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1997 GMC Sonoma

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1997 GMC Sonoma do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 57.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 27 of 111 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 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports0 fire reports9 injury reports

Power Train complaints

9 reports
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54,000 miles · Apr 5, 2005
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingExterior Lighting

WE HAVE A 1997 GMC SONOMA WITH A VOTREC 4.3 X. OVER 2 YEARS AGO, WE STARTED GETTING MISFIRES. WE TRIED EVERYTHING WE COULD THINK OF, TO NO AVAIL. IN THE PAST MONTH I'VE PUT OVER $500 ALONE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING IT UP ON-LINE, AND HAVE REALIZED, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. THERE HAS EVEN BEEN A RECALL IN CALIFORNIA, BUT…

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WE HAVE A 1997 GMC SONOMA WITH A VOTREC 4.3 X. OVER 2 YEARS AGO, WE STARTED GETTING MISFIRES. WE TRIED EVERYTHING WE COULD THINK OF, TO NO AVAIL. IN THE PAST MONTH I'VE PUT OVER $500 ALONE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING IT UP ON-LINE, AND HAVE REALIZED, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. THERE HAS EVEN BEEN A RECALL IN CALIFORNIA, BUT ONLY THERE. GM TOLD ME THEY HAVE DIFFERENT GAS OUT THERE. ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE HAS BEEN THE WIPER MOTOR FAILURE, THAT HAD A RECALL. GM TOLD ME MY VIN # WAS NOT ON THE LIST, BUT I BATTLE MY WIPERS AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. I HAVE TO YANK THE BLADES HALF WAY UP THE WINDOW BEFORE THEY GRAB AND START TO WORK. ONE MORE PROBLEM THAT I NOW KNOW I AM NOT ALONE ON IS THE ISSUE WITH DEX-COOL. WE HAVE FLUSHED AND REFILLED THE SYSTEM AT LEAST THREE TIMES, ONLY TO HAVE IT GUNK-UP AGAIN. PLEASE HELP ME AND ALL THE OTHER CUSTOMERS WHO GOT TRAPPED WITH JUNK VEHICLES. WE HAVE HAD TOO MANY OTHER FAILURES TO COUNT!*AK

NHTSA ODI #10116406

66,000 miles · Dec 11, 2003
Power Train

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY 1997 GMC SONOMA QUIT WORKING WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I'M TOLD THIS IS COMMON.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10049605

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2002
Power Train

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVNG AND TRYING TO CHANGE GEARS THE RPM WILL REV UP. CONTACTED DEALER. *MR

NHTSA ODI #8020189

Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2002
Power Train

VEHICLE WILL STICK IN 4 WHEEL HIGH, CAUSING EXCESSIVE GAS USAGE AND VEHICLE WILL ALSO SHAKE.*AK CONSUMER STATED IT ALSO ALTERNATED BETWEEN 2 WHEEL AND 4 WHEEL DRIVE, REPAIRS WERE MADE. *SLC

NHTSA ODI #8011766

Mileage unknown · Feb 23, 2001
Electrical SystemPower Train

A MALFUNCTION WITHIN ELECTRICAL MOTOR FOR 4 WHEEL DRIVE TRANSFER CASE CAUSES A FUSE TO BLOW, AND 4 WHEEL DRIVE FEATURE TO MALFUNCTION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #881244

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2001
Power TrainService Brakes, Hydraulic

WHEN DRIVING AND UPON DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP THERE IS A DELAY IN BRAKING, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH RESULTED IN A NEAR ACCIDENT. ALSO, NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM FRONT BRAKE. RECALL NUMBER 97V146001 REGARDING A BRAKE LINE, VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK TRANSMI…

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WHEN DRIVING AND UPON DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP THERE IS A DELAY IN BRAKING, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH RESULTED IN A NEAR ACCIDENT. ALSO, NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM FRONT BRAKE. RECALL NUMBER 97V146001 REGARDING A BRAKE LINE, VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT 62000 MILES. CONSUMER STATES FRONT BRAKES CONTINUE TO MAKE A LOUD NOISE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED WITH HEAVY FOOT. *SLC

NHTSA ODI #880151

Mileage unknown · Oct 21, 1999
Power TrainService Brakes, Hydraulic

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THROTTLE FAILES TO COME TO IDLE AT STOP. STAYS AT HIGH SPEED. GROWLING FROM TRANS-CLUTCH AREA - HARD SHIFT - CLUTCH FAILURE. *YC

NHTSA ODI #848212

Mileage unknown · May 9, 1999
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

AIR CONDITIONING FAILED AS WELL, AFTER ARGUING WITH DEALER EACH TIME GOT A RENTAL VEHICLE AND REPAIRS WERE MADE. TRUCK IS UNDEPENDABLE! WANT A VEHICLE BUY BACK!

