2016 GMC Sierra 1500 · symptom sheet

Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard

49owner reports
47,000median miles
0involved a crash

Newest report Apr 7, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

83 of the 341 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 49 of those describe transmission shudder. Only brake wear is reported more often on this car.

Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (28 reports)

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

No crash reportedin 49 reports

Tick what matches of 49 reports

shudders or vibrates at low speed

slips or revs without pulling

bangs or clunks into gear

hesitates when I accelerate

a dealer did a software update

fluid was changed or flushed

Transmission shudder on other Sierra 1500 years

201533 reports 201649 reports 201761 reports 201868 reports 201963 reports 202025 reports 202143 reports

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, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

What this problem usually is

This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the torque converter (8 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 66,456 miles, from the 29 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 22 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.

Service bulletin16-NA-019Feb 12, 2025
This service bulletin provides information on Transmission Adaptive Functions and Correcting Low Mileage Harsh Shifts, Slips, or Flares.
Service bulletinPIP5175FFeb 3, 2025
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have a delayed engagement into drive, shudder at a launch, or the transmission is slipping when shifting into 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th gears.
Service bulletin08-07-30-026ISep 16, 2024
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.
Service bulletin99-04-20-002OJul 9, 2024
This service bulletin provides information on Driveline Clunk Noise and what is acceptable and what is considered normal operation.

18 more on the 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 page.

What owners wrote

“Truck has 8L90 transmission, has recently started shuddering at speeds from 65-75 and higher, I am experiencing issues with occasional hard shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, and 2 days ago experienced a very hard shift around 30-40mph when it slammed it made the tires chirp. 85k miles.”
Filed May 12, 2025 · 85,000 miles

“My transmission jerks randomly. It's done it since it's been brand new. When it does it, it is usually when it deaccellerates. I don't know if it's dangerous but I was hoping they had a fix for it by now.”
Filed Feb 26, 2025

“The transmission is almost banging into gear vibrating at high speeds the shifts can jerk the vehicle and cause an accident”
Filed May 1, 2023

“The torque converter jerks the truck and causes vibration. This does jerk the vehicle unsafely at times of stop lights. As I know this was a lawsuit at one point with GMC itself. It does nothing but get worse with pulling and jumping the truck going down the road.”
Filed Mar 29, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 49 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