The 1997 GMC Sonoma has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 732,225 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
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.
Complaints by component
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
22
4crashes1injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7
1crashes1injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
7
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
AIR BAGS
4
3crashes3injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
4
4crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
Total complaints160
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 gmc sonoma. While driving 25 mph on a steep hill, the vehicle stalled. The dealer replaced the ignition switch. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000. Updated 10/02/14*lj updated 3/6/2015*js”
“Approx one mile from home as I was approaching a stop sign engine suddenly shut off. After a few seconds managed to restart engine. Engine shut down twice more before arriving back home. At home was unable to restart engine had vehicle towed to gmc/buick dealership. Dealership found that problem…”
“Approx one mile from home as I was approaching a stop sign engine suddenly shut off. After a few seconds managed to restart engine. Engine shut down twice more before arriving back home. At home was unable to restart engine had vehicle towed to gmc/buick dealership. Dealership found that problem…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 gmc sonoma. While driving approximately 35 mph, the driver heard a loud popping sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The driver inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front and rear frame was cracked. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic…”
“I had a 97 gmc sonoma that I was going down a dirt road about 30-35 mph and swerved to miss a truck coming on my side of the road and lost traction and flipped over a hill and rolled 3 times and the airbags didnt deploy and the drivers seatbelt snapped . *tr”
“I had a 97 gmc sonoma that I was going down a dirt road about 30-35 mph and swerved to miss a truck coming on my side of the road and lost traction and flipped over a hill and rolled 3 times and the airbags didnt deploy and the drivers seatbelt snapped . *tr”
“I had a 97 gmc sonoma that I was going down a dirt road about 30-35 mph and swerved to miss a truck coming on my side of the road and lost traction and flipped over a hill and rolled 3 times and the airbags didnt deploy and the drivers seatbelt snapped . *tr”
“Unable to stop due to brake pedal going all the way to the floor! Brake pedal and accelerator pedal are positioned too close, and when brake pedal is all the way down, foot comes in contact with accelerator pedal, making it impossible to stop! This is apparently a common problem with these gmc…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA94038 Opened 1994-10-31 · closed 2000-02-28
ABS BRAKING SYSTEM
THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.
InvestigationEA94038 Opened 1994-10-31 · closed 2000-02-28
ABS BRAKING SYSTEM
THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.
InvestigationRQ04002 Opened 2004-02-18 · closed 2004-05-27
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
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…
InvestigationRQ04002 Opened 2004-02-18 · closed 2004-05-27
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 GMC Sonoma as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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