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2020 GMC Truck Sierra 1500

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2020 Sierra 1500.

The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 truck is characterized by maintenance specifications such as a 6.0 qt capacity for 5W-30 oil, providing a technical baseline for researchers evaluating this model. Reliability records document 438 total owner complaints with the Engine as the top complaint area, accompanied by 12 recalls specific to this model year. When contextualized within the model's complaint history spanning 1999 to 2025, these figures fall between the highest count of 856 in 2014 and the lowest of 45 in 2016, indicating a moderate position in the vehicle's long-term ownership risk profile.

Model year202520232020

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity6.0 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified
Lug nut torque140.0 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 48 · 730 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12731742. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 48 · 730 CCAOEM · verified
Tire size265/65R18 114TOEM · verified
Wheel / rim8.5; Option 1: 8.5; Option 2: 9 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter12731742 alt 12727115
Engine air filter84121217 alt 84121219
Fuel filter13539108
Spark plug12688094 alt 12622441
Battery88865934 alt 88864542
Front wiper blades84578275
Serpentine belt12658178 alt 55490583
Thermostat89018168 alt 55496127
Cabin air filter13508023

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 6.0 qt of 5W-30 engine oil. Torque lug nuts to 140 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity10L80
Automatic Transmission FluidATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity8.1 qt
Automatic Transmission FluidATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity8.1 qt
Automatic Transmission FluidATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity7.4 qt
Automatic Transmission FluidATF

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.3 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.3 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.25 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)6.25 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Differential Fill PlugFront: 26.0; Rear: 30.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Chassis Bracket118.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring to Rear Shackle85.0 ft-lbs
Leaf Spring Rear Shackle to Chassis Bracket85 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts140.0 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs
Lug Nuts140 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-6-5-4-3-2
Cylinder Firing Order1–8–7–2–6–5–4–3
Cylinder Firing Order1–8–7–2–6–5–4–3
Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Cylinder Firing Order1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3
Cylinder Firing Order1-5-3-6-2-4

Battery & A/C

RefrigerantR1234yf
Refrigerant Capacity1.40 lbs
Oil GroupPAG
Oil Capacity3.30 oz
RefrigerantR1234yf
Refrigerant Capacity1.40 lbs
Oil Capacity3.33 oz
Standard BCI Group Number48

Service checks

Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)43.0-58.0
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)46.0-84.0
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)46.0-88.0
Engine Oil Pressure33.36
Engine Oil Pressure22
Engine Oil Pressure22
Engine Oil Pressure22
Engine Oil Pressure22-32; 26-41; 46-58 psi

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier Torque30.0
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueRear: 118.0 ft-lbs
ABS Sensor TorqueFront: 6.6; Rear: 6.6
Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: NS; Rear: 30.0 ft-lbs
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueRear: 118.0 ft-lbs
ABS Sensor TorqueFront: 6.0; Rear: 6.0
Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: NS; Rear: 30.0 ft-lbs
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueRear: 118.0 ft-lbs

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Leaf Spring to Axle (U-bolts) — tightening sequence 1 stages
159.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Loosen 180°, Step 3: 59.0 ft. lbs., Step 4: 120°-140°59 ft. lbs
Steering Track (Rod End) Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
185°-100°
Front Wheel Hub — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 30°-45°111 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 50°18 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
148.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 90°48 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
148.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90°48 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 50°18 ft. lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s) — tightening sequence 1 stages
130.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 50°30 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 110°18 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 85°15 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 85°15 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
126.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 45°, Step 3: 15°26 ft. lbs
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
118.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 110°18 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 140°111 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1Use current crankshaft bolt and tighten 240.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Remove crankshaft bolt and discard., Step 3: Check for a recess of .094-.176" of the crankshaft into the balancer bore., Step 4: Use replacement bolt and tighten to 110.0 ft. lbs., Step 5: Loosen 360°., Step 6: 59.0 ft. lbs., Step 7: Balancer Bolt with Flanged Head 125°., Step 8: Balancer Bolt with rotating washer 200°.240 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1Use current crankshaft bolt and tighten 240.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Remove crankshaft bolt and discard., Step 3: Check for a recess of .094-.176" of the crankshaft into the balancer bore., Step 4: Use replacement bolt and tighten to 110.0 ft. lbs., Step 5: Loosen 360°., Step 6: 59.0 ft. lbs., Step 7: Balancer Bolt with Flanged Head 125°., Step 8: Balancer Bolt with rotating washer 200°.240 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
1111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 140°111 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 1 stages
159.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 90° Step 3: 40°59 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 1 stages
159.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90°, Step 3: Internal Hex Bolt: 40°, Step 4: All Except Internal Hex Bolt: 60°59 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 1 stages
159.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90°, Step 3: Internal Hex Bolt: 40°, Step 4: All Except Internal Hex Bolt: 60°59 ft. lbs
Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 7 stages
130.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: Completely Loosen Bolts 13, 14, 5, 6, 4, 3, 11 & 1230 ft. lbs
3Tighten Bolts30 ft. lbs
4Completely Loosen Bolts 9, 10, 1, 2, 7 & 8
5Tighten Bolts30 ft. lbs
6Bolts 1-1459 ft. lbs
7225°
811.0
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 75°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs. Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs. Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 75°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs., Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs., Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Flex or Driveplate Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
126.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 70°26 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 75°11 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs. Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
111.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 22.0 ft. lbs. Step 3: 45°11 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
165.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 30°, Step 3: 15°65 ft. lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
143.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 45°43 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs. Step 2: 7.43.7 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
13.7 ft. lbs. Step 2: 90°3.7 ft. lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages

