What breaks most · 1990 to 2005 model years
GMC Safari problems by year
Owners have filed 1,091 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC Safari across model years 1990 to 2005. Three years stand out: 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1996 for visibility complaints and 1997 for visibility complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 2002 and 1990.
- Years to check closely: 1995, 1996, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 2002, 1990
- Complaints on file
- 10911990 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 1995195 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10722 fires · 122 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 56Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 2 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (15) | |
| 39 | 5 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (16) | |
| 59 | 4 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (26) | |
| 61 | 8 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (29) | |
| 119 | 15 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (37) | |
| 195 | 25 | 6 | Brakes (hydraulic) (54) | |
| 139 | 9 | 6 | Visibility (33) | |
| 135 | 7 | 6 | Visibility (29) | |
| 89 | 9 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (12) | |
| 61 | 6 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (19) | |
| 68 | 11 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (26) | |
| 39 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (13) | |
| 25 | 4 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Suspension (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 2 | Steering (2) |
What fails on the 1995 GMC Safari
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 28% |
54 | 9 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 19% |
38 | 1 | Shop visibility parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 17% |
33 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| Air bags | 8% |
16 | 11 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
16 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
9 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
9 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
8 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 1995 GMC Safari |
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.
-
The pover steering pump malfunctioned causing loss of both power steering and brakes. Has this vehicle been recalled for this problem? Luckily this happened while turning around in a driveway and not on a highway.
-
Power windows do not work. Consumer checked the fuses, and the fuses are not the problem. Consumer took the vehicle to an after market repair shop where the defect was noticed. *ak no recall found on this issue. *tc
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While driving inclement weather windshield wipers came on and off on their own. Driver took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic detrermined that the windshield wiper motor needed to be replaced. *ak
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 Safari years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1995, 1996, 1997 carry the most filings on the GMC Safari. The 1995 alone has 195 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common GMC Safari problem?
On the 1995 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 54 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC Safari problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC Safari complaints that include mileage is about 75,000 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.