1993 GMC Sierra
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › GMC › Sierra › 1993
These records cover every 1993 GMC Sierra. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 1993 GMC Sierra. Newest first.
K2 motor IS recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. these headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
Risk and remedy
Risk
Without the amber side reflex reflectors, the lighting visibility may be affected, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
K2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. the recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. owners may contact K2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.
Vehicles altered by pas, inc. Have compressed natural gas fuel tanks that can develop stress corrosion, which crack the e-glass wrapping. This stress corrosion cracking can lead to tank ruptures.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the tank ruptures, personal injury to individuals in or near the vehicle may occur.
Remedy
Gm IS offering to exchange these vehicles with a comparably equipped 1994 gasoline 1/2 or 3/4 ton gm pickup. If the owner chooses not to exchange the natural gas vehicle, gm will repurchase the vehicle.
The rear bench seat does not meet the load requirements of fmvss 207, "seating systems," because the manual latch mechanism on the folding full bench rear seat was attached to the back frame lower cross tube with domed head steel rivets instead of the bolts specified.
Owner complaints
72 complaints4 involved a crash1 involved a fire4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system · Unknown or other
Recall subject: fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly report receipt date: 04-05-1994 nhtsa campaign: 94v044001 manufacture: general motors corp. summary: vehicles altered by pas, inc. Have compressed natural gas fuel tanks that can develop stress corrosion, which crack the e-glass…
Recall subject: fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly report receipt date: 04-05-1994 nhtsa campaign: 94v044001 manufacture: general motors corp. summary: vehicles altered by pas, inc. Have compressed natural gas fuel tanks that can develop stress corrosion, which crack the e-glass wrapping. This stress corrosion cracking can lead to tank ruptures. consequence: if the tank ruptures, personal injury to individuals in or near the vehicle may occur. remedy: gm IS offering to exchange these vehicles with a comparably equipped 1994 gasoline 1/2 or 3/4 ton gm pickup. If the owner chooses not to exchange the natural gas vehicle, gm will repurchase the vehicle.
- Engine and engine cooling
I went out one morning and started my truck and heard a rattle noise coming from the engine. I got out and opened the hood. Almost instantaneously the engine backfired and the cooling fan blew apart and fragments of metal came through the plastic shroud and into my face and head causing serious and…
I went out one morning and started my truck and heard a rattle noise coming from the engine. I got out and opened the hood. Almost instantaneously the engine backfired and the cooling fan blew apart and fragments of metal came through the plastic shroud and into my face and head causing serious and would have been fatal injury to myself. If it were not for the fast response of the paramedics who flew me to the hospital by chopper. I am now blind missing an eye and my face and head are scared along with possible brain damage. Please do whatever it takes to keep this tragic accident from happening to anyone else. *tr
- Electrical system › Ignition · Steering
I purchased a 1993 GMC sierra pickup for my son from my father who was the original owner. My father took very good care of it making all scheduled maintenances as we have done as well after purchasing it. My son was on his way to school when all of a sudden the steering column broke. He was unable…
I purchased a 1993 GMC sierra pickup for my son from my father who was the original owner. My father took very good care of it making all scheduled maintenances as we have done as well after purchasing it. My son was on his way to school when all of a sudden the steering column broke. He was unable to steer the truck and had to come to a complete stop after going approximately 50 mph. Luckily he did not loose control nor did he crash head on into the on coming lane of traffic. Once stopped he couldn't get the ignition to turn off with the key. Had to jiggle the steering column around to shut off the engine. He did this without the key in the ignition. We had the truck towed back to our home and are in the process of fixing it. *tr
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
While driving in rain with my wipers on low speed, they suddenly stopped, just as a truck was passing me, with the road water thrown on the windshield by the semi, I could not see the road ahead. I could see in my side mirror that I was clear on my right side, so I pulled over on the shoulder and…
While driving in rain with my wipers on low speed, they suddenly stopped, just as a truck was passing me, with the road water thrown on the windshield by the semi, I could not see the road ahead. I could see in my side mirror that I was clear on my right side, so I pulled over on the shoulder and stopped. I also own a 1991 3/4 ton silverado which I have had trouble with the wiper delay function, although they have not totally stopped as the sierra's did. I spoke with some other gm truck owners who say they have experienced similar issues with the wiper systems of their trucks, some as far back as 1988 models. *Jb
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
Nhtsa recall campaign 03v159000; general motors issued a windshield wiper motor recall. this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. however, the windshield wipers were working intermittently. *ak *sc *jb
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Defective wiring harness to windshield wiper motor, causing wipers to stop running randomly.*ak
- Power train · Unknown or other
Replaced the transmission 4 times, recall on seats were fixed but bolts keep breaking so I bought new seats of a differnt style and replaced them after a 5 year problem. paint has been flaking off the truck for appoximately 4 yrs and I cant get the dealer or gm to do anything with this paint…
Replaced the transmission 4 times, recall on seats were fixed but bolts keep breaking so I bought new seats of a differnt style and replaced them after a 5 year problem. paint has been flaking off the truck for appoximately 4 yrs and I cant get the dealer or gm to do anything with this paint problem. they say it IS because I am the second owner. the truck was in an accident but the top of the cab and the bed IS all that needs painted, and they were not damaged in anyway because of the accident.