Prep When using the existing cylinder head: Alternate tightening all fasteners evenly. Start at the center and work outwards. 17.0 ft. lbs. · When using a new cylinder head: Step 1: 20.0 ft. lbs.

2Loosen 180°
317.0
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
13.7 ft. lbs.3.7 ft. lbs
27.4
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
13.7 ft. lbs.3.7 ft. lbs
27.4
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
115.0 ft. lbs. Step 2: 120°15 ft. lbs
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 1 stages
137.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 60°, Step 3: 15°37 ft. lbs
Oil Pan to Block Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
16.3
Oil Pan to Block Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
18.83 ft. lbs.8.83 ft. lbs
218.0
Oil Pan to Block Bolts — tightening sequence 2 stages
18.83 ft. lbs.8.83 ft. lbs
218.0

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 60,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 miAccelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (inspect)
Every 15,000 miWindshield Wiper Blade (replace)
Every 22,500 miCabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 30,000 miFuel Filter (replace)
Every 45,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 60,000 miSpark Plug Wires (inspect)
Every 75,000 miHood Hinge (inspect)
Every 97,500 miSpark Plugs (replace) · Transfer Case Assembly (drain & refill)
At 150,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Drive Belt (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 2020 GMC Truck Sierra 1500 dominate in one area — the engine, 130 of 438 reports (30%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 12 recall campaigns target the engine, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 11 of the reports describe a crash and 5 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the engine pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

12
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
1528
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
3
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
438
Owner complaints
11 involved a crash · 5 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent
’99’09’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 438 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Engine130
Power Train38
Electrical System22
Power Train,Engine17
Service Brakes16
Steering14
Unknown Or Other14
Engine & Engine Cooling10

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 12 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

21V115000TiresReported 25/02/2021

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, XT5, Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL, 2018-2021 Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, 2019-2020… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 22, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at…

19V888000Electrical System:12V/24V/48V Battery:CablesReported 12/12/2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The battery positive (B+) cable rings may have been manufactured with excessive glue, potentially causing an… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect for the presence of glue or other contamination at the B+ cable attachment to the alternator and clean the connection and reattach…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1528 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
PIT6473F2026-07-17Unknown Or OtherThis PI was created to help avoid unnecessary front camera module replacements
PIT5767B2026-07-13Unknown Or OtherThis PI provides a diagnostic tip on poor a/c performance due to a condenser issue and…
PIT65322026-07-06Unknown Or OtherThe purpose of this PI is to inform dealer technicians of a normal cab pressure relief…
PIP61152026-05-20Unknown Or OtherThe document advise technicians after an engine repair involving removal of the camshaft…
PIT5509M2026-05-14Unknown Or OtherThis PI provides diagnostic tips for diagnosing electric trailer brakes issues.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Sierra 1500. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 48 batteryVehicles taking 6.0 qtEngine oil filter 12731742Engine air filter 84121217Fuel filter 13539108Spark plug 12688094

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBsOBD-II trouble codesTorque specificationsMaintenance schedulesFluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2020 Sierra 1500 take?

6.0 qt of 5W-30 Use GM Dexos 1 Oil or equivalent, per the factory manual.

Does the 2020 Sierra 1500 have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.