Owners have filed 2,596 complaints on the GMC Envoy, covering 2002–2009. The system named most often is Fuel System (605 reports). Worst years by volume: 2005, 2003, 2006; cleanest: 2009, 2008, 2007. 144 reports describe a crash, 86 a fire, 8 a death. On average the car was 6.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Envoy
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,596 Envoy complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Fuel System 605 Read
The contact owns a 2003 gmc envoy. While idling at a traffic light, the contacts vehicle was rear ended. The dealer stated that the gas tank was cracked on the vehicle. A geico representative assessed the damage and stated that the cracked gas tank was the result of safety recall # 02V121000 (fuel system,…
My dad was driving his 2003 gmc envoy xl home from work and he felt a small explosion and saw black smoke out of his rear view mirror. So he pulled over, got out, and there were flames underneath the car. Within 5-10 minutes the car exploded. A fire fighter and state trooper pulled over to help him, and they both said…
My gas gauge began to sway from e to f, no matter how full the tank was. Eventually the gauge just remained on e and I've had to estimate mileage on when it is time to fill up, for 6 months now. I've spoke with other gmc envoy owners and this appears to be a common problem. Is there a recall for this?
Electrical System 551 Read
Faulty ignition switch caused vehicle engine to stall making all operation to fail car loss of control very dangerous while stalling on highways faulty code given is p1682 short circuit in ignition throttle and gas pedal also probable cause of faulty ecm,PCM also window module caught on fire while at a drive thru on a…
Both daytime running lights and headlights and high beams cut off while driving. Was pulled over for defective equipment. Wires in passenger headlight melted, didnt check drivers side. There are recalls on the 06 envoy headlights, but I was informed that it doesnt apply to my VIN. Even though I am can no longer drive…
Air condition blower motor caught fire in dash and burnt the vehicle
Exterior Lighting 215 Read
Low beam headlights failed during driving at night nearly causing a serious accident. Many lives could be affected because of this well known design issue not being addressed by gmc. There is a gmc recall for this same problem, but my vehicle isn't included. Gmc needs to re-evaluate this issue and include more…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy. While driving at night, the headlamps failed to illuminate. The contact also noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. It was observed that the fuse panel under the hood was melted. The dealer diagnosed that the headlamp driver module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy 360. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph , the headlights failed to remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness had melted which caused a failure in the fuse panel. The vehicle was included in NHTSA…
Engine And Engine Cooling 157 Read
The contact owns a 2006 gmc envoy. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed smoke escaping from the air conditioner unit. The contact stopped the vehicle, looked under the hood and noticed that the resister and motor wires were melted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs.…
The contact owns a 2005 gmc envoy. The contact stated that the fuel gauge displayed an empty reading after refueling. The fuel gauge began to display a normal reading the following day. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. There was an investigation…
When backing the vehicle to leave a local restaurant, driver struck vehicle behind her. This happened so quickly that it was unknown to the driver how the vehicle traveled so quickly that driver had not even had a chance to turn the steering wheel to avoid striking the other vehicle. Driver placed vehicle in drive to…
Power Train 142 Read
On october 20 the 2007 I purchased a 2007 envoy SUV from ramey ford in tazewell va. On october 27, 2007 I had backed into my drive way put the vehicle in park had the keys in my hand and walked around the vehicle to get my daughter out of the car seat. This is when I noticed that the vehicle was rolling I then jumped…
The contact owns a 2007 gmc envoy. While in park, the vehicle independently reversed and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure…
Radiator and transmission went while driving on a highway. My mechanic told me the part that failed never fails and he was shocked that it did
Air Bags 124 Read
I was in an auto accident on a major highway and upon crashing my airbag didn't deploy and my face smashed into the steering wheel
I was involved in a head on collision in which my vehicle struck two vehicles. The first vehicle made an illegal left hand turn in front of my vehicle at a lighted intersection. I was traveling at an approximate speed of 50mph on a highway intersection (posted speed limit 55mph). The front driver's side of my vehicle…
On 10/24/2018 while driving my 2008 gmc envoy slt, I was involved in a head-on collision which resulted in my car being totaled. None of my air bags deployed
Fuel/propulsion System 123 Read
The contact owned a 2005 gmc envoy. While driving approximately 55 mph, the driver was flagged down by another driver who noticed smoke underneath the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and became engulfed in flames. The police, department of public safety, and…
Nearly 2 weeks ago I noticed the gas gauge acting up. I'd fill the tank, and within a mile or 2, the gauge will drop to e, and the light will come on, bell will sound. This happens constantly, the gauge is showing 1/2 full, then empty, then 1/4 full. At any given time, I have no way of knowing how much fuel is in my…
Check engine light appeared after filling gas tank and fuel gauge was inoperative. Subsequent low fuel warning. Code indicates fuel sensor issue
Visibility 117 Read
The window switch on the drivers side caught fire and burned the insulation, plastic, switch, and no longer works
The contact owns a 2007 gmc envoy. While parked, the contact noticed a burning smell from the vehicle. The windows and door locks would not function on the front driver's side door. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 12V406000…
The contact owns a 2007 gmc envoy. The contact stated the driver's side window control panel failed and caught on fire. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The contact stated that the manufacturer informed her that the vehicle…
Envoy years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 5 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 9 | 19 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 13 | 24 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 21 | 11 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 19 | 9 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 43 | 7 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 34 | 12 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 483 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.4 |
| Worst single series | 34 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.3 years |
A model average of 5.4 hides a worst series at 34. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Envoy?
By complaint volume, 2005, 2003, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Envoy years are the cleanest?
2009, 2008, 2007 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Envoy have?
2,596 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2002–2009. Of those, 144 describe a crash and 86 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.