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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

What owners actually said

111 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 1998
Seat Belts

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT, WHEN IN USE, WILL MAKE A CLICKING NOISE. AT THIS POINT YOU CAN NOT MOVE THE SEAT BELT OUT AND IF YOU PRESS BACK INTO THE SEAT THE BELT FOLLOWS AND ALLOWS NO GIVE. THE BELT MUST BE RELEASED, RETRACTED ALL THE WAY IN AND PULLED BACK OUT AND REHOOKED. IT MAY WORK OR YOU MAY HAVE TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE …

Read full complaint

PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT, WHEN IN USE, WILL MAKE A CLICKING NOISE. AT THIS POINT YOU CAN NOT MOVE THE SEAT BELT OUT AND IF YOU PRESS BACK INTO THE SEAT THE BELT FOLLOWS AND ALLOWS NO GIVE. THE BELT MUST BE RELEASED, RETRACTED ALL THE WAY IN AND PULLED BACK OUT AND REHOOKED. IT MAY WORK OR YOU MAY HAVE TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE UNTIL IT DOES WORK. AFTER GETTING IT WORKING IN A NORMAL WAY, WHILE DRIVING ALONG THE PASSENGER MAY MOVE FORWARDED, THE CLICKING NOISE AND LOCK UP OCCURS ANEW AND THE PROCESS MUST BE REPEATED. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE DEALER FIXING THE PROBLEM. IT ENTAILS HIM ORDERING A NEW BELT AND INSTALLING IT. TO THIS DATE IT HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE AND IT GOING OUT AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI #700910

Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 1998
Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING THE GAS PEDAL WILL TRAVEL TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT ANY MANUAL OPERATION AND THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY ACCELERATE TO EXCEED 2000 RPM. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #828040

Mileage unknown · Sep 1, 1998
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS FAILED.

NHTSA ODI #539522

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 1998
Engine And Engine Cooling

ENGINE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY.

NHTSA ODI #538521

Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 1998
Air Bags

DURING COLLISION NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG.

NHTSA ODI #537327

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 1998
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ORIGINAL FACTORY TIRES SLIDE WHEN ROAD IS WET AT ANY SPEED.

NHTSA ODI #536727

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 1998
Fuel System, GasolineService Brakes, HydraulicStructure

ROTORS OUT OF ROUND CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL.

NHTSA ODI #536281

Mileage unknown · May 18, 1998
Engine And Engine Cooling

CONSTANT VIBRATION FROM ENGINE DUE TO A MISSING ENGINE MOUNT.

NHTSA ODI #535865

Mileage unknown · Apr 14, 1998
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #821946

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 1998
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

ANTI LOCK BRAKES LOCKED UP CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLL INTO INTERSECTION.

NHTSA ODI #531683

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.