1999 GMC Sierra 3500 Owner Complaints

BOUGHT A 1999 GMC SIERRA 3500 4DOOR 8FT. BED WITH 30000 MILES ON IT IN 2001. FIRST BRAKE LINE RUSTED OUT IN 2005. SECOND LINE FROM FRONT TO BACK RUSTED AND BROKE 2008. FUEL LINE RUSTED AND LEAKED GAS ALL OVER MY DRIVEWAY 2010. TODAY THAT SAME TRUCK? IS IN A REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE THE FRAME BY THE STEERINGBOX AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT RUSTED AND CRACKED. ITS A SHAME GMC USED SUCH BAD MATERIALS FOR THEIR TRUCKS. MY TRUCK NOW HAS ONLY 97000 MILES ON IT. IF IT CANT BE FIXED SAFELY THE SCRAP YARD IS ITS NEXT STOP AND A FORD WILL TAKE ITS PLACE. TO BAD GMC YOU LOST ANOTHER CUSTOMER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10586534

Incident

May 5, 2005

Mileage

60,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING IN TOWN CLOSING IN ON AN INTERSECTION AS THE LIGHT BEGAN TO CHANGE RED, TWO SEDANS WERE IN FRONT OF ME SO I APPLIED MY BRAKES ALLOWING PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE BRAKE PEDAL SUNK QUICKLY TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT SLOW AT ALL. I HAD TO VEER INTO THE TURN LANE BUT COULD NOT MAKE THE TURN DUE TO SPEED AND ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I CLEARED THE INTERSECTION AND HAD TO VEER INTO A BUSY PARKING LOT RAN OVER A STOP BLOCK AND CONTINUED THROUGH 2 YARDS AND OUT A DRIVEWAY BACK ONTO YET ANOTHER ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. BOTH YARDS HAD PEOPLE IN THEM AND IT WAS A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS HURT. THIS WAS THE MOST TERRIFYING DRIVING EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINES I FOUND A TINY HOLE IN THE LINE CROSSING THE ENGINE YOKE. AS I FURTHERED MY INSPECTION IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION ALL THE BRAKE LINES RESEMBLED BURNT CORN FLAKES AND MUST ALL BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10475579

Incident

Sep 14, 2012

Mileage

250,000 mi

EVERY HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE ON MY 75,000-MILE 1999 GMC 3500 PICKUP HAS RUSTED OUT, AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEY ALL BLEW OUT WHEN PEDAL PRESSURE WAS APPLIED...INCLUDING ONE TIME, WHEN I WAS BACKING UP AT THE TRANSFER STATION TO UNLOAD TRASH. THE ENTIRE TRUCK COULD HAVE GONE BACK AND FALLEN INTO THE DUMPSTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10326017

Incident

Nov 15, 2009

Mileage

75,000 mi

MY 1999 GMC SIERRA 3500 CREW CAB WAS ORDERED NEW. I DISCOVERED LATER THAT IT WAS FITTED WITH A 1998 CAB. THE DESIGN IS DIFFERENT AND THE FRONT DOORS ARE LONGER AND HEAVIER RESULTING IN PREMATURE HINGE FAILURES. I ALSO DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AIRBAGS BECAUSE THE 1998 VERSION DIDN'T REQUIRE THEM EVEN THOUGH I ORDERED A 1999 WHICH DOES. I HAVE A VIN ON THE DASHBOARD SHOWING IT AS A 1999 AND ONE ON THE DOOR SHOWING IT AS A 1998. I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT REPORTING IT HERE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10181290

Incident

Jan 20, 2006

FUEL TANK UNDER NEGATIVE PRESSURE BY APPARENT STUCK VALVE CAUSED FUEL TANK RUPTURE. HAPPENED TWICE. GM ENGINEERS SAID NO DEFECT, APPARENTLY THERE IS AND NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. FUEL SPILLED OUT AND WAS VERY DANGEROUS, IN MY OPINION. I AM A DEGREED (MSME) ENGINEER. WITH AN EXTENSIVE AUTO BACKGROUND. *JB UPDATED 11/15/05. *JB

