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 / sonoma
known issues
7 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-20)
complaints
171 on file (1996-02-20 → 2014-09-08)
recalls
0
investigations
0
fars
44 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
Windshield wiper motor and circuit board failureVISIBILITY32 complaints1997-01 → 2006-12sonoma-1996-wiper-motor-failure
10177343 TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED CONCERNING A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING WINDSHIELD WIPER WASHER MOTOR. THE BULLETIN HAS A PRODUCT RECALL. THE CONTACT HAS BEEN TOLD BY GMC THAT THE CAR WAS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL\ DUE TO THE VIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK
751618 I CALLED GMC AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE WIPER MOTOR PROBLEM, THEY SAID THAT MY TRUCKS' VIN NUMBER WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL THAT HAD BEEN DONE ON OTHER 1996 GMC SONOMAS OF THE SAME YEAR. MY TRUCK HAS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AS THE OTHER 1.2 MILLION RECALLED S10 & S15 TRUCKS BUT GMC
735462 WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WORKS INTERMITTENTLY, ELECTRICAL PROBLEM RELATED TO POSITIONING OF MOTOR(ELECTRIC). I WAS TOLD BY AN AUTOPARTS DEALER THAT THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF COMPLAINTS OF BAD MOTORS. I KNOW OF TWO FRIENDS WITH SIMILAR VEHICELS (CHEVY BLAZER AND CHEVY S-10 TRUCK) WHO
Front upper ball joint failureSUSPENSION4 complaints1997-10 → 2001-12sonoma-1996-ball-joint-failure
8000971 A DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THAT RIGHT/ FRONT UPPER BALL JOINT HAS FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED. ALSO, DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT AFFECTED BY ANY RECALL. CONSUMER MUST COVER ALL EXPENSES FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE BALL JOINTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL
731845 DRIVERS SIDE UPPER BALL JOINT FAILED WHILE DRIVING. TRUCK PULLED IMMEDIATELY TO THE LEFT, NO ONCOMING VEHICLES. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, BY TWO SEPERATE FACILITIES, ALL BALL JOINTS (UPPER/LOWER/DRIVERS SIDE/PASSENGERS SIDE) WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE
10197545 TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 GMC SONOMA. WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES AT 55 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL EXTENDED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS APPLIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS A MECHANIC AND HE REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE LINE FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL. THE
853482 BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED,, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH. BEEN TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE TH CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
818290 WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES SLOWLY, THERE WAS NO GIVING OR CATCHING OF BRAKES. PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. ABS BRAKING INTERMITTENT, CAN OCCUR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. TOOK TO DEALER & INFORMED CAN NOT DO ANYTHING. *AK CONSUMER HAS HIT 2 VEHICLES DUE TO FAULTY BRAKES, ONLY CAUSING MINOR
Engine stalling and timing chain/tensioner wearENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING18 complaints1997-04 → 2004-05sonoma-1996-engine-stall-timing-chain
10054782 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
8015898 WHILE DRIVING NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM VEHICLE., AND VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLED CHECKED BY DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT COOLANT WAS LEAKING FROM CYLINDER ONTO HEAD GASKET.*AK
875108 VEHICLE WILL STOP WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. AT TIMES, VEHICLE WILL NOT START. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK THE VEHICLE STALL SIX TIMES. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE VEHICLE CAN BE DECLARED LEMON. *YH
Transmission failure and hard shiftingPOWER TRAIN14 complaints1997-02 → 2003-02sonoma-1996-transmission-failure
755080 TRANSMISSION FAILURE/HARD SHIFTS/GM SAYS NO PROBLEM HOWEVER I HAVE LOCATED COUNTLESS OWNERS WITH SAME PROBLEM,GM INSTALLED A NEW TRANS.AT 35000 MILES AND SHORTLY AFTER THE NEW TRANS HAS BEEN HARD SHIFTING CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE REAR DIF.,MY MAIN PROBLEM IS WHAT IS THE FIX!,IF I
732811 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
881761 PREMATURE FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE SLIPS AND STALLS WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE HAS HAD 4 TRANSMISSIONS IN 18 MONTHS.*AK
Air bag non-deployment in frontal collisionAIR BAGS10 complaints1996-07 → 2014-09sonoma-1996-airbag-nondeployment
8020180 VEHICLE INVOLVED IN FRONTAL COLLISION, NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. *MRCONSUMER CALLED GM AND THEY INFORMED CONSUMER THAT FROM THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCIDENT THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT HAVE DEPLYED BECAUSE IT WASN'T A FRONTAL COLLISION. *JG
8015403 VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION OF 50 MPH IMPACT AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
822955 WAS DRIVING AT 25MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN STOP SIGN AND STRUCK THE CONSUMER, CAUSING HIM TO HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY, RESULTING IN AN INJURY, DEALER NOFITIED. *AK
Non-adjustable head restraint and seat back failureSEATS6 complaints1996-06 → 2000-08sonoma-1996-headrest-seatback
849412 VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE AN ADJUSTABLE HEADREST. DURING A REAR END ACCIDENT CONSUMER SUFFERED WHIPLASH DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE HEAD REST WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE HEAD. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
831533 VEHICLE WAS REARENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE GOING AT APPROXIMATLY 55 -60 MPH, DRIVER SEATBACK BROKE DUE TO IMPACT, THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURIES. *AK
520455 THE HEADREST DOES NOT ADJUST. THE HEIGHT IS LOW AND CONSIDERED A HAZARD TO TALL DRIVERS
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 Sonoma vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/1996/gmc/sonoma
@misc{wrenchpro_1996_gmc_sonoma_2026,
author = {Wrench.Pro},
title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 1996 GMC Sonoma},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/1996/gmc/sonoma}},
note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}
