The GMC Sierra has received a full redesign for the 2022 model year, and while it was a very welcomed improvement over the preceding generation, a number of complaints and issues are starting to arise that GMC has to address. 

That said, no car is perfect, and we cannot even expect that with the number of electronics and safety and comfort features that modern cars are equipped with. Yet, the situation around the Sierra is worrisome because the reported issues are related to core systems. What exactly is up with the 2022 GMC Sierra engine issues?

The New Tech and Features

When first revealed, the GMC Sierra 1500 was addressed as the most advanced and luxurious pickup truck on the market. GMC was serious about challenging the 2022 Ford F150 with the new truck. It has been restyled on the exterior, giving the truck a modern and aggressive look, deserving for the capable hauler. The interior has received the same care and showed off one of the highest-quality and precision-made GMC interiors.

The newest Sierra 1500 also introduced new engines to the lineup. The base engine is a 2.7L turbo (310 hp, 430 lb.-ft of torque) paired with an 8-speed automatic. Next in the line is a 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 (355 hp, 383 lb.-ft of torque) which comes with a 10-speed automatic as standard. The top-of-the-range offering comes in the form of a 6.1L EcoTec3 V8 engine (420 hp, 460 lb.-ft of torque), which also comes with a 10-speed automatic. Lastly, there is a high-torque diesel drivetrain — a 3.0L Duramax Turbo (305 hp, 495 lb.-ft of torque), also paired with a 10-speed automatic.

There are even more interesting upgrades “under the skin”. For example, the GMC Sierra comes with a bundle of comfort and safety features called Super Cruise. This is essentially an advanced version of lane assist and adaptive cruise control. It can be used on more than 200,000 miles of roads across the U.S. and Canada, where the truck can drive itself pretty much autonomously. 

The system can even execute automatic lane changes fully automatically. On other high-end luxury cars, this system usually works on demand of the driver, but in the Sierra, lane changes are done in cooperation with the adaptive cruise control. The vehicle will change lanes independently of the driver if it detects that it is approaching a vehicle driving at a lower speed than the one set on the cruise control to maintain speed. To a certain extent, the Super Cruise also works when towing.

However, recently, an increasing number of reports of engine failures have been logged, and that is both on the diesel and gas-powered drivetrains. Owners report problems even on cars that have less than 3,000 miles on the odometer and the symptoms vary. Given the impressive comfort and safety technology that has proved to work well even in real use, the recent news of the 2022 GMC Sierra engine issues is even more surprising.

What Exactly Is the Issue?

While there are many large or minor issues, the most important ones revolve around the engines. First, the customers that opted for the 6.2-liter V8 have to deal with engine lifter failures, long cranks, or in the worst-case scenario, no start at all. The lifter issue is most likely caused by the Active Fuel Management (AFM) and Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) systems, which work to improve the fuel economy by deactivating cylinders when full power is not needed. 

When the cylinders are deactivated, the lifters can collapse, thus preventing the camshaft from opening the valves. In extreme cases, the engine might fail altogether. This issue occurred in a few cases back in 2019 already but has not been a major concern. If the engine is still operational, the issue manifests itself by an uneven idle, rough-sounding engine, random shutdowns of the engine, or a pronounced ticking sound. Some engines also exert loud knocking noise.

The issues with long cranks, or no crank at all in some cases, are also present on the 3.0L V6 Duramax turbo diesel. This drivetrain is even more problematic than the already not-so-good-looking V8. When attempting to start it up, the truck attempts to crank the engine for up to 30 seconds without it firing up.

Regardless of the drivetrain, there have also been a few concerns about major oil leaks. In addition, the engines are prone to misfires, which result in temporary power loss and vibrations in the truck.

GMC Is Working On a Solution

GMC is actively working on fixing all the issues and some customers report that their GMC Sierras are finally working fine after bringing them back to dealers. Sadly, this is not the case for everyone. The future is especially not bright looking for those that have a Sierra with one of the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel engines.

On the 6.2L V8 gasoline drivetrains, GMC is replacing the damaged lifters, as well as head gaskets and pushrods. It does not seem like these engines will be too problematic in the near future after this issue is resolved.

With the 3.0 Duramax engines, the situation is far worse. As of now, General Motors has put the production of this engine to a complete stop as it is investigating the issue. With that said, no recall has been made yet, putting customers in a difficult situation. So far, it seems like the cause of the whole issue is the camshaft design. More specifically, it’s the camshaft gear, which bends and warps. 

This might be the reason behind this problem, and it would explain why the engine is not able to fire up — the individual teeth of the gear do not make proper contact and it takes a few turns for them to align and allow the engine to start (in the better case scenario of a long crank). If GMC proves that this is causing the problems, it would not be all that good of news. The service procedure for the replacement of this component is extremely demanding and takes up to fifty hours, as the engine has to be completely taken out of the engine bay.

Other Issues GMC Is Aware Of

As with any new car, there are some complaints about the infotainment system. Some customers complain that the system is slow to respond, that Android Auto and Apple CarPlay do not work, or that the infotainment screen randomly changes its brightness. Finally, some infotainment systems refuse to establish a connection via Bluetooth. However, these are only minor issues present in just a few units.

There have also been complaints about defective power steering. Most common among the reported malfunctions, the power steering randomly disengages temporarily. In other cases, users have reported uneven resistance on steering wheel input.

Moreover, there have been a number of reports concerning faulty automatic transmissions, which are lethargic when changing gears or have issues shifting from park to drive or neutral. Then again, these only affect a few cars and are not present across the lineup, unlike the drivetrain issues which have affected a large portion of the Sierra 1500s.

Another problem is in the brake lights, for which GMC has already issued a recall. Fortunately, it only affects 242 Sierras that have a faulty top-mounted brake light.

A more major problem concerning the brakes was released in an NHTSA complaint regarding an unresponsive brake pedal. Per a report, while driving, the truck displayed a warning light and upon depressing the brake pedal all the way to the floor, the truck still failed to brake. This was followed by additional warnings appearing on the screen. Based on the report, the fault occurred in just 9,700 miles and was caused by a faulty ABS module and master brake cylinder.

 On some vehicles, the brakes failed completely, while on others, they have worked with a severely decreased effectiveness. This is a major safety concern, and while it has not been a common occurrence, it should arguably be addressed by the manufacturer, which it was not.

Some owners have also reported getting a check engine light. However, in these scenarios, the issue is usually not in the engine itself but rather in the engine’s computer (ECM), which controls the performance of the engine. Unfortunately, they are not easily available and so replacing them will take some time.

2022 GMC Sierra Engine Issues – One of the Largest GMC Mishaps

Upon its reveal, the all-new 2022 GMC Sierra seemed like the perfect truck. It offered powerful engines, great design, loads of features, perfect comfort, and reliability. Except that it failed on the last point. If it wasn’t for drivetrain issues, the new Sierra would have only minor issues which are present on virtually any newly released model. In the current state, however, the future of the model is unsure.

The 2022 GMC Sierra engine issues are one of the largest GMC scandals in recent years. It is more than likely that customers will be dissuaded from buying this truck in the near future but hopefully, General Motors will manage to address all the issues quickly. Then, the Sierra might actually be worthy of the most advanced and luxurious truck label.