Selling a junk GMC Sierra
Any Sierra sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the GMC Sierra
NHTSA has 4,449 owner complaints on file for the GMC Sierra, model years 1995 to 2017, the 100th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are brakes (1,328, 30%), visibility and wipers (373, 8%), transmission and drivetrain (318, 7%). 337 complaints involved a crash, 65 a fire, and 20 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 55,000 miles. The 1999 model year has the most complaints (721). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is brakes, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
GMC Sierra by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 327 | Visibility and wipers | 24 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 1996 | 310 | Visibility and wipers | 20 | 8 | 2 | 83,000 |
| 1997 | 302 | Brakes | 6 | 5 | 0 | 78,850 |
| 1998 | 230 | Brakes | 19 | 8 | 0 | 74,500 |
| 1999 | 721 | Brakes | 58 | 2 | 9 | 64,000 |
| 2000 | 557 | Brakes | 58 | 3 | 12 | 68,950 |
| 2001 | 333 | Brakes | 41 | 2 | 7 | 50,500 |
| 2002 | 291 | Brakes | 26 | 3 | 7 | 41,595 |
| 2003 | 248 | Brakes | 16 | 3 | 9 | 55,000 |
| 2004 | 224 | Brakes | 12 | 7 | 10 | 49,752 |
| 2005 | 152 | Brakes | 3 | 2 | 11 | 60,000 |
| 2006 | 65 | Brakes | 3 | 3 | 6 | 41,000 |
| 2007 | 71 | Brakes | 7 | 2 | 2 | 71,689 |
| 2008 | 84 | Air bags | 4 | 0 | 2 | 68,850 |
| 2009 | 48 | Air bags | 3 | 0 | 1 | 42,000 |
| 2010 | 43 | Air bags | 3 | 2 | 1 | 54,500 |
| 2011 | 67 | Other | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52,000 |
| 2012 | 46 | Electrical system | 7 | 7 | 2 | 29,994 |
| 2013 | 46 | Air bags | 6 | 2 | 3 | 12,700 |
| 2014 | 132 | Lights | 8 | 2 | 12 | 7,585 |
| 2015 | 67 | Lights | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10,000 |
| 2016 | 8 | Electrical system | 3 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 2017 | 77 | Transmission and drivetrain | 5 | 1 | 0 | 37,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
GMC Sierra recalls
NHTSA lists 58 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for electrical system (8), transmission and drivetrain (7), steering (7). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2016 model year, electrical system (campaign 16V084000, Feb 2016): Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ign…
- 2016 model year, air bags (campaign 15V830000, Dec 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pick up trucks manufactured October 13, 2015, to October 14, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the mounting stud used to secur…
- 2013 model year, equipment (campaign 13V544000, Oct 2015): General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Express, and GMC Sierra HD vehicles, and model year 2013 GMC Savana compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles that fail to compl…
- 2014 model year, electrical system (campaign 15V640000, Oct 2015): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks manufactured January 24, 2014, to February 26, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Suburban vehicles manufactured February 12, …
- 2011 model year, electrical system (campaign 14V827000, Dec 2014): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado HD, Silverado LD, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra LD, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yuko…
What a GMC Sierra is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Sierra on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other GMC models
- GMC Sierra 1500 10,269
- GMC Acadia 7,538
- GMC Yukon 5,868
- GMC Terrain 4,196
- GMC Envoy 3,284
- GMC Jimmy 2,748
- GMC Yukon XL 2,721
- GMC Sierra 2500 2,066
Questions people ask
- What is a junk GMC Sierra worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Sierra gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a GMC Sierra that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a GMC Sierra?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these GMC Sierra numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.