Owners have filed 1,057 complaints on the GMC Sonoma, covering 1992–2004. The system named most often is Service Brakes (327 reports). Worst years by volume: 1994, 1995, 1998; cleanest: 2004, 1992, 2003. 104 reports describe a crash, 11 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 3.9 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on GMC Sonoma
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,057 Sonoma complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Service Brakes 327 Read
The contact stated while driving 35 mph attempting to apply brake pressure the vehicle was involved in a crash and the frontal airbags did not deploy. The driver was wearing a seat belt and a police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle sustained frontal damage and was able to be driven home. The dealership was…
The contact owns a 2002 gmc sonoma. While driving approximately 15 mph and approaching a stop light, the vehicle did not stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The brake pedal extended to the floor and the contact rear ended another vehicle. There were no injuries. The contact's son diagnosed the vehicle as having…
Just pulled into the main street, drove a way down the road, and because brakes did not catch, rear ended another automobile. Brake pedal went to the floor. Also, while braking the engine was racing, which made it harder for auto to slow down
Visibility 176 Read
There is no non heated fresh air that can come into vehicle while consumer is driving no matter what consumer does. Consumer had an accident in which vehicle rear ended another vehicle at about 5 mph. Contacted dealer, and dealer really did not have a remedy for problem. *ak air ventilator malfunctioned
Consumer stated that while driving and with no warning the windshield wiper worked intermittently. Dealer notified. Ts possible electrical failure caused wipers to fail mostly during rainy weather
The contact owns a 2003 gmc sonoma. The contact stated that the defroster failed in the vehicle. The dealer stated that they needed a new havac control head, three mode actuators, and the storage tank and switch line needed to be flushed out. The current mileage was 102,000 and failure mileage was 100,000. Updated…
Structure 89 Read
The support cables for the tailgate on my 2004 gmc sonoma broke. There is a service bulletin out for this but gm and the dealer both state it doesn't cover my truck. The parts are the exact same parts, same part number and all. Campaign - tailgate cable replacement/warranty extension subject: special policy adjustment…
The driver door seemed to be off the hinges which allowed air and water to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer refused to correct the problem because they believed the consumer caused the problem. *nm
When standing on the tailgate the tailgate support straps snapped. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem
Engine And Engine Cooling 70 Read
Paper or some like object must have blowen onto the muffler from the road surface, catching truck on fire
While driving vehicle caught on fire, cause unknown, fire department was unable to determine whether it was gas or electrical
Air filter is dirty and problems with the engine. Dealer notified. Ts
Power Train 63 Read
There had been a whining(like the old radial tires used to make) noise for about a week and I just figured it was the tires. It got loud on 8/24 and I stopped and put it in park, as I got out to look under the truck, it started rolling and rolled down into the woods, we have filed a police report and reported to the…
The consumer has been experiencing problems with automatic transmission. While the consumer was driving on an interstate, vehicle lost power and caught on fire. The consumer barely got out of the vehicle due to trouble with the locks. Consumer put the fire out. Fire department, as well as the police arrived at the…
While driving or accelerating from a complete stop the gear shifter pops out of gear into neutral. This occurred when the rubber boot around the gear shifter handle slides up. The dealership slid the boot back into place but the problem recurred. *ak the dealer installed a new boot but the problem still occurred
Seats 48 Read
The vehicle is kept in a garage and when outside I use a screen protector. The dash and many other interior parts of the car are simply falling apart
Vehicle was rearended by another vehicle going at approximatly 55 -60 mph, driver seatback broke due to impact, this could have resulted in injuries
Child position in rear seating position car struck in the rear front passenger seat collapsed. Tt
Electrical System 44 Read
Was slowing down for upcoming light and out the corner of my eye I saw a deer leap over tall grass on left oncoming side of road, was already at 40 miles hit brake to hopefully not hit her so by the time she and I had impact the vehicle was going bout 35 miles per hour. Tore up right side of fender, door, hood, front…
While driving at any speed on flat surface and with no warning alternator overheated, causing engine to catch on fire. Consumer was forced to pull over. Dealer notified
While traveling at 40 mph hit an enbankment head-on, and driver's side airbag didn't deploy. *ak consumer was injured in accident. Consumer states accelerator sticks at times. Keys can not be removed, problem since purchase of vehicle
Fuel System 40 Read
Fuel filler neck regularly allows gasoline to overflow while filling the gas tank. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer twice and contacted the manufacturer. General motors and the dealer told me there is nothing that can be done. The fuel filler neck has been narrowed to comply with emission standards. I owned a…
The contact owns a 2003 gmc sonoma. While driving approximately 45 mph the "check engine" warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was contributed to the fuel system; tank assembly filler pipe. The repair was…
The contact owns a 2003 gmc sonoma. The contact stated while he drove 73 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to coast onto the emergency lane. The local mechanic performed a diagnostic test and was unable to locate a failure code. The vehicle was taken to a second dealership for additional…
Sonoma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Structure | — | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 1 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 12 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 21 | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 21 | — | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | 12 | 2 | |
| 1993 | Electrical System | 6 | 3 | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | 2 | — |
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 | 702 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.5 |
| Worst single series | 11 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.9 years |
A model average of 1.5 hides a worst series at 11. 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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- 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 Sonoma?
By complaint volume, 1994, 1995, 1998 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 Sonoma years are the cleanest?
2004, 1992, 2003 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the GMC Sonoma have?
1,057 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1992–2004. Of those, 104 describe a crash and 11 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.