2002 GMC Sonoma problems
NHTSA has received 74 complaints about the 2002 GMC Sonoma, and 26% of them involve brakes. After that come body & structure (18%) and electrical system (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 74 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 38,000 miles 54 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 | 9 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 54 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 38,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 33,000 miles (14 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the GMC Sonoma with enough data (57 complaints in that window).
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.
The 3rd door on ext cab. The door does not open. Was told by dealer this is major complaints for these 3rd models. Have to replace pins or something, but it keeps happening. This a a life & death hazard & defect. Why hasn't this been recalled? In an accident, (rear ended) the door could not be opened.
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.
(1) loading parcels into bed of truck. (2) tailgate support cable broke, causing tailgate to fall on rear bumper for support, this caused damage to tailgate and parcels to fall on ground. Person loading parcels received minor bruises and cuts. (2a) tailgate latch handle broke and fell on ground, tailgate can not be opened. (3) tailgate closed waiting research on how to repair latch and replace cables.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 GMC sonoma. The handle on the third door failed after being replaced seven times. The handle is plastic and the door will not open once it fails. The dealer could not determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000 and current mileage was 44,000. Updated 01-11-08. Updated 12/12/07
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 GMC sonoma. While driving at approximately 25 MPH, the spare tire wire cable hoist assembly fray snapped and the spare tire fell onto the road. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.