Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 18 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 GMC Safari. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–18 of 18
THE BRAKE LINES IN FRONT ARE RUSTED OUT AND LEAKING CREATING A SERIOUS PROBLEM, AS THE BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING. I SEE THIS IS A RE-OCCURRING PROBLEM WITH GMC VEHICLES. THE COST TO REPAIR IS ASTRONOMICAL. WHY ISN'T GMC RECALLING THESE VEHICLES?
. I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THE INCIDENT I HAD WITH MY AUTOMOBILE: GMC SAFARI WAGON 2003. ONE DAY IN JULY THIS YEAR (2014) I APPLIED THE BRAKES OF THE ABOVE VEHICLE WHEN I WAS APPROACHING THE RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP EVEN THROUGH THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS RECENTLY WORKED ON. I INVESTIGATED THE REASON WHY IT FAILED TO STOP AND FOUND OUT THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS HEAVILY CORRODED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SAFARI. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, HE CRASHED HEAD-ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 126,000.
OUR 2003 GMC SAFARI HAS HAD THE BRAKES SPONTANEOUSLY FAIL WHILE WE WERE DRIVING IT AT LEAST SIX TIMES (EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS OR SO) FOR THE PAST YEAR. EACH TIME, THE PEDAL JUST DROPPED TO THE FLOOR, THE "BRAKE" LIGHT CAME ON, AND WE HAVE HAD TO PRACTICALLY STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET IT TO FINALLY ROLL TO A STOP. FORTUNATELY IT HAS BEEN AT SLOW SPEEDS EACH TIME AND WE HAVE NOT CAUSED ANY ACCIDENTS YET. WE HAVE BEEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS REPEATEDLY AND SPENT OVER $1000.00 FOR VARIOUS BRAKE SYSTEM COMPONENTS THAT ARE NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM. WE THINK IT IS EITHER A BOOSTER OR SENSOR ISSUE, BUT THE DEALERSHIPS WILL NOT LISTEN TO US AND GMC'S CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL EITHER. WE ARE TERRIFIED OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE BUT CAN'T AFFORD A NEW ONE AT THIS TIME. *TR
PURCHASED BOOSTER SEATS FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN. A CERTIFIED INSPECTOR SHOWED US THAT ALL FOUR REAR SEAT BELTS DO NOT LOCK WHEN PULLED QUICKLY INDICATING THAT THE SEATBELTS WOULD NOT RESTRAIN THE CHILD IN AN ACCIDENT (OR AN ADULT EITHER). TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. DEALER CLAIMS THE SEATBELTS LOCK WHEN YOU BRAKE HARD, BUT ARE NOT MADE FOR CHILDREN'S BOOSTER SEATS. WE ARE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT VEHICLES MADE AFTER 2001 HAD TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE SEATBELTS FOR CHILD SAFETY. *JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 GMC SAFARI. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE CONTACT SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. HE LIFTED THE HOOD AND NOTICED THE CLAMP THAT HELD THE BRAKE LINE WAS ON FIRE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HIS RESIDENCE. HE CHANGED THE BRAKE LINE HOSE, AND DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT A MILE AT 35 MPH. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE, AND NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WERE FAILING WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE TO THE DRIVE POSITION. HE LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND REALIZED THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS HOT AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO HIS RESIDENCE AND INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC. THE CAUSE OF FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,924 , AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,800.*AK
CORROSION HAS BUILT UP ON THE ABS SENSORS CAUSING THEM TO ACTIVATE AT LOW SPEEDS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE BRAKES DON'T LOCK UP AND AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 4 MPH) THAT MEANS THE VEHICLE TAKES AN EXTRA FEW FEET TO STOP. ON ONE OCCASION I ALMOST HIT A PERSON AND TWO OTHER TIMES A PARKED CAR IN A PARKING LOT BECAUSE THE CAR DIDN'T STOP. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEREFORE CAN'T FIX IT. THERE IS A GM RECALL (#05068) FOR OTHER LIKE MODELS OF GM CARS BUT NOT MINE. SO MY PROBLEM IS THE DEALER CAN'T FIX IT WITHOUT A RECALL AND GM WON'T ISSUE A RECALL BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. *JB
