YearToAvoid

2009 GMC Sierra 1500 Electrical System Problems

NHTSA has 32 owner complaints about electrical problems in the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500, 12% of all 278 complaints for this model year. That is #15 highest electrical complaint count among 21 Sierra 1500 model years. These complaints report 1 crash, 1 fire, and 1 injury. Median mileage at failure: 51,922 miles.

Electrical System complaints
32
12% of 278
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
1
Median mileage
51,922 mi
Related recalls
1

When 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 electrical complaints were filed

First complaint Apr 1, 2009, latest Jan 7, 2024.

2009 GMC Sierra 1500 electrical system complaints: complaints filed per month2Apr 2009Jul 2013Sep 2014Mar 2015Jan 2017Oct 2017Apr 2020Jan 2023
32 complaints filed with NHTSA from Apr 2009 to Jan 2024; peak Jun 2014 (2).

Electrical System recalls for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500

  1. NHTSA 10V240000Jun 4, 2010Electrical System1,365,070 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Gm is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 buick, lucerne; cadillac dts; hummer h2; model year 2008-2009 buick enclave; cadillac cts; model year 2007-2009 cadillac escalade, escalade esv, escalade ext; chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, tahoe; gmc acadia, sierra, yukon, yukon xl; saturn outlook; and model year 2009 chevrolet traverse vehicles equipped with a heated washer fluid system (hwfs). A recall was implemented in 2008 to add a fuse to the control circuit harness to address the potential consequences of a printed circuit board (pcb) electrical short. However, there have been new reports of thermal incidents on hwfs modules after this improvement was installed. These incidents resulted from a new failure mode attributed to the device's thermal protection feature. The significance varies from minor distortion to considerable melting of the plastic around the hwfs fluid chamber.

    Risk: It is possible for the heated washer module to ignite and a fire may occur.

    Remedy: Dealers will permanently disable and remove the heated washer fluid module. An updated page for the owner manual will be provided and inserted in the owner manual to document that the feature has been permanently disabled and removed from the vehicle. The safety recall began on june 11, 2010. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, saturn at 1-800-972-8876, gmc at 1-866-996-9463 and hummer at 1-800-732-5493 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.

Electrical System complaints by Sierra 1500 model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 200595 (32%)
  2. 200632 (16%)
  3. 200731 (10%)
  4. 200850 (11%)
  5. 200932 (12%)
  6. 201015 (7%)
  7. 201122 (6%)
  8. 201215 (10%)
  9. 201315 (9%)
  10. 2014334 (39%)
  11. 2015216 (27%)
  12. 201663 (17%)
  13. 201767 (16%)
  14. 201849 (15%)
  15. 2019110 (16%)
  16. 202082 (17%)
  17. 202175 (13%)
  18. 202283 (14%)
  19. 202368 (14%)
  20. 202454 (15%)
  21. 202527 (23%)

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 have electrical problems?
NHTSA has 32 owner complaints about the electrical in the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500, 12% of all complaints for this model year, including 1 that report a crash. Median mileage at failure is 51,922 miles.
Which GMC Sierra 1500 year has the most electrical complaints?
The 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 has the most electrical complaints (334), compared with 32 for the 2009.
Is there a electrical recall for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500?
Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for the 2009 GMC Sierra 1500 concerns the electrical: 10V240000.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.