IllustrationDRIVER POWER WINDOW WOULD NOT OPERATE AFTER OPENING. INTERMITTENT (ONCE EVERY 3 MONTHS)
1994 GMC Sonoma
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Sonoma years
Owner complaints for the 1994 GMC Sonoma are substantially higher than the model-year median of 57.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sonoma years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 14 of 224 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 131 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
Visibility complaints
53 reportsWINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITENTLY WORK WHEN WEATHER IS DAMP FOR 3 YRS. SAME AS RECALL FOR 1995 & 1996
BOTH PARTS HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPLACE WITHIN THE LAST 18 MONTHS. THEY WILL BE REPLACE A SECOND TIME BY THE END OF MARCH 2001. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING IN RAIN. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER. THIS HAS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL QUIT OR STICK WHILE IN USE IN THE RAIN. SOMETIMES THEY WON'T COME ON AT ALL. SOMETIMES THE WIPERS WILL WORK IF YOU GET OUT AND TUG ON THEM, BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE AND THE WILL GET STUCK AND QUIT WORKING. IT GETS QUIT ANNOYING AFTER A WHILE, NOT KNOWING IF THE WIPERS WILL WORK OR NOT AND HAVING TO GE…
Read full complaint
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL QUIT OR STICK WHILE IN USE IN THE RAIN. SOMETIMES THEY WON'T COME ON AT ALL. SOMETIMES THE WIPERS WILL WORK IF YOU GET OUT AND TUG ON THEM, BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE AND THE WILL GET STUCK AND QUIT WORKING. IT GETS QUIT ANNOYING AFTER A WHILE, NOT KNOWING IF THE WIPERS WILL WORK OR NOT AND HAVING TO GET OUT AND TUG ON THEM TO MAKE THEM WORK.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD STOP WORKING WITHOUT WARNING. PROBLEM WOULD BE INTERMITTENT. ALSO, GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP ON 6/9/00 FOR REPAIRS. *AK
MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. YH
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL WORK INTERMITTENTLY. RECALL ON 95 & 96 MODEL SHOULD BE CONTINUED TO 94 MODELS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NEEDED, WINDSHIELD WIPERS TURNED OFF AND ON, CAUSING POOR DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. ALSO, RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THE SAME PROBELM. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR, REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER STILL THE LIGHT CAME ON POSSIBLE THE ABS FAILURE. YH
Official recalls
299V193000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip
Jul 19, 1999
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS OCCURRED AT A TIME WHEN MINIMUM STOPPING DISTANCE WAS REQUIRED, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE OR REPAIR THE 4-WHEEL/2-WHEEL DRIVE SWITCH.
97V096001 · Seat Belts
Jun 12, 1997
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE RECLINER MECHANISM.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE94046 · Abs Braking System Fails
Opened Jun 17, 1994 · Closed Oct 31, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
There is no summary currently available