- Equipment · Power train · Seat belts · Service brakes, hydraulic · Tires · Unknown or other
#1 transmission. Slips out of gear into nuetral while driving at highway speeds. must coast over to side of road, turn off engine, wait, restart and continue on. Narrowly caused a collision with a semi truck while coasting to side of road. complained to dealer numerous times, said they could not…
#1 transmission. Slips out of gear into nuetral while driving at highway speeds. must coast over to side of road, turn off engine, wait, restart and continue on. Narrowly caused a collision with a semi truck while coasting to side of road. complained to dealer numerous times, said they could not find anything wrong. now trans IS locked in 2ND gear and won't shift to a higher gear. #2 paint. started chipping within 6 months old and less than 2500 miles. dealers said nothing could be done. roof IS now rusted through and headliner IS hanging down. dealer and zone rep say GMC IS not responsible and refuse to repair and repaint. #3 seat belt retractor. driver's seat belt will not retract and IS very loose. it would not prevent injury or death if involved in a crash. dealer and zone rep deny responsibility and refuse to repair except at my expense. #4 radio. radio has been replaced 3 times by the dealer since new and they refuse to replace or repair it again. volume must be turned up all the way to be heard. this IS the exact same problem with every radio they say they have replaced.
- Engine and engine cooling · Fuel system, gasoline · Unknown or other
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
While driving 45 mph windshield wipers came on and off own their own. *ak windshield wipers failed on three separate occasions. general motor corporation (gm) issued a safety recall on 1994-1996 GMC light trucks, and truck's windshield wiper control module was replaced. *la
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Windshield wipers quit working while driving in a snow storm. this resulted in poor visibility, which almost caused an accident. consumer had to pull over, and hit the windshield wiper motor for the windshield wipers to start working. recall 03v15900 was issued, but this vehicle was not included due to vin. *ak
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch · Equipment › Electrical › Radio/tape deck/cd etc. · Power train › Automatic transmission · Seat belts › Front › Retractor · Seats › Front assembly › Recliner · Structure › Body › Roof and pillars · Suspension
Problems with vehicle slipping out of gear while driving.*mr the vehicle went from drive to neutral while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who told the consumer that a new transmission would cost him $4000.00 and to rebuild an old one would be $3000.00. The consumer has made ongoing…
Problems with vehicle slipping out of gear while driving.*mr the vehicle went from drive to neutral while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who told the consumer that a new transmission would cost him $4000.00 and to rebuild an old one would be $3000.00. The consumer has made ongoing complaints about the vehicle and feels the cost of the transmission should be lowered. Not only has the vehicle experienced problems with the transmission ,but the roof of the truck including the replacement of the head liner that now hangs down which was due to the roof leaking, the consumer had to replace the drivers side seat belt retractor as well as the radio system. *cb the vehicle also had a broken seat back recliner, the ignition switch would not turn off, the 4 wheel drive would not engage, the shocks were bad and the vehicle was in need of an alignment. *jb
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
While driving in inclement weather windshield wipers came on and off on their own. *ak
- Seat belts › Front › Retractor
Driver's seat belt retractor will not retract. seat belt IS very loose and would not prevent injury or death in the event of a crash. dealer and GMC zone office refuse to accept responsibility and/or repair the retractor except at my own expense. *la
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Transmission. comes out of drive while moving and transmission goes into neutral. driver must coast over to the shoulder of roadway, stop, turn off engine, wait several minutes then restart engine. can cause a collision with other vehicles while coasting to the edge of roadway. have been…
Transmission. comes out of drive while moving and transmission goes into neutral. driver must coast over to the shoulder of roadway, stop, turn off engine, wait several minutes then restart engine. can cause a collision with other vehicles while coasting to the edge of roadway. have been complaining to GMC for 10 years with no correction of problem. I narrowly avoided a collision while coasting to the side of the road. *la
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash · Equipment › Electrical › Radio/tape deck/cd etc. · Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Switch/wiring
Failures in electrical system. Radio,dashboard light (speedometer, etc.),windshield wipers. *la
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
While driving the windshield wipers work intermittently causing problems on the highway. There IS a recall on similar vehicles but the consumer's vin number was not included. *ph
