Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1995 GMC Safari owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My daughter was involved in an accident on the evening of 8/24/2000. She was coming to a stop at a red light on wet pavement and reported that the van would not stop. It continued into the intersection. It was struck by a car on the cross street and was pushed into the opposite lane where it was struck by a third car. I have heard reports of similar problems with GMC vehicles equipped with anti-lock brakes. Also, other family members have reported intermittent problems with the brakes. GMC issued a recall of some vehiclees last year to correct a problem with their anti-lock brake system. I have contatced GM and was told that this van is not involved in the recall. Nevertheless, I am concerned that it exhibiting the same problem.
While driving on two different occasions experienced ABS failures which resulted in accidents; when attempting to stop pedal went to floor at 20mph, rearended a vehicle,. Also, at 10mph hit a wall, dealer can't find anything wrong with brake system, problem persists.
Driver applied brakes in order to stop for a red light on a wet road, but vehicle did not stop in time. It experienced extended stopping distance, causing vehicle to run through an intersection and to get hit on the side.
The pover steering pump malfunctioned causing loss of both power steering and brakes. Has this vehicle been recalled for this problem? Luckily this happened while turning around in a driveway and not on a highway.
While driving the vehicle lost all of the following functions: power steering, brakes, engine cooling/water pump, and all other functions operated by the serpentine belt. My initial inspection revealed that the serpentine belt had become dislodged from the pulley system. Further inspection revealed that the alternator bracket failed allowing the belt to become dislodged. Still further inspection by a qualified mechanic revealed that the rear bolt(s) holding the alternators in place were missing allowing enough downward pressure to be exerted on the alternator pulley to break the two front "ears" of the alternator bracket and to throw the belt off the pulleys. The alternator has not been replaced and I am the original owner. …
Has been repossesed by becu and will be sold by collatoral recovery services inc located at: 621 37th at wa auburn, wa 98002. They have been informed of the following defects: 1)none of the turn signals work. This has been an intermittent problem since purchasing the vehicle. The several fuses have been replaced, but the malfunction continues. 2)the warning sound, for the headlines being left on when the door is open, no longer functions. The fuse has been tested and replaced, but the malfunction continues. 3)the warning sound for the driver s seatbelt, to remind to fasten them, no longer works. The fuse has been tested and replaced, but the malfunction continues. 4)with all the problems regarding the fuses listed above, there May be the possibility that the fuse box is defective or there is a problem in the wiring. …
Upon starting my motor home I applied the brakes and the pedal went clear to the floor with little or no resistance. The engine was running at the time. I tried several times to "pump up" the brakes with no change. The vehicle was towed to a repair station where the initial findings are a master cylinder failure. There is no evidence of an external leak, both brake fluid chambers are full. No repairs have been started as of this date 1/27/02. I called monaco/Safari/spartan (chassis) and spoke to a tech service representative who claimed that the problem could be caused by an internal failure of the master cylinder. Not believing that a failure(no external loss of fluid) could cause this condition I called bendix (now Bosch) engineering and spoke to mr ralph porter (sp). He indicated that their master cyl. …
Coming to a stop on a dry road, the pavement surface changed from dry asphalt to dry,cracked concrete. Anti-lock kicked in when not needed and I almost rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. Later that day, in a driving rainstorm, the windshield wiper motor stopped (for about the 50th time) and I was unable to see in front of me. I had to pull over and manually tug the wiper blade to get the wipers to work again. Both these are recurring incidents and I have complaints on file with GM, who has a recall on both issues that year "but not on my vehicle".
When applying the ABS brakes the pedal travels to the floor, causing extended stopping distance which nearly caused a vehicle collision to occur. Consumer states that with the brakes held to the floor, the front wheels would shimmy so bad that the steering wheel went out of consumers hands, causing the vehicle to go out of control, the brakes seemed to lock up the right front wheel then lock up the left front wheel back and forth until it was out of control.
Clearance between brake and accelerator pedal is 4 inches, causing problems if someone has 11 to 12 shoe size. Consumer indicates shoe becomes wedged between the two pedals, making it difficult and unsafe to drive. Consumer presented the situation to the local GM/Chevrolet dealer, they stated this is the way the pedal clearance was designed, if consumer wanted to initiate a fix, the warranty would be voided.
Brake complaints in other Safari years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1995 GMC Safari?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the brakes of the 1995 GMC Safari, 31% of the model year's 195 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (39 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 GMC Safari brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1995 GMC Safari, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1995 GMC Safari brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 135,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.