The 1996 GMC Sonoma has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,440,520 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 190 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC99V1930001999-07-191,125,749 affected
Defect
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…
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.
VISIBILITY98V1500011998-07-011,557,585 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, 2 AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE. SOLDER JOINTS NEAR THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR CAN CRACK CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN INOPERATIVE WIPERS, REDUCING A DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC97V1460011997-09-11146,167 affected
Defect
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
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.
SEAT BELTS97V0960011997-06-12586,058 affected
Defect
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
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.
VISIBILITY97V0080011997-01-2755 affected
Defect
THE TOP COAT PAINT SEVERELY PEELS DUE TO OVERBAKING OF THE POWDER PRIMER PRIOR TO THE TOP COAT APPLICATION. SINCE THE WINDSHIELD PRIMER AND ADHESIVE ADHERE TO THE TOP COAT PAINT ONTHE WINDSHIELD OPENING FLANGE, THE WINDSHIELD DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, "WINDSHIELD MOUNTING."
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT STAY IN PLACE AS REQUIRED BY FMVSS NO. 212.
Remedy
ALL VEHICLES HAVE BEEN REPURCHASED. THIS CAMPAIGN IS 100%.
POWER TRAIN96V0350001996-02-2224,906 affected
Defect
SOME OF THESE TRUCKS WERE BUILT WITH TRANSMISSIONS CONTAINING PARTS WHICH WERE NOT MACHINED TO GM'S SPECIFICATIONS.
Consequence
THESE TRANSMISSIONS COULD SEIZE AND LOCK THE REAR DRIVE WHEELS WHILE THE TRUCK IS BEING DRIVEN CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION MAIN SHAFT OUTPUT TORQUE USING A SPECIAL TOOL. IF THE OUTPUT TORQUE DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
36
16crashes2injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
17
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
10
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
9
1crashes
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
8
7crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
6
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
5
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
4
Total complaints190
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The air bag light stays on. It turns off sometimes for about 5 minutes or fewer minutes. No repair shop can determine how to repair this issue. When the air bag light is on the air bag would not operate that's what I have read. Is there a recall on the air bag light? Or is there a fix for this…”
“Fuse blows to interior lights, but more importantly horn. *tr”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 gmc sonoma. While applying the brakes at 55 mph, the brake pedal extended all the way to the floor. The emergency brake was applied to stop the vehicle. The contact was a mechanic and he replaced the front brake line for the passenger side wheel. The failure was…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1996 gmc sonoma. The contact stated that the straps that support the tailgate failed. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. No repairs were made. The dealer information was unknown. The current mileage was 152,000 and failure mileage was 150,000. Updated…”
“Fuel line leaking . *ak”
“Tl* - the contact called concerning a service bulletin regarding windshield wiper washer motor. The bulletin has a product recall. The contact has been told by gmc that the car was not a part of the recall\ due to the vin. The contact stated that the windshield wipers work intermittently. The…”
“Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph under normal braking on wet roads, the abs lights illuminated and the vehicle had an extended stopping distance. The dealer examined the vehicle and determined the three sensors had to be replaced, but were not certain that the replacement would correct…”
“1996 gmac sonoma air bag sensor rivet failure. Found drivers side sensor hanging from electrical lead, when I inspected the mounting area I found that the two rivets that secure the sensor were sheared off. I inspected the other sensor mounting and found that one of the two rivets was also sheared…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 GMC Sonoma as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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