NHTSA ID

10141424

Incident

Oct 27, 2005

Mileage

75,000 mi

DT: CONTACT HAS 1999 GMC,. HE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LINES 6 TIMES. THE BRAKE LINES WERE CORRODED. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED THE BRAKE LINE BLEW OUT. CONTACT LOST THE FRONT BRAKES ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, AND LOST REAR BRAKES ONLY ONCE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO A SERVICE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. CONTACT HAS REPLACED THE BRAKE LINES WITH AFTER MARKET EQUIPMENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10125920

Incident

Jun 17, 2005

GMC SAVANNA & CHEVY EXPRESS/SIERRA VAN SIDE DOORS (60/40'S ?). DURING SERVICE VISIT FOR DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER AT GROSSINGER GMC IN ILLINOIS, WHEN VEHICLE WAS STILL IN WARRANTY, AND DOORS WERE STIFF, NOISY AND TOUGH TO OPEN/CLOSE, DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED "MORE LUBRICATION". LUBRICATION WAS APPLIED REGULARLY. GMC'S CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE WAS OF NO HELP. I'VE SINCE THROWN OUT MY SHOULDER TRYING TO CLOSE THE DOOR. DANGER: MIDDLE SEAT PASSENGERS HAVE NO WAY OF ESCAPING VEHICLE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT/EMERGENCY. THE HINGES ARE DEFECTIVE. THE DOORS NO LONGER FUNCTION. HINGES FROZEN IN PLACE AND CRACKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH. PER BODY SHOP (WHICH THE DEALERSHIP REFERRED ME TO), IT IS "A DESIGN DEFECT, A FLAW". $2,000 TO REPAIR. PLEASE TAKE NOTE: IT SEEMS THAT WHEN THE CITY OF CHICAGO PURCHASED THIS VAN IN GREAT NUMBERS AND WAS FACED W/THIS PRODUCT FAILURE/DESIGN DEFECT ON ALL OF THEIR MUNICIPAL VANS (POLICE DEPT., FIRE DEPT., STREETS & SANITATION, ETC...) GMC PROVIDED BRAND NEW HINGES W/BRASS BUSHINGS AT NO CHARGE. APPARENTLY, THE ORIGINAL DESIGN (ALSO USED ON MY VAN) USED STEEL BUSHINGS. THEY ALL WERE SEIZING UP WHEN EXPOSED TO THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF MOISTURE (HUMIDITY, RAIN, CAR WASHES OR SNOW). CONSEQUENTLY, GMC RECOGNIZED AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE DESIGN FLAW/DEFECT AND REPLACED ALL HINGES ON THOSE CITY OF CHICAGO VEHICLES W/BRASS (CORROSION FREE) BUSHINGS/HINGES. SINCE GMC RECOGNIZED THIS DEFECT WHEN IT CAME TO BIG CORPORATE ACCOUNTS, WILL THEY DO THE SAME FOR JOHN Q. CONSUMER?

NHTSA ID

10121793

Incident

May 20, 2004

Mileage

40,000 mi

WHILE BRAKING VEHICLE PULSATED AND THE BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10083852

Incident

Apr 30, 2004

Mileage

59,000 mi

WE HAVE 4 1999 GMC 3500 SERIES LONG VANS USED TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS TO VARIOUS FUNCTIONS. RETURNING FROM A FIELD TRIP (WITH CHILDREN) ONE OF THE TIRES SUFFERED A PLY SEPARATION. THE DRIVER DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF MAINTAINING CONTROL AND THE TIRE WAS CHANGED OUT BY OUR TOWING SERVICE. FURTHER INSPECTION SHOWED ANOTHER TIRE POSSIBLY READY TO FAIL, AND ODD WEAR PATTERNS. OUR DISTRICT IN THE INTERESTS OF SAFETY DECIDED TO REPLACE ALL 16 TIRES ON ALL 4 VANS. WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF TIRE...THE TIRES ARE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4X - LT245/75R16 LOAD RANGE E - DOT# VN11 - 81A - 169 AND DOT # SP872R - D15L. *JB

