While driving through city traffic at approximately 35 mph the truck engine made a quick loud noise and then immediately shutoff. The power steering went out and then I was unable to pull off the road completely as the engine would not start back up. This truck is a 2026 with 9,000 miles, 6.2L motor. After being towed to a GM Service facility it was determined that the motor had blown up on the truck. A vehicle shutting off while driving down the road is an extreme safety concern in my opinion.
2026 GMC Sierra 1500: won't start
8 of the 150 complaints about the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 describe won't start.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Won't start by model year
What owners say
Driving on the highway near Rockport, WA, when vehicle suddenly loss propulsion, engine light appeared, and vehicle went into transport mode enabled. Without causing an accident, I was able to pull to the side of the road. Once I put vehicle in park, it shut off and displayed, “Tranport Mode On. Vehicle would not start and was towed home. My son-in-law was able to disable transport mode, but vehicle still will not start. Will notify dealership on Monday.
Driving on the highway near Rockport, WA, when vehicle suddenly loss propulsion, engine light appeared, and vehicle went into transport mode enabled. Without causing an accident, I was able to pull to the side of the road. Once I put vehicle in park, it shut off and displayed, “Tranport Mode On. Vehicle would not start and was towed home. My son-in-law was able to disable transport mode, but vehicle still will not start. Will notify dealership on Monday.
2026 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X with 3898 miles. Driving 71mph on state highway on flat grade road. Lost power and vehicle shut down after pulling off the road. No previous lights or warning signs prior to power loss. Vehicle would not start afterwards. OnStar Diagnostics sent ECM Engine and Transmission System code P0016. Had vehicle towed 100miles to GM dealership. Upon inspection of vehicle, the Service Department contacted me the following day and said the the vehicle needed an entire engine replacement according to GM cooperate. I asked if it had anything to do with the 6.2L V8 L87 engine problems from previous recall years of 2021-2024. Service tech stated yes it was more than likely the same issue. Very unhappy with my new GM vehicle purchase. Will have to have a full engine replacement BEFORE my first oil change!
While driving on the highway, the steering became much more stiff, and then I heard metallic clanging sounds for a few seconds. The dashboard said press start to start Vehicle. I pressed start while going 30 miles an hour and all lights and instrument clusters went black. I pulled into the grass median where the truck would not start or shift gears. Truck was towed to a GMC dealership
While driving on the highway my 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate the vehicle lost propulsion and the dashboard went dark because it shut off. I was exiting the highway onto a skybridge and rolled to a stop before reaching the top on the skybridge. Vehicle would not start again and needed to be towed. Dealership concluded my 6.2L V8 engine needed to be replaced due to crank shaft seizing. Engine had 1861 miles. This put me in a very dangerous situation due to the limited space on the skybridge with passing traffic.
MY 2026 GMC Sierra AT4 1500 6.2 L87 engine had a catastrophic failure with only 3347 miles. It stalled twice while driving home, when pulling into my driveway it stalled a third time and would not start after that. Before having my vehicle towed to the Dealer from my home I connected my code reader and it posted code P0016. After being diagnosed by the dealer they informed me I needed an entire new engine. There were no warning lights or message prior to this failure My vehicle was purchased 9 week prior.
I do not have an official communication from the dealer who is servicing my vehicle. However, they have had my vehicle for almost 3 weeks and they tell me that the engine has failed and needs complete replacement. They said the engine lost compression and quit running, it now cranks and does not start. Although the engine has not been disassembled we believe the point fo failure to be in the rotating assembly of the bottom end of the engine.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 won't start
Is won't start a common problem on the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500?
8 of 150 owner complaints about the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 (5%) mention won't start. The model year with the most reports is 2021.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2026 GMC Sierra 1500
Engine failure 53Check engine light 16Loss of power 15Knocking 14Stalling 8Won't shift 6Hesitation 5
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