GMC Safari Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,130 consumer complaints across the 19 model years of the GMC Safari (1986–2004) that have at least 5 complaints. 1995 has the most, with 195. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (332 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Safari model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 | 17,000 | 0 | 379 | — | Not enough data |
| 2003 | 18 | 46,400 | 1 | 355 | — | Stable |
| 2002 | 25 | 32,265 | 1 | 303 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 39 | 52,825 | 1 | 271 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 68 | 51,000 | 0 | 248 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 61 | 65,000 | 1 | 43 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 89 | 71,000 | 3 | 35 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 135 | 80,000 | 4 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 139 | 93,615 | 4 | 18 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 195 | 112,000 | 3 | 15 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 119 | 107,500 | 1 | 5 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 61 | 80,000 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 59 | 99,250 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 39 | 162,000 | 3 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 35 | — | 4 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 18 | 117,260 | 3 | 1 | — | Stable |
| 1988 | 7 | — | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1987 | 11 | 1,912 | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1986 | 7 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes332 32%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)159 15%
- Suspension122 12%
- Engine cooling90 8.8%
- Electrical system89 8.7%
- Transmission and drivetrain88 8.6%
- Steering84 8.2%
- Fuel system64 6.2%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “. I would like to report the incident I had with my automobile: Gmc Safari wagon 2003. One day in july this year (2014) I applied the brakes of the above vehicle when I was approaching the red traffic light. The vehicle did not stop even through the brake system was recently worked on. I investigated the reason why it failed to stop and found out that the brake line was heavily corroded.”
NHTSA complaint #10639617, filed 2014-09, 67,000 miles2001: “After fueling, could not restart vehicle. Dash lights. Had to wait 15 - 30 minutes until I was able start vehicle. Battery 4 months old, intermittent ongoing problem. Independent research discovered via web search list problem with ignition passlock/passkey security system . This is a manufacturing defect that my local GM dealer will not address or fix. Estimated consumer repair cost over $1000,00.”
NHTSA complaint #10618129, filed 2014-08, 84,300 miles2000: “When I was driving to do laundry. I lost all control of the power steering and the brakes were gone. This scared me to death also my air bag light is staying on plus the battery light and brakes”
NHTSA complaint #11043230, filed 2017-11, 168,000 milesOther GMC models
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2,712 complaintsGMC Envoy
2,456 complaintsGMC Yukon XL
2,442 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology