IllustrationBRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE, VEHICLE HAS INTERMITTENT BRAKING FAILURES (EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE) ON WET SURFACES. BRAKE PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR, BUT THE VEHICAL WONT STOP. INSUFFICIENT PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO BRAKES.*AK
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
What owners actually said
224 reportsMASTER 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
RECALL 99V193000/ABS: ABS FAILURE RESULTED IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE AT SLOW SPEED, AND PEDAL GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSED TWO REAR END ACCIDENTS. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL FAILED. YH
THROTTLE STUCK, CAUSING SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN MANY OCCASIONS, ALMOST RESULTED IN ACCIDENTS. *AK
UPON THREE SEPARATE SITUATIONS, LAST ONE AND THE ONLY ONE WHICH CAUSED FRONT END CRASH DAMAGE, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO STOP QUICKLY AT ABOUT 35 MPH, THE TRUCK FELT AS IF IT WERE ON ICE. THE TRUCK TOOK LONGER TO STOP THAN EXPECTED AND THERE WAS NO PULSING FEELING IN THE BRAKE PEDAL OR NO SOUNDS WHILE CONSISTENTLY HOLDING IT DOW…
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UPON THREE SEPARATE SITUATIONS, LAST ONE AND THE ONLY ONE WHICH CAUSED FRONT END CRASH DAMAGE, I WAS ATTEMPTING TO STOP QUICKLY AT ABOUT 35 MPH, THE TRUCK FELT AS IF IT WERE ON ICE. THE TRUCK TOOK LONGER TO STOP THAN EXPECTED AND THERE WAS NO PULSING FEELING IN THE BRAKE PEDAL OR NO SOUNDS WHILE CONSISTENTLY HOLDING IT DOWN WITH HARD FOOT PRESSURE. THE BRAKE PADS WERE CHANGED AT AROUND 50,000 MI. ON THE OTHER TWO OCCASIONS, THE SAME THING HAPPENED BUT I WAS ABLE TO AVOID A CRASH BECAUSE OF CLEARANCE TO MANUVER INTO THE OTHER LANE. *AK
BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED PEDAL TO GO TO THE FLOOR, REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER STILL THE LIGHT CAME ON POSSIBLE THE ABS FAILURE. YH
VEHICLE NOT LISTED BY GMC AS BEING ONE AS DEFINED BY NHTSA CAMPAIN ID NUMBER: 99V193000. THIS IS PER MY LOCAL GMC DEALER. MY VEHICLE'S ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DO MALFUNCTION AS DEFINED. ON ICY/SNOW COVERED SURFACES AND GRAVEL HILLS THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL SUDDENLY DROP WHILE FOOT PRESSURE IS BEING APPLIED. THE BRAKES WILL THEN LOCKUP UNEX…
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VEHICLE NOT LISTED BY GMC AS BEING ONE AS DEFINED BY NHTSA CAMPAIN ID NUMBER: 99V193000. THIS IS PER MY LOCAL GMC DEALER. MY VEHICLE'S ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DO MALFUNCTION AS DEFINED. ON ICY/SNOW COVERED SURFACES AND GRAVEL HILLS THE BRAKE PEDAL WILL SUDDENLY DROP WHILE FOOT PRESSURE IS BEING APPLIED. THE BRAKES WILL THEN LOCKUP UNEXPECTEDLY. THE ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME OR PREVENT THIS MALFUNCTION IS TO PLACE THE VEHICLE SHIFT LEVER INTO FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BEFORE HAND. THIS PROBLEM IS SO WIDESPREAD THERE IS AN AFTERMARKET KIT AVAILABLE THAT ALLOWS THE GMC OWNER TO BYPASS THE ABS SYSTEM. I KNOW GM OWNERS WHO HAVE DONE SO BECAUSE THEY FEEL THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM IS UNSAFE. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF THE 1125749 POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED WERE ACTUALLLY NOTIFIED BY GMC TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM CORRECTED? *AK
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