Engine failure/ lifter issue with no prior warning. Driving down the road vehicle suddenly lost power and error message appeared. The vehicle was inspected by GM dealer and extended warranty company in late 2023. We no longer own this vehicle
2020 GMC Sierra 1500 engine complaints
Page 7 of 10: complaints 161 to 190 of 260, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My engine slowed down on the interstate. My steering wheel was visibly shaking and I lost the steering access control. The truck threw an Cylinder 6 error code. At the mechanic, they identified that at least one of my camshaft lifters had failed. If I had continued to drive my vehicle, the engine block would have eventually locked up.
I took my 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 to the dealership after Cylinder #5 seized while driving, and I was forced to replace the entire engine. At the time, I contacted the dealer and was told there was no recall related to this issue. However, I have since learned that GMC has issued a recall for similar engine problems affecting 2021–present Sierra 1500 models, but not for my 2020 model year. I believe this issue may be related and would like further investigation and consideration.
Vehicle currently has 104K and needs a 3rd engine. The same issue happened to the second engine as the first. While Driving the engine just stop working. They say it is a problem with the camshaft. Metal gets into the transmission and that also has to be replaced. A vehicle engine should not just stop working! Especially on an interstate. GMC refuses to add this engine to the recall list. However, I don't understand how the safety of families can continue to be placed in jeopardy.
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle then failed to exceed 30 MPH. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V274000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Transmission has slipped and shuddered multiple times. We have had it diagnosed at gmc dealership and our mechanic, advising that it is 8L90 transmission failure. It will slip to lower gear abruptly, causing for possible safety issues especially on the highways.
1. On 05/9/25, the exhaust emissions system malfunctioned, triggering diagnostic trouble code P2C7A (exhaust emissions system failure). This repair, the seventh attempt since June 2024, addressed the same recurring emissions issue previously involving replacements of components such as the NOx converter (02/18/25, 03/13/24) and EGR valve (02/18/25). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. The P2C7A failure risks limp mode, reducing vehicle power unexpectedly, which is hazardous on highways, especially while towing. Exhaust emissions system malfunctions release excessive pollutants, posing environmental and health risks to others. 3. Yes, the P2C7A code was confirmed by dealer during the 05/9/25 repair, following prior confirmations (e.g., 03/31/25–04/05/25. 4. The vehicle was inspected by Young Chevrolet-Cadillac during multiple repairs (e.g., 03/31/25, 05/9/25). 5. Yes, the check engine light and OnStar emissions alerts appeared prior to the 05/9/25 repair, first noted ~June 2024 (P2C7A onset). Exhaust smell and reduced fuel economy were observed intermittently. Symptoms persisted post-03/31/25 repair, leading to the 05/23/25 service.
Loss of power steering. Loss of engine propulsion at high rates of speed. Engine would not start.
Hi I have always taken good care of my 2020 gmc Sierra 1500 at4 6.2 Kept up with its regular and recommended maintenance. I had no warning signs on the dash. So it surprised me that while on my way to work early one morning I was getting off the highway exit and the truck lost power, my steering wheel hardened and it posed a great threat to my life and others on the road, as it suddenly decelerated in a area where people are driving at accelerated speeds. The whole truck was loosing power and shaking hard as I attempted to steer it to a safe location on the side of the road. Had a mechanic inspect it and they determined The truck ended up with a seized engine. I have since not been able to use my truck for 8 months and still currently paying monthly payments of 1000 to pay it off.
Lifter failure at around 102-103k miles, was doing a random misfire and transmission studder ( due to the dfm system activating, cutting down cylinders to save fuel while driving, this was happening since approx 59k miles, dealership and gm was aware of it and they said it was normal, but that normal misfire turned into a failed lifter causing misfire and studder. I ended up replacing the lifters myself put solid lifters and a new camshaft that would eliminate the dfm system and studder, ran good no studder and random misfire, and now my crankshaft or oil pump is bad which I will remove motor to furthermore inspect. I’ve read forums and stuff where people would get a lifter job done and then soon after couple thousand miles later the motor goes bad. The 5.3 motors have bad crankshafts, oil pump and lifters just like the 6.2lt motors. After the lifter and cam repair, it ran good for couple thousand miles shortly after My gmc threw an “oil pressure low turn off vehicle code”, turned off vehicle immediately and checked oil, verified oil was good. Gm will not cover it because of it being way out of warrenty when I had issues with random misfire around approx 70-78k miles, and to note that my cat converter went back when lifter failed aswell. Also to note that when the lifters fails it throws a speed reduced to 55 mph, traction off, steering assist reduced, and brakes reduced, this is a safety hazard and also it will drain the battery and cannot start it if you pull over on the side of the road and turned it off and on again to make it back home.
Misfire alerts causing major motor repairs
Transmission shurtting, jerks, and vibration, bad torque converter bubble and pelling paint. It feel likes engine is lossing power
My 5.3 engine spun a bearing on the crank. Same exact problem the 6.2 got recalled for. Now if I put a used engine in it’ll cost me around $6,000.
6.2 liter engine fail- replaced at new cost, 20,000 miles later another 6.2 engine failed. unable to get new engine due to GMC finally recalling the engine. My VIN is not included in the recall. I now have no vehicle to drive but still have a loan to pay.
Driving at freeway at 65mph, suddenly is air noise like air conditioning blows air at high fan speed, than the dash info shows (Engine Power is Reduce) try to accelerate to pull out of lanes, and it did not, keep losing speed, as slowly move lanes to the right of freeway, and then exit.. This is the second time of this incident, first time under warranty, dealer fix transmission first time, then two months later, the tansmission was replace wit a newone, now is passed warranty, had the car taken to dealer, they gave me and estimate of more then $10,000 to fix the vehicle, this happen on May 21, 2025...
