IllustrationWHENEVER BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THEY WOULD MAKE A LOT OF SQUEALING NOISES IN THE FRONT, CONSUMER TOOK TO DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE NOISE WAS NORMAL, FRONT BRAKE PADS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ONCE AT 20000 MILES AND ANOTHER TIME AT 32000 MILES, BRAKES WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. *SLC
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 →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: 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 reportsWHILE TRAVELING AT 40 MPH HIT AN ENBANKMENT HEAD-ON, AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. *AK CONSUMER WAS INJURED IN ACCIDENT. CONSUMER STATES ACCELERATOR STICKS AT TIMES. KEYS CAN NOT BE REMOVED, PROBLEM SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. *SLC
THE TOP DOOR LATCH FOR THE THIRD DOOR (EXTENDED CAB) CRACKED AND FELL OFF WHEN I OPENED THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR! THE LATCH CRACKED COMPLETELY IN HALF AT THE TWO RIVVET HOLES THAT MOUNT THE CATCH TO THE UPPER DOOR FRAME. THE LATCH SECURES BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND REAR DOOR AT THE TOP OF THE DOOR FRAME. NOW THAT THE "U" S…
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THE TOP DOOR LATCH FOR THE THIRD DOOR (EXTENDED CAB) CRACKED AND FELL OFF WHEN I OPENED THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR! THE LATCH CRACKED COMPLETELY IN HALF AT THE TWO RIVVET HOLES THAT MOUNT THE CATCH TO THE UPPER DOOR FRAME. THE LATCH SECURES BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND REAR DOOR AT THE TOP OF THE DOOR FRAME. NOW THAT THE "U" SHAPED LATCH HAS BROKEN, ONLY THE SINGLE BOTTOM LATCH HOLDS THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR CLOSED. THE DRIVER'S SHOLDER AND LAP BELT IS ATTACHED TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. MY FEAR IS THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR MAY SPRING OPEN DURING AN ACCIDENT AND THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT SECURE THE DRIVER. *AK
BRAKE PEDAL WILL GO STRAIGHT TO FLOOR UNDER HEAVY BRAKING IF TRAVELING ON ANY UNEVEN SURFACE. BRAKES NEED TO BE RECALIBRATED. DEALER WOULDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE RECALL. CONSUMER HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS FIXED SINCE 1998.*AK
REAR BRAKE LINE IS ROUTED- (1) FROM MASTER CYLINDER (2) DOWN PAST DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT OF VEHICLE (3) ACROSS ROUGH BODY BRACKET. THIS CAUSES THE BRAKE LINE TO BE WORN IN 2 PLACES CAUSING LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND BRAKE FAILURE. THERE IS A USELESS PIECE OF SPRING-LIKE SHEILDING WHICH THE AFOREMENTIONED BRACKET CAN EASILY SEPAR…
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REAR BRAKE LINE IS ROUTED- (1) FROM MASTER CYLINDER (2) DOWN PAST DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT OF VEHICLE (3) ACROSS ROUGH BODY BRACKET. THIS CAUSES THE BRAKE LINE TO BE WORN IN 2 PLACES CAUSING LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND BRAKE FAILURE. THERE IS A USELESS PIECE OF SPRING-LIKE SHEILDING WHICH THE AFOREMENTIONED BRACKET CAN EASILY SEPARATE/SLIDE BETWEEN AND BEGIN CUTTING THE BRAKE LINE, RENDERING THE REAR BRAKES COMPLETELY DISABLED AND THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM SUSEPTABLE TO THE INTRODUCTION OF AIR IN THE LINES.*AK
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
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
WHEN MAKING A TURN VEHICLE WILL LOSE BRAKING POWER DUE TO THE WIRE COMING FROM ABS COMPUTER AND RUNNING TO FRONT DISC BRAKES, CAUSED BRAKE FAILURE. *AK
THE 1996 CHEVROLET S-10, WAS RECALLED FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM EXPLAINS MINE PERFECTLY. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THEM ON, THEY WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF FOR NO REASON. FINALLY, THEY JUST QUIT WORKING. IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WITH NO WIPERS IN THE RAIN.*AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED PEDAL BECOMES HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND CAUSING A COLLISION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
Official recalls
297V146001 · 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
2RQ04002 · 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.