The Lemon IndexGMC Sonoma reliability.
Is it reliable? It's mixed. About as many complaints as the average car.
About average · 2000–2003
What owners say on YouTube
1994–2004 Sonoma · 196 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Transmission & shifter313K views
- Fuel pump, filter & tank262K views
- Intake, EGR & engine sensors190K views
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Fewest complaints
2003.
Only 4 GMC Sonoma years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2003 drew about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Show 7 older years (1994–2004, YouTube reviews only, no complaint data)
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 10 GMC Sonoma years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/gmc-sonoma/" title="GMC Sonoma reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/gmc-sonoma/">Lemon Index</a> (GMC Sonoma reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 197 YouTube videos about the GMC Sonoma, 1994 to 2004, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 1997. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the GMC Sonoma.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the GMC Sonoma reliable?
It's mixed. It draws about as many complaints as the average car, but YouTube owners complain about it more than about most cars its age. Fewest complaints: 2003.
Is the GMC Sonoma a good car?
It is about average, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2000-2003: Lemon Index 92; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2003 drew the fewest complaints and 2000 the most.
What are the best GMC Sonoma years to buy?
Only 4 GMC Sonoma years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2003 drew the fewest complaints (about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car).
What GMC Sonoma years should you stay away from?
Only 4 GMC Sonoma years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the GMC Sonoma have?
6 safety recalls across the 4 model years we track. Most: 2000 (4), 2001 (1), 2003 (1). Each year's page lists them.
What are the most common GMC Sonoma problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name brakes, seats and transmission & drivetrain most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 106 | about average | 60 | service brakes, hydraulic (47%) | 4 | — | 16–23 |
| 2001 | 99 | about average | 44 | service brakes, hydraulic (20%) | 1 | — | 14–22 |
| 2002 | 84 | somewhat fewer complaints than the average car | 35 | service brakes, hydraulic (26%) | 0 | — | 14–22 |
| 2003 | 67 | about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car | 21 | body structure (19%) | 1 | — | 14–22 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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