Engine Light came on, performance rough at various speeds / conditions, and smelled like burning and strong urea smell. GM Maintenance identified a failed DEF injector / replaced
Engine light would come on for a few days and than turn itself off. this occurred for about 8/9 months; however, instructed by the GM Maintenance department that if the vehicle came in and the light turned off before they got to it i would be charged for the diagnosis and no work would be performed. Engine light came on and i was able to park the vehicle / they picked it up and read it prior to putting in their lot until a tech became available. GM Maintenance was able to diagnosis that there was an issue with the EGR sensor and NOx catalytic converter without filter failed / both items replaced
Vehicle was going in for warranty recall; however, i requested they look at the DEF system as my DEF gauge would bounce between full and empty; along with, alert me of going into LIMP mode. GM Maintenance updated the recall and noticed that the DEF tank sensor failed and required to be replaced.
Engine light came on and real bad urine smell / burning coming from the vehicle / rough performance. This issue occurred at various speeds / trips / drive types with the only variation being speed from 25MPH to 75MPH. Vehicle went in to discover that the reductant control module software (RCM) out of date, and two NOx sensor failures
No warning; picking up child from daycare. went to depart daycare when my dash lit up like a Christmas tree with various errors, alerts, warnings; along with, not being able to start. had to be picked up by spouse and get the truck towed to the dealership for maintenance. Maintenance tech discovered that the grounding straps for the truck needed to be replaced / resulting in a complete electrical failure of the vehicle.
Vehicle Stuck in gear. Dealership was delivering the car back to myself when about a mile out from my house when the vehicles made a sudden downshift and was stuck back in gear. Driver called and notified me that it was on its way back to the shop for further work
Vehicle drop in gear / down shift while driving on the highway. went from 75MPH down to 55MPH due to high RPM revs.
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked while accelerating and while coming to a stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no cause of failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Engine started rough idle, reduced power, poor acceleration, ticking and knocking noises, and a check engine light and a few other lights came on the dash. Safety was not a risk at time of incident. Problem has NOT been diagnosed yet BUT have done a ton of research and it’s all leading towards lifter failure/misfire issues. No warning lights or symptoms prior to sudden problems.
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, a cause for the failure was not found. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred and the contact stopped driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
This car had lifter motor failure at 135K miles and Transmission failure at 145k miles, the torque converter of this truck is the culprit of many issues as the lifter issues.
The contact owns a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal popping sound. The check engine and the ABS warning lights were illuminated. The messages "Parking Brake Service" and "ESC Service" were displayed. Additionally, the contact stated the vehicle experienced a reduced fuel range. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lifters had fractured, causing damages to the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced, and the part was ordered. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25001 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,100.
Motor failed with no warning, motor was replaced at a GM dealer for $12,000. Mechanic stated he believed it was a main bearing failure. Not under warranty.
Our middle seat belt has stopped working in the back seat- we have not had it replaced yet. No damage was done on it by us, but will not click into the buckle. Driving on the hi-way engine started making awful noises. We pulled over and had the truck towed to Royal Moore GMC in Hillsboro Oregon as we didn't want to cause any more harm to the engine. Royal Moore GMC informed us the engine rod bearing failed on [XXX], leading to breaching of the engine block by the rod. This caused us to replace the entire engine at the cost of over 13,000$ and no vehicle for over 3 months. (Along with engine replaced they told us we had to replace the O2 sensor as the light came on after the engine was replaced). We had to take a hardship loan to get the engine replaced, and had the truck back for 1 day before we had a o2 error l light came back on. At this time (May 5th) we are still waiting for our truck back. Royal Moore doesn't know why the engine light is on- and contacted TAC for GMC. We also contacted GMC multiple times when we were waiting for the engine. They have offered no help to us besides empty promises to call us back later. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On [XXX] at around noon I was driving my 2020 GMC Sierra northbound on [XXX] 26 miles north of Moab Utah. My truck died and I attempted to coast to the next passing lane but did not make it. The shoulder was about 3 feet wide and then had a steep drop off. I pulled over as far as I could but the majority of my truck and trailer was still in the only northbound lane. The northbound traffic was forced to cross over the double yellow into the oncoming southbound traffic. The concern was getting rear-ended by northbound traffic behind me or a head-on collision with the northbound traffic veering into southbound traffic. I made several attempts to restart the truck and the dash just goes blank with no attempt from the starter. We waited for a tow-truck and about an hour into this wait Utah Highway Patrol arrived and parked behind us with his lights on warning traffic from both directions. There were no precursors to this failure or notifications. I didn’t even hear any noises. There was no physical damage or any leaking fluids. It just quietly stopped. John Elway Chevrolet informed me the bearings failed and the engine seized. I wanted to keep the core for evidence due to learning about the numerous catastrophic failures of the L87 engine I had. Keeping the seized core was going to cost me double the cost of a rebuilt one ($7000). When I asked the service Manager, Ben why its twice the cost? He said, “GM doesn't want you keeping the core and they can set whatever price they want .” I have had this truck since it was new (6 miles) and noticed unusual oil consumption early on. I would never make it to the next oil change without having to add oil, even with the very first oil change. I inquired about this with the dealer and told this extreme oil consumption was normal and given Bulletin 01-06-01-011M. I did not involve my insurance because they do not cover engine failure. I paid $12,653.97 for a remanufactured long block. Of that was $2469.93 was for parts not need INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INF
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