Owners have filed 277 complaints on the GMC Savana, covering 1996–2007. The system named most often is Service Brakes (61 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 1997, 2000; cleanest: 2006, 2007, 2002. 14 reports describe a crash, 9 a fire. On average the car was 4.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Savana
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 277 Savana complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 61 Read
The contact owned a 2007 gmc savana. While driving approximately 20 mph, the driver attempted to stop, but the brakes failed. As a result, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained injuries that required medical…
The contact owns a 2003 gmc savannah 2500. The contact was driving downhill in reverse when the brakes malfunctioned and would not engage, causing the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. A police report was available. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but the dealer was unable to locate a failure within the…
The contact stated the vehicle would not stop on wet pavement at 2-3 mph. The vehicle rear ended another vehicle; the contact's vehicle received minor damage. The ABS did not activate and the vehicle has not been seen by a mechanic. There is a NHTSA recall, # 05V379000, regarding the antilock brakes. The vehicle has…
Structure 30 Read
The 2 side doors for passengers fail to open properly because the hinges fail to operate correctly and stop the doors from opening properly. So when our children are in the van, it is very difficult to open the doors to allow them to exit because the hinges lock up. We have already had the hinges replaced 4 times by…
Side cargo rear door hinges siezed and bent after opening. Now it does not close properly (alignment from hinge), causing front side cargo door to stay open at all times. Rear door is over 1" out of position, preventing front door from closing and engaging latch. If rear door is opened, it does not close without…
White van since was 4 years old the front hood white paint star peeling off . Know is have paint only. Bad quality paint. You can see in the road almost all chevy or gmc cargo van with the same problem
Fuel System 24 Read
Fuel line from gas tank to "quick connect" split near the muffler. With the pressure of the fuel pump, gasoline was spewing out of the line under the truck near the muffler. It had happened two weeks or so earlier but I didn't notice it because I'd had a gas spill from a leaf blower in the back of the van and thought…
No incident ...yet. Noticed the smell of gas after refueling just before christmas 2012. It has been getting worse ever since. Checked out recalls and saw this one, but never received a recall notice. Called local dealer and told me that it was not covered. Something is wrong here. This recall (listed below) is…
Consumer was unable to fill the fuel tank with fuel because the fuel tank sensor malfunctioned. This resulted in the gasoline pump nozzle clicking off before the tank was full. Dealership in an attempt to correct the problem changed the filler neck, its valve and other fuel tank components, but the problem still exists
Tires 23 Read
See attached document for complaint
Tire "definity dakota" had defected just for 20,000 mi
The contact owns a 2004 gmc savanna equipped with definity dakota a/t tires, size 235/75r16. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph, when the vehicle made a thumping noise. The contact pulled over and noticed all of the tread on the right rear tire was missing. A spare tire was installed on the vehicle. The…
Steering 21 Read
The contact owns a 2007 gmc savana. The contact stated that she attempted to start the vehicle but the engine would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection and they stated that the ignition key warning switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that while…
The contact owns a 2006 gmc savanna. The contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically fail to start and there was an increase in stopping distance when braking. In addition, the steering wheel would seize abnormally when attempting a turn in either direction. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic and…
Had problems with tie rods in gmc savana 2006 and they have been replaced for the third time. Someone should be checking into why these tie rods are breaking, cracking, loosening up causing vehicle to lose control and pull to one side of the road. This is also a custom handicapped van with a heavy lift and carrying…
Air Bags 18 Read
The contact stated while traveling 65 mph, the vehicle was involved in a frontal impact collision. The driver and passenger side air bags did not deploy. There was pre-impact braking. The driver sustained a neck injury. The vehicle was deemed totaled and a police report was taken. The vehicle was a 2007 van gmc…
While driving 35 mph consumer's vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. This caused the driver to sustain major injuries ,and was transported to a hospital by ambulance. Vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection
While traveling at 30 mph, the consumer was involved in a front end collision when another vehicle made an illegal turn. Upon impact, none of the frontal air bags deployed. There were two back and neck injuries. *ak *tt
Engine And Engine Cooling 17 Read
Virginia tech owns a 2003 gmc savana. The vehicle caught fire under the hood in the middle of the night. The fire department extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The current and failure mileages were 75,128. Updated 04/03/08
Van was being driven early morning for about 30 minutes. No rain, 45 degree outside temp., headlights on. Driver first noticed dash lights flicker & alternator gauge showing a discharge, then these issues returned to normal. The van continued being driven for 15 minutes to destination w/o further issues. Upon…
The contact owns a 2005 gmc savana 2500. The contact experienced a loss of coolant, cracked cylinder heads, oxygen sensor failure and fluid leaking onto the exhaust. A local mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the radiator cap and oxygen sensors needed to be replaced. After the replacements,…
Visibility 16 Read
2003 savanah van missed on recall.*mr the consumer believes the same defective wiper module being recalled on other gmc vehicle's is the same part in his vehicle which also failed. The dealer refused to perform the recall on the vehicle due to it's VIN
2007 gmc 3/4 ton savanna extended cargo van diesel customer states a safety concern on cargo van passenger side mirror**sb the consumer stated there are no inside rearview mirrors in this large extended cargo van. The consumer stated he wants the mirror replaced with a wide angle mirror that a driver can trust on the…
2007 gmc savana extended cardo van. Consumer states that it is difficult to see from the rearview mirror on the passenger side of the van. *mc the consumer stated has purchased a new van with the same defect as the previous van and stated that he knows gm has a mirror to remedy the defect. This past weekend in canton,…
Savana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | — | — |
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 | 236 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.0 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 4. 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
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 Savana?
By complaint volume, 1999, 1997, 2000 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 Savana years are the cleanest?
2006, 2007, 2002 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Savana have?
277 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1996–2007. Of those, 14 describe a crash and 9 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.