IllustrationWHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL. HOWEVER, DRIVER USUALLY HAS TO SWERVE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING OTHER VEHICLE. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM. *YC
1994 GMC Sonoma
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Sonoma years
Owner complaints for the 1994 GMC Sonoma are substantially higher than the model-year median of 57.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sonoma years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 14 of 224 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 131 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
224 reportsWAS DRIVING 65 MPH'S AND TRIED TO STOP QUICKLY, BUT NOT TO THE POINT OF SQUEELING BRAKES AND TRUCK REFUSED TO STOP. I ENDED UP DRIVING THROUGH THE TURN INTO A GRASSY, FLAT MEDIUM BEFORE STOPPING. BRAKES WERE INITIALLY PRESSED AT 65 AND FAILED IMMEDIATELY AND YOU COULD FEEL THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM WORKING BECAUSE OF THE VIBRATION, B…
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WAS DRIVING 65 MPH'S AND TRIED TO STOP QUICKLY, BUT NOT TO THE POINT OF SQUEELING BRAKES AND TRUCK REFUSED TO STOP. I ENDED UP DRIVING THROUGH THE TURN INTO A GRASSY, FLAT MEDIUM BEFORE STOPPING. BRAKES WERE INITIALLY PRESSED AT 65 AND FAILED IMMEDIATELY AND YOU COULD FEEL THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM WORKING BECAUSE OF THE VIBRATION, BUT THAT IS ALSO WHEN BRAKING CEASED. I HAD A WITNESS IN THE CAR AND WE WERE FORTUNATE I HAD EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR BEFORE QAND WAS ABLE TO TAKE CONTROL AND STEER AWAY FROM ANY MAJOR OBSTACLES. THIS HAS HAPPENED IS THE PAST IN SUDDEN STOPPING SITUATIONS ON DRY LAND AND ALSO IN SNOW AND RAIN OR ANYTIME THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM BECAME ACTIVATED. I HAVE ANTI-LOCK IN OUR 1994 MITZUBISHI GALANT AND THE DIFFERENCE IN STOPPING ABILITY IS NOT EVEN NEAR EACH OTHER IN EFFECTIVENESS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT MY OPTIONS ARE BUT I THOUGHT THAT A RECALL WAS GENERATED FROM THIS AND ALL GM TRUCKS WHERE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE WAS VERY MINIMAL UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT MY DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THIS WAS ARUMOR ONLY AND NO RECALL HAD EVER BEEN ISSUED. I HAVE TALKED THIS OVER WITH OWNERS OF SIMILAR VEHICLES (GM TRUCKS) AND WE HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF EPISODE. THIS RUMOR, BY THE WAY, WAS IN PRINTED FORM IN OUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO AND I JUST CONFRONTED MY DEALER JUST LAST WEEK AGAIN. I KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM AND BY DOCUMENTING THIS COMPLAINT IN THE MANNER I AM CURRENTLY DOING HOPEFULLY WILL ACT AS A DOCUMENTED APPROACH IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT TO MYSELF OR FAMILY MEMBER WHICH WOULD ALLOW A LAWSUIT. I WOULD PREFER A SAFETY RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE AN ACCIDENT DOES OCCUR.
I HAVE BEEN TRAVELING AT 40 MPH AND HAD TO STOP SUDDENLY AND THE ABS SYSTEM HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES ALLOWING THE TRUCK TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD ON WET AND DRY SURFACE. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENT OCCURED,BUT IT IS VERY FRIGHTEN TO NOT NE ABLE TO DEPEND ON YOUR BRAKES WHEN NEEDED.
THE FUEL TANK HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE BECAUSE IT SPLIT OPEN FROM THE BOTTOM. THE ORIGINAL FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED IN MAY OF 1999. THE USED FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED IN AUGUST OF 1999. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT WORK BUT THEN THEY STARTED TO WORK.
WHEN MAKING NORMAL STOPS, DRIVER WILL HEAR NOISE AND THEN VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP,TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKES, DRIVER MUST BEAR DOWN IN ORDER TO STOP. *AK
ABS ACTIVATES CONTINUALLY. MJS
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE DID NOT STOP WITH FOOT PERMANENTLY ON BRAKES. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE BEFORE AND CANNOT FIND THE CAUSE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND PEDAL WAS HARD AND GOT SOFT. ABS SYSTEM DIDN'T KICK IN, AND THE BRAKES WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. PROBLEM REPAIRED AT DEALER. *AK *ML
HALF THE TIME THIS TRANSMISSION WILL NOT, WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! I HAD GM LOOK AT IT TELL IT FINALLY WENT OUT OF WARRANTY. I THINK GM STOPPED USING THIS T-5 AFTER '94'. FIGURES. WELL, THANKS FOR LISTENING AND THAT TAKES CARE OF THAT ! !
Official recalls
299V193000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip
Jul 19, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN 4-WHEEL DRIVE PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ABS (ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM) MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1989 THROUGH AUGUST 1996. UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS THE SWITCH WHICH SIGNALS THE ABS SYSTEM WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS IN 2-WHEEL OR 4-WHEEL DRIVE CAN MALFUNCTION CAUSING INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING ABS STOPS WHILE IN THE TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MODE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS OCCURRED AT A TIME WHEN MINIMUM STOPPING DISTANCE WAS REQUIRED, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE OR REPAIR THE 4-WHEEL/2-WHEEL DRIVE SWITCH.
97V096001 · Seat Belts
Jun 12, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 60/40 FRONT BENCH SEATS AND EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND 2-DOOR UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL LOCKING RECLINER BUCKET SEATS. THE OUTBOARD SAFETY BELT WEBBING ON THE DRIVER'S AND/OR PASSENGER'S SEAT CAN SEPARATE DURING A FRONTAL IMPACT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF A SEPARATION OCCURRED AND THERE WERE SECONDARY CRASH EVENTS OR VEHICLE ROLLOVER, THERE WOULD BE NO BELT RESTRAINT OF THE OCCUPANT AND INCREASED INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE RECLINER MECHANISM.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE94046 · Abs Braking System Fails
Opened Jun 17, 1994 · Closed Oct 31, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
There is no summary currently available