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer
The windshield wipers were inoperative. a recall had been issued, however, it did not apply to consumer's vehicle identification number. *jb
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Windshield wipers were experiencing the same defect as stated in recall 02 v 280 000, but this vehicle wa snot included in recall due to vin. *ak
- Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
The consumer's daughter was unsecuring the belt buckle attach to the seat. when she lift up the buckle up the belt retracted fast and hit her inside of the mouth striking her front tooth. the dealership IS aware of the problem. mr
- Tires
Tire developed a large egg shaped bubble on right, outside half of tread area. Not on sidewall but directly on the thread. the vehicle started to rock violently from side to side causing the right front end to dip and rise rapidly. I stopped immediately and observed this bubble. I drove the rest…
Tire developed a large egg shaped bubble on right, outside half of tread area. Not on sidewall but directly on the thread. the vehicle started to rock violently from side to side causing the right front end to dip and rise rapidly. I stopped immediately and observed this bubble. I drove the rest of the way home, approximately 2 miles. At 10 mph. When I arived home the tire then deflated but it did not burst. The tire IS flat but intact. IS this a tire you would be interested in testing or checking out? Please advise. I can see from my experience how the car could over turn due to this increasing violent rising and dipping of the front end. If this occurred on a dip and the brakes were applied I believe it would cause the vehicle to roll over very quickly. Thanks john. *Ak
- Tires › Tread/belt
Tread came off of the tire. *Ak (dot number: MD11 T5H1 tiresize: lt245/75r1)
- Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
This was a recall item-94-c-62(b). Since the recall I've had the truck in the dealers shop 3 times. They've replaced the same seat bolts each time. They even replaced the seat the second time in the shop. The last time it took over a month and dealing with 3 gm customer service people to get gm to…
This was a recall item-94-c-62(b). Since the recall I've had the truck in the dealers shop 3 times. They've replaced the same seat bolts each time. They even replaced the seat the second time in the shop. The last time it took over a month and dealing with 3 gm customer service people to get gm to pay for it. Which at that time gm stated that they would no longer pay for any further seat repairs. This seat feels like it might be getting loose again. As this was a recall item are they only obligated to repair it as long as they want? One of my concerns IS what happens when it breaks again? Each time it breaks, it does so while driving. IS this just an isolated event or are others experiencing the same problem? Gm customer service told me my reoccuring problem IS the only one they have heard of related to this recall. The dealer that did the recall work IS royal moore buick/gmc in hillsboro or.*ak
- Electrical system › Ignition · Power train › Automatic transmission · Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift · Power train › Driveline › Differential unit · Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip · Unknown or other
1) dash brake light constantly on or flashing, code = shorted ABS defective? 2) 4WD transaxle- shifter fork and thrust bearings broken. no forward or reverse on highway-very dangerous breakdown 3) ecm electronic control module failure, preventing the 3-4 overdrive shift in the transmission-very…
1) dash brake light constantly on or flashing, code = shorted ABS defective? 2) 4WD transaxle- shifter fork and thrust bearings broken. no forward or reverse on highway-very dangerous breakdown 3) ecm electronic control module failure, preventing the 3-4 overdrive shift in the transmission-very high rpm under load. 4) automatic transmission, no reverse due to loss of planetary gear set (2) due to defective workmanship (drift pin setting gear in hub had worked out thereby galling and milling out the hub area=loss of pressure and bearing stability. 5) nylon rocker arm retainers had fractured and broken due to defective materials, allows rocker to fall off rocker arm shaft and push rods to fall into crankshaft...abrubt engine halt at high speed...very dangerous. 6) glow plug controller does not activate the glow plugs after hot engine sits for about 15 minutes...engine will not start. *ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
When 4 wheel drive kicked into neutral truck rolled downhill truck was in park and off. *ak
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10209734This service bulletin provides information for maintenance cleaning of the fuel injectors and gasoline detergent additive.
- 10007838Diagnostic information for intermittent transmission downshift, slip, busy/cycling tcc or noisy cooling fan.
- 10005412Spring slap noise from the rear of the gmt 400 series truck.
- 634999Diagnosis of cracked or broken transmission case. 2006 and prior cars and light duty trucks.
Every GMC Sierra model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.