KnownCarProblemsHome › GMC › Sierra 1500 › 2009
2009 GMC Sierra 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 234 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500, most often about the air bags (52% of complaints, typically around 101,000 miles). It is 15th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 problems
Air bags
122 complaints · 52%Half of these problems showed up before 101,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Dashboard cracks, on both sides, above the instrument cluster and at the passenger side airbag. Passengers side crack is effecting how the airbag access cover snaps into the excisting dash recess. It's very bad and sagging down effecting how the airbag would deploy.
Cracking of the dash around the left rear area of air bag cover,cracked all the way towards front of dash area, broke pieces falling in dash..concerns of flying projectiles in case of an impact causing more harm to passenger or myself from flying broken pieces of dash.I cant recalled exactly when it happened if the…
Other or unspecified
38 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles.
My dash has cracked. One day I just got in my truck and noticed the dash had a small crack in the plastic. The crack has since multiplied to multiple cracks. It has happened not even driving my truck. I am afraid that since the crack is near my airbag that it will send shrapnel thruout the cab and cause serious injury.
Cracked dashboard from windshield to airbag on passenger side. With no aftermarket replacements available only over lays caps . Noticed multiple complaints on safety issues online from other gm owners
Body and structure
20 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Dashboard cracking, drivers side about 5" of cracks, passengers side cracked behind airbag. Truck never been in an accident, truck was stationary when discovered. Always garage kept or shaded with dash cover if in sunlight.
The dash has cracked, specifically around the passenger side air bag, which raises concern that debris upon impact may cause injury or cause the airbag to malfunction. This vehicle has never been in a collision. The cracks progressively worsen over time. GMC refuses to offer assistance for this repair because it is…
Electrical
20 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring.
My driver's door lock actuator has begun working intermittently. This is the second door lock actuator on my vehicle to fail, the first was replaced under warranty and the gm mechanic told me they have replaced numerous actuators. The vehicle automatically locks all doors when driven and unlocks when stopped however…
My truck died in traffic but I was able to get started and home (2 miles). My check engine light came on and I am reading a code u0191, which refers to the fuel pump flow control module. I had to purchase a battery because I had a battery draining issue and was having to jump it if it sat for a couple of days. My…
Engine
17 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 77,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
Excessive oil usage, have had it monitored 3 times per gm. Uses oil every 2 thousand miles ,they are aware that these 5.3 v8 are doing so. There is a service bulletin out on this problem, this problem needs to be investigated by our government.
At 80000 my truck is going through 4 to 6 qts of oil between oil changes. As a master technician this has got to be the poorest excuse for engineering I have ever come across with this afm system they have. I know several people that have lost an engine by 100000 miles. With todays technology that's a bad joke on the…
Speed control
12 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 39,000 miles.
Throttle body unit on 2009 GMC sierra truck burned out & needed replacing at 38 thousand miles. GMC paid for my repair after many conversations with them, even tho they stated it was out of warranty. I put the money out to have it fixed, they are reimbursing me via check to my home address. My co-worker had the same…
The contact owns a 2009 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact was attempting a right turn at low speeds when the vehicle resisted accelerating beyond 5 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the throttle positioning sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired.…
Fuel system
11 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
My truck died in traffic but I was able to get started and home (2 miles). My check engine light came on and I am reading a code u0191, which refers to the fuel pump flow control module. I had to purchase a battery because I had a battery draining issue and was having to jump it if it sat for a couple of days. My…
Hit a pothole full of water with right rear tire while making a right hand turn. The water splashed up and entered into the fuel system control module through a poor seal causing the unit to shut off fuel to the truck. Truck stalled out and would not restart blocking two lanes of traffic. Check engine light was lit…
Transmission
9 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 69,500 miles.
My truck died in traffic but I was able to get started and home (2 miles). My check engine light came on and I am reading a code u0191, which refers to the fuel pump flow control module. I had to purchase a battery because I had a battery draining issue and was having to jump it if it sat for a couple of days. My…
Excessive oil usage, have had it monitored 3 times per gm. Uses oil every 2 thousand miles ,they are aware that these 5.3 v8 are doing so. There is a service bulletin out on this problem, this problem needs to be investigated by our government.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 GMC Sierra 1500 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 23, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on september 20, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328780.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, silverado 2500, silverado 3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, sierra 2500, sierra 3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia, and west virginia or "zone b." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, and escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, idaho, iowa, maine, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, mo
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on march 1, 2021. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328760.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2007-2011 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl, and 2009-2011 chevrolet silverado 2500, silverado 3500, gmc sierra 2500 and sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2007-2008 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, yukon, yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missou
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on february 24, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on may 11, 2021. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; and gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is n212328790.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2013 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, and escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, silverado 2500/3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, sierra 2500/3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands or "zone a." additionally, gm is recalling certain 2010 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, and escalade ext, chevrolet avalanche, silverado 1500, silverado 2500/3500, suburban, tahoe, gmc sierra 1500, sierra 2500/3500, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in the states of arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, ne
Equipment
Risk: In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, instructing them to contact kidde to get a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began june 11, 2018. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782, and isuzu customer service at 1-866-441-9638. Gm's number for this recall is 18146.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2009-2014 chevrolet silverado hd and gmc sierra hd, 2009 gmc topkick 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 series and isuzu f series, and 2009-2018 chevrolet express, and gmc savana vehicles, equipped with certain plastic-handle fire extinguishers or push button 'pindicator' fire extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.NHTSA.gov/odi/rcl/2017/rmisc-17e062-5427.pdf
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (122 complaints, typically around 101,000 miles); other or unspecified (38 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles); body and structure (20 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 5, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the GMC Sierra 1500?
- It is 15th of 27 Sierra 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 234 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.