NHTSA Complaint #11710403 — 2023 GMC SIERRA 2500

Summary of Issue On [XXX], my family and I departed Kansas City, Missouri, for a camping trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cades Cove), Tennessee, approximately 800 miles away. We were towing a 2020 Forest River Salem FSX/RTX travel trailer, estimated at approximately 6,000 pounds loaded, using a Reese weight distribution hitch with integrated sway control. This load was well below the rated towing capacity of the vehicle. On [XXX], while driving without the trailer attached, the vehicle displayed multiple warnings including “Reduced Engine Power” and a transmission system alert. I immediately pulled over, shut the vehicle off, and restarted it. The warnings persisted. I cautiously drove approximately five miles to Twin City GMC, where the vehicle was diagnosed with a failed transmission valve body. Dealer and Manufacturer Response The service manager at Twin City GMC informed me that the required valve body was on national backorder, with multiple vehicles ahead of mine, and that wait times had reached up to three months. To confirm, I contacted Molle Chevrolet (Blue Springs, MO) and Randy Curnow GMC (Kansas City, KS). Both dealerships independently confirmed that this was a known and recurring issue, and that extended backorders for the valve body were common. I was informed that GMC could provide a daily rental allowance, but the rental vehicle would not permit towing. With my family, three dogs, and travel trailer stranded 800 miles from home, this option was not viable. As a result, I was effectively forced to trade in my truck and purchase a replacement vehicle to safely return home. Manufacturer Awareness and Complaint History GMC has demonstrated awareness of this issue through service bulletins, widespread owner reports, and media documentation addressing transmission valve body failures and parts shortages. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)