I OWN A 2003 GMC SAFARI WHICH I PURCHASED IN UTAH. EARLIER THIS YEAR I EXPERIENCE A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BAKING SYSTEM WHERE THE ABS WOULD ENGAGE AT LOW SPEEDS, INCREASING MY STOPPING DISTANCE GREATLY. I CONTACTED GM AS THIS SEEMED TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT IN TO A LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE BRAKES AND NOTED THAT THE SENSOR WAS BAD AND BILLED ME FOR A REPAIR. I SEE NOW THAT GM HAS ISSUE A RECALL, ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT COVER MY STATE OR VEHICLE MODEL, I WAS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT THESE OTHER VEHICLES HAVE WITH THE ABS FAILURE. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE MORE WIDELY INVESTIGATED AS IT SEEMS TO BE A LARGER PROBLEM THEN THEY WANT TO ADMIT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY PRODUCTS USED ON ICY STREETS WHICH THE VAN OPERATED ON IN UTAH BEFORE I BOUGHT IT. PS-THE DEALERSHIP DESTROYED THE FAULTY PART EVEN THOUGH I ASKED TO SEE IT - THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS THERE POLICY. *NM
AT IRREGULAR TIMES WHEN DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS (~10 MPH), ON DRY CLEAN PAVEMENT, AND UNDER LIGHT TO MODERATE BRAKING, THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGES AND EXTENDS THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR OTHER VEHICLES IN OTHER STATES, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM EXTENDS TO MORE YEAR MODELS AND OVER A WIDER AREA. IN ADDITION, GM HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #02-05-25-006A COVERING MORE VEHICLES THAN WERE IN THE INITIAL RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE. IT SEEMS THAT IF A TSB WAS RELEASED, THEY ARE AWARE THAT THE PROBLEM IS ON MUCH WIDER SCALE THAN THE RECALL INDICATES. *NM
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
DAMPNER FAILED, PURCHASE VAN WITH THIS PROBLEM 3 MONTHS AGO AND STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE DAMPNER PART FROM GMC. *BF THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH ONLY 60 MILES ON IT. DURING THE TEST DRIVE, PRIOR TO PURCHASE, THERE WAS A HARMONIC ROAR NOISE VIBRATION COMING FROM THE REAR. *SC
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V328000. RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED AT DEALERSHIP. AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED CONSUMER NOTICED TIRES WERE WEARING VERY BADLY ON THE OUTSIDE, AND WERE LOSING ALL TREAD. TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT TIRES WERE NOT ROTATED AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. BRIDGESTONE, P215/70R16. HAD TIRES ALIGNED AND ROTATED AFTER 11,000 MILES. *AK
VALVE BODY WAS REPLACED, THE FAN MOTOR WAS REPLACED, AND ALL OF THESE PARTS WERE DEFECTIVE AGAIN. DEALER STATED THAT VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED WARRANTY EXPIRED.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH ENGINE IDLED, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR HAS A VIBRATION CAUSING VIEWING DISTORTION. *MR THE DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR EXPERIENCED SEVERE VIBRATIONS WHICH CAUSED VARIOUS DEGREES OF DISTORTION. THIS PROBLEM CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HAVE NAUSEA, HEAD ACHES, AND BODY TENSION. ROAD CONDITIONS, WEATHER/TEMPERATURE, AND THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE HAVE ALL EFFECTED THE MIRROR VIBRATIONS. (THE PASSENGER SIDE VIEW MIRROR WAS PERFECT) *SCC *JB
CONSUMER NOTICED WHEN RAINING /OR GOING THROUGH A CAR WASH REAR OF VEHICLE WOULD HAVE STANDING WATER ON FLOOR. ALSO ON THE BACK PANEL, WHEN YOU OPEN DOOR THE LIGHT DOESN'T GO ON. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOUR TIMES . *AK *CB
THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT RESPOND QUICKLY ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING FORWARD WHILE IN REVERSE. THE GM TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM. *NLM *NLM
WHILE DRIVING 40MPH THE HYDRO BOOST FAILED CAUSING POWER STEERING FLUID TO LEAK AND SLIGHT LOST OF POWER STEERING. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
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.
Data on this page last refreshed .