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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 · Updated July 2026 · ~$3,450/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

Newest and only three recalls — but GM's own programs admit the lifter and 8-speed still travel with it.

On the numbers, 2023 is one of the best years in the current generation — few recalls and mostly still in warranty. But GM's own paperwork tells you the two signature issues are still around: a Customer Satisfaction Program covers oversized lifter bores by replacing the engine, another covers soft transmission pinion gears by replacing the transmission, and the older 8-speed it carried drew a class action over harsh shifting.

The saving grace is that these are free remedies, and the truck is young enough that most are still available. So 2023 is a genuinely sensible buy — the discipline is confirming the programs and recalls are done and listening for the same lifter tick that defines every year of this engine family. Same truck under the skin — see the 2023 Silverado 1500 report.

Evidence: 401 NHTSA complaints · 3 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: The Sierra twin of the newest, calmest 2023 Silverado — only three recalls and much of the truck still in warranty. But 2023 also drew four Customer Satisfaction Programs that each replace a major assembly (engine for oversized lifter bores, engine for cracked blocks, engine for a mis-built camshaft ladder, transmission for soft pinion gears or an out-of-spec case), and an active 8-speed class action shows the familiar patterns didn't fully leave. Reassuringly, the fixes are free.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

401

Federal complaints

3

Recalls

$3,000–$10,000

Out-of-program lifter repair

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 PU/CC RWD (NHTSA VehicleId 18277)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Engine lifter bores — Customer Satisfaction Program

major
  • 5.3L V8
  • 6.2L V8

GM's clearest admission of the lifter problem lands on 2023: a Customer Satisfaction Program for trucks that may have oversized engine lifter bores, with the remedy being engine replacement. That's the same lifter-failure family — tick, misfire, power loss — that spans this engine across the generations, now serious enough that GM replaces the whole engine on affected trucks. It's a free fix if the truck qualifies; confirm eligibility by VIN and whether the work was done, and cold-start to listen for any valvetrain tick.

This is a 5.3L V8 and 6.2L V8 problem. The 3.0L Duramax diesel doesn’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Under the lifter-bore CSP (engine replacement)

$0

Out-of-program lifter repair

$3,000–$10,000

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Sierra 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

Three more 2023 programs that replace the engine or transmissionmajor

The lifter-bore program isn't the only one. GM ran three further Customer Satisfaction Programs on 2023 trucks, each with a replacement as the remedy: one for engine blocks "produced with cracks" (replace the engine), one for an overhead camshaft ladder assembly that was "mis-built and installed on the engine" (replace the engine), and one for a transmission case that is "out of specification" (replace the transmission). None of the three names a specific engine or transmission, so they can't be pinned to one powertrain. Four separate programs in a single model year, all replacing a major assembly, is a lot of factory rework — and the reason to treat a 2023 as a VIN-check job rather than assuming the newest year is the safe one. All four are free where the truck qualifies.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Sierra 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

$0

Under any of the three programs (engine or transmission replacement)

8-speed harsh shifting — class action, and a pinion-gear programmoderate

  • 8-speed automatic

2023 shipped the older 8-speed on some trims, and owners describe harsh shifts — hard first-to-second, delayed park-to-drive engagement, shudder — enough to feed a class action. Separately, GM ran a Customer Satisfaction Program for 2023 trucks with transmission pinion gears of low core and surface hardness, replacing the transmission. Test-drive for shudder and hard shifts, and confirm the pinion-gear program by VIN. The 10-speed on other trims is the stronger unit.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Sierra 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674) · Independent mechanic transcripts (T1XX Silverado/Sierra; AFM/DFM lifter deep-dives)

$0

Pinion-gear CSP (transmission replacement)

6.2L V8 connecting-rod / crankshaft failure — recall 25V274major

  • 6.2L V8

If the truck has the 6.2L (common on Denali), it's covered by GM's ~597,571-vehicle recall (2021–2024) for connecting-rod and crankshaft defects that can cause sudden engine failure; the remedy inspects and repairs or replaces the engine free and moves to 0W-40 oil. On a 2023 the truck may still be in warranty, but confirm the recall specifically was completed by VIN and look for the 0W-40 spec.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Sierra 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

$0

Under recall 25V274 (inspect/repair/replace)

Infotainment glitches and heated-seat programminor

As on 2022, owners report infotainment and backup-camera flicker/reset behavior, usually a nuisance, and GM ran a Customer Satisfaction Program for 2022–2023 trucks whose heated/ventilated seats were left non-functional by the chip shortage. Exercise the screen, camera, and seat heaters/coolers, and VIN-check the seat program.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674) · Independent mechanic transcripts (T1XX Silverado/Sierra; AFM/DFM lifter deep-dives)

Low-brake-fluid warning software — recall 24V674minor

A 2023 recall addresses electronic-brake-control-module software that may fail to display a low-brake-fluid warning light. The fix is a software update, over-the-air or by a dealer, free. It's a compliance/software item rather than a mechanical failure — just confirm it's been applied.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2023 Sierra 1500 · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications, Silverado and Sierra feeds (lifter-bore, pinion-gear, engine-block-crack, camshaft-ladder & transmission-case Customer Satisfaction Programs; recall 25V274; recalls 22V903, 24V674)

Customer Satisfaction Program: certain vehicles may have oversized engine lifter bores — dealers are to replace the engine.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any GMC dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 25V2746.2L V8 connecting rod/crankshaft defect can cause engine failure (2021–2024 Sierra); inspect and repair or replace the engine free, switch to 0W-40 oil.open
  2. 22V903Daytime running lights may not deactivate with the headlights on (2022–2023); body-control-module software update, dealer or over-the-air, free.open
  3. 24V674EBCM software may fail to show a low-brake-fluid warning light (2023); software update over-the-air or at a dealer, free.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2023 Sierra 1500

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

18 MPG combined (16 city / 20 highway) for the RWD, 5.3L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 45777 (Sierra 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.3L 17 MPG · 4WD, 6.2L (premium fuel) 17 MPG · 4WD, 2.7L turbo 19 MPG · RWD, 2.7L turbo 20 MPG.

$3,450/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen roughly 3× as often as the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab 4WD.
Other series: GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab 324 · GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab 4WD 68, where 100 = average.

292 vs 100

3× average — off this chart

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Under the lifter-bore CSP (engine replacement)$0
Out-of-program lifter repair$3,000–$10,000
Under any of the three programs (engine or transmission replacement)$0
Pinion-gear CSP (transmission replacement)$0
Under recall 25V274 (inspect/repair/replace)$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Cold-start and listen for a valvetrain tick or misfire; VIN-check the lifter-bore Customer Satisfaction Program (engine replacement) and whether it was performed.
  2. 02VIN-check the other three 2023 replacement programs too — cracked engine block, mis-built camshaft ladder, out-of-spec transmission case — and ask whether the engine or transmission has already been replaced under any of them.
  3. 03If it's a 6.2L (common on Denali), confirm recall 25V274 was completed by VIN and look for the 0W-40 oil spec.
  4. 04Test-drive for 8-speed shudder and hard shifts; VIN-check the pinion-gear transmission Customer Satisfaction Program. Prefer the 10-speed where available.
  5. 05Confirm the software recalls (22V903 DRLs, 24V674 brake-fluid warning) are applied.
  6. 06Exercise the infotainment, backup camera, and heated/ventilated seats; VIN-check the seat program.
  7. 07Confirm remaining factory warranty coverage — much of this truck may still be covered, which changes the math on any open item.
  8. 08Because it's the newest year, weight documented program/recall completion heavily — most fixes are free and still available.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

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vincanary.com/gmc/sierra-1500/2023