1991 GMC Sonoma 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 1991 GMC Sonoma, 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
- Brakes1441.2%
- Engine411.8%
- Electrical38.8%
- Body & structure25.9%
- Steering25.9%
- Transmission25.9%
- Exterior lighting12.9%
- Other / unspecified12.9%
- Seat belts12.9%
- Tires & wheels12.9%
- Suspension12.9%
- Driver assistance12.9%
- Interior & seats12.9%
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
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE SHOES AND TAIL PIPE. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR EXHAUST REPAIR. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT EH CONSUMER TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE MUFFLER SHOP FOR A HEADER PIPE PATCH. THE CONSUMER IS INTERESTED IN KNOWING IF A HEADER PIPE PATCH IS ILLEGAL WITH THE PRESENT VEHICLE EMISSIONS STANDARD. *MR *CB *NLM
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 99V193, HOWEVER THE DEALER IS STATING THAT THE CONSUMER IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE RECALL BECAUSE THE SERIAL NUMBER DID NOT COME UP ON HIS COMPUTER. *SLC
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE WOULD CONSTANTLY OVERHEAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. VEHICLE HAD BEEN TAKEN TO A DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. DEALER REPLACED THE ENGINE THERMOSTAT, AND PROBLEM RECURRED. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER, AND THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK
PROBLEM WITH EXHAUST PIPE ON MUFFLER.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS REFERRED TO A MUFFLER SHOP TO HAVE A PATCH PUT ON THE FRONT HEADER PIPE AND WAS NOT GIVEN ANY OPTION TO HAVE IT FIXED CORRECTLY *TS *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING IN SNOW ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WOULD SHUT DOWN. CONSUMER LOOKED UNDER HOOD, AND NOTICE CLUTCH FAN WAS SEATING ON FRAME, AND A HOLE WAS IN RADIATOR. TOOK VEHICLE TO A TECHNICIAN, AND WAS INFORMED CLUTCH FAN NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE ALTERNATOR CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER, THE FIRE SPREAD TO THE ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NLM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING THE FRAME BROKE BEHIND THE RIGHT WHEEL WELD. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
CLUTCH PROBLEMS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
1991 GMC SONOMA. TILT STEERING HAS BECOME VERY LOOSE HAS NOT CAUSED ANY WRECKS OR DAMAGE AFRAID TO DRIVE. HAVE NOT TAKEN FOR REPAIRS. MILEAGE COUNTER BROKE SOME YEARS AGO THIS TRUCK HAS APROX. 200,000 MILES ON WITH NO OTHER COMPLAINTS, DID HAVE MANUAL TRANS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY MANY YEARS AGO. *TR
STEERING WHEEL AND TILT ASSEMBLY CAME LOOSE, MAKING VEHICLE UNDRIVEABLE. TOLD BY VARIOUS GM MECHANICS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY GM TILT COLUMNS ON ALL MODELS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING IN SNOW ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WOULD SHUT DOWN. CONSUMER LOOKED UNDER HOOD, AND NOTICE CLUTCH FAN WAS SEATING ON FRAME, AND A HOLE WAS IN RADIATOR. TOOK VEHICLE TO A TECHNICIAN, AND WAS INFORMED CLUTCH FAN NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
CLUTCH PROBLEMS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
CLUTCH PROBLEMS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE CABLE HOLDING THE SPARE TIRE UNDER TRUCK BED BROKE, CAUSING ME TO LOSE MY SPARE TIRE. I WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE TIRE AFTER I REALIZED IT WAS GONE AND I WOULD LIKE THE MANUFACTURER TO REPLACE IT. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD TO DRIVERS FOLLOWING BEHIND.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVER'S SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO SEATBELT RUBBING AGAINST THE SEATBELT HOUSING AND FORMING A GROVE IN THE HOUSING WHICH CAUSED THE SEATBELT NOT TO RETRACT. THIS WON'T PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 GMC SONOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, AN UNUSUAL NOISE EMITTED FROM OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED HAT THE SPARE TIRE HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE AS A RESULT OF A FRACTURED SUPPORT CABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. .... UPDATED 02-20-13 *BF UPDATED 02/25/2013 *JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
REPLACED LOWER BALL JOINT 3 TIMES, NOTICED WHEN CHANGING THE TIRE. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
CLUTCH PROBLEMS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 GM SONOMA. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 20 MPH, THE DRIVERS DOOR WOULD OPEN WITHOUT WARNING. THE DOOR LATCH PIN WAS FOUND TO BE SEVERELY RUSTED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND WERE NOT WILLING TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
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 .