1995 GMC Sierra Problems

What owners report

Owner complaints for this model year are dominated by windshield wiper failures: the wipers stop, run intermittently, or fail to shut off, often in rain. Many owners say the wiper recall (98V150001) did not cover their truck because of its VIN. Brake complaints are the second theme, covering pull and lockup on one side, rapid front pad wear, rusted rear brake lines, and ABS faults.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers quit or work intermittently in rain

   • 126 complaints (48%)
   • median 70,774 mi at 9.0 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1998–2005

   Owners describe the wipers cutting out during rain, fog, or a storm, sometimes coming back after seconds and sometimes after 15 minutes to an hour, and occasionally refusing to shut off. Several mention a cracked solder joint or a failed circuit board or pulse board behind the wiper motor. Many say the dealer or the manufacturer told them the vehicle was not covered by recall 98V150001 based on its VIN, even though the symptom matched; some paid an independent shop or the dealer to replace the board. Reported across a wide mileage range in the sample, from about 70,000 to 103,000 miles, and most often in wet or rainy conditions.

   Recall 98V150001

   What to check: Turn the wipers on in every speed setting, including intermittent, and watch for drops or slow returns; ask whether the wiper motor circuit board was replaced and whether recall 98V150001 was ever applied to this VIN by checking with a dealer.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Windshield wipers work intermmitently. Mostly raining or wet conditions. Going on two years now. I see this relates to recall 98v150. However, the Gmc dealer used my VIN number and did not find recall applicable to this. Why not? I know of many others and even the dealer said he gets at least one a day for this problem. He is charging $149 to replace the wiper circuit. Others have gotten this covered under recall. Can I get Gmc to cover this?”

   NHTSA complaint #765095, filed 2002-08

   “The windshielf wipers have been a problem for years, but since use of this truck is discretionary and off road for the most part, I never did anything about it. The wipers failed completely on an interstate at night in the rain; I could not see anything. I also could not shake the wiring harness or tap the circuit board to get it to start again, like I have done in the past. I was told there is a recall on this (TSB#98043), but the dealer who took over for the one I bought it from said that it does not apply to my vehicle (VIN). Why not? …”

   NHTSA complaint #742765, filed 2001-03
2. 2
   Brakes

   Front brakes lock or pull; rapid pad wear and ABS faults

   • 38 complaints (15%)
   • median 84,068 mi at 10.7 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2016

   Complaints describe the front brakes grabbing or locking on one side so the truck pulls hard left or right, rear brakes locking up, and in a few cases the pedal going to the floor with a crash following. Others report front pads wearing out in a short interval, and ABS faults where the light stays on and the ABS motor or valve unit needed repeated replacement. Dealers often replaced drums or told owners the behavior was normal. Reported from low mileage (around 17,000 miles on a set of front pads) up to roughly 125,000 miles, on both dry and wet roads.

   What to check: Have the brakes inspected for uneven pad wear, sticking calipers, and ABS function, and check the hard brake lines underneath for rust; ask for service records showing whether the ABS unit has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While towing our 42 foot camper with the 1 ton Gmc dually truck we had a sudden loss of truck braking causing us to run thru a red signal light. The brake lines had rusted and burst leaving very little braking from truck. The brakes were inspected by a GM dealer only 6 months ago and were deemed ok after a 1200 dollar repair bill to replace rear brakes. . This is a real safety issue with such a catastrophic loss of braking . This truck is made for towing and should never have the braking ever be compromised. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10926019, filed 2016-11, 125,000 miles

   “Front disc brake pads wear out too quickly. I only have 17,000 miles on the current pads and they are worn out. I contacted Gmc. They say they are sorry but that's the way the brakes are on that year of truck. They say there is no after market fix for this. Gmc literature on their new 2000 Sierra trucks say the pads are 4 times larger than on previous trucks. This tells me GM was aware of a problem and corrected it on their new trucks but haven't done anything to assist owners of older trucks. …”

   NHTSA complaint #717759, filed 2000-01
3. 3
   Seats

   Driver or passenger seat frame and track failures

   • 22 complaints (8%)
   • median 137,400 mi at 11.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2006

   Owners report the driver seat back collapsing or leaning back unexpectedly, seat brackets and frames separating from the floor, and seats that slide or rock on their own while driving. Some describe repeated repairs to seat tracks that kept breaking, and hand-adjustment knobs that no longer worked. One owner said a dealer representative mentioned prior seat-frame problems in these trucks. Mostly reported on higher-mileage trucks in the sample, including one at about 137,400 miles, with several repairs repeated over years.

   What to check: Sit in and rock both seats, check that each track locks in every position and that the seat back holds firm, and look at the floor mounting points for cracks or loose bolts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The left front seat anchor broke while driving. When it gave away the seat leaned back more thatn usual. If both anchor in the front had broke at the same time the seat more than likely would have fell backwards due to my weight in the seat. During a discussion with a local chevrolet service rep my wife was told that they have had some problems with the seat frames in this vehicle. If there truely is a problem of this nature someone other than the manufacturer should probably be looking into it.”

   NHTSA complaint #717275, filed 2000-01

   “The driver side seat back collapsed backwards while vehicle was in motion. The driver grabbed steering wheel to avoid falling backwards and crashed into a gravel pit as a result. The knobs that control the seat have been frozen and inoperable for three years. The driver's seat wouldn't latch and slid back several times while the vehicle was being driven.”

   NHTSA complaint #10039898, filed 2003-10
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in frontal impacts

   • 12 complaints (5%)
   • typically at 6.6 yrs old
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2023

   Complaints describe frontal or offset collisions at moderate speed in which the airbag did not deploy, including reports of facial injuries from striking the windshield or steering wheel. In some cases the vehicle was damaged heavily, and owners noted no warning light or prior airbag code. No clear mileage pattern in the sample; reports span from the late 1990s through recent years.

   What to check: Ask for any history of collision repair and have a shop scan for stored airbag codes and confirm the airbag warning lamp does the bulb check on start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle was regularly maintained and did not show any air bag codes on a reader. Was told by tow truck driver a new ball joint failed after recently being replaced. This caused me to lose steering around a small bend and lead me to go straight into a guardrail at 55mph. Upon impact of guardrail and a 10foot drop off the air bag never went off upon a 55mph head on impact. I had be rushed to hospital and with request for lifeline but was unavailable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11526959, filed 2023-06

   “Driver's side airbag did not deploy during frontal collision, front(head on) of vehicle broadsided another moving vehicle, front of vehicle shortened about 14 inches during impact, damaged vehicle back to driver's door.”

   NHTSA complaint #803173, filed 1996-10

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.