The infotainment system inadvertently shuts down and restarts which creates a unsafe situations while using the navigation system, backing up using the backup camera and while trailering. In a 30 mile drive it might do it 10 times and it might do it 30 times and eventually it doesnt restart until the vehicle is shut off. Each time it does it, it starts with the screen locking up which has resulted in me backing into my boat trailer 3 times while backing up to put the trailer on the hitch and numerous near misses with pedestrians and other vehicles in parking lots. Research on the internet indicates it is a known issue across several GMC platforms and has been since 2016. I took my truck to the dealer, they did a software update which was unsuccessful, then they did a global reset, charged me $240.00 and told me it was fixed. It shutdown 2 times before I got out of their parking lot.
2021 GMC Sierra 1500: screen or infotainment failure
6 of the 603 complaints about the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 describe screen or infotainment failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Screen or infotainment failure by model year
What owners say
Radio screen will go blank randomly after turning the truck off the I can here the radio but can not see any screen. After turning the radio of an exiting the truck radio still plays all of the sudden the radio will go off and restarting the truck radio is working again .At any random time the radio will go blank again
On [XXX] at approximately 3 pm I left my house and was traveling on [XXX] in Fort Mohave Arizona I was only traveling 7 miles. When I looked at the temperature in the cab was 121 degrees a few moments after the display system went black and never turned back on. I arrived at the store 4 minutes after the display shut off with no warning lights or any type of notification on my phone, I had rolled down the windows to get air in the cab to see if that would help cool down if needed. I was in the store 20 minutes. I returned to the truck turned it on and everything was normal, from there I drove back home nothing happened on my drive back the display was working. At 8 30pm I was traveling on [XXX] Driving towards a casino called Avi. I had the driver's side window halfway down when I smelled a faint plastic burn thinking it was coming from the outside because I had the window halfway down. That is when the cab of the GMC filled up with smoke that came in thru the air vents and flames started to show coming from the defrost vents and under the hood while I was driving. I had to stick my head out of the window to see where I could pull over without starting a huge brush fire. As I pulled over and the truck within seconds fully ignited into flames. Enough time to grab my belongings that I was able to save. My life was at risk by this vehicle igniting while I was driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving down the road at random times of the day, random days, random drive periods, random locations, the DIC and touch screen along with radio will shutdown and restart, like rebooting the system or just starting the truck. I loose the mph, gauges, navigation, everything on the dash and touch screen the it will come back on like nothing happened. I have contacted 2 dealers and they say I need to download updates but when I go to update it is not required or needed.
My son got into the car to drive it and saw a black screen with a message that states “update failed, see dealer” and had multiple languages. Since that date, he has no GPS or backup cam, which he relies on as a new driver. Nothing at all in the info system works.
The console radio dash has gone completely black while both driving and while using it for the speaker/phone system. The incident resulted in the entire system restarting.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Condition in which the body-to-chassis ground strap may be corroded
- This service bulletin advises the technician of a possible loose ground that may be causing customer...
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on power folding mirrors do not...
- This bulletin provides a procedure on how to check for a battery drain utilizing the Picoscope and how to...
- This service bulletin provides information on the proper Reflective High Temperature Heat and/or...
- The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This service bulletin provides information to diagnose batteries that have set for a long period of time...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 screen failure
Is screen or infotainment failure a common problem on the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500?
6 of 603 owner complaints about the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 (1%) mention screen or infotainment failure. The model year with the most reports is 2024.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 201 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500
Engine failure 115Check engine light 111Loss of power 65Knocking 56Misfire 25Oil consumption 21Stalling 21Shudder 19Won't shift 19Jerking 18Won't start 17Hesitation 15Transmission failure 15Harsh shifting 13Overheating 11Warning lights 11Fire or smoke 10Grinding brakes 9Slipping 8Adaptive cruise 7Power steering loss 7Steering lock-up 7Headlights 6Ball joint 5Fuel pump 5
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