IllustrationBOTH FRONT ABS SENSORS FAILED DUE TO CORROSION, CAUSING INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE. *TR
2003 GMC Sierra 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Sierra 2500 years
Owner complaints for the 2003 GMC Sierra 2500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 46.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sierra 2500 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
140–25K
2825–50K
2950–75K
2075–100K
34100–150K
17150K+
142 reports with mileage · 18 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports4 fire reports4 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
43 reportsWHILE APPLYING BRAKES IN TRAFFIC BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR AND TRUCK WOULD NOT STOP. BRAKE LINE UNDERNEATH VEHICLE WAS CORRODED AND BURST, CAUSING BRAKE FLUID LEAK. *TR
BRAKE LINE RUPTURE, 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500HD PICKUP. TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING WHILE STOPPING FOR TRAFFIC AT 60 MPH. ALL LINES WERE ROTTED AND HAD TO REPLACED. CRASH WAS AVOIDED BECAUSE OTHER CARS REALIZED I HAD LOST BRAKING AND MOVED OUT THE WAY. DID NOT REPORT UNTIL NOW(DEC 2010) BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. NO…
Read full complaint
BRAKE LINE RUPTURE, 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500HD PICKUP. TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING WHILE STOPPING FOR TRAFFIC AT 60 MPH. ALL LINES WERE ROTTED AND HAD TO REPLACED. CRASH WAS AVOIDED BECAUSE OTHER CARS REALIZED I HAD LOST BRAKING AND MOVED OUT THE WAY. DID NOT REPORT UNTIL NOW(DEC 2010) BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. NOW FINDING OUT THAT IT IS PREVALENT, SO MUCH, THAT I HAVE WARNED FRIENDS ABOUT IT AND AM FINDING IT TO BE QUITE COMMON. *TR
BRAKE LINE FAILURE. *TR
THE BRAKES FAILED WHEN I TRIED TO STOP. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN A AUTO REPAIR SHOP. THEY TOLD ME THE BRAKE LINES HAD FAILED DUE TO RUST. THE BRAKE LINES FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE HYDRAULIC PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE BRAKE LINES FROM THE HYDRAULIC PUMP AND THE FRONT WHEELS HAD TO REPLACED ALSO. *TR
ON 9/17/2010 WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK I WAS CUT OFF BY ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THE SYSTEM WENT INTO ABS MODE THE VEHICLE STOPPED. HOWEVER AFTER THAT STOP I LOST BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE. AFTER CHECKING THE VEHICLE I FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LINE BLEW OUT AS A RESULT OF THE STOP. I FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD SPLIT.…
Read full complaint
ON 9/17/2010 WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK I WAS CUT OFF BY ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THE SYSTEM WENT INTO ABS MODE THE VEHICLE STOPPED. HOWEVER AFTER THAT STOP I LOST BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE. AFTER CHECKING THE VEHICLE I FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LINE BLEW OUT AS A RESULT OF THE STOP. I FOUND THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD SPLIT. THE VEHICLE I WAS DRIVING IS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500 HD. *TR
ABS ENGAGES AT LOW SPEEDS (~5MPH). FRONT END CHATTER RESULTS AND STOPPING DISTANCE INCREASES. ALSO PULLS CAR TO ONE DIRECTION. THIS IS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500HD. *TR
HIT THE BRAKES ON MY 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500HD FAIRLY HARD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO AVERT ANOTHER CAR, BUT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE AND BRAKE FLUID EXPLODED ALL OVER MY ENGINE. MY BRAKES NO LONGER WORKED AFTER THIS INITIAL BRAKING. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP AN…
Read full complaint
HIT THE BRAKES ON MY 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500HD FAIRLY HARD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO AVERT ANOTHER CAR, BUT THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE AND BRAKE FLUID EXPLODED ALL OVER MY ENGINE. MY BRAKES NO LONGER WORKED AFTER THIS INITIAL BRAKING. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. HAD TO USE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP AND GET TOWED. VERY CLOSE CALL. *TR
BRAKE LINES RUSTED CAUSING BRAKES TO RUST COMPLETELY AND NOT WORK PROPERLY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SIERRA 2500. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND NOTICED THAT THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE INCREASED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE BRAKE LINES, FRONT AND REAR ROTORS, AND BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 49000.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.