2003 GMC Sierra SLT 4.8 from North America
Summary:
Reliable with gremlins
Faults:
BATTERY: As expected - not a big deal. Replaced the battery.
AIR BAG LIGHT: Air bag light kept coming on/off - which coincided with the recent BATTERY above. I did not place 2 and 2 together until after about 10k miles and a potential 800.00 estimate to replace the air-bag control unit. As I was tinkering, I found that I did not fully tighten the positive battery lead. Once fully tightened, no air bag light. Lesson learned - fully tighten the battery.
REAR WINDOWS NOISE: That's the complaint from any rear passenger, asking if the window is open. Nope, all closed. I took it to the dealer early, they replaced the seal. Still noisy. I don't notice it anymore.
RADIO: Just tonight, after 136,000 miles of care free driving, the (factory) radio decided it will no longer release any "noise" (that's what my kids call my rock-n-roll). Nothing weird, but I did recently read something about the using the emergency brake being tied to the radio. I used the emergency brake today as well (first time in YEARS). Further investigation pending.
General Comments:
SMOOTH RIDE: From the time I bought it until now, it's been a very smooth riding truck. I have towed a 4000# car and have had this thing hit the speed limiter. I have zero mods.
RELIABLE: I used the GM Oil Life Monitor from day 1. I was curious and at times scared to death. There were time that I know I hit 10k miles before my dash told me to change the oil, which I did. After 136k miles, my little V8 is still purring right along. The transmission fluid has NOT been changed (even when I asked them, the dealer said the fluid is fine, but did change the filter). The big 90k service was just service. Did not fix anything, but I did have the coolant flushed/filled, and replaced the platinum spark plugs.
10 years of owning/driving this truck has not made me a believer in GM; however, it has made me a believer in taking care of what you have. I'll track down my gremlins - or - I might just ignore them. So far, I anticipate this truck to see 300k plus miles - unless I can't fix that *&^&$%$ radio. XD
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th December, 2012
16th Jun 2014, 15:07
I have a 2003 GMC 2500HD Duramax. Just turned over 100,000 miles. My wife and I used it to go on vacation. Was riding along listening to one of those books on tape (actually a CD) and the radio quit. No clock - nothing. Next stop for lunch, checked the fuses for the radio because that looked like what happened. The fuses were OK. Got back in, started the truck - VOILA, the radio was working. Just pulling the fuses and putting them back in must have done the trick.