I GOT A NEW 2003 GMC SIERRA 1500 THE FRONT BUMPER START TO SHOW RUST IN UNDER 4000 MILES THEN I GOT OIL CHANGE THE MECHANIC CALL ME AND TOLD ME THAT MY BRAKE ARE SOLID RUST BOTH FRONT ONES THE FRAME IS RUSTING ALL OVER THE PLACE AT 10000 THE STEERING COLUMN KNUCKLE NEAR THE STEERING BOX IS SOLID RUST AND HE SAYS IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE THAT RUSTED SO BAD I HAVE SENT 4 EMAILS TO GMC ABOUT IT AND GO TO MARINA GMC IN SAN LEANDRO WHERE I GOT IT FROM THEY TOLD ME THAT ALL OF THEM ARE RUSTING AND THEY NOT GOING TO DO ANY THING ABOUT IT. *NLM
2003 GMC Sierra complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2003 record →
THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING A 35 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION. *NLM
WHILE DRIVING THE FOURTH GEAR OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION JUMPED. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *NLM
THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO 4 LOW WITHOUT WARNING. *JB
THE PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT ALLOW CONSUMER TO RIDE WITH THE AIRBAG ON. YOU HAVE TO BE 120LBS OR OVER BEFORE THE AIRBAG WORK PROPERLY. PH
THE HIGH-BEAM INDICATOR LIGHT (BLUE) IS EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND IS SO AIMED AS TO SHINE DIRECTLY INTO THE EYES OF THE DRIVER. THIS CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT DISTRACTION DUE TO THE LIGHT SHINING DIRECTLY AT THE LEFT EYE AND ALSO GREATLY REDUCES THE VISIBILITY THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL LIGHT. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO GMC VIA THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE LIGHT IS PART OF A CLUSTER AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX IT. THIS LIGHT IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD AND NEEDS TO BE REMEDIED. DT
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2003 GMC Sierra → · Every Sierra year → · How the figures are calculated →