCCURRED ON 11/22/2020 AND 11/23/2020. THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS ON MY DASHBOARD 'STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE.'

Mileage: 64,000

THE TRUCK LOOSE POWER WHEN KEY IS TURNED OFF AND THEN COME BACK ON AFTER A FEW MINUTES ALSO STABILATRACK SYSTEM IS SHUTTING OFF TRUCK ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH ENGINE RUNS RUFF AND USES OIL IN LESS THAN 5000 MILES HAS USE AT LEAST 3 QUARTS THE DOD SYSTEM MAKE TRUCK RUN EXTREMELY BAD ENGINE HAS MISS IN IT ALSO IT IS BECOMING UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT TIMES AND BRAKE PEDAL IS VERY HARD TO PUSH

Mileage: 20,600

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONER STARTED BLOWING HOT AIR INSTEAD OF COLD AIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A LEAK WAS FOUND ON THE A/C COMPRESSOR. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO BOB STALL CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 7601 ALVARADO RD, LA MESA, CA 91942, (619) 460-1311, AND NOTIFIED THE DEALER OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

Mileage: 50,000

DISPLAY SCREEN TO BRIGHT WHEN VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE. WHEN PUTTING VEHICLE IN REVERSE THE BACKUP CAMERA DISPLAY IS SO BRIGHT YOU CAN NOT SEE YOUR EXTERIOR MIRRORS OR OUT ANY OF THE WINDOWS TO SEE SURROUNDING AREA. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE CONDITION BECAUSE YOU ARE BLINDED WHILE BACKING UP. WHEN TOOK THE TRUCK TO DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THIS. AND HAVE HAD NO OTHER COMPLAINTS???

Mileage: 13,000

ON SCREEN DISPLAY FOR BACKUP CAMERA. WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE ON SCREEN DISPLAY IS SO BRIGHT THAT YOU CAN'T SEE OUT THE WINDOWS, THE REARVIEW MIRRORS OR THE SURROUNDING AREA. THIS DISPLAY DOES NOT DIM WITH THE REST OF THE LIGHTS. THIS CAUSES A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD WHEN TRYING TO BACKUP THE VEHICLE.

Mileage: 13,000

TAKA RECALL WIRELESS CHARGER ON CONSOLE DOES NOT WORK WITH SMART PHONES ONLY ON A VERY SELECT FEW THAT ARE OUT OF DATE MY PHONE BEING THE GALAXY NOTE 9, AND MY FIANCEE'S PHONE IPHONE XR DO NOT CHARGE AND FRANKLY THE MONEY YOU PAY FOR THIS TRUCK TO HAVE AN ACCESSORY OPTION NOT WORK IS RIDICULOUS