2016 GMC Sierra 1500 · symptom sheet
Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear
- 28owner reports
- 50,000median miles
- 0involved a crash
Newest report May 12, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026
28 of the 49 reports of transmission shudder on the 2016 Sierra 1500 describe jerking or hard shifts.
Part of Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (49 reports)
Tick what matches of 28 reports
Jerking or hard shifts on other Sierra 1500 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
This is the narrower sheet inside transmission shudder for shifts that jerk, lurch or bang. Where the wider sheet also takes in slipping and vibration, these reports are about a shift that arrives too hard: the car lunges forward, or a clunk comes through the floor as it drops into gear.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the torque converter (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 33,000 and 85,000 miles, from the 16 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 5 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise.
This service bulletin provides information on Driveline Clunk Noise and what is acceptable and what is considered normal operation.
This informational bulletin provides information on Driveline Clunk Noise and what is acceptable and what is considered normal operations.
This informational bulletin provides information on Some vehicles may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise.
1 more on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 page.
What owners wrote
“While putting truck into gear the transmission will not engage and will rev up and then take off or when coming to a stop the adaptive shift clunks very hard as if someone has hit you from behind. It will then surge forward without any warning. I have had it in to the dealer several times and they tell me it a know issue but they wont do anything about it.”
Filed Jun 16, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 28 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 106 reports