IllustrationSPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING, STUCK AT 55MPH. APPARENTLY A WELL-KNOWN, WELL-DOCUMENTED FACTORY DEFECT. NO RECALL APPARENTLY HAS BEEN ISSUED. AT SOME POINT TRAFFIC DEATHS WILL BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THIS DEFECT. *TR
2004 GMC Sierra 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 181.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sierra 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
200–25K
5125–50K
5150–75K
3075–100K
25100–150K
9150K+
186 reports with mileage · 26 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 81 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
81 reports2004 GMC SIERRA 1500 WITH 46,500 MILES - YESTERDAY THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED RESETTING BACK TO 0, RATHER IT STAYED UP AROUND 60-90 WHEN THE TRUCK WAS STOPPED AS WELL AS TURNED OFF. CALLED DEALER IN AN ATTEMPT TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED UNDER THE SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER (EFFECTIVE AS OF 9-28-07). *TR
SPEEDOMETER SUFFERS ERRATIC OPERATION. I HAVE OF A PICTURE OF THE SPEEDOMETER REGISTERING 90 MPH WHILE IDLING IN THE DRIVE WAY. AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE SPEEDOMETER IS "OFF THE SCALE." *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE SPEEDOMETER WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE SPEEDS BEFORE COMPLETELY FAILING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME AND HAS SINCE WORSENED. GENERAL MOTORS HAS A LE…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. THE SPEEDOMETER WORKED INTERMITTENTLY AND DISPLAYED INACCURATE SPEEDS BEFORE COMPLETELY FAILING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME AND HAS SINCE WORSENED. GENERAL MOTORS HAS A LETTER OF INTENT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, BUT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAS EXCEEDED THE 70,000 MILES SPECIFIED IN THE LETTER, THE CONTACT WAS DENIED THE REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
SPEEDOMETER STICKS AND GIVES FALSE READINGS. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 Z71 SIERRA TRUCK WITH A 5.3 ENGINE THAT HAS A SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. IT READS 120MPH ALL OF THE TIME AND THEY HAVE QUOTED ME AROUND $550 TO FIX. I ALSO HAVE A CLUNK IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNING. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FIXED ONCE BY WARRANTY BUT IT HAS RETURNED AGAIN. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE SPEEDOMETER CONTINUED TO DISPLAY THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH. AFTER RESUMING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED 75 MPH. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE SPEEDOMETER WENT FROM 70 - 14…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE SPEEDOMETER CONTINUED TO DISPLAY THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 65 MPH. AFTER RESUMING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED 75 MPH. WHEN THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE SPEEDOMETER WENT FROM 70 - 140 MPH BEFORE HE RESUMED DRIVING. THE SPEEDOMETER REMAINED THERE AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND HAS NOT CHANGED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 62,000.
SPEEDOMETER NOT WORKING. *JB
I HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER STICKS AND/OR REGISTERS SPEEDS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS BEING DRIVEN. IN THE LATEST INSTANCE, WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE IT STARTED FLUCTUATING TO WHERE IT WAS REGISTERING 120 MPH. WHEN I STOPPED AT A TRUCK STOP AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF IT WAS STILL REGISTERING 40 MPH. T…
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I HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER STICKS AND/OR REGISTERS SPEEDS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS BEING DRIVEN. IN THE LATEST INSTANCE, WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON AN INTERSTATE IT STARTED FLUCTUATING TO WHERE IT WAS REGISTERING 120 MPH. WHEN I STOPPED AT A TRUCK STOP AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF IT WAS STILL REGISTERING 40 MPH. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, I WAS DRIVING IN HEAVY RAIN. I THOUGHT POSSIBLY THE RAIN MAY HAVE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT IF MOISTURE HAD GOTTEN IN TO THE ELECTRONICS SOMEWHERE. AFTER A FEW DAYS IT STARTED WORKING NORMALLY AGAIN UNTIL LAST NIGHT. *TR
MY 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500 HAS ERRATIC SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONS. I FIRST NOTICED THIS ON A TRIP WITH MY SPEEDOMETER READING 65 MPH AND ALL THE TRAFFIC OF A 4 LANE EXPRESSWAY WAS PASSING ME. I THEN REALIZED MY PORTABLE GPS UNIT WAS READING A MUCH SLOWER SPEED. SPEEDING UP TO THE GAPS READING MY TRUCK SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED 110 M…
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MY 2004 GMC SIERRA 1500 HAS ERRATIC SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONS. I FIRST NOTICED THIS ON A TRIP WITH MY SPEEDOMETER READING 65 MPH AND ALL THE TRAFFIC OF A 4 LANE EXPRESSWAY WAS PASSING ME. I THEN REALIZED MY PORTABLE GPS UNIT WAS READING A MUCH SLOWER SPEED. SPEEDING UP TO THE GAPS READING MY TRUCK SPEEDOMETER REGISTERED 110 MPH. AT TIMES THE READINGS ARE REVERSED. AND AT OTHER TIMES THE SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK AT ALL. AFTER RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I?VE DISCOVERED GM HAS USED FAULTY ?CLUSTER STEPPER MOTORS? AND MANY CUSTOMERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM AND GM KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY THERE HAVEN?T BEEN ANY REPORTED DEATHS YET DUE TO THE PROBLEM ONE WOULD HOPE THAT A RECALL WOULD RESULT BEFORE THERE ARE FATALITIES. *JB
Official recalls
204V562000 · Equipment Adaptive/mobility
Nov 26, 2004
ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH SURE-LOK WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT SYSTEMS, THE SPROCKET TEETH OF THE RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WHEELCHAIR MAY NOT BE ADEQUATELY SECURED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO A WHEELCHAIR OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE WHEELCHAIR SECUREMENT RETRACTORS AS NECESSARY. SURE-LOK WILL HANDLE THE REPAIRS FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SURE-LOCK AT 1-908-231-1804 OR MOBILITYWORKS AT 1-800-769-8267.
04V240000 · Tires:temporary/emergency Spare Tire
May 17, 2004
THE SPARE TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY THAT WAS PROVIDED ON CERTAIN CONVERSION VEHICLES WILL NOT FIT ON THE FRONT WHEEL HUB DUE TO OFFSET OF THE WHEEL. HOWEVER, IT WILL FIT ON THE REAR WHEELS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF SOMEONE HAS A FLAT TIRE ON THE FRONT WHEEL, THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO INSTALL THE PROVIDED SPARE TIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SPARE WHEEL WITH THE CORRECT OFFSET. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT REGENCY AT 1-800-989-4727.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.