1996 GMC Sonoma problems
NHTSA has received 190 complaints about the 1996 GMC Sonoma, and 31% of them involve brakes. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (16%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 190 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 34 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 94,000 miles 12 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 12 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 94,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 34 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 9 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the GMC Sonoma with enough data (118 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Was driving at 25MPH when another vehicle ran stop sign and struck the consumer, causing him to hit another vehicle. Air bag failed to deploy, resulting in an injury, dealer nofitied.
Vehicle did not have an adjustable headrest. During a rear end accident consumer suffered whiplash due to the fact that the head rest was not high enough to support the head. The dealer has not been contacted.
While driving noticed smoke coming from vehicle., and vehicle caught on fire. Vehicled checked by dealer, who determined that coolant was leaking from cylinder onto head gasket.
ABS anti-brake system has failed. Light continuously stays on. Analysis has determined that three of the four sensors are bad. Vehicle has only 40,000 miles on it. Also analysis has determined that the catalictic converter is defective, causing the service engine soon "light" to be on continuously.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 GMC sonoma. The contact stated that the straps that support the tailgate failed. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. No repairs were made. The dealer information was unknown. The current mileage was 152,000 and failure mileage was 150,000. Updated 12/12/2007 updated 12/12/07