Complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | vs. typical* | Recalls | Top problem | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 39 | −70% | 1 | Brake | Good |
| 2002 | 57 | −55% | — | Brake | Good |
| 2001 | 89 | −27% | 1 | Body | Average |
| 2000 | 136 | 1.3× | 3 | Body | Average |
| 1999 | 57 | −56% | — | Brake | Good |
| 1998 | 156 | 1.5× | 3 | Window & Wiper | Caution |
| 1997 | 111 | typical | 2 | Brake | Average |
| 1996 | 148 | 1.5× | 6 | Brake | Caution |
| 1995 | 213 | 2.2× | 3 | Brake | Avoid |
* Complaints compared with the median Sonoma year at the same age, so new and old years are judged fairly. How this works.
Most common GMC Sonoma problems
Latest GMC Sonoma recalls
Equipment › Other › Labels
Certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection."
Remedy: Owners will be provided with correct labels and installation instructions. Owner notification began on June 4, 2004. Owners should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles were built with incorrect payload information on the vehicle certification label. The payload shown on the label is greater than the maximum validated payload.
Remedy: Owners will be sent a new label for installation on the driver's door of the vehicle.
Exterior lighting
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the daytime running lights built with a candela value greater than 3,000 cannot be mounted higher than 864mm above the road…
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised wiring harness that changes the drl's from high beam to low beam drl's, and install new long-life low beam bulbs.
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's safety belt buckle assembly date codes and, if necessary, will replace any safety belt buckle assembly.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.
Frequently asked questions
What years of the GMC Sonoma should you avoid?
1995, 1996 and 1998 — these years have the most complaints relative to other Sonoma years at the same age, led by brakes problems in the 1995.
What is the best year for the GMC Sonoma?
2003 has the fewest complaints compared with other Sonoma years at the same age, followed by 1999 and 2002. Newer years can look better simply because fewer complaints have come in yet, so we compare like with like.
What are the most common GMC Sonoma problems?
Across all years, owners report the most problems with the brakes (273), windows, wipers & sunroof (174) and body & structure (117). Brake complaints peak in the 1995 model year.
How many recalls has the GMC Sonoma had?
14 recalls across 1995–2003. The model year with the most is 1996. See all GMC Sonoma recalls by year.
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.