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2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD problems, engines and recalls.
Owners filed 167 complaints with the government about the 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD, most often about brakes (45%).
Which engine is in it
139 of the 167 complaints have a VIN we could decode, which tells us the engine.
| Engine | Share | Complaints | What they name most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 V8 gas | 50% | 70 | too few to split |
| 6.6 Duramax LB7 diesel | 45% | 62 | brakes 35%, electrical 24%, fuel system 19% |
| 8.1 V8 gas | 5% | 7 | too few to split |
Each diesel's page: Duramax LB7.
Nearby model years
What owners complain about
Share of this year's complaints that name each area.
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 47,000 and 111,000 miles; the middle report was at 71,832 miles (147 complaints with a mileage).
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports | Towed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA, not verified.
In owners' words
The horn quits working and this creates a huge safety issue. online search shows this is a common problem and the dealer is unable to fix it.
2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11175902
Gmc 2500 diesel hd sle sierra rearwheel drive instrument panay is inoperative. have to use iphone for speed and guess at gas effecting cruise control interior lights fan speed and cd player
2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11031844
Abs comes on at low speed.. it increases stopping distance.. I have once rear ended a vehicle because of this. there was no damage to either vehicle.. also my abs light come on for a few seconds maybe two or three times a month..
2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 10913828
Recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year under these names.
Quick answers
Is the 2003 Sierra HD reliable?
We can't score it per truck (heavy-duty sales aren't reported apart from the half-ton). Owners filed 167 complaints about it, most often about brakes (45% of them). Compare the diesel generations on their engine pages.
What engine does the 2003 Sierra HD have?
By the VINs in owner complaints: 6.0 V8 gas (50%), 6.6 Duramax LB7 diesel (45%), 8.1 V8 gas (5%).
How many recalls does the 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD have?
0. Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check the truck's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
The whole-line score for 2003, mostly half-tons: 2003 GMC Sierra.
No Lemon Index score: automakers report heavy-duty pickup sales together with the half-ton (one F-Series, Ram or Silverado number), so there is no honest per-truck denominator. These are counts and shares of owner complaints, not failure rates. Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints filed under the truck's 2500/3500 (F-250/F-350) names, all years filed, one per complaint number. Engine: decoded from the complaint's VIN (position 8 is the engine code) with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. Complaints filed as just “Silverado” or “Sierra” are left out (they mix 1500s and HDs). Older trucks have had more years to collect complaints, and popular years draw more because more were sold.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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