What breaks most · 1990 to 2004 model years
GMC Jimmy problems by year
Owners have filed 2,666 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Jimmy across model years 1990 to 2004. Three years stand out: 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1996 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1994 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2001 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1996, 1994
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2001, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 26661990 to 2004, all trims
- Worst year
- 1995499 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 33852 fires · 229 injuries · 7 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 50Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 118 | 16 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (78) | |
| 122 | 11 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (86) | |
| 216 | 42 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (164) | |
| 334 | 57 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (255) | |
| 499 | 75 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (234) | |
| 407 | 54 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (172) | |
| 274 | 23 | 5 | Suspension (54) | |
| 238 | 18 | 2 | Visibility (81) | |
| 137 | 15 | 0 | Suspension (26) | |
| 210 | 15 | 4 | Suspension (39) | |
| 97 | 11 | 3 | Electrical system (16) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 1995 GMC Jimmy
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 47% |
234 | 44 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 15% |
77 | 1 | Shop visibility parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
76 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| Air bags | 7% |
35 | 30 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
31 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
29 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
27 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 4% |
19 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1995 GMC Jimmy |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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While applying the brakes on a dry surface or wet the ABS (anit-lock brakes) locks up and cause the vehicle to travel forward with unsafe stopping distances. T the speed of 5mph. To 10 mph. When the brakes are applied the vehicle is out of control which could causes a fatal accident.*ak
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My brakes on my 1996 jimmy have locked up on me. Increasing my stopping distance. I am concerned about this , however when i took my truck to get serviced at a dealership they did not mention any thing to me . *jb
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Dt: the consumer stated the ABS didn't activate when it was suppose to. The dealer could not find a p problem. *jb during quick stops the brakes would fail and the ABS light would illuminate intermittently. *nm
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which GMC Jimmy years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 1994 carry the most filings on the GMC Jimmy. The 1995 alone has 499 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common GMC Jimmy problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 234 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Jimmy problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Jimmy complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.