2001 GMC Sonoma

Typical pattern

10.4% of complaints about the 2001 GMC Sonoma came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2001 vehicle — around the middle of the 216 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 4.5 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (26 complaints), typically at 4.9 yr or about 53,000 miles.

Complaints: 96
Median age at failure: 4.5 yr
Median mileage: 52,449 n=57
Crash / fire / tow: 12.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

00V228003 2000-08-07

Seat belts

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES, LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH TRW SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES. THE BUCKLE BASE OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND THEREFORE DO NOT PASS THE LOAD BEARING REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.

In owners’ own words

Structure 91,000 mi 3.5 yr in service

THE CABLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TAILGATE BROKE, AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CABLE STARTED BREAKING. THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLE RECALL 04V129000. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

Structure 48,000 mi 3.5 yr in service

BOTH TAILGATE CABLES BROKE WHILE THE CONSUMER, WHO WEIGHED 155 LBS, WAS STANDING ON IT. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED. THE LEFT CABLE BROKE ON THE CONSUMER S-10. *NM

Structure 38,000 mi 2.7 yr in service

BOTH TAILGATE STRAPS BROKE ON MY 2001 GMC TRUCK. I ALSO HAVE A 1996 GMC TRUCK AND HAD THE SAME HAPPEN WITH IT.*AK

Other Sonoma model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2001 GMC Sonoma

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sonoma model years

How to read this