GMC · Sierra · 2008
2
Recalls
469
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2008 GMC Sierra has 2 recalls and 469 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: air bags (238 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
GM IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 BUICK, LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MODEL YEAR 2008-2009 BUICK ENCLAVE; CADILLAC CTS; MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL; SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MODEL YEAR 2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WASHER FLUID SYSTEM (HWFS). A RECALL WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2008 TO ADD A FUSE TO THE CONTROL CIRCUIT HARNESS TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD (PCB) ELECTRICAL SHORT. HOWEVER, THERE HAVE BEEN NEW REPORTS OF THERMAL INCIDENTS ON HWFS MODULES AFTER THIS IMPROVEMENT WAS INSTALLED. THESE INCIDENTS RESULTED FROM A NEW FAILURE MODE ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEVICE'S THERMAL PROTECTION FEATURE. THE SIGNIFICANCE VARIES FROM MINOR DISTORTION TO CONSIDERABLE MELTING OF THE PLASTIC AROUND THE HWFS FLUID CHAMBER.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL PERMANENTLY DISABLE AND REMOVE THE HEATED WASHER FLUID MODULE. AN UPDATED PAGE FOR THE OWNER MANUAL WILL BE PROVIDED AND INSERTED IN THE OWNER MANUAL TO DOCUMENT THAT THE FEATURE HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISABLED AND REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CADILLAC AT 1-866-982-2339, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 AND HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
GM IS RECALLING 857,735 MY 2006-2008 BUICK LUCERNE; CADILLAC DTS; HUMMER H2; MY 2007-2008 CADILLAC ESCALADE, ESCALADE ESV, ESCALADE EXT; CHEVROLET AVALANCHE, SILVERADO, SUBURBAN, TAHOE; GMC ACADIA, SIERRA, YUKON, YUKON XL, SATURN OUTLOOK; AND MY 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HEATED WIPER WASHER FLUID SYSTEM. A SHORT CIRCUIT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE WASHER FLUID HEATER MAY OVERHEAT THE CONTROL-CIRCUIT GROUND WIRE.
Remedy Status
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WIRE HARNESS WITH AN IN-LINE FUSE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CADILLAC AT 1-800-982-2339 OR HTTP://WWW.CADILLAC.COM; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR HTTP://WWW.SATURN.COM, GMC AT 1-866-996-9436; OR HUMMER AT 1-800-732-5493; OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT <A HREF=HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM>HTTP://WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM</A> .
I was driving down the highway at 70 mph, when there was a loud bang followed by a gun powder smell. My seatbelts went tight...hazard lights automatically came on...radio went dead...and the Airbag light came on. The pretensioners in both driver and passenger seats had deployed. I pulled over and shut the truck off, to get out and inspect it. There was no warning, and luckily I was composed enough to not wreck into anyone or anything. I see there have been a few similar incidents, so I'm glad this isn't just a solitary incident.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage, diesel fuel started leaking onto the garage floor. The contact recently purchased the vehicle, inspected the source of the leak, and discovered that the fuel lines were completely rusted. Additionally, the contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the fuel level lowered to half a tank the following day, creating a hazard. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact about the disclaimer about the dashboard possibly being damaged. The dealer informed the contact that there were no loaner vehicles, but then called back and offered a loaner. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a clai,m and referred the contact to another local dealer. The contact called the other local dealer, Ferman Chevrolet of Tarpon Springs (43520 US Hwy 19 N, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689), who confirmed there was a disclaimer related to the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Driving down the road on way home from work airbags blew out. The one in the steering wheel and the one on the passenger side. It busted windshield on passenger side. Shards of stuff all over dash on passenger side. That airbag popped 2 times.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 126,498. It was later discovered that the mileage on the title was approximately 250,205.
Air bags did not deploy when another vehicle hit truck on front passenger side at 35-40 mph
I was driving in a parking structure at low speed when a loud bang went off inside the cab. The hazard lights went off, there was an acrid electrical smell, and fine dust was coming from the steering wheel area. I stopped the truck and got out to look for a collision, but there was none. When I restarted the truck, the air bag light came on and I noticed that the seatbelts were retracted and no longer functional. I was not injured, but I believe that if this had happened in traffic or on the highway, I and my passenger could have been seriously hurt. The vehicle was towed to the GMC dealership, where they identified an error with the module that sends a signal to the airbags and seatbelts to deploy. Prior to this occurrence, I had no indication that the airbag/seatbelt system was faulty or in need of service.
