Reliability GMC Sierra

dave07 · July 16, 2015

Hey guys/gals,

I'm looking to buy a truck within the next 2 months or so. I have it narrowed down between a Tundra and GMC/Silverado. I'm heavily leaning towards the GMC as it seems to have more tech features, better price point, and better mpg's. The only thing that has been holding me back about buying GMC is the reliability. It has gotten pretty terrible reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, True Delta, and JD. This is a big concern for me because my Mustang that I own now has basically been a lemon. I took Ford to court over it and they eventually settled with me. However, the Tundra has gotten above average reliability ratings which kinda makes me think I should get it due to the headaches that my Mustang has brought me. I really don't feel like going through the same crap if I decide to buy a GMC.

So my question is, how reliable are these new trucks? Are the issues on these boards blown out of proportion or are they wide spread? How is GM to work with if I have issues (Ford is terrible)?

2017SierraSLT · July 16, 2015

Mine is not a K2, but my '13 has been damn near perfect from day one. GM does take care of you if you happen to get a bad one, which even Tundras are not immune to. It really depends on the dealership on how well problems are rectified if they occur..

ember1205 · July 16, 2015

The Tundra suffers from an EXTREMELY sub-par set of electronics for things like the Navigation and Bluetooth. IMHO, Toyota ranks DEAD LAST in creature comforts, but boy do you pay for them!

Also, every model year Tundra since the redesign (2008?) has ultimately ended up with a significant extension to the air pumps used to lower the emissions output on cold start / initial warm up. The truck is LOUD compared to others when you cold start it because those pumps fire up and run until the exhaust heats up. Toyota has had a ton of trouble with them, and ends up having to extend the warranty coverage for them because they basically all fail.

It will pull your house off of its foundation, and is generally comfortable to sit in, but I can't really say anything else nice about it. I had a 2011 Platinum CrewMax that lasted a whopping 18 months before it went down the road.

galliher_nc · July 16, 2015

You have to consider how many of these trucks are sold. GM sold around 600,000 1/2 tons last year (and it was somewhat of a slow year for GM), the number of complaints on here is small when compared to the number of trucks sold.

LongrangeLauber · July 16, 2015

^^agreed

Fole75 · July 16, 2015

^^ agreed...

If you really want to get to bare bones, every auto makers will have flaws on forums.. But I will say this, my wife was giddy over the tundra.. So we went to look at one, from sitting inside I couldn't figure what I was going to be paying for. Out of all things that bugged me... The plastic fuel door..even the used Nissan Frontier had a proper fuel door. I looked at her and said " if this is out there, where else did they cheap out at"?

I'm sure they have a theory on why they do this.. And I respect that.. But I went there to pacify my wife during the time while I was researching ford, Chevy, ram.

It's your choice, your gonna drive it, make payments on it, and have to look at it everyday.

Cheers!

Fole75 · July 16, 2015

Sorry, but all service and one warranty claim have been handled 200% better than my dealings with jeep or ram. My brother in law has had worse relations with service and warranty claims with his Honda dealer.. 2009 pilot.

This is my first GM vehicle.

dave07 · July 16, 2015

I think with Toyota you get great reliability and resale value. There technology is pretty dismal and the Tundra is getting long in the tooth. I drove a 2015 GMC Sierra the other week and was very impressed. The biggest thing I liked was how smooth the ride is and how quiet the interior was. My mustang has an exhaust and is loud as hell.

irish4life8911 · July 16, 2015

Before I bought my GMC Sierra, I was looking at Toyota Tundra. I even made an offer on a Tundra 1794 edition, which is their top of the line Tundra. Things I didn't like I the tundra were:

Cheap plastic components on the dash/ controls.

Lack of technology components

Uncomfortable seats

Horrible gas mileage

Non negotiating on msrp price. They said that's their lowest price offer and they don't add $10k to their price like American companies.

My Sierra:

Leather wrapped dash and metal trim

Ok technology components, would prefer a higher Def screen and phone mirroring.

