1996 GMC Sonoma Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe braking problems, especially ABS behavior and long stopping distances, with a smaller but steady stream of windshield-wiper failures, engine and cooling issues, and transmission trouble. Complaints span a wide mileage range, from trucks under 50,000 miles to ones past 150,000, and many describe intermittent symptoms that dealers could not reproduce or declined to cover under a recall for that vehicle's build range.

1. 1
   Brakes

   ABS engages or pedal fades, long stopping distance

   • 36 complaints (24%)
   • median 98,651 mi at 11.1 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2007

   Complaints describe the brake pedal sinking to the floor, ABS cycling when it should not, and the truck continuing forward or pulling to one side while the pedal is depressed. Some report the ABS light staying on and dealers identifying failed wheel-speed sensors; others describe the booster or master cylinder being replaced, sometimes with the problem returning. Several owners say the dealer told them the behavior was normal or could not find a cause. Reported across a wide mileage range, including trucks under 50,000 miles, and several describe it appearing on wet, snowy, or slippery surfaces.

   Recall 99V193000

   What to check: Ask whether the ABS sensors, module, and brake booster have been serviced, and test braking on a wet or loose surface at low speed. A soft or sinking pedal that returns after pumping is worth a pre-purchase inspection.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving down the highway and the car in front of the truck made a sudden stop, applied pressure to the brake pedal and the truck didn't slow down. Had to press harder on the brake pedal, and the pedal was hard and went to the floor. Took truck to the dealer, and was told that the ABS motor had failed. The dealer replaced the motor.”

   NHTSA complaint #827748, filed 1998-09

   “In snowey or rainey weather, antilock brakes pulsate irradically at various speeds (including 5 MPH) when brakes are applied, even when no skid or hard breaking is occuring. Braking when this occurs, which is intermittently, is poor and uneven. Dealer and GM corp. Contacted, but all say no recalls have been initiated. This is a dangerous condition, and an accident (law suit) waiting to happen.”

   NHTSA complaint #745256, filed 2001-05
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers stop or work intermittently

   • 25 complaints (17%)
   • median 67,500 mi at 9.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2006

   Owners report wipers that quit without warning, park in the middle of the windshield, or only work after the switch is cycled, often during rain. Several say the dealer or the manufacturer told them their vehicle identification number was outside the wiper recall build range even though the symptom matched. Some had the wiper module or motor replaced at their own expense. Reported from low mileage up through roughly 85,000 miles, most often in rain.

   Recall 98V150001

   What to check: Run the wipers through every speed and the intermittent setting, including while spraying the windshield, and ask whether the wiper motor or module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Wipers will just stop working going down the road. The same problem as desrcibed in a Gmc recall on same models. My truck was made the next month after the recall was stopped. I think the recall should have gone on further than it did compared to the number of people having the same exact problem as the recalled trucks.”

   NHTSA complaint #753323, filed 2001-10

   “I need to know what if any recalled defects have been corrected on my vehicle...a local dealer stated that the only thing they know about recalls deals with the windshield wipers.....and nothing else has been sent to them concerning any other recalls dealing with 1996 Gmc Sonoma sls 4 cyl, 5 spd.”

   NHTSA complaint #711106, filed 2000-04
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Stalling, no-start, and rough running

   • 14 complaints (9%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 4.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2004

   Complaints describe the engine quitting in traffic or failing to restart, sometimes only in cold weather, and one owner reports a ticking timing chain tensioner replaced repeatedly. Others mention rough idle, misfire, and a service engine light, with parts such as the coil, fuel pump, and module replaced without solving it. Several say the dealer could not reproduce or diagnose the fault. Mileage varies widely, from under 30,000 miles to about 90,000 miles, with cold weather mentioned in several complaints.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Start the truck cold and listen for chain rattle or ticking, then let it idle and watch for a check-engine light or rough running. Ask for repair records on the ignition coil, fuel pump, and timing components.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My timing tensioner keeps wearing out after about 15,000 miles, it started when I bought my truck in 96 around 25,000 miles I notice a ticking sound coming from the engine,I took the truck is to the service dept. They told me I was using the wrong oil filter,ha ha. They did something to the truck but the ticking stop until 36,000 miles and then my warranty was gone. I have replaced the timing chain tensioner 7 times since I bought the truck. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10054782, filed 2004-01, 89,000 miles

   “The engine has a miss in it sometimes it will quit and you have to wait a half hour for it to start again we have put a new coil, fuel pump, fuel filter, and a module it did not fix it. What can I do to fix it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10039329, filed 2003-09
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slips, stalls, or hunts for gears

   • 14 complaints (9%)
   • median 126,000 mi at 6.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 1997–2004

   Owners describe the transmission slipping, stalling the truck, only reaching a lower gear than selected, or failing to move in reverse. Some report multiple transmission replacements in a short period, and one links the failures to unchanged converter parts. Others say the dealer replaced or rebuilt the unit but the symptoms returned. Reported from about 126,000 miles upward, with some owners describing repeated failures over a couple of years.

   Recall 96V0350001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the truck through all gears, including a shift into reverse while cold, and check for delayed engagement, slipping, or noise. Ask whether the transmission has been replaced or rebuilt and whether 4WD noise on dry pavement has been checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My engine has been surging, slow start, rattling, rough idle, hard shifting, and I have had the trasmission replaced 3 times. My dealer told me after an inspection that there was nothing wrong, but it was under warranty at the time. Go figure! I have proof of the new trasmissions. Now the compressor is cracked, and it will not hold coolant, and I can hardly get the truck going after sitting all night. These repairs are costing alot of money, and I am still paying for this truck. It is not worth the cost of repairs.”

   NHTSA complaint #10072453, filed 2004-05

   “Transmission fails/locks/stalls due to spring that engages torque converter does not have enought tolerance for this transmission. Transmission shop repaired 4 transmissions with identical defect in the small town of lafayette just this past week. This defect must be quite widespread!”

   NHTSA complaint #732811, filed 2000-09
5. 5
   Air bags

   Airbag light on or airbag does not deploy

   • 10 complaints (7%)
   • median 166,000 mi at 11.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2014

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light staying on or flickering, and in a few cases airbags not deploying in a frontal impact. One owner found the sensor mounting rivets sheared off with no impact damage, leaving the sensor hanging by its wiring. Owners report repair shops being unable to trace the cause of the light. Mostly reported on higher-mileage trucks, with several past 150,000 miles.

   What to check: Check that the airbag light comes on with the key and then goes out, and ask whether the airbag sensors and their mountings have been inspected.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 off. No front end impact had occurred and no indications were noted.”

   NHTSA complaint #10168069, filed 2006-09, 166,000 miles

   “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 issue?”

   NHTSA complaint #10631665, filed 2014-09

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection focused on the brakes, wiper system, and airbag warning light is worth the cost on this model year. Ask for service records and confirm whether the vehicle falls inside the build ranges of the ABS, wiper, brake-line, seat-belt, and manual-transmission recalls.

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.