Body complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The driver door seemed to be off the hinges which allowed air and water to enter the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer refused to correct the problem because they believed the consumer caused the problem.
I have a GMC"03"Sonoma 4x4 x2.....the front tires hit front sway bar each time I turn into parking spot,or just turn around.took to dealer they say it was a harmlesss side affect of the type of truck package I have!!both sides of sway bars show the rubbing...I have never heard of any car that allows the tires to hit any undercarriage part.what can I do?
The 3rd door on ext cab. The door does not open. Was told by dealer this is major complaints for these 3rd models. Have to replace pins or something, but it keeps happening. This a a life & death hazard & defect. Why hasn't this been recalled? In an accident, (rear ended) the door could not be opened.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 GMC Sonoma. While driving at approximately 25 MPH, the spare tire wire cable hoist assembly fray snapped and the spare tire fell onto the road. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
To whom it May concern: I own a 2001 GMC Sonoma pickup truck. After very limited use of my tailgate I experienced a breakage of the cable that supports the tailgate on my truck. It appears to be that the steel cable has rusted inside its protective plastic coating causing the cable to weaken. The ends of these cables have a shrink-wrap material to seal out moisture but it look to have been improperly installed at the factory allowing moisture to enter and rust the cable. I have contacted GMC to no avail and they refuse to recall or fix this problem. Seeing as GM's larger trucks have a recall for the exact same problem I cannot figure out why the s10 / Sonoma pickup trucks are not covered under this recall. …
Have 2001 GMC Sonoma truck, both tailgate straps broke at the same time I was sitting on the tailgate-weigh 200 lbs. GM evidently recalled full size trucks but the GMC Sonoma/chev. S-10 are not included and are having the same failure with the same consequences certainly will cause serious injury/fatalitys as well. Many are having this problem and I'm sure the number will grow. GM doesn't want to do anything about this safety issue that is present. I was willing to pay for the parts myself but they wanted an enormouse $147.00 apiece-need two, and that isn't counting labor. They must be profitting big time on as they know this part will fail over the concern of safety. There is a definite defect and the defect threatens safety as well. GM May downplay this to save money but it is their engineers,buyers,etc. …
Passenger and driver seats in my 2000 GMC Sonoma have seat positioning controls and locking mechanisims that do not always lock properly and/or get jammed up and have broken. A friend was sitting in the passenger seat and it failed to lock into place to keep it from sliding forward. I adjusted the bolts that fasten the seat to the floor of the vehicle to help 'realign' the seat frame so that the mechanism that keeps the seat from siding front and back would keep the seat locked into position once the seating distance is set. Also, the reclining handle on the passenger side broke off, not allowing for seat back support angle adjustment on the passenger side. The driver's side seat back support adjustment lever often 'sticks' or 'locks' into position....not allowing for seat back rest adjustment. …
While resting a power washer on the tailgate of my 2000 Sonoma pickup to get a better grip both tailgate cables snapped causing the power washer to roll backwards, before we could react we only had time to soften the blow of the power washer hitting the ground causing minor damage to the handle. No visible damage to the tailgate and thank god no one was hurt, it's not easy trying to catch a 175 lb piece of machinery unexpectedly. It's quite evident that both of the tailgate cables failed due to corrosion as they both broke apart just about in the middle of the rubber coated cable.
Frequently asked questions
Which GMC Sonoma years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2000 (41), 2001 (26), 1998 (14), 2002 (13) and 1999 (8) model years. Body complaints make up 30% of all complaints for the 2000.
Is there a recall for GMC Sonoma body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for any GMC Sonoma model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do GMC Sonoma body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 59,000 miles; 36% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body › tailgate › hinge and attachments (72 mentions), followed by the body › door › hinge and attachments (10).
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.