RoadVitals

2003 GMC S Utility

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
125
Latest Nov 4, 2015
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
8
17 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 125 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 GMC S Utility, most frequently naming the other / unspecified, electrical and fuel system categories. 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 125
Other / unspecified
Filed Nov 4, 2015

1. THE POWER LIFT GATE ON MY VEHICLE FAILED ON 7/23/15. WHEN IT OPENED, IT WENT ALL OF THE WAY UP AUTOMATICALLY AND THEN CAME CRASHING BACK DOWN AND NEARLY HIT ME IN THE HEAD. 2. THE FAILURE FROM THAT POINT ON HAPPENS EACH AND EVERY TIME SO I HAD TO TURN THE FEATURE OFF. 3. I CONTACTED BOTH GM DIRECTLY AND SPOKE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP TWICE (HARE CHEVROLET IN NOBLESVILLE, IN) AND BOTH TOLD ME THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS ITEM BUT NO SOLUTION AND SUBSEQUENTLY NO PARTS HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED TO CORRECT PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD FIX IT OUT OF MY OWN POCKET (WITH THE SAME SUSPECTED FAULTY PARTS) BUT THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE I WOULD BE REIMBURSED AS A RESULT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE MY POWER LIFT GATE IN FOUR MONTHS NOW. I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN AUGUST WITH NO UPDATES IN THREE MONTHS. I SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 10/31/15 AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO UPDATE ON THIS RECALL.

NHTSA ID
10788243
Incident
Jul 23, 2015
Other / unspecified
Filed Jul 31, 2015

WHEN YOU TAP ON THE BRAKES THE TRUCK PRACTICALLY SKIPS ACROSS THE PAVEMENT THOUGHT IT WAS MINOR TICKET TO MECHANIC NOTHING CAME UP FOR A CODE COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING NOW THE TRUCK YOU CAN'T EVEN TOUCH THE BRAKES BUT THAT IS SKIPS ME ACROSS THE PAVEMENT AND NOW WHEN HE DRIVES IT ALSO HAS A BUMPINESS TO IT AND I HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND THIS IS MY WORK TRUCK AND MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT NOW I READ ONLINE THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL FOR THE BRAKES

NHTSA ID
10745440
Incident
Jul 31, 2015
AirbagsOther / unspecified
Filed Sep 1, 2014
Crash reported

AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY ON OUR GM XUV AFTER MAJOR CRASH INTO DRIVERS SIDE DOOR AND SIDE FRAME. CALLED LOCAL DEALER, REFERRED TO GM REGIONAL, SAID "THEY DIDN'T MAKE THE AIR BAGS". WROTE TO GM HOME OFFICE REFERRED BACK TO REGIONAL. REGIONAL SAID FILE WAS IN "LEGAL" GAVE UP TRYING.

NHTSA ID
10629867
Incident
Nov 22, 2006
Electrical
Filed Aug 9, 2014

I HAVE A 2004 GMC YUKON DENALI AND AS I SEE FROM THE MANY COMPLAINTS BEFORE ME MY CLUSTER HAS WENT OUT. I HAVE NO USE OF MY DASHBOARD AT ALL. NO USE OF GAS GAUGE. NO USE OF SPEEDOMETER. NO USE OF OIL GAUGE. NO USE OF ANYTHING ON DASH. WHY AFTER ALL THE COMPLAINTS HAS GMC NOT DONE ANYTHING. IF THIS CAUSES AN ACCIDENT LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON NOW WITH IGNITION SWITCH THEY WILL PAY SO MUCH MORE WITH LAWSUITS. I WILL BE THE FIRST IN LINE, CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE RAN OFF THE ROAD FOR LACK OF GAS

NHTSA ID
10621141
Incident
Mar 8, 2012
Electrical
Filed Jul 25, 2014

THE SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, AND OIL PRESSURE GAUGE FIRST STARTED FLUCTUATING THEN EVENTUALLY STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. THE DRIVERS DOOR PANEL HAS COMPLETELY WENT OUT. IT SMELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURNING BUT THERE WASN'T A FIRE. I'VE HAD BOTH SITUATIONS CHECKED OUT AND THE MECHANIC STATES THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THE ENVOYS AND TRAILBLAZERS BUT IT IS STILL AT MY EXPENSE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10616204
Incident
Dec 29, 2013
Mileage
122,000 mi
Body & structureOther / unspecified
Filed Mar 6, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A GM AFTERMARKET AIR DEFLECTOR (PART NUMBER: 1927884) BEING USED ON A 2012 GMC ACADIA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN THE CENTER PLASTIC TIE FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE DEFLECTOR TO CRASH INTO THE WINDSHIELD OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DEFLECTOR WAS NOT REPLACED. THE SERIAL NUMBER AND VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10567654
Incident
Aug 1, 2013
Other / unspecifiedSteering
Filed Sep 2, 2013

DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH MY 2009 GMC ACADIA. THE PROBLEM OCCURS WITH THE POWER STEERING FAILING WHEN I AM TRYING TO STEER OR TURN. IT IS AS IF THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING COMPLETELY AND I AM FORCED TO USE MANUAL STEERING WHICH CAN BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *JS

NHTSA ID
10538359
Incident
Jul 3, 2013
Fuel systemOther / unspecified
Filed Jun 18, 2013

FUEL GAUGE SENSOR 2005 ENVOY XL DENALI. 70153 MILES. AFTER FUELING THE VEHICLE FUEL GAUGE REGISTERS EMPTY UNTIL ABOUT AN EIGHTH OF A TANK HAS BEEN USED THEN THE FUEL GAUGE WORKS JUST FINE. HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE POSITIVE BATTERY TERMINAL FOR APPX. TEN MINUTES TO GET THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT TO STOP ILLUMINATING. OCCURS EVERYTIME I FILL THE VEHICLE. IT CAUSES AN INACCURATE FUEL READING. TURNING IN TO DEALER TOMORROW 06-19-2013 FOR REPAIRS. CODE PRODUCED P0463. *TR

NHTSA ID
10520340
Incident
Jun 18, 2013
Mileage
68,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT-3749D

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

GM: ON SOME TRUCK MODELS THERE IS SOME FRAME CORROSION. *RM UPDATED ON 5/2/2012. *KB

SB-10-08-50-003B

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT

GENERAL MOTORS: INFORMATION PROVIDED BY BULLETIN FOR ALL 2012 AND PRIOR GENERAL MOTOR TRUCKS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES REGARDING THE ADJUSTABLE COMFORT AND CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY OF THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER HEAD RESTRAINT. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

GMC S Utility by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003Viewing1250037.1
2002000—
1996201—
1995100—
1994300—
1993000—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.