Incredibly comfy seats

Decent fuel economy for a V8

Got more truck, technology, comfort for less price than the Tundra 1794 edition:

They wanted $44k for the Tundra 1794 edition

I Paid $40k for my '15 GMC sierra SLT All Terrain Crew Cab Short Bed. MSRP: $51,900

SkiDooNick700 · July 16, 2015

my truck has been reliable the 1,800 miles I've owned it. I know that isn't a lot.

Fole75 · July 16, 2015

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2014/10/best-selling-pickup-trucks-september-2014.html

With reliability it's all sheer numbers for the most part, number sold vs issue trucks.. Now my own opinion, I don't buy any of that bulletproof Toyota stuff, just from seeing friends and other people with miles and years on those trucks and still paying interest never mind getting to the principal of the loan. Trucks with 80,000 on them look and drive like they have 200,000 on them. Two people at my work, one with a 05 ram and the other with a 09 tundra even that Rams interior has held better. And that was when Chrysler wasn't putting out the best of trucks either. Hence why I didn't give Toyota a chance when I was shopping.

Take care of a motor or truck and it will repay you. If you want the yota, then get it.

haider320 · July 16, 2015

my 14 has been perfect. My neighbor with 22k on his 14 has been perfect. My pastors 14 has been perfect. Nuff said...

whiskyshooter · July 16, 2015

I also looked at the tundra and took one out for a test drive. Took out the 1974 edition. Like the look of the truck and it looks nice inside. Myself I just couldn't get over the lack of features inside. Lil things like on the backup sensors they do not over ride the stereo. Do u can't hear the alarm over the stero. Also didn't like again a small thing but the window button do not light up. To me the climate system also looks very cheap. 1 thing I did love was the rear window. The whole window goes down and that's pretty cool. In the end went with a 15 Denali.

ember1205 · July 16, 2015

Before I bought my GMC Sierra, I was looking at Toyota Tundra. I even made an offer on a Tundra 1794 edition, which is their top of the line Tundra. Things I didn't like I the tundra were:

Cheap plastic components on the dash/ controls.

Lack of technology components

Uncomfortable seats

Horrible gas mileage

Non negotiating on msrp price. They said that's their lowest price offer and they don't add $10k to their price like American companies.

My Sierra:

Leather wrapped dash and metal trim

Ok technology components, would prefer a higher Def screen and phone mirroring.

Incredibly comfy seats

Decent fuel economy for a V8

Got more truck, technology, comfort for less price than the Tundra 1794 edition:

They wanted $44k for the Tundra 1794 edition

I Paid $40k for my '15 GMC sierra SLT All Terrain Crew Cab Short Bed. MSRP: $51,900

Toyota has changed their approach on selling vehicles to one very reminiscint of Saturn - they screw everyone equally (remember how Saturn's whole 'benefit' was that everyone paid MSRP?).

They essentially "rank" a dealer on how well they sell a particular vehicle and then set the selling price on the dealer's behalf. That dealer gets all the inventory in a particular area. If you want one, that's the price you pay.

When I bought my Tundra in October 2011, they were just ramping this whole thing up. The dealer that I bought my truck from had the exact truck I wanted, and they were willing to deal to get it off of their reasonably small lot to make room for minivans (what they sold the most of).

ember1205 · July 16, 2015

I also looked at the tundra and took one out for a test drive. Took out the 1974 edition. Like the look of the truck and it looks nice inside. Myself I just couldn't get over the lack of features inside. Lil things like on the backup sensors they do not over ride the stereo. Do u can't hear the alarm over the stero. Also didn't like again a small thing but the window button do not light up. To me the climate system also looks very cheap. 1 thing I did love was the rear window. The whole window goes down and that's pretty cool. In the end went with a 15 Denali.

Their full-down rear window is pretty nice for a lot of reasons. I also appreciated having the headlight aim adjustment on the dash - heavy cargo or towing could raise the attitude of the front a little, and it was easy to drop the lights back to where they belonged. I actually left them a little low all the time because they lights were actually quite excellent.

The trim, the inferior tech, and the general lackluster appeal of the truck overall prompted me to dump it at about 40k miles / 18 months of ownership. It would haul or tow anything I asked of it and it was comfortable to drive over long distances (the cooled seats made driving distances in the summer heat nice). Mileage sucked on it, though. Period.