1988 GMC K3500 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1988 GMC K3500, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Seat belts150.0%
- Visibility150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
JUST BOUGHT THIS TRUCK & AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS. THE SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT STAY IN SECURE POSITION & DOES NOT WORK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OR PASSENGER SIDE. WAS TOLD THIS WAS & IS A COMMON PROBLEM & SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SAFETY RECALL. & I WANT TO HAVE SAFE WORKING SEAT BELTS WHEN WE DO GET TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK & NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? THEN THE WIPER MODULE PULSE BOARD IS THE OTHER ISSUE. HAVE REPLACED ALL OTHER PARTS EXCEPT THIS ONE & CAN NOT FIND THE SAME PART THAT WAS ORIG ON THIS TRUCK & ALL OTHERS WE HAVE SEARCHED & BOUGHT DOES NOT FIT. NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE/MODIFY THE WHOLE BOARD/WIRING ETC. ALSO HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS & IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF 1988 THRU 2003 MODELS OF GMC & CHEVY. ANY HELP OR ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS OR INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK-YOU! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
JUST BOUGHT THIS TRUCK & AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS. THE SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT STAY IN SECURE POSITION & DOES NOT WORK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OR PASSENGER SIDE. WAS TOLD THIS WAS & IS A COMMON PROBLEM & SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SAFETY RECALL. & I WANT TO HAVE SAFE WORKING SEAT BELTS WHEN WE DO GET TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK & NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? THEN THE WIPER MODULE PULSE BOARD IS THE OTHER ISSUE. HAVE REPLACED ALL OTHER PARTS EXCEPT THIS ONE & CAN NOT FIND THE SAME PART THAT WAS ORIG ON THIS TRUCK & ALL OTHERS WE HAVE SEARCHED & BOUGHT DOES NOT FIT. NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE/MODIFY THE WHOLE BOARD/WIRING ETC. ALSO HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS & IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF 1988 THRU 2003 MODELS OF GMC & CHEVY. ANY HELP OR ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS OR INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK-YOU! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .