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2018 GMC Sierra 1500: transmission slipping

9 of the 305 complaints about the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 describe transmission slipping.

owner complaints
9
of this car's complaints
3%
typical mileage
23,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 91 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Transmission slipping by model year

What owners say

Filed Apr 24, 2025 · Transmission · TX

Transmission just would not go them all of a sudden it jersey really hard in second gear an start to pick up speed..cold starts it change gear really hard in second gearc often times slipping then going into gear really violently.. need fix asap dealer has service once with the issue, change fluid an stopped a while ago now issue is back an worst then before.. 44,785 vehicle should not operate this way.4×4 awd trans starts at 6500 to replace an go up to about 13200 to replace

Filed Jun 29, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · 84,267 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop and depressing the accelerator pedal, the engine revved but the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission was slipping and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating and shuddering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her nearby destination. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer Liberty Chevrolet (105 Cooley Way, Villa Rica, GA 30180) where it was diagnosed that the driver's side lifters had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to a third dealer, Prince Chevrolet Buick GMC of Albany (2701 Ledo Rd, Albany, GA 31707) where it was diagnosed that passenger's side lifters needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the camshaft needed to be replaced. The contact was advised that the warranty would cover a portion of the cost of the repair and she was responsible for the balance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,267.

Filed Dec 25, 2020 · Transmission · 34,000 miles · IL

After cold starts when accelerating the transmission slips from 1st to 2nd and throws your body forward. After that first gear change it doesn't do it again until another cold start. Around 34000 miles I am getting a rumbling vibration through the dash and steering wheel when holding speed between 35-75 MPH. The RPM guage will jump slightly and it will feel like going over rumble strips. Acceleration is very weak at times. Sometimes its ok. There has to be something done with these torque converters and transmissions by gm. Unacceptable for a 40-50k dollar truck!

Filed Nov 20, 2020 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · MO

Have been to dealer 3 times transmission ruff/slipping on 1-2 shift

Filed Sep 28, 2020 · Brakes, Electrical · 27,000 miles · AL

The first thing that happened was that all of the electrical systems on my truck went out and my truck would not start. It finally started but it would not move finally it would move but very slowly this happened on 11/20/2019 I have documentation through onstar for this incident. My brakes started slipping on 07/01/2020 and still do not work properly. My transmission has never shifted correctly. When I accelerate or when I slow down there is a shudder and a jerking sound. After sitting for a while when my truck is put in reverse it hesitates and then seems to jump into gear.

Filed Mar 9, 2020 · Transmission · 1,000 miles · NJ

I have a 2018 gmc sierra denali, when the vehicle is cold, usually first thing in the morning, the truck starts out in first gear and then feels like it lacks power or transmission is slipping and then bangs into 2nd gear.the more I drove the truck the worse it got. While driving down the road there is a vibration within the truck. The faster you go the more of a vibration you feel. During the vibration the steering wheel is not shaking and when you let go of the wheel the truck stays straight, so it's not the front end. Took the truck to the dealership where it was purchased, pellegrino gmc, which is a 30 minute drive and they couldn't duplicate the problems. The service advisor was advised prior to my appointment, that the banging into gear only happens when its is cold. He advised me that what I was feeling was a normal shift for my truck. I advised him about the service bulletins and he stated that it didn't pertain to my truck.the mechanic test drove my vehicle for 13 miles and didn't feel the vibration. He checked the engine codes and found none. I have had the truck a little over a year and it has 6000 miles on the odometer.

Filed Nov 15, 2019 · Transmission · 6,003 miles · GA

I experienced failure of the transmission to sift up or down on several occasions between 11/01/2019 and 11/11/2019. On 11/08/2019 I was monitoring the transmission temperature, and when the transmission temp reached 164 deg, the transmission would stop shifting properly at 25 to 30 MPH, and the trans temp would jump to 192+ deg. Transmission seemed to slip and the vehicle would not accelerate. Rpms jumped to 3k-4k rms but speed would not change up or down. Contacted the dealership and made an appointment for 11/11. On 11/11 I drove the to the dealer 10 miles away. I monitored the trans temp as I drove, and no shifting issues until just before reaching the dealership (trans temp had reached 154 deg). I road with the dealer rep for a test drive and he was able to duplicate the problem at 30-MPH and trans temp quickly rose again to over 192-deg. Dealer rep tried to use the manual shift option but even using that he was unable to get the transmisson to shift properly ans engine rpms exceeded 5k and stayed there until the transmission shifted into gear. Dealer rep stated that is not good during the test drive. Arriving back at the service department the dealer rep that test drove the vehicle told the service dep amanger the vehicle was not safe to drive. I was told the transmission would need to be torn down to figure out what the problem was and it might be after the first of the year before they would have it fixed due alack of parts due to the recent strike, and a bag log of vehicles already waiting repair parts. Other complaints that seem to match mine are the federal safety agency ids: 11193281, 11230193, 11221668, and 11205523. Issue is a serious safety issue if the vehicle cannot accelerate safely to merge with traffic.

Filed Apr 2, 2019 · Transmission · 11,000 miles · MD

While the truck is in motion and when accelerating around 15-20 MPH the transmission will sometimes "hunt" for a gear causing the truck to not accelerate. This results in a mild jerking of the truck when it is trying to accelerate and feels like the transmission is slipping/skipping. This is more apparent when going up a grade versus on a flat surface. So I have to push harder on the gas pedal waiting for the truck to shift. This is a safety issue since when not properly accelerating into traffic, an accident is more likely to occur. I see that this issue has already been reported in another incident on your website. I have had this issue since I bought the truck on 02/2018 and the reason I have waited to report is due to the dealer stating to allow the computer to update/learn your driving habits. I have 11,000 miles on the truck now and still experiencing the issue.

Filed Jan 8, 2019 · Transmission · AZ

Brand new 2018 sierra 1500 z71. When driving the truck for the first time after sitting for a number of hours (6+hrs) the truck experiences a "hard" 1-2 shift. This occurs 100% of the time when I leave for work in the morning. Sometimes it feels like the transmission slipped, this is the hard shift feeling. Other times the truck loses acceleration, cuts out, feels like the truck has ran out of fuel. Only happens when the truck has been sitting for a long period. When I took the truck in to have this looked into I was told this is a known issue without a resolution. Ive attached a scan'd copy of the document they gave me #16-na-361.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 slipping

Is transmission slipping a common problem on the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500?

9 of 305 owner complaints about the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 (3%) mention transmission slipping. The model year with the most reports is 2015.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500?

There are 0 recalls and 91 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2018 GMC Sierra 1500

Shudder 29Harsh shifting 27Jerking 24Check engine light 20Loss of power 19Transmission failure 19Knocking 18Engine failure 15Hesitation 14Stalling 8Power steering loss 7ABS 6Fire or smoke 6Misfire 6Seat belt 6Overheating 5

All model years of the GMC Sierra 1500

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