Illustration2003 GMC SONOMA. CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE SUPPORT CABLE HOLDING THE SPARE TIRE RUSTED THROUGH AND THE TIRE FELL OFF, ROLLED DOWN THE ROAD AND HIT ANOTHER CAR *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED NO DAMAGE WAS DONE AND THE POLICE WERE NOT NOTIFIED. *JB
2003 GMC Sonoma
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 GMC Sonoma do not stand out strongly from 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
80–25K
925–50K
550–75K
475–100K
2100–150K
0150K+
28 reports with mileage · 11 unknown
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.
- Structure. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Equipment complaints
4 reportsSPARE TIRE HANGER CABLE BROKE DROPPING TIRE ON ROADWAY. *TR
MY 2003 GMC SONOMA JUST QUIT STARTING(STANDARD), SO I PUSHED IT TO GET IT HOME, I WENT TO A FRIENDS HOUSE THE NEXT DAY( IT STARTED), WHEN I GOT READY TO LEAVE THE TRUCK WOULDN'T START AGAIN AND I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING, (MY WIFE HAD KEPT TELLING ME SHE SMELLED RUBBER BURNING) WELL THE WIRES UNDER THE DASH WERE ON FIRE!ALSO 2N…
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MY 2003 GMC SONOMA JUST QUIT STARTING(STANDARD), SO I PUSHED IT TO GET IT HOME, I WENT TO A FRIENDS HOUSE THE NEXT DAY( IT STARTED), WHEN I GOT READY TO LEAVE THE TRUCK WOULDN'T START AGAIN AND I SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING, (MY WIFE HAD KEPT TELLING ME SHE SMELLED RUBBER BURNING) WELL THE WIRES UNDER THE DASH WERE ON FIRE!ALSO 2ND GEAR IN MANUAL TRANSMISSION WENT OUT IN MARCH OR APRIL I THINK, THIS WAS REPORTED TO THE GM DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK.
CONSUMER LETTER REGARDING THE RECALL FOR 2004 GMC SONOMA AIR BAG WARNING LABEL LOCATED ON THE SUN VISOR.*MR THE CONSUMER RECEIVED AN E-MAIL WHICH STATED HE WOULD RECEIVE THE LABELS TO INSTALL, HOWEVER WHEN HE WENT TO INQUIRE ABOUT IT AT THE DEALER, THEY STATED THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER WENT TO ANOTHER …
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CONSUMER LETTER REGARDING THE RECALL FOR 2004 GMC SONOMA AIR BAG WARNING LABEL LOCATED ON THE SUN VISOR.*MR THE CONSUMER RECEIVED AN E-MAIL WHICH STATED HE WOULD RECEIVE THE LABELS TO INSTALL, HOWEVER WHEN HE WENT TO INQUIRE ABOUT IT AT THE DEALER, THEY STATED THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER WENT TO ANOTHER DEALER WHO INSTALLED A TEMPORARY DECAL. THE CONSUMER STILL HAS NOT RECEIVED THE PERMANENT LABEL. *JB
Official recalls
104V132000 · Equipment:other:labels
Mar 18, 2004
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SOME OF THESE VEHICLES INCLUDE INCORRECT STATEMENTS ON ONE OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LABELS.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH CORRECT LABELS AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 4, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.