NHTSA ODI #706367

Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 1999
Power TrainService Brakes, HydraulicSteering

BRAKES ARE INADEQUATE FOR TRUCK. YH

NHTSA ODI #609929

Official recalls

2

97V146001 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Sep 11, 1997

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 4.3L ENGINES. THE FRONT BRAKE LINE CAN CONTACT THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE ENGINE OIL PAN CAUSING THE BRAKE LINE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF BRAKE FLUID LOSS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: BRAKE FLUID LOSS CAN REDUCE BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS AND INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND THE BRAKE LINE. IF THE CLEARANCE IS 6MM OR LESS, DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL BRAKE LINE CLIP AND IF THERE WAS CONTACT BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND BRAKE LINE, THE FRONT BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPLACED.

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

2

RQ04002 · Driver's Seat Belt Buckle Assembly

Opened Feb 18, 2004 · Closed May 27, 2004

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:front:webbing

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2004, ODI OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) BASED ON TWO FATALITY REPORTS INVOLVING MY 1997 GM S-10 PICKUP TRUCKS.EACH REPORT ALLEGED THAT THE BELTED DRIVER OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED IN A MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER CRASH.THE MY 1997 S/T SERIES PICKUPS USE AN ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP IN THE DRIVER SEAT BELT THAT ALLOWS THE WEBBING TO ELONGATE UP TO 10 INCHES (TO MITIGATE DRIVER INJURY IN FRONTAL CRASHES).GM ALSO USED THIS ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP SEAT BELT DESIGN IN MY1997 S/T SERIES UTILITY VEHICLES (CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA).GM CONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN (03V-117) TO REPLACE THE DRIVER SEAT BELT IN THESE UTILITY VEHILCES BASED ON A HIGHER FATALITY RATE OF EJECTED BELTED DRIVERS IN ROLLOVER CRASHES.BOTH FATAL CRASHES ARE SEVERE ROLLOVER CRASHES (MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER) AND BOTH VEHICLES SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE ROOF STRUCTURE.ODI REVIEWED THE FIELD DATA PERFORMANCE OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND COMPARED THEM TO PEER VEHICLES USING NHTSA'S FATALITY ANALYSIS REPORTING SYSTEM (FARS) DATABASE.THE FARS DATA DID NOT INDICATE A FIELD PERFORMANCE TREND FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLE.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THIS ISSUE AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:front

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2004, ODI OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) BASED ON TWO FATALITY REPORTS INVOLVING MY 1997 GM S-10 PICKUP TRUCKS.EACH REPORT ALLEGED THAT THE BELTED DRIVER OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED IN A MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER CRASH.THE MY 1997 S/T SERIES PICKUPS USE AN ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP IN THE DRIVER SEAT BELT THAT ALLOWS THE WEBBING TO ELONGATE UP TO 10 INCHES (TO MITIGATE DRIVER INJURY IN FRONTAL CRASHES).GM ALSO USED THIS ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP SEAT BELT DESIGN IN MY1997 S/T SERIES UTILITY VEHICLES (CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA).GM CONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN (03V-117) TO REPLACE THE DRIVER SEAT BELT IN THESE UTILITY VEHILCES BASED ON A HIGHER FATALITY RATE OF EJECTED BELTED DRIVERS IN ROLLOVER CRASHES.BOTH FATAL CRASHES ARE SEVERE ROLLOVER CRASHES (MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER) AND BOTH VEHICLES SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE ROOF STRUCTURE.ODI REVIEWED THE FIELD DATA PERFORMANCE OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND COMPARED THEM TO PEER VEHICLES USING NHTSA'S FATALITY ANALYSIS REPORTING SYSTEM (FARS) DATABASE.THE FARS DATA DID NOT INDICATE A FIELD PERFORMANCE TREND FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLE.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THIS ISSUE AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

Seat Belts:front:webbing

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2004, ODI OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) BASED ON TWO FATALITY REPORTS INVOLVING MY 1997 GM S-10 PICKUP TRUCKS.EACH REPORT ALLEGED THAT THE BELTED DRIVER OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED IN A MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER CRASH.THE MY 1997 S/T SERIES PICKUPS USE AN ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP IN THE DRIVER SEAT BELT THAT ALLOWS THE WEBBING TO ELONGATE UP TO 10 INCHES (TO MITIGATE DRIVER INJURY IN FRONTAL CRASHES).GM ALSO USED THIS ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP SEAT BELT DESIGN IN MY1997 S/T SERIES UTILITY VEHICLES (CHEVROLET BLAZER, GMC JIMMY AND OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA).GM CONDUCTED A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN (03V-117) TO REPLACE THE DRIVER SEAT BELT IN THESE UTILITY VEHILCES BASED ON A HIGHER FATALITY RATE OF EJECTED BELTED DRIVERS IN ROLLOVER CRASHES.BOTH FATAL CRASHES ARE SEVERE ROLLOVER CRASHES (MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER) AND BOTH VEHICLES SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE ROOF STRUCTURE.ODI REVIEWED THE FIELD DATA PERFORMANCE OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND COMPARED THEM TO PEER VEHICLES USING NHTSA'S FATALITY ANALYSIS REPORTING SYSTEM (FARS) DATABASE.THE FARS DATA DID NOT INDICATE A FIELD PERFORMANCE TREND FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLE.A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR THIS ISSUE AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

EA94038 · Abs Braking System

Opened Oct 31, 1994 · Closed Feb 28, 2000

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.