The Lemon IndexAll cars · GMC · GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD
2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD problems, engines and recalls.
Owners filed 167 complaints with the government about the 2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD, most often about brakes (42%).
Which engine is in it
137 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 | 44% | 60 | too few to split |
| 6.6 Duramax LLY diesel | 28% | 39 | brakes 44%, electrical 36%, fuel system 13% |
| 6.6 Duramax LB7 diesel | 20% | 28 | electrical 29%, brakes 29%, fuel system 21% |
| 8.1 V8 gas | 7% | 10 | too few to split |
Each diesel's page: Duramax LLY · 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 45,000 and 102,000 miles; the middle report was at 63,000 miles (144 complaints with a mileage).
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports | Towed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA, not verified.
In owners' words
The fan for the heater doesnt work on all speeds properly, stopped working entirely
2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11544341
While driving over 50mph on the highway I get a violent shaking in the engine and the steering wheel shakes bake and forth. the engine sound very loud while its doing this. it only occurs when I am at highway speeds.
2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11157104
Pulling out of a parking lot, lost brakes. steel brake lines by fuel tank, let go causing truck to loose brakes
2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD owner · NHTSA complaint 11082095
Recalls 1
04V562000 Nov 2004 Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
On certain vans equipped with sure-lok wheelchair securement systems, the sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly is out of alignment.
Fix. Dealers will inspect and replace the wheelchair securement retractors as necessary. Sure-lok will handle the repairs for this campaign. Owners should contact sure-lock at 1-908-231-1804 or mobilityworks at 1-800-769-8267.
NHTSA recalls for this model year under every name these trucks are filed under. A recall that names an engine applies only to trucks with it. Free at any dealer: check the VIN.
Quick answers
Is the 2004 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 (42% of them). Compare the diesel generations on their engine pages.
What engine does the 2004 Sierra HD have?
By the VINs in owner complaints: 6.0 V8 gas (44%), 6.6 Duramax LLY diesel (28%), 6.6 Duramax LB7 diesel (20%), 8.1 V8 gas (7%).
How many recalls does the 2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD/3500HD have?
1. Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check the truck's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
The whole-line score for 2004, mostly half-tons: 2004 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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