1997 GMC Sonoma: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1997 GMC Sonoma. The newest campaign is 97V146001. NHTSA received the report on 11 Sep 1997. The NHTSA record gives the component Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings. NHTSA has 105 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 97V146001, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will inspect the clearance between the oil pan and the brake line. If the clearance is 6mm or less, dealers will install an additional brake line clip and if there was contact between the oil pan and brake line, the front brake line will be replaced.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

2 campaigns, newest first. 732,225 units in total.

97V146001Received 11 Sep 1997. 146,167 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: light duty passenger pickup trucks equipped with 4.3l engines. The front brake line can contact the left-hand side of the engine oil pan causing the brake line to wear to the point of brake fluid loss during brake application.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Brake fluid loss can reduce braking effectiveness and increase stopping distances resulting in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the clearance between the oil pan and the brake line. If the clearance is 6mm or less, dealers will install an additional brake line clip and if there was contact between the oil pan and brake line, the front brake line will be replaced.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Oct 1997.
97V096001Received 12 Jun 1997. 586,058 units.
Seat Belts
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: extended cab pickup trucks equipped with 60/40 front bench seats and extended cab pickup trucks and 2-door utility vehicles equipped with manual locking recliner bucket seats. The outboard safety belt webbing on the driver's and/or passenger's seat can separate during a frontal impact.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If a separation occurred and there were secondary crash events or vehicle rollover, there would be no belt restraint of the occupant and increased injuries could occur.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a protective cover over the recliner mechanism.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 Sep 1997.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

105 complaints, 150 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1997 GMC Sonoma
All 1997 vehicles

1997 GMC Sonoma: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1997 Sonoma	All 1997 vehicles	Sonoma, all years	Mentions
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	280	106.3	294.4	42
Visibility	206.7	58.9	143.3	31
Engine and Engine Cooling	66.7	134.8	78.3	10
Power Train	66.7	90.5	64.4	10
Air Bags	60	60.7	35.5	9
Electrical System	46.7	79.7	40.9	7
Vehicle Speed Control	40	44.5	32.5	6
Fuel System, Gasoline	33.3	46.3	31.3	5
Suspension	26.7	62.4	24.1	4
Steering	20	70.3	15.1	3

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 21.

Complaints that report a crash: 12
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 8
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 30 Nov 2008

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1997 GMC Sonoma, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 21 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1997 GMC Sonoma
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
RQ04002	Recall query	DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY	Seat Belts / Front	18 Feb 2004	27 May 2004
EA94038	Engineering analysis	ABS BRAKING SYSTEM	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	31 Oct 1994	28 Feb 2000	99I006000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1997 GMC SonomaThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 GMC Sonoma: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/gmc/sonoma/1997/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1997 GMC Sonoma?: 732,225 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the GMC Sonoma have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 15 recall campaigns for the GMC Sonoma, model years 1984 to 2004. 2 of them name the 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 GMC Sonoma name most often?: Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 42 of 150 component mentions, or 280 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 106.3 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 GMC Sonoma open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.