NHTSA ID

10028586

Incident

May 22, 2003

Mileage

19,650 mi

THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. *JB PH

NHTSA ID

10020217

Mileage

58,000 mi

CONSUMER STATES SEAT FRAME BROKE IN 07/02, CONSUMER HAD REPAIRED. SEAT FRAMES BROKE AGAIN ON 9-21 CAUSING A COLLISION.*JB

NHTSA ID

8019284

Incident

Jul 1, 2002

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGHLY AND STALL, THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND DEALER FOUND NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE SIGNALS, CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS ON SIX OCCASIONS WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD STALL AND RUN ROUGH, AND HAS HAD VARIOUS COMPONETS REPLACED, SUCH AS RADIATOR COOLANT, COOLANT SENSOR, FUEL PUMP, SENDING UNIT ASSEMBLY, DISTRIBUTOR, FUEL INJECTORS, SPARK PLUGS, WIRES, SERPENTINE BELT, THROTTLE-POSITIONING SENSOR, EGR AND OXYGEN SENSOR, THE BRACKET THAT PROTECTS THE MAIN WIRE HARNESS WAS NEVER INSTALLED FROM THE FACTORY AND CONSUMER FEELS THIS WAS THE PROBLEM TO BEGIN WITH, SOME OF THE COMPONETS WERE EVEN REPLACED A SECOND TIME AND STILL DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*JB

NHTSA ID

563678

Incident

Jun 19, 2000

FIRESTONE TIRE (P245 75 R16) EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. *SLC

NHTSA ID

557178

Incident

Sep 18, 2000

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 1999 CHEVROLET, LT245/75R16. TREAD SEPARATED FROM RIGHT REAR TIRE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. FIRESTONE HAS REPLACED TIRE FREE OF CHARGE.*AK DOT#V011 678 140. *SLC

NHTSA ID

874341

Incident

Jun 5, 2000

I WAS TRAVELING HOME ON FWY WHERE I WAS INVOLVED IN A CHAIN REACTION AUTO ACCIDENT . I WAS THE NUMBER 3 OUT OF A TOTAL OF 6 INVOLVED. I STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT AT APPOX 5 MILES AN HOUR. WAS THEN REAR ENDED BY A SUV GOING APPROX 30 MILES AN HOUR. WHEN REARENDED, MY DRIVERS SEAT COLLAPSED. THE SEAT SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITH SUCH MINIMAL IMPACT..

NHTSA ID

733750

Incident

Oct 6, 2000

CAB KEEPS FILLING UP WITH EXHAUST FUMES, CAUSING PASSENGER TO GET SICK. DEALER CLAIMS ENGINE GETS TOO HOT, CAUSING ENGINE MANIFOLD TO WARP AND GASKET TO BLOWOUT. IT IS A DESIGN FLAW. *AK

NHTSA ID

862804

BRAKES HAD GONE BAD, AND PADS WERE COMPLETELY GONE ON THE LEFT SIDE. RIGHT SIDE STILL HAD HALF PAD. CONSUMER HAS ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS STOPPING, AND HAS BEEN COMPLAINING TO DEALER. *AK

NHTSA ID

860624

Incident

Apr 1, 2000

CONSUMER USES VEHICLE FOR EVERYDAY USAGES, AND WHEN THE BRAKES GET HOT IT IS HARD TO STOP VEHICLE. SOMETIMES CONSUMER HAS TO INCREASE THE DISTANCE TO STOP. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, AND HAS STATED THAT THEY KNOW OF THE PROBLEM. BUT, HAS NOT FIGURED OUT A SOLUTION TO FIX VEHICLE. DEALER HAS FIXED CONSUMER'S CAR NUMEROUS TIMES. BUT, THE REPAIRES HAVE BEEN AT BEST GUESS REPAIRES. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH REPAIRS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF PROBLEM, AND FIX IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

855051

Incident

Jan 1, 2000

WHEN APPYLING THE ABS BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT THE PEDAL NEARLY TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

853187