Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.
vehicle
1996 / gmc / sierra-1500
known issues
8 clusters (reviewed 2026-10-08)
complaints
260 on file (1996-05-22 → 2020-05-31)
recalls
0
investigations
0
fars
322 occupant deaths, crash years 1990-2024 (legacy-code)
Windshield wipers working intermittently or failingVISIBILITY70 complaints1998-10 → 2005-06sierra-1996-wiper-intermittent-operation
8009940 WINSHIELD WIPERS SUDDENLY QUIT, WITHOUT WARNING, CONSUMER ALMOST HAD AND ACCIDENT. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. THERE WAS RECALL 98V150001 FOR SAME PROBLEM THAT CONSUMER WAS HAVING. BUT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL DUE TO VIN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATI
8014236 NHTSA RECALL 98 V 150 001/MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 98043 CONCERNING WINDSHIELD WIPER WIRING; WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
8016572 WINDSHIELD WIPERS START WORKING ONLY INTERMITTENTLY, AND THEN FAIL COMPLETELY.*AK
843055 ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEM; WHENEVER BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, REAR WHEELS WOULD LOCK UP. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. CAN NHTSA HELP IN THIS MATTER OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
837073 WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
852769 INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES DURING NORMAL BRAKING/ ANY TYPE OF ROAD CONDITIONS, DRY WEATHER OR WET WEATHER, THE SYSTEM LOCKED UP. TRUCK HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR THIS PROBLEM 5 TIMES. DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. PLEASE
Transmission slipping and hard shiftingPOWER TRAIN9 complaints1999-10 → 2005-07sierra-1996-transmission-shifting
757117 HARD SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS, LOST OVERDRIVE & REVERSE -- SEEMS TO BE COMMON PROBLEM!*AK
6900667 INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP OUT OF OVERDRIVE TO NEXT GEAR. THEN, AFTER STOPPING AND REACCELERATION VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE A HARD SHIFTING INTO GEAR. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER.*AK
750403 WHEN RETURNING FROM A TRIP THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP WHEN ENGAGING OVERDIRVE..OVER THE NEXT 150 TO 200 MILES IT PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE AND NOW OVERDIRVE AND 3RD GEAR ARE ENTIRELY GONE AND THE ENGINE JUST FREELY REVS..ONLY 1ST AND 2ND GEAR ARE USABLE. *AK
10096172 THE BRAKE LINE ABOVE THE GAS TANK RUSTED AND FAILED WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING OF THIS AND AS IT WAS ABOVE THE GAS TANK, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NOTICED. THE GAS TANK HAD TO BE DROPPED AND THE BRAKE LINE REPLACED. THANK GOODNESS THE VEHICLE STOPPED BEFORE REA
10080905 COMPLAINT RUSTED BRAKE LINES TO REAR BRAKES IN BEHIND FUEL TANK. *LA
10036715 SEVERE SURFACE CORROSION ON REAR BRAKE LINE LED TO LINE BURSTING DURING AN EMERGENCY STOP TO AVOID A COLLISION. BURST OCCURED AT NINETY DEGREE BEND IN LINE BY BRACKET LEADING TO THE FLEXIBLE LINE TO REAR AXLE. SURFACE CORROSION APPEARS ALONG BRAKE LINES AT OTHER PLACES. I THINK I
Fuel pump failure and overheated tank wiringFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE7 complaints1999-08 → 2003-10sierra-1996-fuel-pump-wiring
10030267 AS FUEL PUMP BEGAN TO FAIL (INTERMITTENT STARTING PROBLEMS), IT CAUSED WIRES GOING TO FUEL PUMP (WIRES ARE INSIDE THE GAS TANK) TO OVERHEAT. THE FUEL PUMP CONNECTOR WAS COMPLETELY MELTED, AND THREE INCHES OF INSULATION ON EACH WIRE WAS BURNED OFF. BARE WIRES COULD SPARK AND IGNIT
10041351 WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE DIED. WHEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WE WERE TOLD THE FUEL PUMP HAD BURNT UP AND THE WIRING BOOT HAD ALSO BURNT UP. THE TECHNICIAN IMPLIED THAT WE WERE LUCKY THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN A FIRE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT A FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED IN
Driver airbag not deploying in frontal crashAIR BAGS8 complaints1999-11 → 2004-05sierra-1996-airbag-no-deploy
853550 VEHICLE HIT A DEER AT 55MPH, AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
860260 CONSUMER HIT A VEHICLE WITH HIGHWAY SPEED IMPACT, AND DRIVERSIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING MINOR INJURIES. GMC INSPECTED VEHICLE, BUT DID NOT NOTIFY CONSUMER OF THE RESULT OF INSPECTION. *AK *ML
877036 WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 20-25MPH VEHICLE SLID ON ICE AND HIT A POLE HEAD-ON. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. NO ONE HAS SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
Seat track and seat frame breakageSEATS6 complaints1998-10 → 2004-01sierra-1996-seat-attachment-failure
10052109 THE VEHICLE'S DRIVER SIDE SEAT BACK BOLT BROKE WITHOUT WARNING. *NM THE BOLTS ATTACHED THE SEAT BACK TO THE SEAT FRAME BROKE WHICH CAUSED THE SEAT TO RECLINE ALL THE WAY BACK AND NOT LOCK INTO POSITION. *SC *JB
10017101 WHILE BACKING THE VEHICLE THE SEAT CUSHION FRAME FRACTURED AT THE LEFT FORWARD ATTACH POINT. THIS CAUSED THE SEAT TO ROCK AND POSSIBLY COULD CAUSE REMAINING THREE FASTENERS TO BECOME OVERLOADED AND FAIL. FAILURE OF THE PRIMARY STRUCTURAL SEAT ATTACHMENT COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY
549308 SEAT TRACK BROKE WHILE CONSUME WAS BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE CAUSING THE SEAT TO TILT BACK SEVERAL INCHES. SEAT NOW EXHIBIT ROCKING MOTION DURING NORMAL DRIVING. NLM
Headlights going out from dimmer switch wiringEXTERIOR LIGHTING5 complaints1998-12 → 2003-10sierra-1996-headlight-switch-failure
701449 BOTH HIGH AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO WORK WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT NIGHT. DEALER FOUND WIRING BURNED UP ON DIMMER SWITCH IN STEERING COLUMN. NO FIRE OCCURRED. DEALER CHARGE TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE SWITCH WAS $502.65. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN HEADLIGHTS FAIL WHILE DRIVING
702781 BOTH HI AND LOW BEAMS OF HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT NIGHT. WENT TO DEALER NEXT DAY. DEALER CHARGED $502.65 TO REPLACE HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH. WIRING WAS MELTED AND BURNED ON SWITCH. THIS COULD HAVE STARTED A VEHICLE FIRE, OR CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. FUSES AND CIRCUI
853831 WHILE DRIVING IN THE DARK ON THE ROAD HEADLIGHTS WILL CUT OFF, LEAVING CONSUMER WITHOUT LIGHTS. ALSO, WHEN ON HIGH BEAM THEY WILL TURN OFF. *AK
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.
Cite this
Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.
Wrench.Pro (2026). 1996 GMC Sierra 1500 vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/1996/gmc/sierra-1500
@misc{wrenchpro_1996_gmc_sierra_1500_2026,
author = {Wrench.Pro},
title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 1996 GMC Sierra 1500},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/1996/gmc/sierra-1500}},
note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}