No accident happened as the wheel was never installed due to not meeting the load weight capacity rating of the vehicle. The wheel is marked max load 1150kg (2230 per axle) and the vehicle weight loading label shows the rear axle capacity at 2706kg. The wheel is also marked as SAE J2530 compliant but does not meet J2530 section 3.5 due to the low load capacity. These wheels are widely available in the aftermarket and list most of the 2000-2010 GM 2500HD/3500 pickups as the application but do not meet load capacity on any of them. Please note that the VIN is for a typical 2008 Sierra 2500HD pickup in a scrap yard. I do not own that vehicle. It is a weight label photo from Hollander parts finder on that pickup.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that after the dealer repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V050000 (Air Bags) and GM's Emission Recall: N140581 (Carbon Monoxide Emissions), the vehicle nearly caught on fire. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact turned on the A/C, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds, jerked, and stalled while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. Upon inspection, the dealer discovered that the catalytic convertor was extremely hot and glowing red. The dealer determined that the exhaust system and catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 151,071.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the spare tire detached from underneath. After a visual inspection of the underneath of the vehicle, he observed that the spare tire hoist and frame were severely corroded, potentially compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 197,000.
Multiple cracks in dash
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph when another vehicle suddenly got in front of their vehicle causing them to depress the brake pedal. The brake pedal failed to press downward. The contact had to continue to press the brakes a total of 8 times. The trailer brakes would cause the vehicle to decelerate but it would continue to accelerate and increase in speed. By the 8th attempt and with the trailer brakes activated the vehicle eventually decelerated and came to a stop. The tire pressure warning had been illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.
The contact owns a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off at the residence, the front windshield cracked. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the front driver's and passenger's side air bags had deployed without impact. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that a short circuit was caused by water damage in the air bag modules underneath the front driver's and passenger's side seats. The vehicle was then towed to a body shop for the air bags to be replaced; however, the replacement parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Tire sizes: 245/70r17. Three tires went bad between November 2022 and March 9th 2023. First tire, the front right, replaced because its outside tread was going bad really quickly. I could see the metal sticking out of it. Two tires need replacing because they are bulging. The back left tire bulged so bad my car was shaking up and down until I took it off. Thought everything was fine but the back right began to shake the car two days later.
Where the passenger airbag is at, there is some cracking around it
Cranked my truck yesterday and put it in drive. Slowly drove about 300 feet and the pretensioner’s discharged in my seatbelts. I fortunately did not have it on yet, but the seatbelts are now unusable.
UNKNOWN. Front side passenger safety belt won't buckle, the latch appears to be blocking the buckle when in the open, unlatched position.
Tire size: 265 75 R16. All four tires inside wall has failed about two inches all the way around the rim. The tires were purchased sometime in 2018 and are a little above the 50.000 mile warranty. They were inspected by NTB technicians in Lancaster and also in Canal Winchester Ohio. They will only replace one tire for free but l think and believe l can’t be the only one with 4 of these tires failing in the same vehicle. All four tires have failed. No inspection by police or insurance has been performed. No warning signs at all other l got under the vehicle to inspect a small oil leak and that is when l saw the problem. I want to reiterate, what are the odds am the only one with all four tires failure?
I started my 2008 GMC Sierra, crew cab and began to pull my drivers side seat belt across my body to latch it. I was about 1/2 way when I heard a loud bang that sounded like a gun going off to my right, the seat belt that I had in my hand pulled back tight pulling my hand with it. There was smoke and the smell of gun powder coming from the bottom of the passenger seat by the seat belt. With my heart pounding in my chest I got out of my truck as quickly as I could (my driver's side door was still open). Both the driver's side and passenger side seat belts were pulled tight and I was unable to get either to release. The truck is now sitting, unable to be driven safely with the seat belt on. The dealership said it would be just under $1,000 to fix plus towing and has no idea how or why it happened. This truck has never been in an accident and currently has about 140,000 mostly highway miles on it and I am the original owner. Searching online I found that there are other people on blogs who have had similar problems with exploding seat belt modules with a range of 40,000 miles to over 150,000 miles.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2008 GMC Sierra has 2 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 469 owner-reported complaints for the 2008 GMC Sierra.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2008 GMC Sierra.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2008 GMC Sierra are air bags (238 reports), unknown or other (34 reports), structure (26 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 2 recalls on record for the 2008 GMC Sierra. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.