2001 GMC Sierra 2500 recalls and problems

The 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 has 2 recalls and 134 owner complaints on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is service brakes.

2000 Gmc Sierra 2500
Pictured: a 2000 model; the 2001 may differ in details. Photo: 2000 Gmc Sierra 2500 by Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How the 2001 compares
Fewest complaintsMost complaints

Highest complaint count among 27 Sierra 2500 model years — 3rd most.

2recalls
134complaints
11crashes
2fires
9injuries
65,000median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.
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2 recalls

Interior Lighting

Jun 26, 2001 · NHTSA campaign 01V220000 · 38,863 vehicles

Problem: Vehicle description: Certain pickup trucks equipped with 6.6L diesel engines fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic and electric brake systems." these vehicles have a brake system warning light in the instrument cluster that May not illuminate when the brake fluid is low. In addition, when the brake fluid is low, the vehicle May not meet the partial system requirements of FMVSS no. 105.

Original NHTSA wording

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 6.6L DIESEL ENGINES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 105, "HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRIC BRAKE SYSTEMS." THESE VEHICLES HAVE A BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT MAY NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE FLUID IS LOW. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE BRAKE FLUID IS LOW, THE VEHICLE MAY NOT MEET THE PARTIAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 105.

Risk: These conditions could result in reduced braking capability, which could lead to a crash.

Original NHTSA wording

THESE CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY, WHICH COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy & notes

Dealers will change the location of a wire connection in the underhood bussed electrical center. Owner notification began July 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC at 1-800-462-8782.

Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Equipment

Apr 10, 2001 · NHTSA campaign 01V125000 · 77,485 vehicles

Problem: Vehicle description: Certain 2-WHEEL drive pickup trucks fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." the problem was caused by a computer error that resulted in the certification label listing tire size and inflation pressure information that differ from the tire size and the inflation pressure information for the tires on the vehicle. If the vehicle owner or someone servicing the vehicle inflates the tires according to the pressure specified on the label versus the appropriate pressure for the tires, the tires could be under-inflated or over-inflated depending on the tires mounted on the vehicle.

Original NHTSA wording

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN 2-WHEEL DRIVE PICKUP TRUCKS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS." THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A COMPUTER ERROR THAT RESULTED IN THE CERTIFICATION LABEL LISTING TIRE SIZE AND INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION THAT DIFFER FROM THE TIRE SIZE AND THE INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION FOR THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE OWNER OR SOMEONE SERVICING THE VEHICLE INFLATES THE TIRES ACCORDING TO THE PRESSURE SPECIFIED ON THE LABEL VERSUS THE APPROPRIATE PRESSURE FOR THE TIRES, THE TIRES COULD BE UNDER-INFLATED OR OVER-INFLATED DEPENDING ON THE TIRES MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE.

Risk: If the tires are under-inflated, it could reduce the tread life of the tire, and the tire could degrade to a point of allowing sudden air loss. If the tires are over-inflated, it could reduce the tread life of the tire and increase susceptibility to road hazard damage. If sudden air loss or a road hazard causes damage to a tire, control of the vehicle could be adversely affected and could result in a vehicle crash.

Original NHTSA wording

IF THE TIRES ARE UNDER-INFLATED, IT COULD REDUCE THE TREAD LIFE OF THE TIRE, AND THE TIRE COULD DEGRADE TO A POINT OF ALLOWING SUDDEN AIR LOSS. IF THE TIRES ARE OVER-INFLATED, IT COULD REDUCE THE TREAD LIFE OF THE TIRE AND INCREASE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ROAD HAZARD DAMAGE. IF SUDDEN AIR LOSS OR A ROAD HAZARD CAUSES DAMAGE TO A TIRE, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED AND COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & notes

Owners will be provided with a new label and installation instructions. However, a dealer can install the label if the owner so desires. Owner notification began May 31, 2001. Owners who do not receive the label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC at 1-800-462-8782.

Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

Complaints by year filed

2001: 2 complaints20012002: 2 complaints2003: 8 complaints20032004: 15 complaints2005: 10 complaints20052006: 6 complaints2007: 7 complaints20072008: 9 complaints2009: 9 complaints20092010: 20 complaints202011: 13 complaints20112012: 12 complaints2013: 7 complaints20132014: 4 complaints2015: 2 complaints20152016: 4 complaints2018: 2 complaints20182021: 1 complaints2023: 1 complaints20231

NHTSA investigations

CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILURE - STALL

EA06016 · opened Sep 14, 2006 · closed Nov 9, 2007 · led to recall 07V521000
Summary

IN A LETTER DATED NOVEMBER 7, 2007, GENERAL MOTORS (GM) REPORTED TO THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (07V-521) TO REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR (CKP) IN APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO AND GMC SIERRA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 8.1 LITER ENGINES MANUFACTURED ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 15, 2000.ACCORDING TO GM, THE CKP CAN FAIL INTERMITTENTLY OR PERMANENTLY.A PERMANENT CKP FAILURE WOULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE STALL WITHOUT RESTART.AN INTERMITTENT CKP FAILURE COULD CAUSE THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, THE VEHICLE TO RUN ROUGH OR THE ENGINE TO STALL BUT ALLOWS RESTART.AS A REMEDY, AN IMPROVED CKP WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THE RECALL CAMPAIGN WILL START IN DECEMBER 2007. DURING THE PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE06-016), AND THIS EA INVESTIGATION, GM AND ODI INDEPENDENTLY CONDUCTED DETAILED REVIEWS OF CERTAIN FIELD DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE AND RATE OF SUBJECT VEHICLE STALLING DUE TO CKP FAILURES.GM AND ODI REVIEWED GM'S WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR THE CKP WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ASCERTAINING AN ESTIMATE OF THOSE CLAIMS REPRESENTING AN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING.THE CKP WARRANTY CLAIMS WITHOUT VERBATIM TEXT WERE THE LARGEST SEGMENT OF WARRANTY CLAIMS.USING THOSE CLAIMS, GM SURVEYED VEHICLE OWNERS TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO DETERMINE IF THE CLAIM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A STALL WHILE DRIVING EVENT.BASED ON THE SURVEY, GM ESTIMATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 49% OF ALL WARRANTY REPAIRS FOR THE CKP IN…

HYDRAULIC PUMP SHAFT FAILURES

PE04004 · opened Jan 8, 2004 · closed Apr 30, 2004
Summary

THE PRELIMINARY EVAULATION IS BEING UPGRADED.DURING THE EA ODI WILL LIMITITS INVESTIGATION TO ONLY THOSE VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A HYDRO-BOOST SYSTEM, WHICH PROVIDES POWER ASSIST TO THE BRAKING AND STEERING SYTEMS.VACCUUM BRAKE BOOSTER VEHICLES ARE EXCLUDED.ODI HASEXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THE EA TO INCLUDE MODEL YEARS2003 AND 2004, ASDURING THE PE, ODI LEARNED THAT THE HYDROBOAST PUMPS WERE MODIFIED IN FEBRAURY 2004.THEREFORE,ODI HAS EXPANDED THE SCOPE TO INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL MODEL YEARS.ODI'S IS CONCERNED BECAUSE THISISA SUDDEN FAILURE THAT AFFECTS TWO CRITICAL SYSTEMS OF THE VEHICLE, BRAKES AND STEERING, AT THE SAME TIME.THE ABILITY OF THE OPERATOR TO HANDLE THE DUAL FAILURES IS A CONCERN. FURTHER, THESE VEHICLES TEND TO BE WORK VEHICLES, WITH SOME OVER 10,000 POUNDS GVWR AND MANY EQUIPPED TO PULL LARGE TRAILERS.DUAL FAILURES OF HEAVILY LOADED VEHICLES AND VEHICLES PULLING TRAILERS FURTHER INCREASES THE SAFETY RISK.ODI PLANS TO CONDUCT TESTING TO QUANTIFY THE BRAKING AND STEERING PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION AND THE IMPACT ON SAFE VEHICLE CONTROL, WHEN A HYDROBOAST PUMP FAILS.

2001 vs. other GMC Sierra 2500 years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2001. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns covering the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500, the latest from Jun 26, 2001 (interior lighting). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2001 GMC Sierra 2500?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention service brakes (60), engine (29), fuel system (12). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.