RecallMyCar

GMC Sonoma Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 15 safety recalls and 1,345 owner complaints across 17 model years of the GMC Sonoma (1984–2005). The most-complained-about year is 1994.

15
safety recalls, all years
1,345
owner complaints, all years
1996
year with most recalls
1994
year with most complaints

Pick your GMC Sonoma model year

Model yearRecallsComplaints
2005 GMC Sonoma01
2004 GMC Sonoma10
2003 GMC Sonoma139
2002 GMC Sonoma057
2001 GMC Sonoma189
2000 GMC Sonoma3136
1999 GMC Sonoma057
1998 GMC Sonoma3156
1997 GMC Sonoma2111
1996 GMC Sonoma6148
1995 GMC Sonoma3213
1994 GMC Sonoma2224
1993 GMC Sonoma258
1992 GMC Sonoma125
1991 GMC Sonoma129
1990 GMC Sonoma01
1984 GMC Sonoma01

What GMC Sonoma owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 1,345 complaints with NHTSA. The 1994 model year has the most, with 224.

All GMC Sonoma recalls (15)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a GMC Sonoma, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

  1. Labels (equipment)

    NHTSA 04V132000 Reported 183,922 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection."

    Remedy: Owners will be provided with correct labels and installation instructions. Owner notification began on june 4, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.

    Model years: 2003, 2004

  2. Labels (equipment)

    NHTSA 00V258001 Reported 223,194 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles were built with incorrect payload information on the vehicle certification label. The payload shown on the label is greater than the maximum validated payload. If the vehicle were loaded to the incorrectly labeled payload, it may not ride…

    Remedy: Owners will be sent a new label for installation on the driver's door of the vehicle.

    Model years: 2000

  3. Exterior lighting

    NHTSA 00V220000 Reported 14,279 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the daytime running lights built with a candela value greater than 3,000 cannot be mounted higher than 864mm above the road surface.

    Remedy: Dealers will install a revised wiring harness that changes the drl's from high beam to low beam drl's, and install new long-life low beam bulbs.

    Model years: 1998

  4. Seat belts

    NHTSA 00V228003 Reported 156,305 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and MINI vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's safety belt buckle assembly date codes and, if necessary, will replace any safety belt buckle assembly.

    Model years: 2001

  5. Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (service brakes)

    NHTSA 00V055000 Reported 10,674 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.

    Model years: 2000

  6. Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (service brakes)

    NHTSA 99V220000 Reported 3,947 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: s -trucks equipped with 2 wheel drive. These vehicles may have had the right-hand antilock brake system (ABS) module feed pipe and/or brake crossover pipe tube nuts tightened without seating the pipe-flared-ends enough to withstand normal assembly and vehicle inputs without partially unseating. This does not comply…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the brake pipe union for signs of brake fluid, and if necessary, install a new brake pipe union.

    Model years: 2000

  7. Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (service brakes)

    NHTSA 99V193000 Reported 1,125,749 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: certain 4-wheel drive pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with ABS (antilock braking system) manufactured from september 1989 through august 1996. Under certain driving conditions the switch which signals the ABS system whether the vehicle is in 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive can malfunction causing…

    Remedy: Dealers will replace or repair the 4-wheel/2-wheel drive switch.

    Model years: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996

  8. Windshield wiper/washer (visibility)

    NHTSA 98V150001 Reported 1,557,585 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, 2 and 4-wheel drive. Solder joints near the wiring harness connector can crack causing the windshield wipers to work intermittently.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiper motor circuit board and cover.

    Model years: 1995, 1996

  9. Electrical system: front underhood

    NHTSA 97V208001 Reported 33,973 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose vehicles. An engine electrical wiring-harness clip can melt and drip onto the exhaust manifold.

    Remedy: Dealers are contacting owners by telephone to have their vehicles towed to the dealer and alternate transportation provided to them until the dealer can reroute the electrical wiring-harness.

    Model years: 1998

  10. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 97V218000 Reported 19,716 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. A fatigue fracture of the rear axle right-hand brake pipe can occur causing a slow brake fluid leak resulting in a soft brake pedal. If the brake pipe breaks, the driver would experience a sudden drop in the brake pedal, the instrument panel brake light…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pipe.

    Model years: 1998

  11. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 97V146001 Reported 146,167 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: light duty passenger pickup trucks equipped with 4.3l engines. The front brake line can contact the left-hand side of the engine oil pan causing the brake line to wear to the point of brake fluid loss during brake application.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the clearance between the oil pan and the brake line. If the clearance is 6mm or less, dealers will install an additional brake line clip and if there was contact between the oil pan and brake…

    Model years: 1996, 1997

  12. Seat belts

    NHTSA 97V096001 Reported 586,058 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Vehicle description: extended cab pickup trucks equipped with 60/40 front bench seats and extended cab pickup trucks and 2-door utility vehicles equipped with manual locking recliner bucket seats. The outboard safety belt webbing on the driver's and/or passenger's seat can separate during a frontal impact.

    Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover over the recliner mechanism.

    Model years: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997

  13. Windshield (visibility)

    NHTSA 97V008001 Reported 55 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    The top coat paint severely peels due to overbaking of the powder primer prior to the top coat application. Since the windshield primer and adhesive adhere to the top coat paint onthe windshield opening flange, the windshield does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 212, "windshield mounting."

    Remedy: All vehicles have been repurchased. This campaign is 100%.

    Model years: 1996

  14. Manual transmission (power train)

    NHTSA 96V035000 Reported 24,906 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Some of these trucks were built with transmissions containing parts which were not machined to GM's specifications.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the transmission main shaft output torque using a special tool. If the output torque does not meet specifications, the transmission will be replaced.

    Model years: 1996

  15. Automatic transmission (power train)

    NHTSA 94V093000 Reported 72,664 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

    Significant wear can develop on the low and reverse clutch preventing the park pawl from engaging. This can prevent a "no park" condition to occur while the engine is running, causing unintentional movement of the vehicle without operator action. (the "no park" condition will not occur while the engine is off.)

    Remedy: Dealers will check the transmission fluid for contamination which will indicate if the low or reverse clutch is worn. If the transmission fluid shows contamination, the transmission will be replaced.

    Model years: 1993

Other GMC models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.