What breaks most · 1990 to 2002 model years
GMC Pickup problems by year
Owners have filed 122 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Pickup across model years 1990 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1997 for visibility complaints and 1995 for visibility complaints. The quietest years are 1993, 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 1997, 1995
- Fewest complaints: 1993, 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 1221990 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 199923 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 100 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 43kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 11Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | Visibility (6) | |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Visibility (3) | |
| 22 | 0 | 2 | Visibility (6) | |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 23 | 3 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (7) | |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) |
What fails on the 1999 GMC Pickup
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 30% |
7 | 1 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 13% |
3 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 9% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 9% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
2 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 4% |
1 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 4% |
1 | 0 | — |
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.
-
While applying the brakes they malfunctioned. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the control sensors needed to be replaced, and replaced them. However, problem recurred. *ak
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Recall notice regarding vehicle's windshield wipers.*mr the consumer misplaced the recall letter relater to the windshield wipers. The consumer request that another copy be sent so that the recall can be completed. *nm
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Request for reimbursement for replacement of defective windshield wiper motor.*mr the motor was replaced before consumer received the recall. Afterwards, gmc was contacted several times but denied the consumer for reimbursement. 1995 gmc truck. *ph
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 6, 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 Pickup years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 1997, 1995 carry the most filings on the GMC Pickup. The 1999 alone has 23 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common GMC Pickup problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 7 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Pickup problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Pickup complaints that include mileage is about 43,000 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.