All Front Wheel Bearing / Hub Assembly Replacement jobs
Front Wheel Bearing / Hub Assembly Replacement
2019–2025 GMC Sierra 1500
Also fits the Chevrolet Silverado 1500: same vehicle, different badge.
This is a bolt-on sealed hub swap on the T1XX Sierra 1500's front knuckle — genuinely simple in theory, four bolts and a connector, but this generation loves to fuse the hub to the knuckle bore with corrosion. On 4WD trucks you're also dealing with the CV axle and its spindle nut. The Sierra Limited carryover, the HD 8-lug trucks, and the Brembo package are different animals entirely, so make sure you're actually looking at the right hub before you touch a bolt. Specs, torques, and the full step sequence are on the page below.
How Rough Is This Going to Be? Know what you're getting into.
Wheel off, caliper unbolted and hung out of the way, rotor screw out — that's the easy part. The real job starts once you're staring at the hub itself: on 4WD trucks the CV axle has to come out of the splines first, and on both drivetrains the hub cartridge itself likes to seize into the knuckle bore from corrosion. That's the difference between a clean hour and the full stretch toward the upper end of the estimate. You'll also be routing and reclipping the ABS harness exactly where it came from, since that connector and pigtail are integral to the new hub. Nothing about this job is messy, but rust sensitivity is high, so budget extra time for penetrating oil to work and don't assume the bolts will just spin out.
Save Another Trip to the Parts Store Clips, seals, fluids, and the little stuff people forget.
Penetrating oil, and plenty of it, before you start yanking on anything seized. A wire brush and brake cleaner for the knuckle bore and splash shield mating surfaces — skipping that step is how a new hub goes on crooked. Make sure you've got the correct hub for your drivetrain, since 2WD and 4WD use different part numbers and aren't interchangeable. Have a mechanic's hook or wire ready to hang the caliper instead of letting it dangle, and don't forget every factory harness retainer clip needs to go back exactly where it was.
Here's Where It Gets Greasy The procedure, pain points, and common ways this job fights back.
Ordering the wrong hub is an easy one: 2WD and 4WD hubs are different part numbers and not interchangeable, so double-check before it shows up. Not reseating the ABS sensor harness into every factory clip lets the pigtail rub against the tire or control arm, which eventually shows up as chafed wire and DTC C0035 or C0040 — an annoying comeback for a job that was otherwise done right. Stripping the T30 rotor retaining screw is common too, since road salt loves that recess; hit it with an impact driver instead of cranking harder and rounding it out. And letting a freed CV axle or caliper hang by its own weight or the brake hose is how a bearing job turns into a suspension or brake line repair.
Gotchas
- Galvanic corrosion between the steel hub cartridge body and the steering knuckle bore often seizes the unit bearing in place. Penetrating oil, thread cleaning, and a hub removal tool or bolt-assisted push technique are recommended over heavy hammer impacts that can distort the knuckle.
- Failing to secure the ABS wheel speed sensor harness into all factory retention brackets can cause the pigtail to rub against the inner tire sidewall or upper control arm, leading to wire chafing, intermittent ABS/StabiliTrak faults, and DTC C0035/C0040.
It's a Good Idea To... Greasy tips and useful while-you're-in-there advice.
Don't fight a seized hub with a hammer on the knuckle. Galvanic corrosion between the steel hub and the knuckle bore is the whole reason this job takes longer than it should — soak it with penetrating oil, clean the threads, and pull it with a hub puller or slide-hammer technique instead of beating on cast aluminum you can't unbend.
You Already Have a Screw Loose. Your Car Shouldn't. Final checks before you call it done.
Before you call it done, cycle the wheel by hand, make sure the ABS connector clicked in and the harness is clipped where it belongs, and torque the lug nuts to spec once the truck's back on the ground. No noise, no play, no warning light — that's the job. Go wash the penetrating oil smell off your hands.