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1996 Gmc Sonoma Recalls & Complaints

9

open safety recalls on record

Critical

190 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.56 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical06E043000

Fuel System, Gasoline

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK.

Remedy & full details

HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

Critical07E021000

Fuel System, Other:Storage:Tank Assembly:Pressure Relief Devices

FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.

CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.

Serious97V096001

Seat Belts

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 & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE RECLINER MECHANISM.

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.

Serious99V193000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

IF THIS OCCURRED AT A TIME WHEN MINIMUM STOPPING DISTANCE WAS REQUIRED, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE OR REPAIR THE 4-WHEEL/2-WHEEL DRIVE SWITCH.

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 MALFUNCTION CAUSING INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING ABS STOPS WHILE IN THE TWO-WHEEL DRIVE MODE.

Serious97V146001

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

BRAKE FLUID LOSS CAN REDUCE BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS AND INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious97V008001

Visibility:Windshield

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT STAY IN PLACE AS REQUIRED BY FMVSS NO.

Remedy & full details

ALL VEHICLES HAVE BEEN REPURCHASED. THIS CAMPAIGN IS 100%.

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."

Serious98V150001

Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer

THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN INOPERATIVE WIPERS, REDUCING A DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, AND raises the risk of A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER.

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.

Serious99I006000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

THESE VEHICLES CAN EXPERIENCE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES DURING ABS STOPS ON CERTAIN MULTIPLE SURFACES, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE COMPUTER PROGRAM WHICH OPERATES THE ABS UNIT ON SOME VEHICLES, OR REPLACE THE COMPUTER ON OTHERS TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ABS ON THESE SURFACES.

THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, OR MINIVANS EQUIPPED WITH 3-SENSOR ABS (ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM) EBC4 UNITS.

Moderate96V035000

Power Train:Manual Transmission

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 & full details

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.

SOME OF THESE TRUCKS WERE BUILT WITH TRANSMISSIONS CONTAINING PARTS WHICH WERE NOT MACHINED TO GM'S SPECIFICATIONS.

Complaint volume

190 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

34Crashes
1Fires
9Injuries
0Deaths

Across 190 complaints. Severity Index 0.56.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…36 · 19%Visibility · Windshield W…17 · 9%Visibility · Windshield W…10 · 5%Power Train · Automatic T…10 · 5%Service Brakes, Hydraulic…9 · 5%Air Bags · Frontal8 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…8 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…6 · 3%
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 36 reports
  2. Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor — 17 reports
  3. Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer — 10 reports
  4. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 10 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 9 reports
  6. Air Bags:Frontal — 8 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 8 reports
  8. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 6 reports
  9. Seats:Front Assembly:Head Restraint — 5 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (7) · 1996 · 1997 (3) · 1998 (4) · 1999 (1) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (1) · 2002 · 2003 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.